Up to the close of the 21st century, criminal justice experts and probation officers in Minnesota expressed frustration with lack of resources and program effectiveness to address the delinquency and recidivism problems in the juvenile justice system. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effectiveness of rehabilitative and probation programs, using a comparative random sample to determine which programs are more effective in preventing juvenile re-offending in Minnesota for the year 2011-2014. The study's results indicated that those on probation having similar risks, demographic characteristics and histories of offense as juveniles on residential placement have better outcomes of recidivism following the completion of a program. These findings serve as a suggestion that there are some similarities and clear differences, in factors that are related to recidivism for residential releases and probation. The probation model does demonstrate also that juvenile programming should have a focus on strengthening peer protections and curbing tendencies of delinquent risk taking at an earlier age, as they all impact re-offending. These results, as a whole highlight the essence of efforts by policy makers at prevention and making attempts to delay as long as possible, involvement in the criminal justice system for juveniles. However, the results or findings of the study must be careful not to generalize to other big cities or rural areas of the US, especially given the fact that the sample used in the study is small. Any conclusions in empirical research are held provisionally subject to further investigation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]