NCJ Number
73079
Date Published
1979
Length
211 pages
Annotation
Project Transition, a Detroit community-based vocational training, counseling, and residential program for women offenders, was evaluated to identify the variables that affect completion or noncompletion of the program.
Abstract
The study population included 178 women involved in the project between 1973 and 1978; all subjects had been convicted of one or more felonies. Study data for the project, which is located in a lower socioeconomic neighborhood with a high crime rate, were gathered from official records. Results indicated that the level of former drug involvemernt and the history of prostitution arrests were strongly related to noncompletion of the program. The variable 'drug use while in the program' which was used to examine the effect of quasi-free living arrangement, had a moderate relationship to program outcome. Involvement in counseling was also positively related to program completion, as were motivation to rebuild relationships with children and success in the area of voctional training. The introduction of certain control variables further explained these relationships. The most important control variables were achievement level, total violations, number of incarcerations, and previous occupational level. The program should strengthen training in the mothering role and either consider drug abuse counseling use history in screening women for the program or counsel women concerning drug abuse. Counseling be made aware of the relationship between extensive drug use and program noncompletion. Counselors should also be made aware of their importance and should be given adequate support to prevent burnout. Also recommended are more types of vocational training and efforts to make the criminal justice system aware of the real needs of women offenders. A literature review, extensive tables, the data collection instrument, an author biography, and 83 references are included.