NCJ Number
114874
Date Published
1985
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study examined a juvenile restitution/community service project operating in Kenosha County (Wisc.) between 1980 and 1984.
Abstract
A review of 148 participant files for August 1983 to May 1984 indicates that participants were representative of the juvenile court population with respect to sex and ethnicity. Participants would be considered serious offenders, with 43 percent having an average of 2.4 delinquency adjudications prior to program participation. The average number of hours of community service work was 25.09. The 21 participants in the work-pay program averaged 110 hours of work over 10 months and paid $5,199.73 to the victims of their crimes. In comparison with other programs, the restitution/community service programs cost less than half as much: the self-pay program cost about $10 per month per participant, and the work-pay program cost about $120 per month per participant. A telephone survey of 45 of 175 participants in the 1980-1981 program indicated that 75 percent of participants continued to be employed in the same or a new job following program participation. A majority of participants found the program helpful and felt it was more effective in keeping them out of trouble than other services. Compared to nonparticipants, participants paid 47 percent more in restitution. While subsequent delinquency was reduced for both groups, reductions were greater for program participants than for nonparticipants. 9 tables.