Evidence for Interventions for Young Offenders (original) (raw)
Related papers
Violent juvenile delinquents: Treatment effectiveness and implications for future action
American Psychologist, 1995
Traditionally, the juvenile justice system has emphasized the goals of treatment and rehabilitation of young offenders, while protecting them from punishment, retribution, and stigmatization. Violent juvenile offenders have posed a challenge to this rehabilitative ideal because of mounting public pressure to ensure societal protection. Juveniles who are perceived as dangerous or persistent in their criminal activity are increasingly transferred to the adult criminal justice system, where they may receive much harsher consequences. Whether violent delinquents can be successfully treated is a key point in the debate regarding the wisdom of this trend in juvenile justice. This article considers the available research to address the policy question of how society should reasonably invest in the treatment of violent juvenile offenders.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2017
There is a largely unmet need for evidence-based interventions that reduce future aggression and incarceration in clinically aggressive juvenile offenders serving probation. We addressed this gap using a group randomized controlled trial. Offenders both with and without clinical aggression were included, enabling comparison of intervention effects. Juveniles 13 to 17 years old (N = 310, mean = 16 years, 90% African-American, 66% male) on probation were assigned to a 2-week intervention targeting psychosocial factors implicated in risky behavior (e.g., learning strategies to manage "hot" emotions that prompt risk taking) or to an equally intensive health promotion control. Participants completed aggression measures at baseline, 6-, and 12-month follow-up and reported on incarceration at 12 months. Spline regression tested symptom change. Among clinically aggressive offenders (n = 71), the intervention arm showed significantly greater reductions in aggression over the first ...
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2011
Objective: (1) to evaluate whether Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is more effective in reducing youth offending and out-of-home placement in a large, ethnically diverse, urban UK sample than an equally comprehensive management protocol; and (2) to determine whether MST leads to broader improvements in youth sociality and in mediators believed to be responsible for change in MST. Method: 108 families were randomized to either MST (n=56) or the comprehensive and targeted usual services delivered by youth offending teams (YOT, n=52). Results: although both MST and YOT interventions appeared highly successful in reducing offending, the MST model of service-delivery reduced significantly further the likelihood of non-violent offending during an 18-month follow-up period. Consistent with offending data, the results of youth-reported delinquency and parental reports of aggressive and delinquent behaviors show significantly greater reductions from pre-treatment to post-treatment levels in the MST group. Conclusions: The superiority of the MST condition in reducing offending and antisocial behavior suggests that MST adds value to current UK statutory evidence-based youth services. The provision of MST cannot supplant existing services but is best used to facilitate the appropriate and cost-effective organization of statutory services for young persons and their families.
Understanding and treating juvenile offenders: A review of current knowledge and future directions
Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2002
Juvenile delinquency is one of our most pressing social problems, with negative emotional, physical, and economic effects felt throughout society. Considering the prevalence, stability, and detrimental impact of juvenile offending, the development of effective treatments is of utmost importance. This article provides an overview of available evidence regarding several key issues pertaining to treatment for juvenile offenders. First, the etiology, continuity, and long-term consequences of juvenile offending are reviewed. Second, factors associated with treatment outcome are discussed. Third, information regarding the most commonly used intervention strategies are provided. These strategies include family/systems, parent and social skills training, cognitive -behavioral, peer group counseling, wilderness programs, and boot camps. Finally, gaps in knowledge, research implications, and future directions are presented. D
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1995
This article examined the long-term effects of multisystemic therapy (MST) vs. individual therapy (IT) on the prevention of criminal behavior and violent offending among 176 juvenile offenders at high risk for committing additional serious crimes. Results from multiagent, multimethod assessment batteries conducted before and after treatment showed that MST was more effective than IT in improving key family correlates of antisocial behavior and in ameliorating adjustment problems in individual family members. Moreover, results from a 4-year follow-up of rearrest data showed that MST was more effective than IT in preventing future criminal behavior, including violent offending. The implications of such findings for the design of violence prevention programs are discussed.
Multisystemic Treatment of Criminality and Violence in Adolescents
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 1999
In 1996, the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado at Boulder initiated a project to identify ten violence prevention programs that met a very high scientific standard of program effectiveness. The objective was to identify outstanding programs, and to describe these interventions in a series of "Blueprints." This issue examines Functional Family Therapy (FFT) as a proven model program. FFT is an outcome-driven prevention/intervention program for youth who have demonstrated the entire range of maladaptive, acting out behaviors and related symptoms. (Available from Abstract: Functional Family Therapy with status delinquents has undergone careful scrutiny in well designed studies that included random assignment, realistic comparison treatment programs, formally trained therapists, and reasonable follow-up periods. This report describes three replications in which FFT has been extended to new populations, has utilized less formally trained therapists, and has been applied in new treatment contexts. Taken together, the replications provide important support for the generalizability of FFT across client and therapist populations. Abstract: This paper discusses the emergent success of multisystemic therapy (MST), a family-based therapeutic approach that has been viewed as a promising treatment for violence and other serious antiosical behaviors in adolescents. The success of MST can be attributed primarily to (1) the match between MST intervention foci and empirically identified correlates/causes of criminality and violence in adolescents, and (2) the flexible use of well-validated intervention strategies in the natural environment. Abstract: This study compared the efficacy of multisystemic therapy (MST) and individual therapy (IT) in the outpatient treatment of adolescent sexual offenders. Sixteen adolescent sexual offenders were randomly assigned to either MST or IT conditions. Youths in the MST and IT conditions received an average of 37 hours and 45 hours of treatment, respectively. Recidivism data were collected on all subjects at an approximately 3-year follow-up. Between-groups comparisons showed that significantly fewer subjects in the MST condition had been rearrested for sexual crimes and that the frequency of sexual rearrests was significantly lower in the MST condition than in the IT condition. The relative efficacy of MST was attributed to its emphasis on changing behavior and interpersonal relations within the offender's natural environment. Abstract: In this commentary, the author begins with a brief synopsis of findings from recent studies of the effectiveness of the system of care approach that is primarily conducted by service researchers. She then discusses evidence, from the clinical treatment research field, on the effectiveness of evidence-based treatments. Abstract: As pressure increases for the demonstration of effective treatment for children with mental disorders, it is essential that the field has an understanding of the evidence base. To address this aim, the authors searched the published literature for effective interventions for children and adolescents. Strong evidence was found for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety, and disruptive behavior disorders. Guidance from the field relevant to moving the evidence-based interventions into real-world clinical practice and further strengthening the research base will also need to address change in policy and clinical training. Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of wraparound services versus conventional services for juvenile delinquent youth and create a predictive model that would assist the juvenile court system in correctly identifying youth at greatest risk of reoffending. The study employed a pretest/posttest, control group design, with follow-up assessments of youth court-ordered into community-based treatment programs for delinquent youth. Implications of the findings for improving community-based juvenile diversion programs for delinquent youth were explored and discussed. (authors) Abstract: In 1996, the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado at Boulder initiated a project to identify ten violence prevention programs that met a very high scientific standard of program effectiveness. The objective was to identify outstanding programs, and to describe these interventions in a series of "Blueprints." This issue examines Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) as a proven model program. MTFC is a cost effective alternative to group or residential treatment, incarceration, and hospitalization for adolescents who have problems with chronic antisocial behavior, emotional disturbance, and delinquency. (Available from Abstract: Research has shown that association with delinquent peers is a strong predictor of future involvement in delinquent and violent behavior. This bulletin describes an alternative to corrections and group care facilities. The program places juvenile offenders who require residential treatment with foster families who are trained to provide close supervision, fair limits, consistent consequences, and a supportive relationship, instead of with other delinquents. It is an approach that promotes both rehabilitation of juvenile offenders and public safety. Available from: www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org Resource #: 010114 (Journal Article: 9 pages) Citation: Chamberlain, P., Reid, J. Comparison of Two Community Alternatives to Incarceration for Chronic Juvenile Offenders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(4): 624-633, 1998. Abstract: The relative effectiveness of group care (GC) and multidimensional treatment foster care (MTFC) was compared in terms of their impact on criminal offending, incarceration rates, and program completion outcomes for 79 male adolescents who had histories of chronic and serious juvenile delinquency. Results show that boys who participated in MTFC had significantly fewer criminal referrals and returned to live with relatives more often. Resource #: 011415 (Journal Article: 3 pages) Citation: Chamberlain, P., Weinrott, M. Specialized Foster Care: Treating Seriously Emotionally Disturbed Children. Children Today:24-27, Jan. -Feb. 1990. Abstract: This article describes the treatment known as Specialized Foster Care (SFC), developed by Patricia Chamberlain in Eugene, Oregon. It discusses preliminary evaluation studies, along with other reports on specialized Foster Care programs and the growing number of new SFC programs being implemented each year throughout the U.S., which support the efficacy of the model. It seems clear that for severely troubled children and teenagers, placement and care in SFC can have all the direct, measurable human benefits associated with living in a nonrestrictive community setting, along with the advantage of being able to provide effective individualized treatment plans. Abstract: This article provides a brief overview of Multisystemic Therapy (MST), an intensive familyand community-based treatment approach that has garnered a great deal of attention for successfully treating juvenile delinquents and youth exhibiting serious emotional disturbance (SED). The demonstrated effectiveness of MST has been predicated on targeting the known correlates of anti-social behavior, incorporating empirically supported interventions, viewing caregivers as the key to long-term success, and mandating provider accountability. Studies have shown that these foci are the keys to change the developmental trajectories of serious and chronic offenders away from long-term criminal careers. Abstract: The authors examined two underlying assumptions of the family empowerment perspective. The first assumption is that a well-validated family-based treatment that explicitly aims to empower caregivers can do so. The second assumption is that increased caregiver empowerment should be associated with improved youth and family functioning. Results provided partial support for the underlying assumptions of the family empowerment perspective. The family-based treatment in comparison with usual services increased caregiver perceptions of empowerment at the service system level, but not at the family level. In addition increased empowerment at the family and service system levels were associated with improved family relations, but not with decreased youth behavior problems. The conceptual implications and limitations of the findings are discussed. Abstract: Multisystemic therapy (MST) is a family-based treatment model that has achieved high rates of treatment completion with youths who present serious clinical problems, and their families. The success of MST in engaging challenging families in treatment is due to programmatic commitments to family collaboration and partnership as well as to a conceptual process that delineates barriers to family engagement, develops and implements strategies to overcome these barriers, and evaluates the success of these strategies. This article provides an overview of the nonspecific/ universal engagement strategies used by MST therapists, frequently observed barriers to achieving therapist-family engagement, and specific strategies to overcome a sampling of these barriers. Abstract: In 1996, the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado at Boulder initiated a project to identify ten violence prevention programs that met a very high scientific standard of program effectiveness. The objective was to identify outstanding programs, and to describe these interventions in a series of "Blueprints." This issue examines Multisystemic Therapy (MST) as a proven model program. The ultimate goal of MST is to empower families to build an environment, through the mobilization of indigenous child, family, and community resources, that promotes health. MST has demonstrated decreased...
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1995
This article examined the long-term effects of multisystemic therapy (MST) vs. individual therapy (IT) on the prevention of criminal behavior and violent offending among 176 juvenile offenders at high risk for committing additional serious crimes. Results from multiagent, multimethod assessment batteries conducted before and after treatment showed that MST was more effective than IT in improving key family correlates of antisocial behavior and in ameliorating adjustment problems in individual family members. Moreover, results from a 4-year follow-up of rearrest data showed that MST was more effective than IT in preventing future criminal behavior, including violent offending. The implications of such findings for the design of violence prevention programs are discussed.
Treating offending children: What works?
Legal and Criminological Psychology, 2005
Purpose There is little evidence on the effectiveness of interventions with offending children and juveniles, either in Europe or North America. We present the evaluation findings of an innovative intervention and relate these to the existing evidence-base for young offenders and to the more extensive literature on older offenders.
Multisystemic therapy: an effective violence prevention approach for serious juvenile offenders
Journal of Adolescence, 1996
This article provides an overview of a treatment approach, Multisystemic Therapy (MST), that has demonstrated long-term reductions in criminal activity and violence among youth at high-risk for perpetrating violence. Importantly, central aspects of MST are consistent with the recent public health agenda of violence prevention in the United States. Moreover, as demonstrated from the findings of controlled clinical trials evaluating MST with serious juvenile offenders, the viability of the public health approach is supported.