A STUDY OF RECIDIVISM AMONG ADJUDICATED JUVENILE-OFFENDERS

The shift from public to private placements for juveniles offenders ha s become much more pronounced over the last several decades. Using lon gitudinal data drawn from a medium-sized Midwestern county, we examine whether private residential placements are more effective than public training schools in reducing recidivism levels. We define recidivism in terms of level of reoffending, seriousness of reoffending, and time to failure. We control for a variety of demographic and legal factors to reduce the possibility of spurious findings. Results show that pri vate placements are no more effective than commitments to state-operat ed institutions in reducing recidivism levels. Additionally, the cost associated with committing juveniles to private facilities is substant ially higher. We conclude by considering how our study informs current debate about the privatization of juvenile corrections.