Citation

Kazi MAF, Frounfelker S, Bartone A, Buchanan JPG. Juv. Fam. Court J. 2012; 63(3): 37-54.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1755-6988.2012.01079.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the Erie County, New York, Juvenile Justice Model Court on court improvement and improved case outcomes for youth and families. A quasi-experimental design was used within a realist evaluation paradigm, with four independent groups in four years. Court improvement was measured by the number of days between appearance and disposition, and improved case outcomes by the extent to which penetration into the juvenile justice system was reduced. Both outcomes were significantly improved, and it was found that the Model Court intervention was the main predictor for their improvement. Youth with reduced penetration had lower levels of recidivism.