Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

In this study, we examine the impact of a school-based violence prevention program for reducing the likelihood of school discipline and juvenile justice involvement for at-risk students. To do so, we use a longitudinal dataset of individual records for all students in a school district linked to all juvenile probation records and violence prevention program participation records from 2012 to 2017. We create a propensity score matched comparison group in order to assess whether students who receive different modalities (e.g., individualized versus group-based interventions) and dosages of the program interventions experience reductions in thier likelihood for school discipline or juvenile justice involvement. We find that participation in the school-based violence program is associated with significantly fewer and less severe school discipline and juvenile justice referrals than in the match comparison group. Effect sizes varied by student sub-population as well as intervention modality and dosage level. The findings from this study help contribute to the research on school-based, cost-effective interventions for reducing exclusionary disicpline placements and juvenile justice contact for at-risk students.