When Delinquency is the Outcome of Interest: Building Capacity of Local Sites to Capture Juvenile Justice Records for Youth in a Multi-site National Evaluation

• In Event: Evaluating Advocacy-based Mentoring Models to Prevent and Reduce Delinquency

Abstract

This paper explores design and implementation issues from a multi-site randomized-control trial of OJJDP’s Mentoring Enhancement Demonstration Program (MEDP). This study examines whether enhancements to youth mentoring programs will make a difference in the likelihood that and the extent to which the youth served by the programs are involved in delinquency. This study involves the collection of data from local juvenile justice agencies. As the evaluation involves 32 different mentoring programs, there are complexities involved with capturing official data from a range of different juvenile justice agencies. We discuss the experiences with establishing relationships and agreements for the sharing of juvenile justice records with mentoring programs (and, by extension, the evaluation team). Implications for evaluations of delinquency prevention programs are discussed.

Authors

• G. Roger Jarjoura, American Institutes for Research

• David Altschuler, Johns Hopkins University

• Janet Forbush, American Institutes for Research

• Carla Herrera, Independent Consultant

• Thomas Keller, Portland State University

• Manolya Tanyu, American Institutes for Research