Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
A marked decrease in arrest rates-up to 70%-was noted in the evaluation of a juve nile corrections program. This so-called "suppression effect" has been widely publicized as proof of the effectiveness of correctional intervention. In this article we show that the sup pression effect can easily be explained as a statistical artifact, regression to the mean, assuming that judges base their sentencing decisions on juveniles' prior records. We con clude that before/after comparisons should not be used to evaluate delinquency programs.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Maltz et al. (1980) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: