NCJ Number
67532
Date Published
Unknown
Length
39 pages
Annotation
THE DETERRENT EFFECT OF THE RAHWAY STATE PRISON LIFERS' GROUP PROGRAM WAS EVALUATED BY EXAMINING THE NUMBER AND NATURE OF POLICE ENCOUNTERS BY A SAMPLE OF JUVENILES BEFORE AND AFTER PRISON COUNSELING BY INMATES.
Abstract
THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP OF 66 JUVENILES, EACH OF WHOM HAD COMMITTED ONE OR MORE RECORDED OFFENSES PRIOR TO PARTICIPATION IN THE LIFERS' PROGRAM, WAS COMPARED WITH A CONTROL GROUP OF NONPARTICIPATING JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER AND SERIOUSNESS OF OFFENSES COMMITTED AFTER EXPOSURE TO THE LIFERS' PROGRAM. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS IN TERMS OF AGE, RACE, OR SEX. TO GAUGE THE NUMBER AND SERIOUSNESS OF OFFENSES AMONG THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, THE NATIONAL SURVEY OF CRIME SEVERITY SCALE WAS EMPLOYED. FOR EACH SUBJECT, A SEVERITY SCORE WAS CALCULATED AND WEIGHTED ACCORDING TO THE LENGTH OF EXPOSURE TIME (AMOUNT OF TIME FROM LIFERS' PROGRAM EXPOSURE TO SUBSEQUENT EVALUATION OF RECORDS). THIS SEVERITY, OR MEAN SERIOUSNESS SCORE, OF EACH EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECT WAS THEN COMPARED TO SCORES OBTAINED BY THE NONPARTICIPATING CONTROL GROUP DURING 22 MONTHS, THE AVERAGE EXPOSURE PERIOD FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE GROUPS, IN THAT THE SCORE FOR THE EXPERIMENTALS DID NOT INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY AT THE END OF THE TEST PERIOD, WHEREAS THE MEAN SERIOUSNESS SCORE OF THE CONTROLS ROSE SHARPLY AFTER 22 MONTHS. WHEN POLICE RECORDS WERE EVALUATED OVER A SHORTER EXPOSURE PERIOD (10 MONTHS), NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS WERE FOUND, WITH BOTH THE EXPERIMENTALS AND THE CONTROLS OBTAINING MEAN SERIOUSNESS SCORES SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THEIR PRETEST SCORES. AN ANALYSIS OF THE AGE FACTOR IN DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR SUGGEST THAT AN INCREASE IN DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR SHOULD BE EXPECTED AT THE MEAN AGES OF 13 TO 14 YEARS. HOWEVER, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE 22-MONTH EXPOSURE PERIOD ACCELERATED MATURATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, WHICH WOULD EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM OVER THE 10-MONTH AND 22-MONTH EXPOSURE PERIODS. ALTHOUGH SHARP DISCREPANCIES WITH OTHER LIFERS' PROGRAM STUDIES ARE NOTED, IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE LIFERS' PROGRAM HAS MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE DETERRENCE OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY. CHARTS, TABLES, AND FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED.