Discussion Responses
Decide whether you agree or disagree with their critique and explain.
I have decided to do my discussion on the, Juvenile Delinquency Treatment and Prevention: A Literature Review conducted by Jessica May, Kristina Osmond, and Stephen Billick in March of 2014. In New York City, there is the new mandate through the Juvenile Justice Initiative to implement interventions to keep juvenile offenders in the community rather than sending them to be incarcerated. This literature review reflects back on the program that I have chosen for my final paper the Close to Home Initiative.
- Critique the design of the program evaluation.
The program evaluation was a descriptive design using qualitative research. Two thousand juvenile delinquents who were interviewed and assessed three years after being detained, Researchers used the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) to determine the functionality of the participants based on their responses during the semi-structured interview. Participants received scores in eight different categories.
“Four years after juvenile delinquents were treated with either Multisystemic Therapy MST or an individual therapy plan, MST participants had a significantly lower recidivism rate. MST participants had a rate of recidivism of 22.1 %. This is significant, especially when compared to the individual therapy group which had a recidivism rate of 71.4 %. Interestingly, even those that participated only temporarily in the MST program also had a reduced recidivism rate of 46.6 % compared to the control delinquent group. May, J., Osmond, K., & Billick, S. (2014).
- Examine the research hypothesis.
Multisystemic Therapy also known as MST for serious juvenile offenders, keeping them in the community with intensive intervention, can significantly reduce recidivism. The researchers believe keeping juveniles within their communities and around family can reduces the chances of the juvenile re-offending. Just by allowing the family to be part of the treatment this can re-establish a bond with the juvenile and family and the community.
- Analyze the evaluability of the program or policy under consideration by the researcher.
This can be evaluated because data was collected and it is reliable data that was not manipulated in any way.
- Describe the research methodology employed by the researcher, and identify any ethical issues that might be salient to the study.
The author does bring up concerns about the ultimate goal for society should be to prevent juvenile delinquency altogether. The researcher suggests that instead of waiting for the juvenile to offend early intervention programs should be used as they produce positive effects on reducing future delinquency and are highly cost effective for society.
References
May, J., Osmond, K., & Billick, S. (2014). Juvenile Delinquency Treatment and Prevention: A Literature Review. Psychiatric Quarterly, 85(3), 295–301. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1007/s11126-014-9296-4 (Links to an external site.)
