NCJ Number
79599
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 32 Issue: 3 Dated: (August 1981) Pages: 11-16
Date Published
1981
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study assesses the adjustment of juvenile offenders served in institutional and community-based programs in Georgia by using the outcome measures of recidivism and adjustment ratings by treatment staff in counseling, educational, and vocational settings.
Abstract
From a population of 400 male youths committed by juvenile courts to the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Youth Services, in the last half of 1976, 127 were selected for study (64 institutional placements and 63 community placements). The two groups were well-matched and treatment staff were surveyed to obtain program adjustment data. Recommitment data were obtained from official records. The results indicate that there was no significant difference in the overall recidivism rate of the two samples. A significantly higher percentage of youths in the institutional sample entered State prisons (20 percent compared to 5 percent for the community sample). There was no significant difference in the percentages of juvenile court recommitment of the two samples (32 percent for the community sample and 23 percent for the institutional sample). No significant difference in the ratings of treatment staff in the areas of response to counseling or in vocational program adjustment was indicated. However, the institutional sample was reported to have significantly more favorable adjustments in education settings. The offenses committed by recidivists during the 3-year followup period were mainly property-related. Thus, the findings indicate that there were some short-term advantages to institutional placement of juvenile offenders, but that an impact on recidivism did not follow. The results show that prison is more likely to be the 'next step' for recidivists who have been in juvenile institutions than for those who have not been institutionalized. Three tables and 17 notes are given.