In 2008 Greenwood evaluates evidence-based delinquency prevention programs and analyzes programs that are successful, as well as examples of programs that are not successful. The prevention programs are analyzed on their standards for effectiveness as well as their cost benefit analysis. Greenwood used several studies of juvenile delinquency programs and compared them against each other in terms of average effectiveness, and cost benefit analysis, for all the juvenile delinquency studies. This meta-analysis helps compare and contrast the different juvenile delinquency programs, and will hopefully create some guidance to policy makers, communities, and family members of delinquents as to what programs are most likely to work.

Greenwood discovers that overall, the general public prefers treatment and rehabilitation compared to punishment for juvenile delinquents. Yet, only about five percent of juveniles have been able to take part in promising school and community based prevention programs, due to the custodial care and community supervision being a widespread common prevention option – regardless of its effectiveness.

Prevention programs that are community based and emphasize the role of family ties are successful. While prevention programs, such as scared straight programs that bring juvenile delinquents together for programing, intensive supervision and programs which focus on the individual offender, are much less successful than programs which focus on family and community ties.

Greenwood’s meta-analysis is very interesting and extremely useful when researching juvenile delinquency programs because he not only compares the cost benefits and effectiveness rates of each evidence-based program, but he also analyzes the programs in terms of what makes it effective and the aspects of these programs that are not effective.

http://0-www.jstor.org.books.redlands.edu/stable/20179984