NCJ Number
139036
Date Published
1992
Length
95 pages
Annotation
A research study was undertaken in four community homes and nine Young Offender Institutions (YOI's) in England to examine the philosophies and realities of institutional compared to Local Authority Community Home (LACH) placement for juvenile offenders.
Abstract
Both YOI's and LACH's shared essentially the same rehabilitation goals, but the programs they provided differed greatly. LACH's offered significantly more and better quality education and training, a greater variety of physical exercise and recreational activity, and more help and advice with detainees' problems. Additionally, the general quality of life, as assessed by a wide range of measures concerned with food and mealtimes, hygiene and clothing, possessions and privacy, relationships and involvement, was demonstrably better in community homes than in YOI's. The YOI's accommodated the juvenile offenders at significantly lower actual costs than any of the four local authority community homes, but these cost differences need to be considered within the context of differences between the types of offenders accommodated and the markedly higher level of regimens and services provided by the LACH's. Offenders released from the community homes were statistically less likely to have been reconvicted after two years than offenders released from YOI's, 40 percent as compared to 53 percent, respectively. 206 references and 6 appendixes