Juveniles whose offenses are serious or who fail to respond to intermediate sanctions are handled at a different level of the juvenile justice continuum. These youth may be committed to out-of-home placement in an institutional or camp-like setting, treatment facility, or otherwise removed from their homes and housed out of home. In 1999, nearly one in four adjudicated delinquency cases resulted in out-of-home placement. Placement cases grew 24% from 124,900 in 1990 to 155,200 in 1999. The largest percentage increase was in the number of drug offense cases resulting in placement, which grew 73% from 1990 to 1999. Placement grew 56% for public order offense cases and 48% for person offense cases, but declined 6% for property offense cases (Puzzanchera, 2003). Residential placement facilities for youth should offer comprehensive treatment programs for these youth with a focus on education, skills development, and vocational or employment training and experience (Howell, 1998). Procedures through which facilities meet these objectives generally follow a shared criteria, but often vary in structural as well as program components.

Lipsey, et al (2000), performed a meta analysis of research on programs for both institutionalized and non institutionalized serious juvenile offenders conducted in the United States by psychologists, criminologists, or sociologists, and that were published after 1970. Two program types showing relatively large, statistically significant mean effects on recidivism for institutionalized offenders across all estimation procedures were interpersonal skills programs, and teaching family home programs. Behavioral programs, community residential programs, and multiple service programs also showed positive effects, however the results were less consistent. Mixed (but generally positive) recidivism effects were shown for individual counseling, guided group counseling, and group counseling. Employment programs, drug abstinence programs, and wilderness/challenge programs showed weak or no effects, although evidence was inconsistent. Finally, milieu therapy (highly structured therapeutic communities) consistently showed weak or no effects on recidivism.

Unfortunately, publications on individual programs reported in this effort date back at least 15 years or more. While information on process and outcome evaluation are becoming more readily accessible, very little substantial literature exists on programs evaluated for effectiveness within the last decade. The programs considered in this section include programs from all residential settings, including secure and non-secure residential facilities, institutions, training schools, hospitals, group homes, shelters, foster care, treatment facilities, camps/wilderness programs, among others. This section does not include system-wide approaches or process or evaluations of systems or individual facilities.

References

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