NCJ Number
155930
Date Published
1995
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The Juvenile Assistance and Information Liaison (JAIL) program for juvenile offenders in Kansas is described.
Abstract
In existence since 1981, the program is intended primarily for adjudicated males between 14 and 18 years of age. In most instances, teenagers scheduled for participation have been court- ordered to participate in the program as part of their probation conditions. In other cases, completing the program is used as a learning experience for teenagers involved in diversion, status offenders, and teenage participants in day reporting or strict supervision programs. The program is designed to serve as a dramatic wakeup call for juvenile offenders, most of whom are at serious risk of going to prison unless they make radical changes in their behavior and outlook on life. Program goals are to expose teenagers to the harsh reality of life in a maximum- security prison and to provide peer counseling. Each program session typically involves eight juvenile offenders and an equivalent number of inmate volunters at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility who serve as peer counselors. The counseling phase of the program concludes with each juvenile and each inmate filling out separate and different response forms to assess the day's events. Juveniles are asked to describe their reactions to selected aspects of the program, while inmates assess the program's impact on teenagers. The program appears to have been successful, but the lack of reliable data preclude program impact assessment in quantitative terms.