NCJ Number
109581
Date Published
1987
Length
57 pages
Annotation
The VisionQuest program for serious juvenile offenders in the San Diego, Calif., area was examined in terms of its recidivism rates relative to those of similar delinquents placed in other correctional programs and in terms of the reasons for the divergent views of the San Diego Court and Probation Department regarding the program's potential risks and benefits.
Abstract
The VisionQuest programs included wilderness camps, wagon trains, and extended sailing and bicycling expeditions emphasizing physical conditioning, accountability for one's actions, and overcoming personal and physical challenges. The first delinquent from San Diego County was placed in VisionQuest in 1981. The analysis compared the first 90 male juveniles graduated from VisionQuest with 257 male juveniles placed in a work camp program that also included remedial schoolwork. The VisionQuest youths were slightly younger at the time of placement and had experienced more arrests (8.4) than the comparison sample (7.9). VisionQuest graduates had a rearrest rate of 55 percent within 1 year after program completion, compared to 71 percent for the comparison group. The longer length of the VisionQuest program did not appear to be responsibile for the difference, however. Analysis of total social costs of recidivism shows that the potential cost savings can be used to justify the extra costs of more intensive programs like VisionQuest. Tables, figures, appended methodological information, and 31 references.