DJJDPs Comprehensive Delinquency Prevention

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DJJDPs Comprehensive Delinquency
Prevention Intervention Strategy Buddy
HowellPinehurst, NCbuddyhowell_at_nc.rr.com
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The Need For a Comprehensive Strategy

• Poor matching of prevention programs with risk
  factors for delinquency
• Poor targeting of serious, violent and chronic
  offenders
• Little use of risk and needs assessments
• Poor matching of offenders with the level of
  service
• Over-use of detention and incarceration

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NCs Comprehensive Strategy for Juvenile
Delinquency
Problem Behavior gt Noncriminal Misbehavior gt
Delinquency gt Serious, Violent, and Chronic
Offending
Prevention Target Population At-Risk Youth
Graduated Sanctions Target Population Delinquent
Youth
Programs for All Youth
Programs for Youth at Greatest Risk
Immediate Intervention
Intermediate Sanctions
Community Confinement
Training Schools
gt
gt
gt
gt
gt
gt
Aftercare
Preventing youth from becoming delinquent by
focusing prevention programs on at-risk youth
Improving the juvenile justice system response to
delinquent offenders through a system of
graduated sanctions and a continuum of treatment
alternatives
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Integrated Prevention and Intervention

• Risk/protective factors in the individual,
  family, peer group, school, neighborhood

Serious and Violent Juvenile Offending
Conduct Disorder
Early Delinquency
Prevention
Prevention
Prevention
Intervention
Intervention
Intervention
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Comprehensive Strategy Mantra
Research-based
Data-driven
Outcome-focused
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Juvenile Offender Court Careers
Chronic
Serious
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Non-Serious Non-Violent Non-Chronic
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C,S V
4
Violent
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Source Snyder (1998) Maricopa Co. Study
(N151,209)
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Pathways to Boys Chronic, Serious, Violent
Delinquency
Age of Onset Late
Boys Few
Violence (rape, attack, strongarm)
Moderate to Serious Delinquency (fraud, burglary,
serious theft)
Physical Fighting (physical fighting, gang
fighting)
Property Damage (vandalism, firesetting)
Minor Aggression (bullying, annoying
others) Overt Pathway
Minor Covert Behavior (shoplifting, frequent
lying) Covert Pathway
Authority Avoidance (truancy, running away,
staying out late)
Defiance/Disobedience
Stubborn Behavior Authority Conflict
Pathway (Before Age 12)
Early
Many
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Risk Factors for Delinquency
Developed by the Jordan Institute for
Families Risk factors, indicators, data are
accessible online http//www.unc.edu/ncjcp/
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Individual Risk Factors

• Birth6 711 1216
• Constitutional Factors ? ? ?
• Behavior problems in school ? ? ?
• Academic failure ? ? ?
• Early conduct problems ? ? ?
• Gang membership ?

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Family Risk Factors

• Birth6 711 1216
• Prenatal factors ?
• Family management problems ? ? ?
• Parent problems ? ? ?
• Family conflict disruption ? ?

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Peer Group Risk Factors

• Birth6 711 1216
• Peer rejection ? ? ?
• Peer delinquent behavior ? ?

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School-level Risk Factors

• Birth6 711 1216
• School classroom size ? ? ?
• Disruptive school environment ?

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Community Risk Factors

• Birth6 711 1216
• Impoverished neighborhood ? ? ?
• Community drug alcohol use ?
• Community crime violence ? ?
• Presence of gangs ? ?
• Availability of guns ?

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Percent of All Serious Violent Offenses Committed
by Gang Members
Sample
Offenses
Rochester
82
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Sample
Offenses
Denver
79
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Sample
Offenses (Robberies Only)
Seattle
85
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Source Thornberry, 1998
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8th Graders Position in the Gang
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28
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Source Lynskey et al. (2000) NB Ever or
current members of a delinquent gang
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A Graduated Sanctions Model
Residential Placement
Increasing Sanctions
Decreasing Sanctions
CB Resid.
Intensive PS
Day/Eve Report.
Intensive PS
Probation
Probation
Youth Court
Group Counseling
Mentoring
Diversion
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Structured Decision Making Tools

• Detention screening instruments
• Intake screening instruments
• Research-based risk risk assessments
• Objective assessments of youth and family
  strengths and needs
• A placement matrix for recommending court
  dispositions
• Standardized case plans
• Routine assessment of case plan progress

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Key DJJDP SDM Tools

• DJJDP has a validated risk assessment instrument
• DJJDP has a needs/strengths assessment instrument
• The JJ Reform Act provided a Disposition Matrix
• The Disposition Matrix and risk assessment
  instrument are functioning well in guiding
  offender placements

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Disposition Matrix

• A disposition matrix organizes sanctions and
  programs by risk level and offense severity.
• It places offenders along a continuum of programs
  and sanctions
• Research shows that a reliable risk assessment
  instrument predicts different recidivism rates at
  various risk levels.

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Key Points of the Disposition Matrix

• Low risk offenders are placed in community
  programs with minimal supervision
• Medium risk offenders are typically placed in
  more structured community programs with intensive
  probation supervision
• High risk offenders may be placed in Youth
  Development Centers

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Disposition of NC Court Referrals by Risk Level
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A Practical Approach To Evaluating and
Improving Juvenile Justice Programs Utilizing The
Standardized Program Evaluation Protocol
The Lipsey-Howell Project
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Participating Organizations

• Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
  Prevention
• Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy
• This project is funded by the Governors Crime
  Commission DJJDP.

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Project Team

• Dr. Mark Lipsey (Vanderbilt Univ.)
• Dr. James Buddy Howell (NC)
• Dr. Simon Tidd (Vanderbilt Univ.)
• Mr. Ron Mangum, M.A. (NC)
• Dr. James Jim Palmer (NC)
• DJJDP
• Ms. Susan Whitten, State Administrator,
  Intervention Prevention Division

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Pilot Counties
Buncombe Guilford Nash Vance
Robeson Rockingham Yancey Pitt
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DJJDP JCPC Evaluation Requirements in 1998
Juvenile Justice Reform Act
DJJDP JCPCs have responsibility for
evaluating JCPC-funded programs DJJDP has
responsibility for identifying best practices
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North Carolinas Practical Approach to Improving
Juvenile Justice System Programs

• Most juvenile justice programs reduce
  recidivism--at least slightly.
• The most practical and cost-effective approach is
  to improve existing programs.
• This can be done by applying research-based
  knowledge of the features of effective programs.

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Standardized Program Evaluation Protocol
Development The Evidence Base

• Dr. Mark W. Lipsey
• Vanderbilt University

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1589 Observed Effects from 556 Outcome Studies
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Four Main Characteristics Of Effective
Programs 1. The Program Type (primary
intervention) 2. Supplementary Services 3.
Amount of Service 4. Characteristics of
Clients
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Comparison of Programs with Varying Numbers of
Favorable CharacteristicsProportion of
practical programs with different numbers of
favorable characteristics and associated change
in recidivism rates relative to control group
0 7 12 1 50 -2 2 27 -10 3 15 -20 4
2 -24
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The Standardized Program Evaluation
Protocol(SPEP)
What is it? A practical method for evaluating
juvenile justice and delinquency prevention
programs against best practices The SPEP
provides a scheme (protocol) for assigning points
to programs according to how closely their
characteristics match those associated with the
best outcomes in research.
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The SPEP contd
How was the SPEP developed? Dr. Lipsey maintains
and analyzes the only database of more than 600
evaluated juvenile justice programs. The SPEP
contains the main features of effective evaluated
programs that are similar to North Carolina
programs. Point allocations are based on
research results that are standardized across
studies, showing the added increment of
delinquency reduction each program feature
produces, on average.
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What the SPEP is NOT
It is not a whole blueprint for a program. It
measures only the delinquency reduction potential
a program type has, on average, based on prior
research. It will not provide a treatment plan
for individual clients, only a framework within
which treatment can be planned.
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Primary Program Types for SPEPs (A separate SPEP
for each)   Individual counseling Group
counseling Family counseling Parent
training/counseling Restitution Interpersonal
skills Tutoring/remedial education Mentoring
Employment related Drug/alcohol
therapy/counseling
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Other Services that may Supplement Primary
Programs Behavior management Life
skills Intensive supervision Cognitive
behavioral
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Prevention Programs Service Categories   Effecti
ve, and above average Parent training/counseling
Interpersonal skills training Tutoring   Ef
fective, and about average Group
counseling Drug/alcohol therapy/counseling Emp
loyment-related   Effective, but below
average Individual counseling Mentoring Fami
ly counseling
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Court Supervised Delinquency Programs Service
Categories  Effective, and above
average Family counseling Tutoring Mentoring
  Effective, and about average Parent
training/counseling Interpersonal skills
training Drug/alcohol therapy/counseling Effec
tive, but below average Individual
counseling Group counseling Employment-related
Restitution
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Three Sets of SPEPs for the NC Juvenile Justice
Continuum Delinquency Prevention Court
Delinquency Supervision Commitment Programming
Aftercare
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Expected Recidivism with Features of Effective
Prevention Programs
Comparable Juvs not in Evaluated
Program 30 Average Prevention Program in
Database 27 Effective, Above Average Program
(EAP) 25 EAPBest Supplemental Service
(BSS) 20 EAPBSSOptimal Service Amount
(OSA) 17 EAPBSSOSAAppropriate Clients 13
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Expected Recidivism with Features of Effective
Court Delinquency Supervision Programs
Comparable Juveniles not in a Program 40 Ave
rage Supervision Program in Database 34 Effecti
ve, Above Average Program (EAP) 32 EAPBest
Supplemental Service (BSS) 28 EAPBSSOptimal
Service Amount (OSA) 24 EAPBSSOSAAppropriate
Clients 21
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PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT CONTINUUM BUILDING
PROCESS
Behavioral Management
Group Counseling
Cognitive Behavior
Drug Health Education
Individual Counseling
Academic Achievement
Interpersonal Skills
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Next Steps in thePilot Counties
(September-October)
Program Improvement

• SPEP evaluation of individual JCPC programs using
  client tracking information
• Engage service providers in making program
  improvements to conform more closely with best
  practices

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Next Steps cont.(September-October)
Continuum Building

• Identify local existing program types
• Identify primary interventions within program
  types
• Identify supplementary interventions within
  program types
• Analysis of risk and needs assessments
  (Vanderbilt)
• Engage JCPCs in continuum building

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Statewide Roll-out (October-March)

• 4 Area Meetings (June)
• SOS Prevention/Intervention Area
  Conferences (Sept.)
• Training on Overview of SPEP Applications
  (Oct.-Nov.) (Details TBD)
• Train DJJDPs Dissemination of Information
  and Skills Teams (TBD)
• Program ratings (Jan.-Feb.)
• Train judges (TBD)