NCJ Number
48143
Date Published
1978
Length
10 pages
Annotation
THE ROLE OF CONVENTIONAL APPROACHES TO THE HANDLING OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS -- INCLUDING THE USE OF FORESTRY PROJECTS, TRAINING PROGRAMS, PROBATION, AND PAROLE -- ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
ALTHOUGH IT CAN BE ARGUED THAT THERE IS SOMETING INHERENTLY DESIRABLE IN ASSIGNING CONVICTED JUVENILE OFFENDERS TO THE ROBUST ROUTINE OF STATE FORESTRY CAMPS, THERE SEEMS TO BE LITTLE EVIDENCE THAT SUCH CAMPS HAVE ANY INFLUENCE ON FUTURE DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR. A SERIES OF STUDIES BY THE CALIFORNIA YOUTH AUTHORITY CONCLUDED THAT PAROLE VIOLATION RATES FOR THOSE WHO HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO FORESTRY CAMPS WERE SIMILAR TO THE RATES OF THOSE WHO WERE ASSIGNED TO INSTITUTIONS. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, THE COST OF MAINTAINING A YOUNG OFFENDER IN A CAMP IS LESS THAN IN AN INSTITUTION. FURTHERMORE, SOME OF THESE CAMPS PERFORM USEFUL AND NECESSARY WORK AND THE SETTING IS PROBABLY HEALTHFUL. ONE DRAWBACK TO THE FORESTRY CAMPS MAY BE THE WAY THEY ARE VIEWED BY THE OFFENDER. MANY MIDDLECLASS PERSONS VIEW THE OUTDOORS DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHERS FROM A DIFFERENT CULTURAL BACKGROUND. ALTHOUGH VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN PART OF CONVENTIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOR MANY YEARS, ASSESSMENT MADE OF THESE PROGRAMS AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THE TRAINEES HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRAINEES AND INMATES WHO DO NOT RECEIVE TRAINING. IN FACT, IN SOME OF THE MANY STUDIES AVAILABLE, THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE CONTROLS DID SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN THOSE WHO RECEIVED ASSISTANCE. HOWEVER, TRAINING PROGRAMS SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED, BUT SHOULD BE VIEWED AS HAVING POSSIBLE MERITS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT RATHER THAN AS CURES FOR DELINQUENCY. REGARDING PROBATION AND PAROLE, BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF EARLY AND RECENT STUDIES IN THE U.S., PAROLE DOES NOT SEEM TO MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE WHEN COMPARED WITH STRAIGHT RELEASE WITHOUT SUPERVISION, ALTHOUGH IT CAN BE ARGUED THE POSTPONING CRIMINAL INVOLVEMENT UNTIL THE END OF THE PAROLE PERIOD COULD BE SEEN AS A WORTHWHILE GAIN. WHEN SUPERVISED AND UNSUPERVISED RELEASES WERE COMPARED IN A CANADIAN STUDY, THE FAILURE RATES WERE SIMILAR. SOME ARGUE THAT PAROLE OFFICERS WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE IF THEIR CASELOADS WERE REDUCED; A CALIFORNIA STUDY THAT COMPARED SMALL, MEDIUM, AND LARGE CASELOADS FOUND THAT OFFICERS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM CASELOADS PERFORMED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER. UNFORTUNATELY, LATER STUDIES ON CASELOAD SIZE HAVE PRODUCED INCONSISTENT FINDINGS. IT HAS ALSO BEEN ARGUED THAT MATCHING SPECIFIC TYPES OF PAROLE OFFICERS TO CERTAIN KINDS OF OFFENDERS PRODUCES BETTER RESULTS. WHILE SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN SUCH MATCHING TO BE EFFECTIVE, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT PROCEDURES FOR CLASSIFYING INDIVIDUALS ARE DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP. NO REFERENCES ARE CITED. (KBL)