U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Characteristics of Effective Treatments and Interventions for Juvenile Offenders

NCJ Number
183495
Author(s)
Richard E. Redding Ph.D.
Date Published
1999
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper examines characteristics of effective treatments and interventions for juvenile offenders.
Abstract
While no single treatment will rehabilitate all juvenile offenders, the best interventions share some characteristics. They are based on empirically demonstrated effective treatments, simultaneously address multiple risk factors (child, family, school, neighborhood) contributing to a child's delinquency, are tailored to each child, are of sufficient duration and maintain high program quality in terms of staff recruitment and training, supervision, accountability for outcomes, and ongoing program monitoring and evaluation. The most effective programs include early screening, evaluation and intervention and are community-based. The paper provides an overview of research findings on the characteristics of effective interventions, identifies specific treatments generally considered the most effective in reducing recidivism in juvenile offenders, and describes certain treatments that show particular promise. Bibliography, references