Results from a Process Evaluation of a School-Based Delinquency Prevention Program

• In Event: Connecting the Dots Between School Climate, Exclusionary Discipline and Juvenile Justice Involvement

Abstract

Scholars, policymakers, and school administrators have argued that schools may provide an opportune place and time to assist delinquent youth and students at risk of delinquency. One such approach is the School Safety and Student Performance Research Project, a federally funded intervention that relies on collaboration between schools, law enforcement, and the juvenile court. Such multi-agency collaborations hold promise but also can be difficult to implement consistently and well. To shed light on the factors that contribute to and inhibit effective implementation, we present findings from a process evaluation of this intervention. In so doing, we highlight how school-based delinquency prevention programs may reduce adolescent offending but, if not implemented carefully, also may create a school-to-prison pipeline.

Authors

• George Pesta, Florida State University

• Andrea Montes Lindsey, Florida State University

• Nicole Collier, Florida State University

• Daniel Mears, Florida State University

• Sonja Siennick, Florida State University

• Samantha Ladwig, Florida State University