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Assessing and Addressing Needs Early: Improving Court Response

NCJ Number
162803
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
An Early Court Intervention Project in New Jersey designed to help identify and address the needs of high-risk juveniles early in their court involvement was analyzed using data from 270 interviews with juveniles and their parents or guardians.
Abstract
The projected was funded by the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The juveniles in the project had just entered the juvenile court a second time on a delinquency charge. They ranged from 11 to 18 years of age at the time of entering the court for the current charge. Their average age was 16 years, and 81 percent were males. Their needs were categorized into seven general areas: (1) drug or alcohol use, (2) family situation, (3) neurological condition such as a learning disability or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, (4) past physical or sexual abuse, (5) peer relationships, (6) psychological adjustment, and (7) school situation. Results revealed that almost every youth had a problem in at least one of these areas. Forty-nine percent had problems had problems in at least five of the areas. The average number of needs per youth was 4.4. The school situation, particularly poor school performance and behavior problems, was the most common problem, followed by the family situation and psychological adjustment. A large percentage of the youths were from urban areas with high poverty levels. Results suggest that identifying and successfully addressing the needs of high-risk offenders can produce progress in turning these youths around and indicate the need for an adequate array of programs and services. Findings indicating the link between juvenile and community needs also point to the intractable quandary of multiproblem families, failing schools, and limited employment opportunities. Risk scale and needs assessment forms