NCJ Number
85990
Date Published
1980
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This report reviews the status of juvenile aversion programs, which are conducted by inmates to show the harmful consequences of crime for the offender, and recommends future directions for such programs.
Abstract
A review of seven juvenile aversion programs reveals the following major program developments: (1) a more cautious approach toward publicity and visibility than was the case at the outset, (2) a deemphasis on direct confrontation with the clients, (3) a decrease in client volume and funding, (4) inconclusive evaluations, and (5) no significant growth and development. An evaluation of the Rahway (New Jersey) State Prison Lifers' Group consisted of pre- and post-comparisons of the experimental and control groups at 10 months and 22 months. Findings showed that the delinquent activity of experimentals increased at a lower rate compared with the controls, and a significantly greater percentage of the experimentals had a lowered severity score after 22 months. The experimentals also had a significantly better record of delinquency termination after 22 months than did the controls. There was no significant difference in delinquency termination between the groups after 10 months. The survey indicates that aversive programs need (1) clarification of goals and objectives, (2) realistic expectations, (3) definition and control of abusive treatment of clients, (4) better networking and coordination between programs, (5) better use of program potential, and (6) well-defined client and inmate participation criteria.