Family Support Services for Justice-Involved Girls: A Mixed Methods Evaluation

• In Event: The Use of Risk Assessment Tools to Inform and Evaluate Correctional Practices and Policies

Abstract

In the United States, there has been an increasing proportion of girls in juvenile justice system. This study examined the effectiveness of a Family Support Services (FSS) intervention by using a mixed methods approach. This study examined quantitative data using a quasi-experimental design to determine if FSS reduces recidivism among court involved girls. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to construct statistically equivalent groups to compare girls who received FSS (n = 181) to girls on probation who did not receive FSS (n = 803) on re-offense outcomes. Qualitative interviews conducted in the same county were analyzed to contextualize the quantitative findings and highlighted the importance of family-focused interventions for juvenile justice-involved girls. The qualitative data include semi-structured interviews from court practitioners (n = 39) and case descriptions from juvenile probation officers (n = 24). The findings from this study have practical and policy implications for the use of family-based interventions with adjudicated girls.

Authors

• Laura Rubino, University of Cincinnati

• Valerie R. Anderson, University of Cincinnati