Are Mainstream Programs for Juvenile Delinquency Less Effective With Minority Youth Than Majority Youth? A Meta-Analysis of Outcomes Research

Abstract

Objective: A meta-analysis was undertaken to synthesize research results about the effectiveness of mainstream service programs for minority juvenile delinquents relative to White delinquents. The analysis addresses the question of whether mainstream interventions that are not culturally tailored for minority youth have positive outcomes on their subsequent antisocial behavior, academic performance, peer relations, behavior problems, and other outcomes. In addition, outcomes were compared with those for White samples receiving the same interventions to identify any differences in the responsiveness of minority and majority youth. Method: 305 studies were selected from a large meta-analytic database in which the participant samples were either predominantly (60% or more) minority or White youth. Effect sizes and more than 150 study descriptors were coded from these studies and analyzed using standard meta-analytic techniques. Results: The results showed positive overall intervention effects with ethnic minority respondents on their delinquent behavior, school participation, peer relations, academic achievement, behavior problems, psychological adjustment, and attitudes. Overall, service programs were equally effective for minority and White delinquents. Although there were slight differences in effectiveness for different service types between minority and majority youth, none of these differences was statistically significant. Conclusions: The use of mainstream service programs for ethnic minority juvenile delinquents without cultural tailoring is supported by these findings.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Addams, J. (1895). Hull House maps and papers. A presentation of nationalities and wages in a congested district of Chicago, together with comments and essays on problems growing out of the social conditions. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell.

Barth, R.P. , & Blackwell, D.L. (1998). Death rates among California's foster care and former foster care populations. Children and Youth Services Review, 20, 577-604.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Cooper, H. , & Hedges, L. V. (Eds.). (1994). The handbook of research synthesis. New York: Russell Sage .

de Anda, D. (Ed.). (1997). Controversial issues in multiculturalism. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Devore, W. , & Schlesinger, E.G. (1996). Ethnic-sensitive social work practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Dickersin, K. (1997). How important is publication bias? A synthesis of available data. AIDS Education and Prevention, 9, 15-21.

Green, J.W. (1995). Cultural awareness in the human services. A multiethnic approach. Boston: Allyn and Bacon .

Hedges, L.V. (1981). Distribution theory for Glass's estimator of effect size and related estimators. Journal of Educational Statistics , 6, 107-128.

10.

Hedges, L.V. , & Olkin, I. (1985). Statistical methods for meta-analysis. New York: Academic Press.

11.

Jonson-Reid, M. , & Barth, R.P. (2000). From placement to prison: The path to adolescent incarceration from child welfare supervised foster or group care. Children and Youth Services Review, 22, 493-516.

12.

Lipsey, M.W. (1992). Juvenile delinquency treatment: A meta-analytic inquiry into the variability of effects. In T. D. Cook , H. Cooper , D. S. Cordray , H. Hartmann , L. V. Hedges , R. J. Light , T. A. Louis , & F. Mosteller (Eds.), Meta-analysis for explanation: A casebook (pp. 83-127). New York: Russell Sage.

13.

Lipsey, M.W. (1995). What do we learn from 400 research studies on the effectiveness of treatment with juvenile delinquents. In J. McGuire (Ed.), What works? Reducing reoffending-Guidelines from research and practice (pp. 63-78). New York: John Wiley.

14.

Lipsey, M.W. , & Wilson, D.B. (1993). The efficacy of psychological, educational, and behavioral treatment: Confirmation from meta-analysis. American Psychologist, 48, 1181-1209.

15.

Lipsey, M.W. , & Wilson, D.B. (1998). Effective intervention for serious juvenile offenders: A synthesis of research. In R. Loeber & D. P. Farrington (Eds.), Serious and violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and successful interventions (pp. 313-345). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

16.

Lipsey, M.W. , & Wilson, D.B. (2001). Practical meta-analysis (Applied Social Research Methods Series, Vol. 49). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

17.

Lum, D. (1996). Social work practice and people of color. A process stage approach. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole .

18.

Shadish, W.R. , & Haddock, C.K. (1994). Combining estimates of effect size. In H. Cooper & L. V. Hedges (Eds.), The handbook of research synthesis (pp. 261-281). New York: Russell Sage.

19.

Soydan, H. (1999). The history of ideas in social work. Birmingham, AL: Venture Press.

20.

Soydan, H. , Jergeby, U. , Olsson, E. , & Harms-Ringdal, M. (1999). Socialt arbete med etniska minoriteter. En litteraturöversikt [Social work with ethnic minorities. A literature review]. Stockholm: Liber.

21.

Williams, C. , Soydan, H. , & Johnson, M. R. D. (Eds.). (1998). Social work and minorities. European perspectives . London: Routledge.

22.

Wooldredge, J. , Hartman, J. , Latessa, E. , & Holmes, S. (1994). Effectiveness of culturally specific community treatment for African American juvenile felons. Crime & Delinquency, 40, 589-598.