NCJ Number
59099
Date Published
1979
Length
19 pages
Annotation
A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE JUVENILE AWARENESS PROJECT HELP (JAPH), AN EXPERIMENT IN WHICH YOUTH ARE TAKEN INTO THE RAHWAY PRISON IN NEW JERSEY, IS PRESENTED.
Abstract
IN EXAMINING THE JAPH AS ONE APPROACH TO HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF JUVENILE CRIME, THE FOLLOWING ISSUES ARE EXPLORED: WHAT TYPES OF YOUTH GO THROUGH THE JAPH, WHAT IS THE SUCCESS RATE OF THE JAPH, WHAT AGENCIES REFER YOUTH TO THE PROGRAM, WHETHER THE PROGRAM CHANGES ATTITUDES OR BEHAVIOR OF JUVENILES, WHETHER JUVENILES ARE BEING SCARED STRAIGHT FROM FURTHER TROUBLE, AND WHETHER DETERRENCE, THE THEORY ON WHICH THE PROGRAM IS BASED, IS EFFECTIVE. THE FILM 'SCARED STRAIGHT' HAS BEEN SHOWN ON TELEVISION. IN A TYPICAL JAPH SESSION, YOUTH ARE BROUGHT INTO THE PRISON AND ARE TAKEN ON A TOUR THAT INVOLVES SHOWING AND EXPLAINING WHAT AN ISOLATION CELL IS. YOUTH ARE THEN ESCORTED TO THE PRISON AUDITORIUM WHERE A RAP SESSION IS HELD TO COVER THE FULL SPECTRUM OF CRIME. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO ENLIGHTEN THROUGH SHOCK TREATMENT. IT WAS EVALUATED USING A RANDOM SAMPLE OF APPROXIMATELY 100 JUVENILES. CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS WERE SIMILAR, AND ATTITUDES TOWARD THE PUNISHMENT OF CRIMINALS WERE TESTED WITH 34 DIFFERENT QUESTIONS. JUVENILES IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WHO WENT TO THE RAHWAY PRISON DID NOT CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDES MORE THAN THE COMPARABLE CONTROL GROUP WHO DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM, WITH ONE EXCEPTION. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP SHIFTED SLIGHTLY TOWARD MORE FAVORABLE ATTITUDES AFTER PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM, ALTHOUGH THE CONTROL GROUP'S CHANGE WAS OF SOMEWHAT GREATER MAGNITUDE. IN TERMS OF RECIDIVISM, PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROGRAM GOT IN MORE TROUBLE AFTER VISITING THE PRISON THAN YOUTH WHO DID NOT VISIT. THERE WAS A RECIDIVISM RATE OF 48.2 PERCENT AMONG 27 YOUTH WITH PRIOR RECORDS. SIX OF 19 YOUTH WHO WENT TO THE PRISON WITH NO PRIOR RECORD WERE ARRESTED WITHIN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS. THE SUCCESS CLAIMED FOR JAPH IS QUESTIONED, BASED ON EVALUATION FINDINGS. (DEP)