The growing up FAST diversion program: An example of juvenile justice program development for outcome evaluation

Current levels of juvenile crime and a review of juvenile justice programmi ng outcomes reveal the need for prevention-oriented, family-based juvenile crime reduction programming. This article presents the Growing Up FAST Fami lies and Adolescents Surviving and Thriving Diversion Program as an illustr ation of a logic-model-based approach to the development, implementation, a nd eventual outcome evaluation of a juvenile crime prevention program. It d escribes the development of a program logic model that has both intermediat e outcomes (reduced risky behavior and increased family functioning) and in itial outcomes (awareness of goals associated with successful adulthood and identification of the resources that will help achieve these goals) that a re linked to the longer-term outcome of reduced recidivism. Program outputs that contribute to initial outcomes are presented in a detailed descriptio n of five interrelated programming levels. Descriptive data on youth and fa milies who have been referred to this program also are provided as well as descriptions of the outcome measures being utilized with these families. Wi th such logically derived initial and intermediate outcomes, Growing Up FAS T is thought to exemplify a crime prevention program that is family-based a nd can be reliably evaluated for outcomes early in its implementation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.