1. Project back-on-track at 1 year: a delinquency treatment program for early-career juvenile offenders.
- Author
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Myers WC, Burton PR, Sanders PD, Donat KM, Cheney J, Fitzpatrick TM, and Monaco L
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Case-Control Studies, Child, Conduct Disorder complications, Conduct Disorder diagnosis, Conduct Disorder psychology, Family Therapy methods, Female, Florida, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Juvenile Delinquency psychology, Male, Recurrence, Regional Medical Programs, Self-Help Groups, Conduct Disorder therapy, Juvenile Delinquency prevention & control, Parents education, Psychotherapy methods, Violence prevention & control
- Abstract
Objective: This study assessed the effectiveness of Project Back-on-Track, an after-school diversion program that uses a multimodal approach for the treatment of early-career juvenile offenders., Method: Project Back-on-Track completers (30 of 41 enrollees; 73%), aged 9 to 17 years, 63% female, participated in a 4-week cycle of treatment consisting of group and family therapies, parent groups, educational sessions, community service projects, and empathy-building exercises. These youths attended the program 2 hours per day, 4 days a week, allowing for 32 hours of contact with the program per cycle; parents attended the program for 15 hours per cycle. Most youths were referred for violent offenses and met criteria for conduct disorder., Results: Project Back-on-Track completers were significantly less likely than matched controls to have committed subsequent criminal offenses at 12 months. In addition, they had significantly fewer subsequent criminal charges at 9- and 12-month follow-up intervals than the control group. By decreasing the frequency of criminal recidivism, it is estimated that Project Back-on-Track resulted in savings to society of approximately $1,800 per youth enrolled after 1 year., Conclusion: At 1-year follow-up, findings suggest that treatment through Project Back-on-Track was effective in reducing criminal recidivism and costs in a population of early-career juvenile offenders.
- Published
- 2000
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