Study
The Zhang and Zhang (2005) study was an evaluation of ROPP as implemented by Los Angeles County as part of a 3-year pilot project, from 1999 to 2001. The study is a randomized experiment, with the participants including youth who are under 15½ years of age, who are first-time wards of the juvenile court, and who present with problems in at least three high-risk behaviors (school behavior and performance, family problems, substance use, and predelinquent behaviors). A total of 327 first-time juveniles on probation were randomized with 165 assigned to ROPP and 162 assigned to a comparison condition of regular probation. The study does not employ an intent-to-treat analysis; it examines only the differences between the groups in terms of probation term completers, which are 106 ROPP participants, and 98 comparison group participants. This means that the results presented by the study are not conservative estimates, and may overstate programmatic effects. The analysis sample was 79.2 percent male for the ROPP group and 81.6 percent male for the control group. Of the ROPP participants, 57.5 percent were Black and 42.5 percent were Hispanic, compared to 62.5 percent Black and 37.8 percent Hispanic for the control group.
The outcomes being examined were school performance (measured by attendance and academic performance in terms of classes passed and GPA), as well as recidivism outcomes, which were measured by examining the petitions for probation violation or for new offenses. Outcomes were assessed at 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month follow-up periods. Analyses were conducted to establish significance based on mean differences. No subgroup analyses were conducted.
Study
The Howard and colleagues study (2002) was an evaluation of California’s Repeat Offender Prevention Program (ROPP) as implemented by the San Diego County Probation Department. During the period between May 1997 and December 2001, a true experiment took place randomly assigning 196 cases to ROPP and 171 cases to a control condition which consisted of regular probation. First-time wards who were under 15½ years of age were referred for eligibility screening described above (based on residency and presenting with at least one of the identified risk factors). The ROPP sample was 52 percent Hispanic, 31 percent Black, 9 percent white, 8 percent Asian and 1 percent other ethnicity. The control group was 42 percent Hispanic, 34 percent Black, 11 percent white, 12 percent Asian and 2 percent other ethnicities.
Both groups being compared were youth at high risk of reoffending and displayed numerous risk factors. At intake it was noted that both groups experienced significant stress (ROPP 95 percent and control 98 percent), criminal family influences (ROPP 70 percent and control 64 percent) and family violence (ROPP 72 percent and control 67 percent). Eighty-eight percent of ROPP and 87 percent of the comparison group were enrolled in school at intake, although most experienced attendance problems (ROPP 68 percent and control 70 percent). The two groups’ criminal histories were also quite similar with 64 percent of both groups having a felony offense charge filed against them prior to intake.
The data collected included demographic characteristics, offending patterns, risk factors, school performance, and protective factors for the youth in both groups with 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month reassessments. Additionally, a process evaluation was performed that included interviews with staff, surveys of the service providers, and interviews with families and clients, although these will not be examined in depth in this review. Inferential statistical tests conducted on the collected data include Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and chi-Square tests. No subgroup analyses were conducted.
