NCJ Number
135909
Date Published
1992
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This report is the final evaluation of the Northern California Youth Center (NCYC) Visitor Center which was established in October 1988 to provide visitor services to ward families and wards housed at the three institutions of the NCYC complex.
Abstract
The program's major services included parent education classes for wards, outreach programs to wards' families, transportation for visitors between public transit terminals and NCYC, emergency clothing exchange for inappropriately dressed visitors, family counseling, information on visiting regulations and procedures, and referral to other agencies and services. This evaluation assesses the operation of the center in terms of its impact on visiting and on parole performance and behavior. It also addresses the center's role in the enhancement of visitor services at NCYC through a quantitative description of the program services used by the client population during the center's years of operation. A summary of program services measured in service units (a unit of service is defined as the provision of a particular service to a single individual) indicates that the program apparently has met its plan to provide the required services to wards and their families. As of June 30, 1991, 50,750 units of service had been provided to wards and visitors. Consistent with earlier evaluation findings, however, the center's services had little apparent impact on the amount of visiting and on wards' parole performance. Visitation rates in all three institutions increased with the establishment of the center, but two of the three increases were statistically nonsignificant. 7 tables and 3 references