Reference: Worrall, J. L., & Gaines, L. K. (2006). The effect of police-probation partnerships on juvenile arrests. Journal of Criminal Justice, 34, 579-589.

Strategy: Police/probation officer partnership for juvenile offenders

Matrix Dimensions:
X-axis: Individuals
Y-axis: Focused
Z-axis: Mostly Reactive

Results: Statistically significant success
Overall, there were citywide reductions in assault, burglary, and theft arrests. Results also revealed a possible general deterrent effect associated with the Nightlight Program, which means that others aside from the targeted program participants could have benefited from the program. The burglary reductions in San Bernardino, however, may have been offset by increases in contiguous cities.

Methodological Rigor: Moderate- time series

Abstract: (from NCJRS) This paper examined the deterrence effect of the San Bernardino, California Nightlight Program, a police-probation partnership with juvenile probationers. Results suggest that enhanced supervision partnerships may have an effect on arrests for specific types of serious crime, thus making them attractive to policymakers. The analysis revealed a possible general deterrent effect associated with the Nightlight Program. The analysis also suggests that the effects of police-probation partnerships, for better or worse, can extend into surrounding cities. In the field of criminal justice, collaboration is the current buzzword. Partnering is gaining steam because it improves information sharing and record keeping and it is beneficial from a crime control standpoint. Partnering between police and probation officers can be expected to reduce crime. Added supervision gives police and probation officers more of an opportunity to catch juvenile delinquents and added supervision may carry a message of general deterrence. In September 2000, the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance funded the San Bernardino County Probation Department’s IMPACT/Nightlight juvenile crime prevention program. Nightlight was designed to reduce juvenile crime. The primary component was juvenile probation officer and police officer teams, providing heightened supervision of juvenile probationers. This article presents the results of a larger evaluation of the Nightlight Program. It begins with a discussion of the movement toward partnering followed by the results of an interrupted time series analysis of the program.