Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2008, $67,076)
Youth Court and Community Service programs have both been documented as effective interventions with young offenders. However, no data is available on the combined impact of these two programs on the future behavior of the youth who participate in both programs. Hillside Children's Center operates both programs in Livingston County, New York, a rural community south of Rochester where 5,425 youth between the ages of 10 and 17 years old were arrested in 2005 (FBI Arrest Statistics). This project is an independent evaluation of the combined impact of Youth Court and Community Service on recidivism, out-of-home placement, youth empowerment, and return on investment to the community. The goals of the project are to strengthen the combined model, increase the ability of the program to secure sustainable funding, and document an evidence-based practice which can be replicated in other communities. The results will be used to codify the elements of the combined programs linked most strongly to successful outcomes; the documented model will be shared with other communities working to reduce juvenile delinquency. NCA/NCF