NCJ Number
149162
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: (December 1982) Pages: 207-214
Date Published
1982
Length
8 pages
Annotation
A gang employment program initiated in El Monte, California, to reduce gang-related criminal activities was evaluated using 100 experimental subjects and 100 controls matched on age, sex, ethnic group, and gang membership.
Abstract
The program provided assistance in all phases of securing a job: obtaining job leads, contacting gang members and raising the issue of prospective employment, familiarizing gang members with job application procedures and role playing the job interview situation, arranging transportation if necessary to assure that the interview appointment was kept and that the client arrived on time the first day of work, and encouraging applicants to discuss work adjustment problems. Both experimental and control subjects were equated on the number of police detentions. Findings revealed no discernible differences in the rate of police detentions for youth gang members who participated in the employment program compared to those who did not. The fact that both groups showed a decline in police detentions was attributed more to increasing age and maturity and decreasing vulnerability to police arrests for minor infractions than to the employment program. Nonetheless, the program had several benefits: projected a more positive side of the police, helped the police keep in touch with many gang members, and served as a legitimate community building activity. 10 references and 2 tables