Therapeutic treatment approaches are aggressive intervention programs that may come in many forms, but generally adhere to behaviorism, social learning, or cognitive behavioral models that are designed to reinforce prosocial behavior (Lipsey, 1992; Andrews et al., 1990; Gendreau, 1996).. Some specific types of treatment approaches include: individual therapy, anger management, problem solving, behavior modification, group therapy, multimodal treatments, multisystemic therapy and individualized case planning.designed to treat problem behavior.

Traditionally, treatment programs have falied to address the complexity of youths needs, being individually oriented, narrowly focused and delivered in settings that bear little relation to the problems being addressed (Henggeler, 1998). But today, there is overwhelming evidence that treatment programs can be effective in sanctioning behavior and preventing further delinquency. One of the most extensivly studied therapeutic treatment programs is Multisystemic Therapy (MST). MST is an intensive family-based treatment program that promotes behavioral change. The results of an extensive evaluation study indicated that MST was effective at reducing rates of criminal activity and institutionalization (Henggeler et al., 1992, 1993). At posttreatment, youth receiving MST reported a significantly greater reduction in criminal activity than did youth receiving usual services. Moreover, a 2.4 year follow-up (Henggeler, Melton, Smith, Schoenwald, & Hanley, 1993) showed that MST doubled the percentage of youth who did not recidivate, in comparison with usual services. In a second study, families receiving MST reported and evidenced more positive changes in their dyadic family interactions than did families in individual therapy (IT) at posttreatment (Borduin et al., 1995). For example, MST families reported increased cohesion and adaptability and showed increased supportiveness and decreased conflict-hostility during family discussions as compared with IT families. Most importantly, results from a four-year follow-up of recidivism showed that youth who received MST were significantly less likely to be rearrested than youth who received individual therapy. The effectiveness of MST was not moderated by adolescent age, race, social class, gender, or pretreatment arrest history.

The evidence in favor of therapeutic treatment is also evident in meta-analysis research. In one of the most extensive meta-analyses of juvenile delinquency, which includes roughly 400 programs, Lipsey (1992) found that the most effective juvenile intervention programs tend to use structured, focused treatment using behavioral, skill-oriented, and multi-model methods rather than less structured, less focused approaches. In similar meta-analyses focusing on the most serious juvenile offenders, Lipsey, Wilson, and Cothern (2000) found that the best programs for institutionalized youth were interpersonal skills programs and family style group homes. The most effective treatment programs for non-institutionalized offenders were individual counseling, interpersonal skills programs, and behavioral programs. The most effective treatment programs for institutionalized offenders were interpersonal programs, teaching family homes, behavioral programs, community residential programs and multiple services. The least effective program types were wilderness/challenge, early release, traditional probation/parole, deterrence, vocational (noninstitutionalized), and milieu therapy (institutionalized). There was also some evidence indicating greater reductions in recidivism if treatment is provided in community settings instead of in institutions (Andrews et al., 1990; Lipsey, 1992 and 2000).

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