NCJ Number
247062
Date Published
December 2008
Length
136 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of an evaluation of the Boys and Gils Clubs of America's Targeted Re-Entry Initiative.
Abstract
This evaluation of the BGCA's (Boys and Girls Club of America's) Targeted Re-Entry Initiative identified the following implementation issues: hiring staff to run the programs, establishing clubs inside State juvenile correctional facilities, providing case management services, cultivating networks of community service providers, establishing procedures for identifying and tracking TR (targeted re-entry) cases, and negotiating role relationships among personnel from the juvenile correctional programs, community service providers, local juvenile justice agencies, and local Boys and Girls clubs. The goals of the evaluation were to document the development of TR programs at four selected sites in Alaska, Alabama, Wisconsin, and Arkansas; monitor the fidelity of TR model implementation, and assess the effectiveness of the programs in terms of recidivism reduction, pro-social youth outcomes, and benefits for the local juvenile justice system. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to evaluate the data from three sources - program case records, program archival material, and semi-structured interviews with program staff, corrections personnel, and members of partnering organizations and agencies. The evaluation found that some aspects of the TR model were well implemented at each of the sites, and that while recidivism rates across the board were lower in this study, the rates were not reduced beyond levels that had been seen in previous studies. The results also indicate that the inability to have adequately matched comparison groups impeded the ability of the evaluation to compare recidivism rates. A set of recommendations for improving the TR model are discussed, as are study limitations. Tables, figures, and references