Abstract
Focusing on the family rather than the individual offender is important in juvenile justice cases. This analysis of family characteristics, service characteristics, and case outcomes of 159 families referred for status offenses or juvenile delinquency in eight family-based placement prevention programs found a high incidence of parent-child, marital, and family relationship problems. Family-based services were more successful in preventing placement if the highest-risk child attended most or all of the treatment sessions ( p < .001) and was enrolled in a regular class in school ( p < .05). Substance abuse was the most important predictor of placement in delinquency cases ( p < .01) and prior placement was the most important predictor in status offense cases ( p < .05). Three-quarters of the families were intact at the time their case was closed, with office-based programs in public agencies having the lowest placement rates. These findings support the use of familybased services with juvenile justice problems.
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