NCJ Number
90037
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1983) Pages: 227-247
Date Published
1983
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article describes an evaluation of a prisoner-run delinquency prevention program at Hawaii's major prison.
Abstract
An after-the-fact matched group design was employed to determine the program's effectiveness in the prevention of delinquency in previously arrested youths. Examining the frequency and seriousness of police arrests in the year following exposure to the program, the study found the program had no effect on the delinquent behavior of females. Males who attended the program, however, were arrested at a significantly higher rate than their counterparts who did not hear the prisoners' presentation. The finding of higher recidivism among males who saw the program was further explored, and data are presented to show that this pattern is probably a product of some members of the treatment groups' concurrent involvement in long-term delinquency prevention programs, rather than the simple result of exposure to the prisoner-run program itself. (Publisher abstract)