Last updated: 2011 www.ojjdp.gov/mpg

Day Treatment 

Day treatment centers (also known as day reporting centers, community resource centers, or day 

incarceration centers) are highly structured, community-based, postadjudication, nonresidential 

programs for serious juvenile offenders. The goal of day treatment is to provide intensive supervision 

to ensure community safety and a wide range of services to the offender to prevent future delinquent 

behavior. The intensive supervision is fulfilled by requiring the offender to report to the facility on a 

daily basis at specified times for a specified length of time. Generally, programs are provided at the 

facility during the day and/or evening at least 5 days a week. Special weekend activities may also be 

conducted. The services provided by day treatment programs include a plethora of correctional 

treatment methods similar to those used in halfway houses, but day treatment facilities allow program 

participants to return home at night and therefore do not have the costs associated with residential 

facilities. 

Day treatment centers originated in Great Britain in the 1970s and are currently being widely 

implemented in the United States. A 1990 study by the National Institute of Justice found only 13 

facilities in the United States. By 1995 there were at least 114 in 22 States (Parent et al. 1995). 

Variations in Day Treatment Centers 

Day treatment centers differ in a number of ways, including the target population, eligibility criteria, 

services offered, goals of treatment, caseload, and requirements of completion. For example, eligibility 

may be determined by a number of factors such as seriousness of the current offense, criminal history, 

and treatment needs. 

In addition, there may be a variety of treatment services available in day treatment facilities, including 

individual and group counseling, recreation, education, vocational training, employment counseling, 

education, life skills and cognitive skills training, substance abuse treatment, and community resource 

referrals. 

Outcome Evidence 

Despite the rapid spread of day treatment programs, to date there are very few impact evaluations 

examining the effectiveness of the day treatment programs on juveniles. Most of the evaluation 

research conducted so far has examined the effect of day treatment services on adult offenders. 

Overall, with regards to adult offenders, program evaluations have shown mixed results. While some 

evaluations found reduced recidivism rates for offenders receiving services through day reporting 

centers, other evaluations found no significant program effects (Martin, Lurigio, and Olson 2003; 

Ostermann 2009; Boyle et al. 2011). 

Suggested Reference: Development Services Group, Inc. 2011. “Day Treatment.” Literature review. Washington, D.C.: Office of 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Day_Treatment.pdf

Prepared by Development Services Group, Inc., under cooperative agreement number 2013–JF–FX–K002. Points of view or 

opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of 

OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice.

 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojjdp.gov 1 
With regards to juvenile offenders, very few evaluations have been conducted. A recent evaluation by 

Winokur Early, Hand, Blankenship, and Chapman (2010) examined the impact of the AMIkids 

Community-based Day Treatment Services offered to at-risk and delinquent youth in Florida. Youths 

are assigned to mental health or substance use treatment services (or to both) that consist of Cognitive–

Behavioral Therapy (to address anger, mental health, behavior, and substance use treatment needs); 

Motivational Enhancement Therapy (to address substance use treatment needs); Aggression 

Replacement Training (which concentrates on anger and skills deficits as well as moral reasoning); 

Skillstreaming (to deal with social skills deficits); and Motivational Interviewing (for rapport building 

and moving youths toward positive change). The day treatment programs are usually small, typically 

located near the youth’s home, and generally operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through 

Fridays. The average length of stay in the program is typically 4 to 6 months. Services provided by 

program staff address issues in both the home and neighborhood by working with each youth and his 

or her family together. Services include staff home visits, a small staff-to-student ratio, comprehensive 

counseling, individualized cognitive–behavioral treatment services, and family integration. 

The evaluation found that youth who received services through AMIkids Community-based Day 

Treatment were significantly less likely to be rearrested, rearrested for a felony offense, adjudicated or 

convicted for an offense, convicted for a felony offense, and subsequently committed, placed on adult 

probation, or sentenced to prison within 12 months of release compared with youth who completed 

residential programming (Winokur Early, Hand, Blankenship, and Chapman 2010). 

However, additional research is needed to determine the impact that day treatment services can have 

on juvenile offenders. 

References 

Boyle, Douglas J., Laura Ragusa, Jennifer Lanterman, and Andrea Marcus. 2011. Outcomes of a 

Randomized Trial of an Intensive Community Corrections Program–Day Reporting Centers–For 

Parolees. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. 

Craddock, A.; and L. Graham. 1996. Day Reporting Centers as an Intermediate Sanction: Evaluation of 

Programs Operated by the ATTIC Correctional Services. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of 

Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. 

Howell, J. 1998. Guide for Implementing the Comprehensive Strategies for Serious, Violent, and Chronic 

Juvenile Offenders. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, 

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 

Lipsey, M.W. 2000. Effective Intervention for Serious Juvenile Offenders. Washington, D.C.: U.S. 

Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention. 

Martin, C., A.J. Lurigio, and D.E. Olson. 2003. “An Examination of Re-arrests and Re-incarcerations 

Among Discharged Day Reporting Center Clients.” Federal Probation 67(1):24-30. 

Ostermann, Michael. 2009. “An Analysis of New Jersey’s Day Reporting Center and Halfway Back 

Programs: Embracing the Rehabilitative Ideal Through Evidence Based Practices.” Journal of 

Offender Rehabilitation 48(2):139–53. 

Parent, D. 1990. Day Reporting Centers for Criminal Offenders: A Descriptive Analysis of Existing Programs. 

Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of 

Justice. 

Parent, D.; J. Byrne; V. Tsarfaty; L. Valdae; and J. Esselman. 1995. Day Reporting Centers. Vols.1 and 2. 

Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of 

Justice. 

 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojjdp.gov 2 
Williams, D.; and T. Turnage. 2001. “Success of a Day Reporting Center Program.” The Corrections 

Compendium 26(3):1–26. 

Winokur Early, Kristin, Gregory A. Hand, Julia L. Blankenship, and Steven F. Chapman. 2010. 

“Experimental Community-Based Interventions for Delinquent Youth: An Evaluation of 

Recidivism and Cost Effectiveness.” Unpublished manuscript. Tallahassee, Fla.: Justice 

Research Center. 

 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojjdp.gov 3