Incarceration of Status Offenders 281who come into contact with status offenders agree that dysfunctional families play
a central role in the juveniles' behaviors. It therefore becomes crucial to develop
and implement comprehensive programs designed to address the specific needs of
a particular dysfunctional family. Once these programs are in place, it will then be
possible to compare the recidivism rates of those juveniles who participate in such
programs with those who receive other sentences.