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Division of Juvenile Rehabilitation Sex Offender Treatment Program: Development, Design, and Evaluation Issues

NCJ Number
156581
Author(s)
J C Steiger; C A Ploeger-Dizon
Date Published
1991
Length
49 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of a process and formative evaluation study of the Washington State Division of Juvenile Rehabilitation juvenile sex offender treatment program.
Abstract
The evaluation began in February 1991 and was completed June 1991. Included in this report are an overview of the Division of Juvenile Rehabilitation (DJR) and its programs, the characteristics of DJR sex offenders, the impact of the Community Protection Act on DJR sex offender treatment, current sex offender treatment within DJR, the development of a standard DJR treatment model, and a review of the issues related to sex offender treatment within DJR. The study found that despite the experience of individual staff and facilities in providing treatment to sex offenders, DJR has historically been without a clearly articulated, coordinated, and consistently implemented systemwide sex offender treatment program. The lack of program coordination and consistency is, in part, an outgrowth of a decentralized service delivery system; there is inadequate coordination between treatment sites and no centralized accountability for treatment. The current level of DJR staffing does not allow enough time for individual counseling by qualified sex offender therapists, and the levels of specialized training, experience, and education of DJR line staff are low compared to that required in most specialized sex offender treatment programs. Recommendations for improvement are offered. 12 tables