NCJ Number
195028
Date Published
2002
Length
63 pages
Annotation
This document discusses barriers and promising approaches to workforce and youth development for young offenders.
Abstract
This "toolkit" presents some of the "ways and means" that practitioners can use to prepare young offenders to enter the workforce. The report also seeks to: (1) identify barriers to juvenile justice system reform and review the literature on youth employment, workforce development, and juvenile justice; (2) survey and synthesize information on innovative State and local policy initiatives; and (3) examine exemplary employment and development programs for court-involved youth. The juvenile justice system suffers from overwhelmed courts; glaring imbalances between institutional and community-based resources; underinvestment in community programs; and counterproductive "net widening." The report claims that today's economy provides neither the stability nor the job security enjoyed by earlier generations of American workers. Now, the most significant indicator of potential earnings and employability is lifelong access to education. Those who can adapt to the changing workplace, acquiring new information and skills, are most likely to find continued employability and greater financial security. The report includes profiles of 15 exemplary programs studied. Notes