Length of Stay and Age affect Recidivism after a Quality Treatment Program

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of the factors of age and length of stay on recidivism for two hundred and twenty-eight male juvenile offenders. These boys, who were between the ages of 12 and 18, were residents at Elk Hill Farm in Goochland, Virginia. Elk Hill Farm is a private, non-profit, institution for troubled youth which utilizes a quality, multi-faceted treatment program that includes the following components; a peer group model, an aftercare program, a special education school, wilderness therapy and parent groups. From 1976 to the present these boys have been followed from the time of their release. A Success Rate Index, which divides the number of months that the boys are reincarcerated after leaving the program into the total number of months since leaving that program, was used to analyze this follow-up information. Longer stays and older boys at Elk Hill Farm appeared to lessen the likelihood of later incarceration. Thus it would appear that social and emotional growth, a quality treatment program, length of stay, and age at the time of leaving the program are important factors with regard to future reincarceration. © 1988, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.