Gender differences in intervention effects on delinquency for justice-involved youth: A preliminary meta-analysis

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate whether psychosocial interventions for justice-involved youth are equally effective at reducing delinquent behavior for males and females. Methods: We used meta-analysis to test for gender differences in intervention effects for justice-involved youth, including 10 randomized controlled trials that permitted assessment of gender-specific effect sizes. Results: Findings show interventions were ineffective at reducing delinquency overall d = -0.006, p =.921. Moreover, there was no significant difference in recidivism outcomes by gender, Q =.071, p =.790; psychosocial interventions for justice-involved youth yielded null effects for males, d = 0.006, p =.933, and females, d = -.027, p =.785. Conclusions: This study is the first meta-analysis focused on gender differences in intervention effects for justice-involved youth. Our findings suggest a need for further study to better understand what works for reducing recidivism among juvenile justice-involved males and females.