Preliminary National Assessment of Job Opportunities for Adjudicated Delinquents - Complexities and Competition

• NCJ Number: 86967
• Author(s): D J Berkman; M R Montilla; A Pearl; C P Smith
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 112 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79-JN-AX-0013; 77-JN-99-0008; 77-NI-99-0009; 77-JN-99-0008 S-1; 77-JN-99-0008S-2
• Sponsoring Agency: US Securities and Exchange Cmssn
• Corporate Author: American Justice Institute
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report assesses the major issues, problems, and needs of youth with regard to employment and societal efforts to deal with escalating rates of both juvenile delinquency and youth unemployment.

Abstract

The literature on juvenile delinquency, youth unemployment, and Federal, State, and private sector efforts related to unemployed adjudicated juveniles were reviewed. Programs and policies which affect youth unemployment positively and negatively are assessed, and recommendations are provided to enhance their overall effectiveness or reduce their indirect negative consequences. Although research on the causal relationship of juvenile delinquency to unemployment has generally failed to indicate a strong relationship (after controlling for other variables), both problems tend to occur concurrently with other social problems; therefore, lack of evidence supporting a causal relationship should not hinder the development of policies and programs which target both juvenile delinquency and youth unemployment. Recommendations for dealing with youth unemployment include (1) increasing the use of minimum wage exemptions; (2) expanding apprentice programs; (3) improving school, probation, and correctional job counseling and placement services; and (4) revising offender licensing restrictions. Further, job opportunities should be created where unemployed youth are concentrated, and the relocation of youth to localities with job opportunities should be supported. Informal helping networks should be created, and youth entrepreneurial programs should be encouraged. Other recommendations are (1) to provide grants to youth for career development, (2) to establish a national youth service, (3) to expand the use of community education-work councils, and (4) to change the basic structure of high schools to make them less alienating and more effective in preparing students to compete in the labor market. Finally, there should be better Federal coordination of programs targeting youth to reduce conflict and maximize the use of resources. Tabular data and 95 references are listed.