FLORIDA - DIVISION OF YOUTH SERVICES - FLORIDA'S JUVENILE TRAINING SCHOOLS - A POPULATION PROFILE AND RECIDIVISM STUDY

• NCJ Number: 54419
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 25 pages
• Corporate Author: Florida Dept of Health and Rehabilitative Services
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

FLORIDA'S JUVENILE TRAINING SCHOOLS ARE EXAMINED. A POPULATION PROFILE IS DEVELOPED AND A RECIDIVISM STUDY IS CONDUCTED.

Abstract

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES OPERATES FOUR TRAINING SCHOOLS GEARED TOWARD THE REHABILITATION OF JUVENILES. EACH SCHOOL IS BASICALLY AUTONOMOUS AND HAS ITS OWN SCHOOL SYSTEM, WITH VOCATIONAL AS WELL AS ACADEMIC CLASSES. EACH SCHOOL ALSO HAS A TREATMENT COMPONENT STRESSING REALITY THERAPY AND GUIDED PEER GROUP INTERACTION. THIS STUDY HAD TWO PURPOSES: (1) THE DEVELOPMENT OF A POPULATION PROFILE FOR THE SCHOOLS AND (2) THE EXAMINATION OF THE RECIDIVISM RATE OF THE PROGRAM AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF RECIDIVISM TO OTHER VARIABLES. A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 100 YOUNGSTERS WAS DRAWN FROM TRAINING SCHOOL PAROLE LISTS FOR THE YEAR 1973. DATA WERE COLLECTED BY REVIEWING CASE FILES. FOLLOWUP DATA COVERED A TIME SPAN OF 1 YEAR. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY, THE RECIDIVIST WAS DEFINED AS A JUVENILE WHO WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RECOMMITTED TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, PLACED ON ADULT PROBATION OR SUSPENDED SENTENCE, OR COMMITTED TO AN ADULT JAIL OR PRISON. THE NONRECIDIVIST WAS DEFINED AS A YOUTH WHO HAD NO SUBSEQUENT CHARGES IN EITHER THE JUVENILE OR ADULT CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, WHICH RESULTED IN A PUNITIVE SANCTION. THE 1973 PROGRAM POPULATION WAS 31 PERCENT FEMALE AND 69 PERCENT MALE. THE RACIAL BALANCE WAS 47 PERCENT BLACK AND 52 PERCENT WHITE. AVERAGE AGE AT TIME OF FURLOUGH WAS 15.6 YEARS, AND 80 PERCENT OF THE KNOWN FAMILY INCOMES WERE BELOW $10,000. PROPERTY OFFENSES WERE THE MOST COMMON OFFENSES LEADING TO COMMITMENT. IN THE AREA OF RECIDIVISM, THE SUCCESS RATE FOR AN 18-MONTH PERIOD WAS 57 PERCENT, AND THE RECIDIVISM RATE WAS 43 PERCENT. EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KEY VARIABLES AND SUCCESSES SHOWED THAT FEMALES HAD MUCH HIGHER SUCCESS RATES THAN DID MALES. APPENDIXES DESCRIBE THE CORRECTION PROCEDURE ADJUSTING FOR THE OVERREPRESENTATION OF FEMALES IN THE SAMPLE AND LIST OFFENSE CODES. TABLES AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (MLC)