Intensive Supervision Juvenile Probation Program

The Intensive Supervision Juvenile Probation Program is a four-phase intensive supervision juvenile probation program that targets juvenile offenders placed on probation for known gang-related behavior or substance abuse offenses. All program participants have extensive criminal histories or are at risk of incarceration or residential placement. The program addresses juvenile probationer treatment needs while controlling behaviors through surveillance and intensive supervision. It consists of many essential elements for probation, including small caseloads, distinct graduated phases to structure movement through the program, substance abuse assessments, and behavioral controls, such as electronic monitoring, curfews, home confinement, and random drug testing.

The goal of this program is to prevent recidivism among juvenile offenders placed on probation for known gang-related behavior or substance abuse offenses.

The evaluation found that nearly 60 percent of the participants for whom data is known did not commit another offense during the 1st year following program completion. Of participants who successfully completed the program, 63 percent were not arrested for a new offense, while 44 percent of those who were unsuccessful in the program were not arrested for a new offense. The factors that appeared to have the strongest correlation to successful program completion were regular school attendance, gender (if female), lack of mental health problems, an initial assessment of low risk, and the extent of prior involvement in the juvenile justice system—such as age at program entry, number of prior offenses, and length of prior probation terms. The older a participant was at the time of first involvement in the criminal justice system—and the fewer prior offenses he or she had—the more likely the participant was to successfully complete the program.