NCJ Number
65969
Date Published
1979
Length
34 pages
Annotation
A REPLY IS MADE BY COUNSELING, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION SPECIALIST TEAMS (CREST) TO CRITICISMS LEVELED AGAINST ITS USE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO COUNSEL JUVENILE DELINQUENTS.
Abstract
RESPONSES ARE MADE TO 22 SPECIFIC CRITICISMS OF THE PROJECT'S RESEARCH DESIGN AND FINDINGS. MANY OF THE CRITICISMS DEALT WITH THE ADEQUACY OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO COPE WITH DELINQUENTS' COUNSELING NEEDS. CREST REPLIED THAT ITS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE MATURE GRADUATE STUDENTS WHO WERE STARTED IN AUXILLIARY ROLES AND NOT ALLOWED FULL COUNSELING RESPONSIBILITIES UNTIL THE DESIRED LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY WAS DEMONSTRATED. FACTUAL ERRORS IN THE CRITIQUE CONCERNING PROJECT DESIGN AND FINDINGS ARE ALSO IDENTIFIED. CREST DEFENDED THE WORTH OF THE DUAL TREATMENT APPROACH TO JUVENILE OFFENDERS THAT COMBINES CHILD-CENTERED COUNSELING SERVICES WITH AN ALREADY EXISTING SYSTEM OF PROBATION. RESPONSES WERE ALSO GIVEN TO THE FOLLOWING ALLEGATIONS ABOUT CREST METHODOLOGY: 1) THE INAPPROPRIATENESS OF THE USE OF A PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE WHICH ASSUMES NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED OBSERVATIONS, 2) SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FOUND ONLY IN THE FELONY CATEGORY WHEN PROJECT DATA WERE EXAMINED BY CLASS OF OFFENSE, AND 3) THE UNEQUAL NUMBERS OF MALES AND FEMALE IN THE CREST AND CONTROL GROUPS. DATA ARE ALSO PRESENTED SHOWING LOWER RATES OF RECIDIVISM FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CREST PROJECT. FINALLY, CREST NOTES THE LOW PROGRAM COSTS OF UTILIZING STUDENT VOLUNTEERS FROM UNIVERSITY COUNSELING PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS THE VALUE OF THE COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO THE TREATMENT OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS. TABLES, GRAPHS, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. APPENDIXES PRESENT A LIST OF PUBLICATIONS ON CREST, AN OVERVIEW OF OFFENSE DATA, A PUBLISHED ARTICLE BY THE CREST DIRECTOR, AND RELATED INFORMATION. (DEG)