NCJ Number
146074
Date Published
1991
Length
37 pages
Annotation
Comprehensive community-based youth work experience programs have shown promise as treatment and supervision alternatives for juvenile offenders, and the author suggests that "designed" work interventions may provide a positive socialization experience for young offenders while they perform productive work in local communities.
Abstract
Designed work experience refers to interventions in which juvenile justice professionals, employers, and youth service professionals develop theoretically grounded work experience models. Work experience programs emphasize reintegrating youth into the community rather than removing them, as well as treatment and support services. The programs use employment as a tool to accomplish the primary goals of intensive supervision and public protection. To avoid potentially harmful work experiences, practitioners should be cautious about the nature of work chosen for young people, since certain types of jobs appear to be more associated with deviant behavior than others. Further, working more than 20 hours a week appears to be consistently associated with dysfunctional behavior and school problems. Theoretical guidelines for designing work interventions are cited, and the benefits of community-based interventions versus more punitive measures are discussed. 67 references and 4 footnotes