VOLUNTEERISM IN THE CRIMINAL AND JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEMS - THE OAR (OFFENDER AID AND RESTORATION) MODEL AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE PLANNING - AN EVALUATION REPORT

• NCJ Number: 63268
• Author(s): M B GREENE
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 166 pages
• Corporate Author: New York City Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

OFFENDER AID AND RESTORATION OF NEW YORK CITY (OAR), A COMMUNITY-BASED VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, IS EVALUATED, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE PLANNING AND FUNDING OF VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS ARE MADE.

Abstract

FOR THE OAR EVALUATION, 4 SOURCES OF DATA WERE USED: 52 OAR VOLUNTEERS WERE INTERVIEWED; 680 VOLUNTEER FILES WERE EXAMINED; OAR REPORTS OF VOLUNTEER AND STAFF ACTIVITIES, AS VERIFIED BY THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATING COUNCIL (CJCC), WERE ANALYZED; AND DIRECT OBSERVATIONS OF OAR'S TRAINING AND FEEDBACK SESSIONS WERE MADE BY CJCC STAFF. FORMED IN MAY 1975, OAR HAS BEEN FUNDED PRINCIPALLY BY CJCC FROM OCTOBER 1975 TO THE PRESENT (1979) AND HAS RECRUITED AND WORKED WITH ADOLESCENTS AGED 16 TO 21 AND JUVENILES AGED 12 TO 15. OAR ALSO TRAINS VOLUNTEERS TO WORK ON A ONE-TO-ONE BASIS WITH YOUNG OFFENDER CLIENTS, AND VOLUNTEERS ARE ASKED TO MAKE A 1-YEAR COMMITMENT TO THE PROGRAM. THE GOALS ARE (1) DIVERSION OF CLIENTS FROM, OR MINIMIZATION OF THEIR PENETRATION INTO, THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND (2) ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT OF CITIZENS IN THE CRIMINAL AND JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEMS. FOR 1979, OAR PROPOSED TO WORK WITH APPROXIMATELY 600 JUVENILES AND ADOLESCENTS DURING THEIR DETENTION, INCARCERATION, AND POSTRELEASE PERIODS. PROGRAM COMPONENTS INCLUDED RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING, INSTITUTIONAL ACCESS AND EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS, SUPERVISION, AND ONGOING TRAINING. RECRUITMENT RELIED HEAVILY ON RADIO ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM AND PRESERVICE TRAINING, METHODS OF SUPERVISION, ONGOING TRAINING, AND GROUP FEEDBACK SESSIONS WERE PROVIDED. IN A 5-YEAR PERIOD (SEPTEMBER 1974 TO SEPTEMBER 1979), OAR WORKED WITH OVER 2,000 CLIENTS AND TRAINED MORE THAN 1,600 VOLUNTEERS. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OAR WERE MADE IN PRESERVICE TRAINING, FEEDBACK SESSIONS, SUPERVISION, AND AFTERCARE SERVICES, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PLANNING VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS WERE DISCUSSED. THE ANNOTATED REPORT CONTAINS 25 TABLES, REFERENCES, AND 5 APPENDIXES WITH INFORMATION ON THE SURVEY INSTRUMENTS, TRAINING OUTLINES, RECORDKEEPING FORMS, AND INTERVIEW FORMS. (PRG)