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| Report: Conn. Programs Do Little to Stop Teens from Offending Again |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 08/12/2002 |
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A report released August 1 shows that Connecticut's alternative programs for juvenile delinquents were less likely to deter future crimes than the regular criminal justice system was able to before the programs were offered. The study by the Connecticut Policy and Economic Council stunned public officials and led to calls for changes in how the state treats troubled children. Delinquents in 1999 who completed the alternative programs, designed to help troubled youths without sending them to detention centers, were more likely to commit crimes after being released than delinquents who were in the juvenile justice system in 1994, before the programs began, the study shows. The council's report compared 600 juveniles from both years, reviewing them at 6-, 12- and 18-month intervals after they were discharged. The 1999 troublemakers consistently had higher recidivism rates. The study sampled 22 programs and only two the Juvenile Justice Center operated by the town of West Haven and the Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment program operated by Natchaug Hospital in Mansfield were able to significantly lower recidivism rates. The state has contracts for about 100 alternative incarceration programs, which range from small, municipal-run centers such as West Haven's to larger, privately run residential programs such as Connecticut Junior Republic in Litchfield. The study was authorized two years ago by state lawmakers who wanted to gauge the programs' effectiveness. The Hartford Courant reported the results in their August 1 editions. State judicial officials released a prepared statement saying they cooperated fully with the researchers and are taking the findings and recommendations seriously. ''The Judicial Branch agrees with many of the recommendations and has already begun implementing system changes,'' Judicial Branch spokeswoman Melissa A. Farley wrote in the statement. Since the study began, the Judicial Branch has created a ''probation risk reduction program'' that attempts to address several key recommendations suggested by the policy council in its report. Those changes include better planning of juveniles' treatment needs by state probation officers, better classification and supervision standards for juveniles, and more community-based programs to help juveniles once they leave the system. |
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