EvidenceBased Practices for the Prevention and Intervention of Youth Crime and Violence

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Evidence-Based Practices for the Prevention and
Intervention of Youth Crime and Violence

• Ashley Secarea
• Governors Office of Gang and Youth Violence
  Policy
• Presented for the
• CSAC Administration of Justice Policy Committee

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What are Evidence-Based Practices?

• Programs and strategies that have been evaluated
  through rigorous scientific study using
  experimental or quasi-experimental methods
• Two Types Brand Name Programs and Generic
  Strategies
• Must be implemented with fidelity
• What is fidelity?

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Brand Name Programs Generic Strategies

• Brand Name Programs
• Programs developed by a single investigator or
  team over a number of years, proven effective
  through scientific study and careful replications
  
• Generic Strategies
• General approaches to reducing crime and
  violence, such as counseling and deterrence.
• Meta-analysis and effect sizes
• Quality of implementation is key

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Brand Name Programs

• Advantages
• Existing manuals
• Available technical assistance
• Faster start-up
• Lower risk of program failure
• Overall higher probability of effectiveness

• Disadvantages
• Resistance to canned programs
• Lower flexibility adaptation
• Higher initial costs
• More limited generalizability but programs are
  robust

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Generic Strategies

• Advantages
• Greater flexibility and adaptation to service
  culture
• Lower initial costs

• Disadvantages
• No existing manuals or protocols
• No technical assistance
• More variability in outcomes

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What Do We Implement?

• Dozens of Web sites with lists of EBP
• Governors Office of Gang and Youth Violence
  Policy EBP project
• Lead by Dr. Peter Greenwood and Expert Panel
• Review of existing rating systems
• Best of the Best Coalition for Evidence-Based
  Policy (Top Tier), Blueprints for Violence
  Prevention, Mark Lipsey, Ph.D., and Washington
  State Institute for Public Policy

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Examples of Evidence-Based Practices

• Works
• Multi-systemic Therapy (MST)
• Functional Family Therapy (FFT)
• Aggression Replacement Training (ART)
• Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP)
• Does not work
• Discipline / punishment
• DARE
• Scared Straight
• Intensive supervision

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How Do We Implement It?

• Fidelity
• Sticking to protocol
• Focus on high-risk youth
• Duration of Treatment
• Too few sessions can be ineffective
• Tracking outcomes
• Monitoring outcomes and conducting evaluations

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How Can We Sustain Effects?

• Maintain support with key stakeholders
• Staffing considerations
• Routine measuring and reporting of outcomes
• Are we maintaining fidelity?
• Are we seeing desirable outcomes?

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Issues in Implementing EBP

• Probation Officers as Social Workers?
• Change in service culture
• Deviating from the model
• Risk assessment tools
• Making sure the full dosage is received
• Example Using ART in juvenile detention

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Conclusion

• Nothing works is a myth
• Implementing effective evidence-based practices
  can reduce recidivism, crime and violence
• Choosing which program or practice to implement
  and maintaining fidelity to the model
• Effective evidence-based practices can save
  taxpayer dollars

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• Questions?
• Contact information
• Ashley Secarea
• Governors Office of Gang and Youth Violence
  Policy
• ashley.secarea_at_oes.ca.gov
• 916-445-8067