Workforce Development Programs For Young Offenders Reduce Recidivism -- Study Profiles Fifteen Programs Demonstrating Promising Approaches

4/24/2002

From: Adam Eidinger, 202-986-6186 Laura Jones, 202-737-7270 ext. 254 both of the Justice Policy Institute

WASHINGTON, April 24 /U. -- Documenting the impressive records of fifteen promising juvenile justice initiatives, a new report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, provides compelling evidence that greater success at facilitating youths' economic self-sufficiency is key to reducing recidivism.

Ironically, the report comes at a time when the Bush Administration's Department of Labor is proposing to sharply cut federal funding for workforce development efforts aimed at court involved youth. Report co-author Vincent Schiraldi noted "It's unfortunate that funding for efforts to employ court-involved youth are in jeopardy at precisely the time when new evidence is showing their promise in reducing youth crime," said Vincent Schiraldi, President of the non profit Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.

Serving youth in Florida, New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, and California, the initiatives profiled in the 18 month-long report, entitled Barriers and Promising Approaches to Workforce and Youth Development for Young Offenders show that well-designed, comprehensive and well-implemented workforce development programs can help youth find meaningful employment and reduce delinquency with more success than incarceration alone which tends to worsen job prospects. While the average juvenile justice institution has a 50 to 70 percent recidivism rate, the Tampa Marine Institute, Gulf Coast Trade Center, Fresh Start and Friends of the Island Academy all have recidivism rates below 20 percent.

Effective youth workforce development programs have several characteristics in common: 1) a commitment to rehabilitation; 2) a continuum of care; 3) a holistic education curriculum; 4) collaborations with other agencies; 5) mentoring and counseling; 6) high expectations and standards for youths' improvement; and 7) case management systems that accurately track their success. For example,

-- Texas' Project RIO-Y displays its commitment to rehabilitation in its stated mission to "provide incarcerated youth with post-release career training opportunities and with the youth development skills necessary for them to find and maintain employment as productive members of society."

-- Ohio's Dayton Youth Build has created a continuum of care by helping its graduates transfer their credits to a two-year college, apply to a four-year college, or find viable employment opportunities that provide skills and career development.

-- Texas' Gulf Coast Trade Center instructs young people in essential skills (general education and appropriate work-place values and behavior) and provides many vocational training and experience options, including auto maintenance and culinary arts.

-- Washington's Corrections Clearinghouse collaborates with a job placement agency to help youth put their education to practice and find viable employment opportunities.

-- Delaware's Ferris School for Boys provides mentors to incarcerated juvenile delinquents through the Help One Student to Succeed (HOSTS) program.

-- Maryland's Fresh Start requires students to take full responsibility for the daily affairs of the Fresh Start construction business (including a different student foreman each day) and challenges them with daily assignments a notch above their skill level.

-- Florida's Avon Park Youth Academy has a 78 percent successful completion rate, with 40 percent of participants earning their GEDs or high school diplomas, while 78 percent receive vocational certification. Six months after completing the program, 81 percent of graduates are still employed.

"If young people have a little money in their pockets and are productively occupied in employment activities, they're less likely to commit delinquent acts and more likely to be productive members of society," said David E. Brown, Executive Director of The National Youth Employment Coalition and co-author of the report.

"This study celebrates a new wave of employment programs for court-involved youth that build up kid's assets instead of focusing on their deficits," comments Edward DeJesus, co-author and Youth Development and Research Fund President.

Reporters can view a copy of Barriers and Promising Approaches to Workforce and Youth Development for Young Offenders plus related fact sheets at www.aecf.org/publications (see Youth Development section). To obtain additional information -- including contacts for profiled programs and assistance in arranging interviews with participants, graduates, staff and parents - reporters should phone Adam Eidinger at 202-232-8997 or Laura Jones at 202-202-737-7270 ext. 254

For more information on employment and training programs for delinquent youth, go online to http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/courtsum.html#182787 and view Employment Training for Court-Involved Youth, released by the US Government Task Force on Employment and Training for Court Involved Youth. This earlier report contains a wealth of background data.

The National Youth Employment Coalition, http://www.nyec.org, is a twenty-one year old organization with members representing over 200 youth employment/development organizations, and is dedicated to promoting policies and programs that help youth succeed in becoming lifelong learners, productive workers and self-sufficient citizens. The Youth Development and Research Fund, http://www.teamyouth.com is a multicultural group of young professionals with expertise in youth programming research and policy. The Justice Policy Institute promotes effective and sensible approaches to America's justice system through research, policy analysis and public education.

Barriers and Promising Approaches to Workforce and Youth Development was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.