THE YSP RECEIVED FUNDING IN 1973 FOR A PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1976. THE TWO MAJOR GOALS OF THE YSP WERE TO REDUCE JUVENILE RECIDIVISM AND TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF REFERRALS TO THE JUVENILE DEPARTMENT. TO THIS END A SYSTEMATIC ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO SELECT THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSONNEL FOR THE 9 POLICE INVESTIGATOR, THE 12 YOUTH COUNSELOR, AND ANALYST AND STAFF PSYCHOLOGIST POSITIONS. COUNSELORS WERE SELECTED FROM 250 CANDIDATES USING AN INTENSIVE 3-STAGE SCREENING PROCESS. TRAINING FOR POLICE INVESTIGATORS INVOLVED 30 HOURS OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS TRAINING, 5 HOURS PROBLEMSOLVING AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT TRAINING, AND 5 HOURS TRAINING IN PROCEDURES AND MATERIALS FOR PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION. COUNSELOR TRAINING INCLUDED 15 HOURS YSP PROCEDURES AND MATERIALS ORIENTATION, 32 HOURS POLICE DEPARTMENT ORIENTATION, 40 HOURS YOUTH SECTION ORIENTATION, 32 HOURS ORIENTATION TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES, 18 HOURS TRAINING IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND PROGRAM, AND 124 HOURS IN BASIC COUNSELOR SKILLS. THE YSP HAS TWO COMPONENTS: THE FIRST OFFENDER PROGRAM (FOP) AND THE COUNSELING UNIT (CU). BOTH SERVE AS ALTERNATIVES TO THE STANDARD JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. THE INVESTIGATOR EXPLORES EACH CASE AND RECOMMENDS ONE OF FOUR DISPOSITIONS: NO ACTION, RELEASE TO PARENTS AND ASSIGNMENT TO THE CU, RELEASE TO PARENTS AND ASSIGNMENT TO FOP, OR REFERRAL TO THE JUVENILE DEPARTMENT. FOP CONSISTS OF AN INFORMAL FILM/LECTURE SERIES DESIGNED TO TEACH THE JUVENILE ABOUT THE LAW AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS BEHAVIOR. THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CU INVOLVE ASSESSMENT OF SPECIFIC FAMILY AND YOUTH PROBLEM AREAS, DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENT PLAN EMPHASIZING PROBLEM-SPECIFIC SKILLS TRAINING, AND FOLLOWUP INVOLVING APPLICATIONS OF THE NEWLY LEARNED SKILLS. AN ANALYSIS OF DATA FOR THE 34-MONTH DURATION OF THE PROGRAM INDICATED THAT THE YSP HAD LITTLE IMPACT ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF OFFENSES COMMITTED BY JUVENILES. THIS MAY BE ATTRIBUTABLE TO INCREASED POLICING AND MORE STRINGENT ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS UNDERTAKEN BY POLICE DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. THE PROGRAM OFFERED SERVICES TO A TOTAL OF 8,207 ARRESTED JUVENILES, THUS SURPASSING ITS PROJECTED SERVICE DELIVERY GOAL. FURTHER, REFERRALS TO THE JUVENILE DEPARTMENT WERE REDUCED FROM 74 PERCENT IN 1973 TO BETWEEN 60 AND 65 PERCENT DURING THE 34-MONTH STUDY PERIOD. NUMEROUS SECONDARY PROJECTS INCLUDED THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SKILLS-ORIENTED TRAINING MATERIALS FOR JUVENILES AND THEIR PARENTS, IMPROVEMENT OF MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING METHODOLOGIES, THE ADDITION OF OTHER COUNSELING ACTIVITIES, AND EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, AND RESOURCE AND INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND COOPERATION EFFORTS. (JAP)