An independent outcome evaluation of Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services Violence Intervention Program was funded by the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County and conducted by Dr. William Blount, former Chairman of the Department of Criminology, University of South Florida.

The outcomes showed that students participating in the program in comparison to other Pinellas County middle school students had:

• Significantly fewer disciplinary referrals
• Significantly fewer out-of-school suspensions
• Fewer disruptive behaviors as measured by reduced in-school suspensions
• Fewer referrals for violent behavior (for students with chronic behavior problems)
• Significantly fewer referrals for non-violent behavior
• Fewer days absent from school

The evaluation covered the period January 1994 through June 1995. Data was collected on students who received program services covering the five-year period prior to intervention and the first year and a half of intervention.

Approximately 85% of the 571 students who participated in the program in either the spring of 1994 or any time during the 1994-95 school year received intervention in both years. Outcomes are based on a comparison group of 1,174 students that was randomly selected from the rest of the Pinellas County middle school population.