ERIC Number: ED226302
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1982-Aug
Pages: 23
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Offense History and the Effectiveness of Juvenile Diversion Programs.
Osgood, D. Wayne; And Others
Some evaluations have concluded that diversion programs for juvenile offenders (programs intended as community-based alternatives to formal justice dispositions) reduce recidivism only among youths with the least serious offense histories. To investigate the relationship of offense history to program effectiveness, three diversion programs were studied using data from the national evaluation of diversion programs conducted by the Behavioral Research Institute. Offenders were randomly assigned to diversion and control groups. Data on arrest record as well as a broad range of outcome measures collected by personal interviews were used. Analyses revealed no significant relationship of offense history to program effectiveness. Reanalysis of data from earlier research revealed that these findings were insignificant or unconvincing. The success of diversion programs at reducing delinquency appears unrelated to clients' offense histories and suggests that the goals of diversion will best be met by serving offenders who would otherwise have received formal justice dispositions. (Author/JAC)
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Inst. for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Dept. of Justice/LEAA), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor. Inst. for Social Research.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A