JUVENILE JUSTICE
Aftercare/Preventive Services Evaluation—With funds from the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice, WRI evaluated the use of preventive services for juvenile offenders and assessed new and existing program models of aftercare for juvenile offenders in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan. In 1986, WRI analyzed data to assess the extent to which enhanced services can reduce recidivism and re-admission to detention for youth who have been released to the community. As part of the evaluation, WRI examined the interface between preventive services resulting from the Child Welfare Reform Act and services provided through the juvenile justice system.
Assistance to the PINS Diversion and Mediation Project—The Children’s Aid Society of New York City conducted a project to provide intensive services (such as counseling and crisis intervention) to youths who were scheduled to go before Family Court for adjudication as persons in need of supervision (PINS). In 1983, WRI analyzed data from project records to find out who was being served by the project, what services were being provided, and what impact the project had.
Evaluation of Alternatives to Detention for PINS—As alternatives to the practice of placing youth who are adjudicated as PINS in juvenile detention centers, the Syracuse/Onondaga County Youth Board developed two new service approaches—the Cluster Home approach and the Special Supervision Program. In 1985, WRI contracted with the Youth Board to evaluate the effectiveness of each program in helping PINS to achieve either independent living or reunification with their families, in reducing risks to the community, and in achieving cost savings.
Evaluation of the NYC Juvenile Justice Diversion Project—The New York City Department of Juvenile Justice used preventive service funding under the Child Welfare Reform Act to provide intensive services for youths in detention in order to improve their chances for successful return to their families. The project involved support from the New York State Division for Youth, the Department of Social Services, and New York City’s Special Services for Children, as well as the City Department of Juvenile Justice. In 1988, WRI evaluated the project to assess the effectiveness of the preventive services in expediting children’s return to their families and reducing recidivism among offenders and delinquents.
Study of Court-Related Children: An Estimate of Their Placement and Rehabilitative Service Needs—Nearly 10,000 youth were adjudicated by New York State Family Courts as PINS (persons in need of supervision) or juvenile delinquents in 1975. Since these youth were presumed to have serious service needs, it was important to determine the degree to which the courts’ choices of placements were meeting particular needs. This study was funded by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services through the New York State Department of Social Services. WRI sought to define and measure the service needs of these youth and the services offered, so as to assess the appropriateness or inappropriateness of the placements.
