NCJ Number
153114
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1995) Pages: 1-3
Date Published
1995
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The Family Court of St. Louis, the Junior League, and the community initiated a program called PayBack, in which juvenile offenders who do not have a salaried job but who are required by the court to make restitution to their victims are placed in public and nonprofit agencies in the community.
Abstract
The juveniles are credited at minimum wage for the work they perform, with all monies being returned to the victim. The organization itself can accept donations and raise fund to pay the juveniles' salaries, while the court pays staff salaries and overhead expenses. Juvenile offenders are matched by proximity, interests, offense, age, skills, and schedule availability with various work sites in the community; offenders who are too disruptive or immature for individual placement are assigned to work crews supervised by a court staff member. Juveniles who participate in PayBack are also eligible for participation in a job readiness and career awareness curriculum offered through the Family Court's Education and Vocational Programs. Most of the juveniles referred to the program are under the age of 16, male, and convicted of stealing, tampering, or assault. The program serves 150 juveniles each year to have been ordered to pay restitution and another 650 sentenced to community service. PayBack work sites include public libraries, nursing homes, animal shelters, YMCAs, fire departments, and homeless shelters. Nearly all PayBack participants and their parents believe the experience is beneficial; an evaluation found lower recidivism rates among program completers than noncompleters. 4 notes