NCJ Number
81160
Journal
Corrections Magazine Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1982) Pages: 34-42
Date Published
1982
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Junior Chamber of Commerce program which has established chapters in State and Federal prisons that help inmates learn leadership skills and plan charitable fundraising projects.
Abstract
The Jaycees, whose members are mostly business and professional men between 18 and 35 years old, first started a prison chapter in the Moundsville, W. Va. State penitentiary in 1962. As the program attracted national publicity and expanded, the Jaycees decided not to formulate special rules for the prison chapters but have them function exactly like those on the outside. Although women may not become voting members of the Jaycees, the auxiliary Jayceettes have established similar groups in women's prisons. The Jaycee prison program peaked in the mid-1970's when it received a 3-year Department of Labor grant. The current number of prison chapters has dropped to 420 from a high of 500, but this is due in part to a general decrease in Jaycee membership. Support from the outside chapter has been critical to a prison group's success. Volunteers typically change their attitudes about inmates and think highly of those who join Jaycees since membership often sets them apart from the prison population. Once new members of a prison unit complete an orientation period, volunteers help them initiate specific projects which benefit the entire prison community or a local charity. Some prisons have discouraged the program through regulations on meetings and other administrative deterrents. Most outside members write letters of support and make job contacts for Jaycees nearing parole. A history of the Jaycees at New York's Auburn prison illustrates how a group's success depends on the attitude of prison officials, the amount of outside involvement, and the dedication of the prisoners themselves. As a spinoff of their prison, the Jaycees' Community Awareness Committee in New York has lobbied for a good time bill and embarked on a related public education campaign.