Length of stay, therapeutic change, and recidivism for incarcerated juvenile offenders

This study examined the influence of length of stay in therapeutically oriented institutional placements for high-risk juvenile offenders. Pre- and posttests of rater scored skill acquisition were obtained for 637 youth across 14 secure and community placements implementing the integrated treatment model. Ordinal propensity score stratification balanced youth characteristics across lengths of stay. Length of stay was not predictive of felony recidivism at 12 months postrelease despite a trend for reduced recidivism at 9 months. Skills acquisition was positively associated with older age, not having a special education designation, parent contact, and a reduction in felony recidivism 12 months postrelease.