Comparison of two community alternatives to incarceration for chronic juvenile offenders

J Consult Clin Psychol. 1998 Aug;66(4):624-33. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.66.4.624.

Abstract

The relative effectiveness of group care (GC) and multidimensional treatment foster care (MTFC) was compared in terms of their impact on criminal offending, incarceration rates, and program completion outcomes for 79 male adolescents who had histories of chronic and serious juvenile delinquency. Results show that boys who participated in MTFC had significantly fewer criminal referrals and returned to live with relatives more often. Multiple regression analyses showed that assignment to a treatment condition (i.e., GC or MTFC) predicted official and self-reported criminality in follow-up beyond other well-known predictors of chronic juvenile offending (i.e., age at 1st offense, number of previous offenses, age at referral).

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior*
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Child
  • Foster Home Care / methods
  • Foster Home Care / standards*
  • Group Homes / standards*
  • Humans
  • Juvenile Delinquency / prevention & control*
  • Male
  • Regression Analysis
  • Residential Treatment / methods
  • Residential Treatment / standards*
  • Treatment Outcome