SELECTED ASPECTS OF THE ALAMEDA COUNTY (CA) DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION OF STATUS OFFENDERS PROGRAM - AN EVALUATION

• NCJ Number: 59949
• Author(s): J ISAACS; R BARON
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 79 pages
• Grant Number(s): 76-NI-99-0072
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: SRI International
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS OF A TWO-PART EVALUATION OF THE ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIF., DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION OF STATUS OFFENDERS (DSO) PROGRAM ARE PRESENTED; GOALS, INDICATORS, METHODOLOGY, AND CONCLUSIONS ARE EMPHASIZED.

Abstract

IN FEBRUARY 1976, THE STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE WAS AWARDED A GRANT BY LEAA'S OFFICE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION TO COLLECT THE NATIONAL EVALUATION DATA FOR THE ALAMEDA COUNTY DSO PROJECT, AND TO PERFORM LOCAL EVALUATION. EVALUATION EFFORTS PLACED PRIMARY EMPHASIS ON DETERMINING THE DEGREE THE ALAMEDA DSO DIVERTED STATUS OFFENDERS FROM EACH STAGE OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES, AND PREVENTED STATUS OFFENDERS FROM REENTERING THAT SYSTEM. THREE MAJOR GOALS, EACH WITH SPECIFIC INDICATORS, WERE INVESTIGATED. FIRST, THE EVALUATION SOUGHT TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH STATUS OFFENDERS WERE REMOVED FROM DETENTION AND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS, HAD BEEN PREVENTED FROM ENTERING FACILITIES INITIALLY, AND HAD BEEN TRANSFERRED TO NEW PROGRAMS. INDICATORS INCLUDED BASIC DESCRIPTIVE DATA ON EVERY DSO REFERRAL, INCLUDING SOURCE OF REFERRAL, TYPE OF OFFENSE, AND RELATED INFORMATION. SECOND, EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICE WAS EVALUATED THROUGH SUCH MEASUREMENTS AS DEGREE OF COMMUNITY TOLERANCE FOR JUVENILE MISBEHAVIOR, VOLUME OF YOUTH SERVICES AND TREATMENT RESOURCES AVAILABLE, AND EXTENT TO WHICH PROGRAMS AVOID IMPOSING COERCIVE CONTROLS ON THEIR CLIENTS. THIRD, SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT AND RECIDIVISM OF DSO PARTICIPANTS WERE EVALUATED THROUGH STANDARDIZED MEASUREMENTS, THE MULTI-ATTRIBUTE UTILITY MEASURE, AND OFFICIAL OFFENSE HISTORIES OBTAINED FROM POLICE AND JUVENILE COURT FILES. THE MAJOR FINDING OF THIS STUDY IS THAT THE DSO PROJECT IS DIVERTING STATUS OFFENDERS FROM THE SYSTEM TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES, ALTHOUGH ONLY PROJECT-ELIGIBLE YOUTHS ARE BEING DIVERTED, AND THE DEGREE OF DIVERSION VARIES AMONG DIFFERENT DECISION POINTS IN THE SYSTEM. STATISTICAL TABULAR DATA, GRAPHS, AND DIAGRAMS, ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LWM).