Reading for Life (RFL)
Problems addressed
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Where the program was applied
Country of application
Description

This is a classical literature program aimed at adolescents who have committed non-violent crimes and have been through the juvenile justice system. The objective is to promote youth protagonism in the communities and prevent recidivism.
The meetings are held in 10 sessions, each lasting one hour, with the participation of up to five young individuals per group under the coordination of a mentor. After reading and discussing the contents of the book, participants have the opportunity to apply the lessons learned in community projects.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation showed that the program caused a 62.0% drop in recidivism or prosecutions for any crime [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Seroczynski, A. D., Evans, W. N., Jobst, A. D., Horvath, L. & Carozza, G. (2016). Reading for Life and Adolescent Re-Arrest: Evaluating a Unique Juvenile Diversion Program. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 35(3), 662–682. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.21916

Information source