Multisystemic Therapy–Family Integrated Transitions (MST-FIT)
Problems addressed
Juvenile delinquency
Recidivism
Violent crimes
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Children (4 to 13 years)
Teenagers (14 to 17 years)
Where the program was applied
Residential - Mental health or therapeutic community services
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a multisystemic therapy program for young people aged 12 to 19 with psychiatric disorders and drug addiction who are incarcerated in the juvenile justice system.
The aim is to develop integrated, individual, and family actions that contribute to the process of transition from the prison system to the community. These activities address skills to replace emotional responses and behavioral maladaptation with more effective and positive responses.

Impact evaluations

An impact assessment showed that, after 36 months of follow-up, program participants had a statistically significant reduction in the risk of criminal recidivism compared to the young people in the control group. However, there was no impact on overall recidivism, violent crime recidivism, or misdemeanor recidivism [1].
The study had an experimental design with the participation of 274 young people who were returning to the community from one of the five institutions of the Washington State Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (USA) between 2001 and 2005. The sample included 105 young people in the treatment condition and 169 in the control group [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Trupin, E. J., Kerns, S. E. U., Walker, S. C., DeRobertis, M. T. & Stewart, D. G. (2011). Family Integrated Transitions: A Promising Program for Juvenile Offenders with Co-Occurring Disorders. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 20(5), 421–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/1067828X.2011.614889

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