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Evidence Doesn’t Only Mean Brand-Name Programs, Expert Says [JJIE.org]

 

Using evidence-based programs in juvenile justice means more than pulling brand-name interventions off the shelf, says a leader in the field.

Policymakers and practitioners have a large body of research to draw on to determine whether a particular program has promise, including those of the mom-and-pop variety, said Shay Bilchik, director of the Center for Juvenile Justice Reformat Georgetown University.

But knowing a program has potential isn’t the only factor for success. Instead, programs also need to be embedded in a work culture that recognizes the importance of assessing juveniles’ risks and needs, matching juveniles to the programs best suited for them and continually evaluating a program’s effects, he said during a Forum for Youth Investment webinar today.

Without those steps, even the best-designed programs with the best-intended staff are undermined. For example, a program that works for juveniles at moderate risk for reoffending isn’t the proper place for their high-risk peers. A “misdiagnosis” can increase the odds of recidivism rather than driving them down.



[For more of this story, written by Sarah Barr, go to http://jjie.org/evidence-doesn...-expert-says/285120/]

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I learned a valuable lesson about "civic involvement", from a "shop keeper" while doing a "community organizing" project on the west side of Manchester, N.H. He told me the grandparents and the shopkeepers knew who might have "skipped school" that day, and how the "working parents" kept an eye on his store at night. If this "civic engagement" was part of the community's juvenile delinquency prevention efforts, can we measure it, and if so, is it something to consider for our "Evidence Base" ? ? ?

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