RESULTS OF FAMILY THERAPY WITH JUVENILE OFFENDERS

• NCJ Number: 56084
• Journal: Juvenile Justice Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Dated: (NOVEMBER 1977) Pages: 29-33
• Author(s): T F JOHNSON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM AN EVALUATION OF FAMILY THERAPY WITH JUVENILE OFFENDERS WHICH ASSUMES THAT THE FAMILY SYSTEM IS THE PRINCIPAL CONTRIBUTOR TO DELINQUENCY.

Abstract

THE BASIC IDEAS FOR THE THERAPY USED WERE DRAWN PRINICPALLY FROM THE WORK OF ERICKSON, HALEY, MINUCHIN, AND WHITTAKER. THE UNDERLYING CONCEPTS INVOLVED UNDERSTANDING FAMILIES AS SYSTEMS WHICH FAVOR DELINQUENCY AND LEARNING ENOUGH ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL FAMILY SYSTEM TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY FOR INDUCING CHANGE. SPECIFIC TACTICS THEN COULD BE DEVELOPED TO SET THE PROCESS IN MOTION. DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND CRIMINAL HISTORIES WERE USED TO MATCH EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS AND CONTROL SUBJECTS. THE ESSENTIAL CRITERION FOR YOUTHS WHO WERE SELECTED AS CONTROLS WAS THAT THEY HAD NEVER PARTICIPATED IN THE FAMILY INTERVENTION PROGRAM. BY THIS PROCESS 190 PAIRS WERE OBTAINED, WITH THE NUMBER OF OFFENSES CHARGED TO BOTH EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS BEING ABOUT EQUAL.THE POINT AT WHICH THE YOUTH BEGAN FAMILY THERAPY OR BEGAN WORKING WITH A PROBATION OFFICER WAS TAKEN AS THE TIME OF SELECTION. THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE FAMILY PROGRAM WERE REFERRED BY A PROBATION OFFICER AS THAT SERVICE WAS JUDGED TO BE NEEDED. A RECORD WAS MADE OF NEW OFFENSES A 3-MONTH INTERVALS FOR 1 YEAR AND AFTER 2 YEARS FOLLOWING DISMISSAL FROM PROBATION FOR THOSE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. DURING THE FOLLOWUP PERIOD OF THE FOUR QUARTERS OF THE FIRST YEAR, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBTAINED BETWEEN THE PROBATIONERS AND THE THERAPY GROUP. BOTH GROUPS SHOWED POSITIVE GAINS FROM THE SERVICES RENDERED, AS SHOWN BY A RELATIVELY LOW NUMBER OF NEW PETITIONS FOR THE YEAR. IN THE SECOND YEAR, HOWEVER, THE PROBATION GROUP SHOWED INCREASED ACTIVITY WHICH THE THERAPY GROUP DID NOT. THE DIFFERENCES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. APPARENTLY THERE ARE LONG-TERM BENEFITS TO BE DERIVED FROM A FAMILY THERAPY BASED UPON STRATEGIES FOR MODIFYING BEHAVIOR. THOSE BENEFITS ARE GREATER THAN THOSE OBTAINED BY AN ACTIVE PROBATION SERVICE. FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)