NCJ Number
112979
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 50 Issue: 5 Dated: (August 1988) Pages: 76,88,110
Date Published
1988
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Colorado's Shape-Up (Showing How a Prison Experience Undermines People) Project was established in 1980 as a juvenile justice diversion program through the cooperative effort of the Colorado District Attorney's Council and the Department of Corrections.
Abstract
The program provides an opportunity for 13-to 18-year-old males, some of whom are delinquency-prone, to become aware of the meaning of incarceration by visiting a prison. The facts of incarceration and the prison environment becomes a reality to visiting youth. Youth tour the facility from the diagnostic and reception unit to the gas chamber. Inmates deliver prepared presentations at each stop on the tour. Inmates participating in the program receive special training, including interpersonal counseling techniques. Pairs of inmates and youth privately discuss the causes of the youth's tendency toward delinquent behavior. This is followed by a group discussion of the day's experiences. A week after the initial visit, youth return to the facility with a parent or guardian to reinforce behavior modifications from the first visit. The adult also tours the facility and meets with the youth and an inmate for further counseling. Youth also spend 2 hours in a therapeutic peer group setting led by an inmate. An evaluation program is being added to assess the effects of participation on youth and inmates and provide data for program improvements. Inmates who have participated appear to have an enhanced ability to resocialize after incarceration. A followup study showed that 86 percent of youth participating in the program had no initial or additional contact with law enforcement agencies following participation. Photographs.