NCJ Number
7844
Date Published
1967
Length
88 pages
Annotation
COMMUNITY AGENTS IN AN EXPERIMENTAL CALIFORNIA PROGRAM, WHO DEALT WITH DIFFERENT PSYCHOLOGICAL TYPES OF YOUTHS, WERE COMPARED TO EACH OTHER AND TO REGULAR PAROLE AGENTS.
Abstract
DIFFERENCES WERE SHOWN TO EXIST BETWEEN REGULAR PAROLE AGENTS AND MOST OR ALL OF THE COMMUNITY AGENT WORKERGROUPS IRRESPECTIVE OF THE NATURE OF THE LATTERS' CASELOAD ASSIGNMENT. COMMUNITY AGENTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE SHARP AND ALERT IN TERMS OF PSYCHOMETRIC SCALES, WHICH CONSISTED OF VARIABLES SUCH AS INTELLECTUAL FLEXIBILITY, INQUISITIVENESS, AND EXTENT OF ONE'S PERSPECTIVE UPON ISSUES RELATING TO PROBLEMS OF ADOLESCENCE. THEY WERE ALSO MORE LIKELY TO POSSESS AND EXPRESS SPECIFIED ATTRIBUTES WHICH MOST ADOLESCENTS WOULD PROBABLY LIKE, APPRECIATE, OR RESPECT, AND SHOWED A GREATER OVERALL DEGREE OF PROFESSIONAL SOPHISTICATION AND SELFDISCIPLINE RELATIVE TO THEIR WORK WITH YOUTHS. WITHIN THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM, COMMUNITY AGENTS DID INTERACT IN A DIFFERENTIAL MANNER WITH EACH OF THE DIFFERING GROUPS OF YOUTH WHO WERE STUDIED IN THE PRESENT ANALYSIS. THE PARTICULAR DIRECTION OF THE VARIATIONS APPEARED TO BE LARGELY IN ACCORD WITH THE TREATMENT STRATEGY WHICH HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN PRESCRIBED. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS STUDY FOR TREATMENT-OFFENDER MATCHING ARE ANALYZED. AUTHOR MODIFIED