Functional Family Therapy for Gang Populations (FFT-G): Overview

• In Event: Functional Family Therapy for Gang Populations (FFT-G): A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

This presentation provides an overview of the project rationale, history, and design of the randomized controlled trial implemented in partnership with the Philadelphia Family Courts. The subjects are court-involved males aged 11-17 who are either current gang members or are at risk for joining gangs. Subjects entered the study when they attended a court hearing with the participating judge and agreed to participate in the study. One hundred twenty-nine (129) families were then randomly assigned to receive the gang-enhanced FFT intervention or treatment as usual. This presentation describes the characteristics of the youths and parent/guardians assigned to the treatment and control groups. Data come from pre-test interviews conducted with every youth and caregiver prior to random assignment and from court records describing the criminal history of each youth participant.

Authors

• Brook Kearley, University of Maryland

• Deanna Devlin, University of Maryland