Special Needs Diversionary Program (SNDP)
Life periods served
Country of application
Description

This is a reorientation program through intensive supervision of adolescent offenders between the ages of 10 and 17 who are being monitored by the criminal justice system and who have been diagnosed with a mild mental disorder. The objective is to provide rehabilitation and prevent recidivism and incarceration of young people.
The intervention is carried out by law enforcement operators and mental health professionals, who collaborate in case management and treatment supervision. The program provides mental health treatment services (including individual and group therapy), mentoring, social-emotional skills training, aggression management, parenting training, and outreach services.
Adolescents and their families are contacted three times a week and receive sporadic home visits from the supervision team and weekly home visits from the therapist.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation showed, after one year of follow-up, a statistically significant reduction in the overall number of recidivism offenses. However, there was no statistically significant difference between treatment and control group participants in the estimated time to rearrest for any offense or rearrest for criminal offenses [1].
The study had a quasi-experimental design with a total sample of 299 youth aged 13-16 years: 148 in the treatment group and 151 in the control group [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Cuellar, A. E., McReynolds, L. S. & Wasserman, G. A. (2006). A cure for crime: Can mental health treatment diversion reduce crime among youth? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 25(1), 197–214. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.20162

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