Positive Peer Culture and a Level System - A Comparison in an Adolescent Treatment Facility

• NCJ Number: 74685
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 7 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1980) Pages: 399-406
• Author(s): J D Mitchell; D L Cockrum
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A positive peer culture program operating at an adolescent residential treatment facility in Texas was evaluated and compared to a level system program which had been operated at the same institution.

Abstract

Approximately 40 subjects completed each six-month program at the High Frontier-Davis Mountain Center. The positive peer culture program used peer ratings to reward participants. In the level system program, participants were assigned to levels of privileges based on the ratings of staff members. Both groups included individual and group therapy and social casework as part of their programs. To determine differences in the effectiveness of the programs, incident reports filed on the participants were reviewed. Significantly more runaways, physical aggressions against staff, property destructions, self-injurious behavior incidents, and miscellaneous reportable behaviors occurred among participants in the level system program. The positive peer culture participants were the subjects of incident reports involving campus break-ins, off limits, and improper display of affection significantly more frequently than level system participants. Overall, the level system participants were involved in more incident reports than the peer culture groups members. For both programs, the majority of incidents occurred during the first month of participation; however, the number of incidents reported for the peer culture group for the first month was considerably lower. Runaway incidents remained high throughout the level system program's operation. The incidence of runaway dropped considerably after the first month among peer culture program participants. The greatest difference between the types of incidences in which the participants in the two programs were involved was in the area of assaults on staff members. Results indicated that positive peer culture has some distinct advantages over a level system. Tables and a list of five references are included.