The Buddy System:

Abstract

This study presents the effect of the Buddy System on arrests for major criminal offenses over a three year period for each of 553 younsters (334 project and 218). The findings support earlier results which were based on only the project year, in that fewer experimental juveniles, who had been arrested in the year before participating in the project, were arrested within three years after entering the Buddy System. Once again, the arrest rate of those who had not been arrested in the prior year was higher in the experimental condition. In addition, the negative effect occured largely with those who spent more than one year in the Buddy System. These results, combined with an analysis of the base rate of arrests provided by the control condition (which showed variation from 10.8 to 81%, depending on sex and offense history), indicated that delinquency programs should focus on yougsters with a recent history of arrests for major criminal offenses, and that the base rates of the target population should be considered in the implementation and evaluation of a prgram.