NCJ Number
208121
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 48 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2004 Pages: 697-720
Editor(s)
Adrienne Palermo R.N.
Date Published
December 2004
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study described and examined the OPTIONS treatment program for youth violence/aggressive behavior in Illinois
Abstract
In today’s society, youth violence has become commonplace. Without treatment or intervention, violent and aggressive tendencies of youth will continue on into adulthood. In response, treatment programs and approaches have been created to assist in the prevention of aggressive behaviors of youth. One such program, OPTIONS, was implemented in McLean County, IL, in 1999. The program was developed by a local treatment provider in coordination with two local police departments to prevent adolescent aggression. Counselors of the OPTIONS program were interviewed to assess the type of juveniles referred to the program and the source of the referrals, identify the family characteristics of the juveniles, determine the program effectiveness in reducing dangerous behaviors, discuss the levels of program participation and outline types of services provided. In addition, data were collected, through interviews on the first 100 clients placed in the OPTIONS program from 1999 through 2002. A typical offender in the study was a White juvenile male between ages 15 and 16 years. The findings indicated that a large percentage of juveniles came from unstable families with a family history of criminal convictions, substance abuse or mental illness. Program participants showed an improvement in communication skills and reduction in their levels of dangerousness. Appendixes A-C and references