Best-practice intervention applied to gang-involved youth in the justice systems: Short-term and sustained effects on outcomes

• In Event: Innovations in Gang Research: New Directions in Studying and Managing Gangs and Gang Members

Abstract

A wide variety of evidence-based treatments exist for youth involved in the justice system, yet none have been shown to be effective specifically for gang-involved youth. Further, recent research suggests that involvement in gangs and other delinquent peer networks reduces the effectiveness of best-practice treatment. We examined treatment effectiveness for gang-affiliated youth in comparison to unaffiliated youth (N=421; ages 11-17; 69% male; 66% nonwhite), all referred by the justice system for intensive home-based treatment (Multisystemic Therapy). Analysis of short-term outcomes revealed that gang involvement was a meaningful impediment to treatment success. Gang-involved youth were significantly less likely to complete treatment successfully in comparison to uninvolved youth (p = .001, Cohen’s w = .184). However, preliminary analysis of longer-term outcome data (recidivism rates by 12 months post-treatment) available so far on 66% of the sample suggest that, once successful by treatment closure, gang-involved and uninvolved youth maintain similar likelihoods of sustained success. Additional analyses will include outcome analysis for the entire sample as well as moderators of effectiveness (e.g., mental health concerns, number and nature of therapist contacts). Implications for treating gang-involved youth will be discussed.

Authors

• Paul Boxer, Rutgers University

• Joanna Kubik, Rutgers University

• Bonita Veysey, Rutgers University

• Michael Ostermann, Rutgers University