Outcome evaluation of a referral system for juvenile offenders

Referral systems, among the most recent delinquency prevention programs, have not been evaluated on outcome measures. This paper describes the effectiveness of a referral system for young offenders. The subjects were 239 referred and nonreferred juveniles who were apprehended by the police. Program effectiveness was measured in two areas: diverting youths from court and preventing youths from having further police contact (preventing recidivism). Results indicated that the program served multiple offenders more frequently than it did first offenders, and first offenders who received the greatest amount of service had a higher incidence of recidivism than did low-service clients. Suggestions are made for more effective development and evaluation of referral systems.