Evaluation of the 2014 Community Violence Prevention Program's Youth Employment Program

• NCJ Number: 250360
• Author(s): Jessica Reichert; Hannah Ridge
• Date Published: August 2015
• Length: 109 pages
• Grant Number(s): 10-DJ-BX-0015
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Corporate Author: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Sale Source: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Publication Format: Document; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report presents the findings and methodology of an evaluation of Illinois' Community Violence Prevention Program's Youth Employment Program, which sought to increase at-risk youths' job-readiness skills, build relationships with a caring adult (mentoring), improve attitudes toward employment and violence, increase self-esteem and conflict-resolution skills, and provide opportunities for community service.

Abstract

The evaluation measured improvement in participants' attitudes before and after their program participation. It measured their attitudes toward employment, attitudes toward violence, conflict resolution skills, self-esteem, and contact with police. Although participants showed some degree of improvement in attitudes toward employment and violence as well as self-esteem and conflict-resolution skills, the degree of improvement from before and after program participation was minimal, because their risk levels for delinquency were relatively low when they entered the program. This indicates that youth employment programs should focus on expanding their services to more youth who are at-risk for delinquency due to poor school performance and histories of unemployment. At-risk youth are those living in low-income communities who have educational deficiencies, lack of employment opportunities, and an increased possibility of exposure to violence. Government resources for these programs are limited, so they should target those youth having the greatest need for what these programs offer. Other recommendations pertain to more interactive training that includes role playing and job matching to career interests. Mentoring components should focus on conflict-resolution skills, encouraging positive attitudes toward employment, and the development of youths' self-esteem. The program also needs improved evaluation tools for collecting and analyzing data related to program goals and achievements. 45 tables, 29 figures, 46 references, and appended pre- and post-assessment