NCJ Number
152809
Date Published
1994
Length
80 pages
Annotation
This validation study examined recidivism rates and State commitment rates for a sample of randomly selected youths released from California youth probation camps in 1984. The study replicated an earlier evaluation based on statistics from offenders released in 1982.
Abstract
Compared to offenders released in 1982, those released in 1984 were younger at first sustained petition, had fewer prior sustained petitions, had lower risk-of-recidivism scores, were more likely to have committed personal offenses, and were older when released from camp. Average length of stay in a camp program by those who successfully completed it increased from 151 days in 1982 to 171 days in 1984. In 1984, the recidivism rate for released camp participants was 57.5 percent, a significant decline from the 1982 figure of 64.7 percent. In the 24 months following camp release in 1982, violent offending decreased by 50 percent, compared to the 24 months prior to camp admission; in 1984, the rate of violent offending postcamp, as compared to precamp, was 21 percent less. Overall, the study results indicate that juvenile probation camps provide a measure of public protection through incarceration and incapacitation of juvenile offenders, and through a reduction in violent offending following completion of the camp program. 14 tables, 4 notes, 5 references, and 8 appendixes