Comparison of two community alternatives to incarceration for chronic juvenile offenders.

Abstract

The relative effectiveness of group care (GC) and multidimensional treatment foster care (MTFC) was compared in terms of their impact on criminal offending, incarceration rates, and program completion outcomes for 79 male adolescents who had histories of chronic and serious juvenile delinquency. Results show that boys who participated in MTFC had significantly fewer criminal referrals and returned to live with relatives more often. Multiple regression analyses showed that assignment to a treatment condition (i.e., GC or MTFC) predicted official and self-reported criminality in follow-up beyond other well-known predictors of chronic juvenile offending (i.e., age at 1st offense, number of previous offenses, age at referral).

Psychosocial Treatment of Children in Foster Care: A Review

“…When compared with outcomes for juvenile offenders living together in group homes without intensive treatment, those in the MTFC model described above were reported to engage in less criminal activity and to return to live with their biological relatives more frequently (Chamberlain & Reid, 1998). Of note, adolescents in this study who were noncompliant with MTFC were expelled from the program, potentially biasing results.…”

“…TFC has gained empirical support in the juvenile delinquency literature (Brown, Swenson, Cunningham, Henggeler, Schoenwald, & Rowland, 1997;Chamberlain & Reid, 1998;Henggeler, Melton, Brondino, Scherer, & Hanley, 1997;Schoenwald, Ward, Henggeler, & Rowland, 2000) and is increasingly being applied to nondelinquent children in foster care (Henggeler, Rowland, Randall, Ward, Pickerel, Cunningham, et al, 1999;Reddy & Pfeiffer, 1997;Schoenwald Ward, Henggeler, & Rowland, 2000). It has been reported to improve outcomes of children with multiple comorbid mental disorders, including decreases in aggression, reduction in institutionalization, and increases in positive adjustment (Chamberlain & Reid, 1991;Chamberlain & Weinrott, 1990;Clarke & Prange, 1994;Clarke, Prange, Lee, Steward, McDonald, & Boyd, 1998).…”

“…Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (Chamberlain & Reid, 1998) stems from earlier TFC models (Hawkins, Meadowcroft, Trout, & Luster, 1985) developed at the Oregon Social Learning Center. The model of intervention is based on research with delinquents that identified important correlates of antisocial behavior in adolescents, namely poor adult supervision, inconsistent discipline, association with deviant peers, and poor academic performance (Chamberlain, Ray, & Moore, 1996;Chamberlain & Reid, 1994).…”

“…The model of intervention is based on research with delinquents that identified important correlates of antisocial behavior in adolescents, namely poor adult supervision, inconsistent discipline, association with deviant peers, and poor academic performance (Chamberlain, Ray, & Moore, 1996;Chamberlain & Reid, 1994). The MTFC intervention is an intensive three-tiered approach that includes systems-level supports, family and individual treatment, and school interventions (Chamberlain & Reid, 1998). MTFC families typically have experience with adolescents, are willing to act as treatment agents, and provide consistent nurturing environments.…”

“…MTFC families typically have experience with adolescents, are willing to act as treatment agents, and provide consistent nurturing environments. Treatment studies often provide foster parents with substantial amounts of intensive training in behavior management and the MTFC model, including the need for structured daily environment, close supervision, and clear rules and limits (Chamberlain & Reid, 1998). In addition to training for foster parents, other treatments typically include individual therapy for the adolescents with problem-solving training, social perspective taking, and nonaggression training.…”