Pheonix Program - An Educational Alternative for Adolescent Offenders (From Correctional Education - A Focus on Success, 1983, Helen E Pecht, ed. - See NCJ-95891)

• NCJ Number: 95892
• Author(s): P C Kratcoski; T Anuszkiewicz
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The Phoenix program, an alternative education program for serious male and female delinquents aged 14-17 in Akron, Ohio, has had a positive impact on delinquency, as evidenced by substantially lower recidivism rates of its graduates over a 3-year period compared to students who withdrew from the program or were terminated.

Abstract

Phoenix students typically are in their mid-teens. They are from working class or welfare families, are more likely to be from broken than intact homes, tend to have committed a variety of offenses, and are likely to be 1 or more years behind appropriate grade placement in school. In the Phoenix program, they receive academic instruction in math and reading, as well as instruction in gym, shop, and vocational development. Pre- and posttest scores on the Wide Range Achievement Test reveal that graduates make significant academic progress when they receive individualized attention and work at their own pace. Elective course such as career orientation, job placement, and home maintenance are valuable. Senior citizens from the area help with tutoring and counseling through a foster grandparents project. Phoenix uses the principles of strict contingency management and the principles of strict contingency management and positive reinforcement to effect behavior changes, awarding points for acceptable behavior and rule compliance. The minimum time for completing the program is 20 weeks, but many students stay longer. Students are terminated because of continuous and increasing behavior problems, no progress, or new offenses. Approximately half the students entering the program in 1982 made a successful adjustment up to the time they left Phoenix. This 50-percent success rate should be interpreted in the context that all Phoenix referrals were defined as school failures and serious delinquents. In 1982, only 28 percent of the 25 students who completed the program recidivated, compared to 38 percent for the 8 students who withdrew and 68 percent for the 38 who were terminated. These findings are especially encouraging since that year's students had substantially higher levels of serious and minor delinquency than in previous years. Tables and nine references are supplied.