For decades, most states have made a practice of giving citizens returning from prison or jail a small amount of money, called "gate money," to cover the cost of transportation and other immediate needs. Many legislatures have considered increasing the dollar amount of their cash assistance and offering this kind of support more widely.…

This report presents findings from the "Baseline Youth Survey of the California" Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH). CalYOUTH is an evaluation of the impact of the California Fostering Connections to Success Act on outcomes during the transition to adulthood for foster youth. CalYOUTH includes collection and analysis of…

VisionQuest is one of the largest and most controversial private sector corrections programs designed to handle serious juvenile offenders in the country. Most chronic delinquents referred to VisionQuest by the juvenile court had failed under prior placements and were candidates for commitment to the California Youth Authority. VisionQuest…

Of 1,837 youth contacted in a national study of juvenile correctional programs, 194 returned follow-up questionnaires that sought information on their post-release status and activities, assessment of the correctional programs, and their expectations about the future. Many youngsters reported continued delinquent activity; more reported continued…

The primary objective of Project About Face, a program of Youth Services, Inc., is to reduce the rate of recidivism among juvenile offenders assigned to the program by the Juvenile Court of Memphis/Shelby County, Tennessee. Another purpose is to establish a profile of the type of offender who would be most likely to benefit from the academic,…

Project About Face is a joint effort on the part of the Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court, Youth Services, Inc., the Naval Air Station at Millington, Correctional Counseling, Inc., and the Bureau of Educational Research Services at Memphis State University. The goals of the project were to implement a program of education and training that is…

Determined a prisoner-run delinquency prevention program's effectiveness in the prevention of delinquency in previously arrested youths. Found that the program had no effect on the delinquent behavior of females. Males who attended the program, however, were arrested at a significantly higher rate than counterparts who did not hear the prisoners'…

Evaluated delinquency prevention programs that include techniques for evaluating the self-esteem of juveniles. Significant changes in self-concept (as measured by the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale) and in the cognitive domain (as measured by the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test) were observed at two of five sites evaluated. (Author/HLM)

Evaluated effects of Mississippi Department of Corrections' Project AWARE Program, nonconfrontational prisoner-run juvenile delinquency deterrence program. Compared offenses and school attendance records of 97 adjudicated juvenile delinquent males who attended program and 79 adjudicated nonparticipants. Program participation did not appear to…

An evaluation was conducted of the first seven platoons (59 inmates) of male juveniles who entered the Bay County (Florida) Sheriff's Office Juvenile Boot Camp between June 1994 and August 1995. Findings include: the typical boot camp graduate was a 16-year-old male; 49 percent were black; the graduates averaged 7.7 delinquency cases before boot…

An evaluation was conducted of the first seven platoons (28 inmates) of female juveniles who entered the Polk County (Florida) Juvenile Boot Camp between June 1995 and February 1996. Findings include: the typical female boot camp graduate was 16 years old; 57 percent were black; the graduates averaged 7.7 delinquency cases before boot camp…

This paper examines Piaget's and Kohlberg's theories of moral development stages and environmental effects on behavior in relation to criminal responsibility in juveniles and the effectiveness of delinquent rehabilitation programs. (SJL)

An evaluation of the Student Transition Education and Employment Program found that it reduces recidivism rates for previously incarcerated youth and is cost effective. Program objectives were to deliver a more effective after-care service, enable youth to obtain a high school diploma, and allow participants to give something back to the…

The number of adjudicated delinquents is rising along with the need to develop effective deterrents and rehabilitative programs. Most rehabilitative efforts, when evaluated individually, do not show any significant degree of effectiveness or appreciable decrease in recidivism. Research in other fields suggests that delinquency is a group…

Outlines the pros and cons of Project JOLT, a "Scared Straight" type of program. Raises some theoretical, methodological, and political issues surrounding the Scared Straight approach. Illustrates some of the pitfalls in program evaluation in corrections and makes some recommendations. (Author/RC)