This testimony discusses issues related to girls' delinquency--a topic that has attracted the attention of federal, state, and local policymakers for more than a decade as girls have increasingly become involved in the juvenile justice system. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is the Department of Justice (DOJ)…

Serious delinquent youth who attended a moderately confrontive juvenile awareness program at San Quentin Prison showed an improvement in attitudes. Behaviorally, however, the program did not reduce delinquency overall. The only finding in favor of experimentals (N=53) showed those to be arrest-free longer than controls (N=55) in the study.…

Provides a comprehensive picture of the project, outlines its strengths and weaknesses, and interprets the findings that could be applied immediately in communities seeking to improve planning and coordination of youth services. (Author)

Determined a prisoner-run delinquency prevention program's effectiveness in the prevention of delinquency in previously arrested youths. Found that the program had no effect on the delinquent behavior of females. Males who attended the program, however, were arrested at a significantly higher rate than counterparts who did not hear the prisoners'…

Ten delinquency prevention studies are reviewed that incorporated rigorous evaluative procedures (specifically the classic experimental design) for assessing programmatic outcomes. Following an introduction, the evaluation mechanisms built into each project are described, since they were used for determination of the effectiveness of the…

Analyzes data from a juvenile diversion program which seem to indicate that as program services increased, the likelihood of participant recidivism increased. Maintains that the unexpected findings resulted from flaws in data recording within the program and suggests that program designs should incorporate evaluation strategies in order to ensure…

Discusses the formation of the Interdepartmental Council to Coordinate All Federal Juvenile Delinquency Programs, outlines National Policy Objectives, and reviews efforts at research and evaluation. (EH)

Delinquency reduction and reduction of the number of juveniles referred to the justice system were assessed for 14 diversion programs in Los Angeles County. A project versus nonproject comparison and a pre-post analysis with archival and other data gathered from 1972 through 1977 were used. Preliminary results indicated that the diversion projects…

The Minnesota Youth Advocate Program, which provides adult advocates for school age delinquents, is described, together with a quasi experimental evaluation of the program. The program probably had small positive impact, but reduction in the program was probably guided by lack of funding availability rather than lack of effectiveness. (Author/CTM)

This report includes content areas consistent with the major activities and program components of the National Institute for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (NIJJDP). The major statutorily-established functions of NIJJDP are assessed in terms of research, evaluation, and program development, information development and dissemination,…

THE TWO MAJOR TARGET POPULATIONS FOR THESE PROGRAMS ARE CHILDREN ENTERING SCHOOL IN FIRST OR SECOND GRADE WHO ARE IN DELINQUENOGENIC NEIGHBORHOODS AND ADOLESCENT DROPOUTS WHO ATTEND SPECIAL YOUTH COUNSELING CENTERS WHERE SKILLS CAN BE TAUGHT. THE PROGRAM SHOULD DEVELOP READING SKILLS AND ENRICH VOCABULARY PROVIDING A BASIS FOR ACCELERATED…

The author discusses the tendency of reformers of juvenile justice to equate change with effectiveness, and warns against repeating this error. He believes that collaboration between program and research personnel is essential in these programs. A juvenile justice model which integrates research and evaluation, clarifying the functions of each and…

The arts enrich the culture and individual lives immeasurably, but what impact do arts-based programs have in preventing juvenile delinquency? To address this question, the YouthARTS Development Project, with the technical assistance of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), brought together Federal agencies, national…

The juvenile diversion program, Special Emphasis Memphis-Metro Youth Diversion Project, is described. The following areas of concern are addressed: (1) the juvenile justice system in Memphis prior to diversion; (2) project philosophy and community support-building efforts; and (3) implementation efforts therough the juvenile court, community…

This report on the Chinatown Youth Services and Coordinating Center (CYSCC) presents a short-term evaluation of the delinquency prevention program operating in San Francisco's Chinatown. Research problems bearing on the evaluation were said to be the lack of concensus among all interviewed (every permanent member of the staff of CYSCC) as to the…