Screening for Poly-Victimization in Predicting a Range of Behavioral and Justice-Related Outcomes in Justice-Referred Youths Screened at Intake

This three-year project will use an experimental research design with 720 juvenile probationer participants randomly assigned to experimental (current screening augmented with poly-victimization screening, or PVE) and control (current screening as usual, or SAU) conditions. SAU uses the MAYSI-2, legal records, and probation or social work interviews for youth entering juvenile probation in the state of Connecticut. Measures of screening fidelity will ensure that the intervention is implemented as designed using the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ). The goal of the study, which will be conducted in all 12 juvenile courts in the state of Connecticut, is to determine if PVE improves the 1) identification, 2) referral to, receipt of, and retention in rehabilitative services, 3) school attendance, and 4) reduction in recidivism of traumatized youth. Multiple units of analysis and multiple measurements will be obtained from system data (one year prior to and one year after screening) and telephone follow-up data. Cost estimates will be conducted in order to preliminarily determine the economic value of the intended benefits (i.e., more accurate identification of poly-victimized youth; reduced recidivism and increased school engagement) relative to the cost of screening (i.e., screener time; increase in receipt of/retention in services).ca/ncf