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Evaluating Drug Screening Programs in the Juvenile Justice System

NCJ Number
134835
Journal
Perspectives Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1992) Pages: 16-22
Author(s)
PM Schaefer
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Summative and formative evaluations of drug screening programs used in the juvenile justice system are important to monitor and upgrade programs, validate the program to external sources and to staff within the agency, and contribute to overall increased efficiency in policy making and implementation.
Abstract
Five basic steps should guide an agency in establishing a plan for evaluating a drug screening program. An agency must determine program objectives which are clear, specific, measurable, practical, and specific to time frame; objectives will be suitable to both formative and summative evaluations. The agency must develop a Management Information System (MIS), which should be characterized by ease of use, ease of retrieval, and speed in compiling information. Various research methods can be used to evaluate the program; an evaluation strategy should cover descriptive research, before and after studies, and experimental and quasi-experimental research. The agency will need to establish standard procedures and incorporate them into program policy; the procedures will deal with collecting, recording, organizing, and processing data, reporting findings, and addressing issues of confidentiality. Finally, the agency must implement evaluation results. 8 references