Long-term impacts of youth mentoring and therapy: Experimental evidence from Chicago

We conduct a large-scale, randomized controlled trial of a six-month intervention combining intensive mentoring and group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth in Chicago, following study participants for up to five years. The program was designed to engage young people at higher risk of involvement with the criminal justice system, and successfully did so with a take-up rate of 62%. Participants averaged 177 hours with mentors and nine hours of group CBT. After 24 months, youth offered the program experienced a 19% reduction in the probability of being arrested. Notably, this impact persists into adulthood, as effects remain stable through five years post-randomization. A reduction in arrests for violent offenses is driving this overall arrest reduction, with a 23% reduction in the probability of a violent-crime arrest after 24 months. The program does not impact school enrollment persistence (graduation or being enrolled), but shows suggestive improvements in school behavior and school mobility. We conclude that programs that combine mentoring and CBT can serve as a model for engaging a harder-to-reach population of youth, and can be effective in reducing criminal justice contact in the longer run.