The Crime Solutions and Crime Reduction Toolkit platforms present the results of a meta-analysis carried out by the Campbell Collaboration that evaluated the impact of 31 redirection programs implemented between 1979 and 2015 with adolescents aged 10 to 17. This meta-analysis found that redirection programs are effective in reducing future offending behaviors among low-risk youth. The studies included in the meta-analysis point to a modest, but statistically significant, 6% reduction in recidivism for low-risk youth compared to those who were prosecuted by the traditional/standard justice system (control group). This indicates that this type of intervention can be an effective alternative to the formal justice system for young people under the age of 18 who have had little or no prior involvement with the criminal justice system [1].
A previous meta-analysis (from 2012) was designed with the aim of establishing an evidence base for interventions to redirect young offenders away from the formal justice system (not run exclusively by law enforcement agencies). To this end, the authors carried out a meta-analysis of studies evaluating juvenile redirection programs (with 28 experimental and quasi-experimental studies). According to the results of this meta-analysis, the effect of redirection programs on recidivism was generally not significant. Only the family and restorative justice treatment led to a statistically significant reduction in recidivism [2].