STUDY OF SELECTED ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAMS OF INTERVENTION IN PALM BEACH COUNTY AS RELATED TO STUDENT DELINQUENCY AND RECIDIVISM

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of specific treatment programs offered to alternative education students and the ability of these programs to subsequently prevent student delinquency. Procedure. Two hundred fifty-two seventh and eighth grade students were selected for the study that used a causal comparative design. The subjects were drawn from four sources: a detention center, a residential program for predelinquents, students from a socially maladjusted program and disruptive students from a school that did not offer an alternative education program. The subjects were matched by age, race, sex and grade. None of the students had been adjudicated prior to the program experience. After being exposed to the treatment effect, the student's juvenile court records were searched over an eighteen month at risk period. Findings. It was found that students placed in the detention center had more numerous arrests than students placed in the residential center. The residential alternative facility was not more effective in preventing delinquency than was the day school program. Students not placed in any specific setting had the fewest recorded incidents of deviant behavior. None of the treatment methods was seen as effective in detering delinquency; however, the residential facility was more effective when the students remained in enrollment until completion of the program. Observations. (1) Placement in the detention center was not effective in reducing delinquency after release. (2) Length of enrollment may be a critical factor in delinquency treatment. (3) Less structured alternative programs may be more appropriate for students that are not chronically deviant. Recommendations. (1) Alternative education programs should match the severity of the student's deviant behavior. (2) Candidates for the detention center should be exposed to the residential school placement to further test the diversion perspective. (3) Further exploration of the residential setting is needed to confirm the effects of long term placement. (4) Community agencies should provide better intervention services for high risk delinquents.