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An examination of specialized domestic violence probation supervision compared to traditional mixed case supervision of domestic violence probationers finds significant differences in several areas, including victim satisfaction, probationer accountability, and reabuse and rearrest rates. Lower-risk abusers, constituting almost half of the probation abuser caseload supervised by the specialized unit, were significantly less likely to be rearrested for domestic violence and nondomestic violence crimes than were those supervised in the traditional mixed caseloads. Victims' satisfaction appeared to be higher, and abusers were held more accountable. Researchers suggest what may account for these different outcomes and the limits of the specialized supervision program in affecting the behavior of high-risk abusers.

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This Bulletin is part of OJJDP's Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants (JAIBG) Best Practices Series. The basic premise underlying the JAIBG program, initially funded in fiscal year 1998, is that young people who violate the law need to be held accountable for their offenses if society is to improve the quality of life in the Nation's communities. Holding a juvenile offender "accountable" in the juvenile justice system means that once the juvenile is determined to have committed law-violating behavior, by admission or adjudication, he or she is held responsible for the act through consequences or sanctions, imposed pursuant to law, that are proportionate to the offense. Consequences or sanctions that are applied swiftly, surely, and consistently, and are graduated to provide appropriate and effective responses to varying levels of offense seriousness and offender chronicity, work best in preventing, controlling, and reducing further law violations. In an effort to help States and units of local government develop programs in the 12 purpose areas established for JAIBG funding, Bulletins in this series are designed to present the most up-to-date knowledge to juvenile justice policymakers, researchers, and practitioners about programs and approaches that hold juvenile offenders accountable for their behavior. An indepth description of the JAIBG program and a list of the 12 program purpose areas appear in the overview Bulletin for this series.

The older population has grown and will continue to increase at a rapid rate. With this growth, the need for services has expanded, and a tremendous multiplication of the formal services for older persons has emerged. However, because of the current grim economic picture, with funds redistributed away from social and human services, many programs which were valuable resources to older persons are no longer available.Throughout history, informal support systems--kin, friends, and neighb o r s -h a v e provided the bulk of social and health related services for older persons. By furnishing social support, assistance with daily living tasks, and help during times of illness and crises (Gurian & Cantor, 1978), these "informal supporters" fill needs for both service provision and prevention outside the confines of formal services (Collins & Pancoast, 1976). The value and impact of informal support systems is more readily apparent as formal human services are curtailed.The Elder Program described in this article seeks to strengthen the potential of the informal support system through an educational approach to initiating or enhancing viable neighborhood support groups for community-based older persons. It is predicated on the following assumptions which suggest that support-enhancement activities among the elderly are highly appropriate: (1) the daily problems or crises in the lives of older persons are not seen as resulting from failures of the individuals themselves, but are a part of the normal life experience and a concomitant need for support; (2) in considering the needs of older persons and the development of responsive formal and informal support systems, a holistic approach is taken which requires thinking about individuals as unique and whole beings functioning within a total environmental system; (3) there are older people living in neighborhood situations who do not have a responsive informal support system, and are, therefore, at risk;The Elder P r o g r a m is a Model D e m o n s t r a t i o n Project f u n d e d by t h e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n on Aging, G r a n t #04-AM-000005. 0278-095X(82)1600~0133502.75133