NATURAL BRIDGE TRANSITION PROGRAM FOLLOW-UP STUDY

In an attempt to evaluate academic and vocational programming, a study was conducted to gather follow-up data on students who were released from the Department of Correctional Education School at Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center during the 1993 calendar year. Data were successfully gathered for 207 of the 248 students released. Reports of post-release performance were collected from each individual student's parole officer six months subsequent to release. Based upon the information that was gathered, the researchers determined the following: (1) Thirty-three percent of the total study group were employed. (2) Thirty-three percent of the total study group had enrolled in an educational program. (3) Seventy-six percent of the total study group had experienced no further court involvement. (4) The earning of a vocational certificate and/or a GED increased the student's chances of gaining employment. (5) Students who had been identified as having handicapping conditions and had been afforded special education services were more likely to recidivate and less likely to find employment than were students who were not identified as having handicapping conditions. (6) Identified substance abusers were found to be less likely to be enrolled in school and more likely to be employed than the non-identified substance abusers. (7) Identified substance abusers were found to be 2 1/2 times more likely to recidivate than the non-identified substance abusers. (8) Students who had a shorter lengths of stay were found to be more likely to recidivate than students with longer lengths of stay. Based upon these findings, it was concluded that academic education and vocational education are a highly efficient means of reducing recidivism; and therefore it may be inferred that moneys expended upon the education of incarcerated youth will prove an exceptionally appropriate management of fiscal resources because of the potential dividend for reduction of recidivism.