Day treatment facilities (or day reporting centers) are highly
structured, community-based, postadjudication, nonresidential programs
for serious juvenile offenders. The goals of day treatment are to
provide:
·Intensive supervision to ensure community
safety
·A wide range of services to the offender to
prevent future delinquent behavior
Intensive supervision is fulfilled by requiring the offender to
report to the facility on a daily basis at specified times for a
specified length of time. Generally, programs are provided at the
facility during the day, evening, or both at least 5 days a week.
Special weekend activities may also be conducted.
The services provided by day treatment programs include many of the
correctional treatment methods also used in halfway houses. However,
day treatment facilities allow program participants to return home at
night and therefore do not have the costs associated with residential
facilities. Treatment services in day treatment facilities may include
·Individual and group counseling
·Recreation
·Education
·Vocational training
·Employment counseling
·Life-skills and cognitive skills training
·Substance abuse treatment
·Community resource referrals
Day treatment facilities originated in Great Britain in the 1970s
and are currently being widely implemented in the United States. A 1990
study by the National Institute of Justice found only 13 facilities in
the United States. By 1995 there were at least 114 in 22 States (Parent
et al., 1995).
A descriptive analysis reveals that these facilities are quite
diverse with respect to the types of cases, administration, operation,
caseload, and program content (Parent, 1990). Despite the rapid spread
of day treatment programs, to date there have been no major impact evaluations
examining the effectiveness of the day treatment programs. However,
several exploratory studies (Williams and Turnage, 2001; Craddock and
Graham, 1996; Howell, 1998) suggest that day treatment is an effective
intervention. For instance, a preliminary study (Howell, 1998) of the
Bethesda Day Treatment Center in Pennsylvania reveals that program
participants had a recidivism rate of only 5 percent in the 1st year
after discharge. This figure compares favorably with a baseline
recidivism rate for untreated serious juvenile offenders estimated to
be 50 percent (Lipsey, 2000). This finding, while impressive, must be
viewed with extreme caution because of the small sample size (n=20) and
the absence of a control group. Nevertheless, the data suggest that day
treatment may be a promising option for delinquent youth.
Model Programs Guide Version 2.5
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