NCJ Number
57377
Date Published
1979
Length
15 pages
Annotation
THE BEHAVIORAL EMPLOYMENT INTERVENTION PROGRAM WAS A 1-YEAR STUDY WHICH TRAINED JUVENILE COURT WARDS AGED 14 TO 17 TO SUCCESSFULLY HOLD JOBS, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, WORKING WITH EMPLOYERS TO INCREASE JOB SUCCESS.
Abstract
THE PROGRAM HAD FOUR COMPONENTS: (1) RECRUITING LOCAL EMPLOYERS AND TRAINING THEM TO WORK WITH UNSKILLED DELINQUENTS; (2) ESTABLISHING CONTINGENCY CONTRACTS BETWEEN DELINQUENTS AND THE EXPERIMENTER WHICH SPELLED OUT ACCEPTABLE JOB BEHAVIORS; (3) TEACHING DELINQUENTS JOB BEHAVIORS; AND (4) WORKING WITH BOTH EMPLOYERS AND DELINQUENTS ONCE THE CANDIDATES WERE PLACED ON JOBS. THE SUBJECTS HAD A MEAN OF 3.9 ARRESTS AND MOST HAD LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SKILLS AND ATTITUDES NEEDED TO HOLD DOWN A JOB. THE EMPLOYERS PAID THE EXPERIMENTER AND ALSO FILLED OUT A WEEKLY FEEDBACK SHEET DESCRIBING THEIR PERFORMANCE. FOR THIS, WERE REIMBURSED 50 PERCENT OF THE WAGES PAID TO THE DELINQUENTS FOR THE FIRST 3 MONTHS. THE EXPERIMENTER LED THE DELINQUENTS THROUGH THREE PHASES. THE YOUTHS ACCUMULATED POINTS FOR SHOWING UP FOR THEIR COUNSELING APPOINTMENTS ON TIME, SHOWING UP FOR WORK ON TIME, CALLING WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO BE ABSENT OR LATE, AND OTHER SIGNS OF RESPONSIBILITY. AS THE YOUTH MOVED UP THROUGH THE PHASES, THE SUPERVISION GRADUALLY TAPERED OFF, UNTIL THE EMPLOYER WAS GIVING THE PAYCHECK DIRECTLY TO THE YOUNG PERSON. YOUTH WHO APPLIED FOR THE PROGRAM BUT FOR WHOM JOBS COULD NOT BE FOUND SERVED AS A CONTROL GROUP. IT WAS DISCOVERED AT EVALUATION THAT 85.7 PERCENT OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP REMAINED IN SCHOOL, COMPARED TO A THIRD OF THE CONTROLS. ONLY 9.4 PERCENT OF THE GROUP WAS REARRESTED, COMPARED TO 69.9 PERCENT OF THE CONTROLS AND THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF TIME THE EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECT HELD A JOB WAS 13.6 WEEKS COMPARED WITH 2.7 WEEKS FOR CONTROLS. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPLOYMENT AND REHABILITATION IS DISCUSSED. REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (GLR)