Evaluating the Impact of Alternative Placement Programs for Juveniles in a Southwestern State, 1983-1995: [United States]

This study addressed the question of whether alternative
 correctional programs were more effective than traditional training
 schools in reducing recidivism among juvenile offenders. Alternative
 programs were defined as halfway homes, group homes, foster homes,
 ranches, camping programs, and specialized vocational programs, while
 training schools were defined as secure, restrictive custody programs
 in institutional settings. The goal of this study was to assess the
 impact of alternative program placements versus training school for a
 12-year period on 266 juvenile delinquents remanded to youth
 facilities in a southwestern state in 1983. Subjects chosen for the
 study were 298 youth who had been committed by a county court to a
 statewide juvenile corrections program between January 1, 1983, and
 July 1, 1983. The sample was representative of the youth commission's
 population of juvenile offenders in terms of age, race, and sex. All
 were first time commitments, and the original commitment offense for a
 majority of the youth was a nonviolent property crime, such as
 burglary or theft. From this original sample, 32 juveniles were
 eliminated from the study because they were not adequately exposed to
 either an institutional or alternative program. The final sample
 consisted of 266 juvenile offenders, of which 164 were placed in
 institutions and 102 were placed in alternative programs. Youth were
 not randomly assigned to programs. Juveniles with particular
 characteristics were automatically assigned to certain types of
 programs. All violent offenders were placed in institutions. The study
 was designed to include a lengthy follow-up period, a focus on subject
 by program interaction effects, and the use of survival analysis to
 examine the timing of recidivism as well as its incidence. Recidivism
 was defined as the first arrest or parole revocation that took place
 within the follow-up period. The follow-up period was approximately 12
 years, from the parole assignment until September 1, 1995. Data were
 collected primarily from the administrative records of the state youth
 commission. The commission also obtained additional follow-up data
 from the state Department of Public Safety and the state Department of
 Corrections. Additionally, family background data were collected from
 each youth's parole officer in response to a survey conducted
 specifically for this study in September 1994. Demographic variables
 include commitment age, race, and sex. Psychosocial variables include
 family environment and IQ. Other independent variables include
 program placement status, delinquency risk scales, and program
 adjustment measures. The dependent variable is recidivism, measured as
 both a discrete variable indicating whether an arrest occurred and
time until first arrest offense after parole.

Tags: alternatives-to-institutionalization, correctional-facilities-juveniles, institutionalization-persons, juvenile-detention, juvenile-offenders, juvenile-recidivists, program-evaluation, recidivism, united-states
Organization: Department of Justice