Independence Youth Court
Problems addressed
Recidivism
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Teenagers (14 to 17 years)
Where the program was applied
Courts of justice
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a follow-up program for adolescents between 10 and 17 years of age who are in conflict with the law. The objective is to reduce recidivism and prevent them from entering the traditional justice system. The adolescents are accompanied by juvenile judges, who are responsible for supervising and approving sentences, while the presiding judge communicates with the defendants and their parents after the conviction is decided, ensuring that all parties understand the sentence and the process in general.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation showed that program participants were significantly less likely to recidivate. The difference in recidivism rates was 19 percentage points between treated and untreated adolescents [1].
The study had a quasi-experimental design with a sample of 142 adolescents referred to court from July 2000 to September 2001 (representing 76% of the total). Thirty-nine percent of the treatment group were females, and approximately half was under the age of 15. Most of the youth in the treatment group (over 90%) identified as white [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Butts, J. A., Buck, J. & Coggeshall, M. B. (2002). The Impact of Teen Court on Young Offenders (Research Reports). Washington, D.C. Urban Institute. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/237391.pdf

Information source