JUVENILE AWARENESS PROJECT - EVALUATION REPORT

• NCJ Number: 58618
• Author(s): J O FINCKENAUER
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 23 pages
• Grant Number(s): E-D-3-3-77; 07-2136
• Sponsoring Agency: New Jersey State Law Enforcement Planning Agency; Rutgers University Research Council Fund
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM AN EVALUATION OF A 'SHOCK CONFRONTATION' TREATMENT MODALITY PROJECT CONDUCTED BY INMATES OF NEW JERSEY'S RAHWAY STATE PRISON TO DETER JUVENILES FROM CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.

Abstract

THE LIFERS' JUVENILE AWARENESS PROJECT AT RAHWAY STATE PRISON IS DESIGNED AND OPERATED BY INMATES WITH THE INTENTION OF CONFRONTING AT-RISK JUVENILES WITH THE HARSH REALITIES OF PRISON LIFE AND THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. SELECTED JUVENILES ARE BROUGHT INSIDE THE PRISON FOR A 2- TO 3-HOUR CONFRONTATION WITH THE INMATES OPERATING THE PROJECT. THE APPROACH IS AUTHORITARIAN AND AGGRESSIVE, WITH A VIEW TOWARD SHOCKING THE JUVENILES INTO AN AVOIDANCE OF ANY BEHAVIOR THAT MIGHT LEAD TO THEIR IMPRISONMENT. FOR PROJECT EVALUATION PURPOSES, 46 EXPERIMENTALS AND 35 CONTROLS WERE STUDIED. JUVENILE COURT RECORDS WERE SURVEYED A MINIMUM OF 6 MONTHS AFTER THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP VISITED RAHWAY AND AFTER THE CONTROL GROUP WAS PRETESTED. WHERE RECORDS OF DELINQUENCY WERE FOUND, THEY WERE REVIEWED FOR TYPE OF DELINQUENCY (BEFORE AND AFTER VISIT OR PRETEST) AND NUMBER OF DELINQUENCIES (BEFORE AND AFTER). TYPE OF DELINQUENCY WAS WEIGHTED ACCORDING TO SERIOUSNESS BY CLASSIFICATION AS A STATUS OFFENSE OR A JUVENILE DELINQUENCY (CRIMINAL) OFFENSE. COMPARABILITY OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS IN FACTORS OF SEX, RACE, DELINQUENCY PROBABILITY, AND AGE WERE TESTED. RESULTS INDICATED THAT A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PROPORTION OF THE CONTROLS (THOSE WHO DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT) DID BETTER IN TERMS OF SUBSEQUENT OFFENSES THAN DID THE EXPERIMENTALS. THE SUCCESS RATE (NO RECORDED OFFENSES) OF THE CONTROLS WAS 88.6 PERCENT, WHILE THAT OF THE EXPERIMENTALS WAS 58.7 PERCENT. THE MEAN SERIOUSNESS OF SUBSEQUENT DELINQUENCY WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOR THE EXPERIMENTALS. A RETHINKING OF THE GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS OF THE PROJECT IS ADVISED; THIS IS PARTICULARLY IMPERATIVE DUE TO THE PLANS OF MANY STATES TO INSTITUTE SUCH A PROGRAM BASED ON PREMATURE ADVERTISEMENTS OF SUCCESS. TABULAR DATA AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)