Juvenile delinquency is a widespread societal problem threatening the well-being of families and communities throughout the country. In 1997, approximately 125,000 juveniles were incarcerated in public and private residential facilities as a result of a law violation. The rearrest rate for juveniles illustrates the need to develop effective interventions for incarcerated youth and their families. Although treatments focusing on the family as a unit may be more effective than individual treatment with delinquent youth, it is often difficult to involve families in the treatment process while juvenile offenders are incarcerated. This article discusses familial influences on delinquent and antisocial behavior, provides a review and critique of the literature related to family intervention models for juvenile offenders, and discusses treatment dilemmas in working with incarcerated juvenile offenders. A pilot project comparing the effectiveness of a conjoint family intervention and a systemic individual intervention with incarcerated youth is described with preliminary results.
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