Project back-on-track at 1 year: a delinquency treatment program for early-career juvenile offenders.
OBJECTIVE
This study assessed the effectiveness of Project Back-on-Track, an after-school diversion program that uses a multimodal approach for the treatment of early-career juvenile offenders.


METHODS
Project Back-on-Track completers (30 of 41 enrollees; 73%), aged 9 to 17 years, 63% female, participated in a 4-week cycle of treatment consisting of group and family therapies, parent groups, educational sessions, community service projects, and empathy-building exercises. These youths attended the program 2 hours per day, 4 days a week, allowing for 32 hours of contact with the program per cycle; parents attended the program for 15 hours per cycle. Most youths were referred for violent offenses and met criteria for conduct disorder.


RESULTS
Project Back-on-Track completers were significantly less likely than matched controls to have committed subsequent criminal offenses at 12 months. In addition, they had significantly fewer subsequent criminal charges at 9- and 12-month follow-up intervals than the control group. By decreasing the frequency of criminal recidivism, it is estimated that Project Back-on-Track resulted in savings to society of approximately $1,800 per youth enrolled after 1 year.


CONCLUSIONS
At 1-year follow-up, findings suggest that treatment through Project Back-on-Track was effective in reducing criminal recidivism and costs in a population of early-career juvenile offenders.
Myers
W C
WC
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610, USA. wmyers@psych.med.ufl.edu
Burton
P R
PR
Sanders
P D
PD
Donat
K M
KM
Cheney
J
J
Fitzpatrick
T M
TM
Monaco
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012008:Recurrence; D012041:Regional Medical Programs; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*