Juvenile Justice Incarceration, Educational Opportunity and Subsequent Community Transition

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Juvenile Justice Incarceration, Educational
Opportunity and Subsequent Community Transition

Thomas G. Blomberg George B. Pesta
JJEEP
Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Florida State University
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Presentation Outline

• Introduction
• Overview of The Juvenile Justice Educational
  Enhancement Program (JJEEP)
• Research Methods and Data
• Results
• Conclusions and Policy Implications

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I Introduction Prior Literature

• While there are variations in the findings
  reported in the delinquency and life course
  literature, a major theme that has emerged is
  continuity in the life course. It has been found
  in numerous studies that problem children often
  become adolescent delinquents and subsequent
  adult criminals. As a result, an often voiced
  conclusion is that the best predictor of future
  behavior is past behavior (Robins 1966, West and
  Farrington 1977, Wolfgang et al. 1987, Patterson
  1992, and Moffit 1993).

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A Dynamic Life Course Conceptualization

• In a well received study, Sampson and Laub (1993)
  argue that childhood antisocial behavior and
  adolescent delinquency are linked to adult crime
  in part through weak social bonds. However, they
  also contend that certain life events and
  socialization experiences in the life course may
  counteract earlier life experiences.
  Specifically, Sampson and Laub present findings
  demonstrating that such young adult transitions
  and subsequent social ties resulting from
  marriage, employment or military service can
  serve as positive turning points in the life
  course.
• Sampson and Laub recommend that subsequent
  research needs to identify and explore more fully
  other potential life course transitions and
  associated social ties occurring not only during
  young adulthood but during adolescence that may
  facilitate either continuity or change in the
  life course.

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Current Studys Research Question

• Since 1998, JJEEP has been conducting multiple
  research and quality assurance functions for the
  education programs operating in Floridas
  juvenile justice facilities.
• The major research focus has been upon the role
  of high quality education, referred to in this
  paper as educational opportunity, upon a youth's
  transition back into their home communities.
• This presentation presents results that address
  the question Can High Educational Opportunity
  while incarcerated serve as a Positive Turning
  Point for delinquents as they transition from
  institutions into their home communities?

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II Overview of JJEEP
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Major Goals

• Best Education Practices Research
• Educational Quality Assurance (QA) of Floridas
  Juvenile Justice Schools
• Technical Assistance for School Districts and
  Educational Providers
• State Legislative and Department of Education
  Policy Recommendations

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Florida Facilities with Onsite Education Services

• Approximately 200 facilities with education
  services provided onsite
• Approximately 10,000 youth on any given day
• Facility size ranges from 15 to 350 youth
• 85 of residential custody care services are
  privatized
• 44 of education services are privatized
• Local school districts are ultimately responsible
  for all educational services

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Quality Assurance Reviews

• Educational Quality Assurance Standards
• Transition
• Service Delivery
• Educational Resources and Learning Environment
• Contract Management
• QA Review Protocol and Methodology
• Documentation, Interviews, Observations
• Use of Peer Reviewers

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Raising the Bar Annually

• Annual Standards Revision
• Incorporating Current Best Practice Research
  Experience
• Implementing New Legislation
• Facilitating School District and Provider Input

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Promising Educational Practices

• Initial Assessments
• Educational Planning
• Curriculum Instruction
• Individualized Curriculum
• Vocational Programming
• Special Education
• GED Prep
• Cultural Diversity
• Psychosocial Education

• Teacher Certification Professional Development
• Transition Planning Services
• Aftercare
• Effective School Environment
• Adequate Space
• Instructional Materials
• Parent and Community Involvement
• Environment Conducive to Learning

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Quality Teachers A Best Practice
Professional certification and teaching in-field
effects overall program performance

• Professionally Certified
• Public programs 75
• Private 32

• Teaching In-field
• Math 12
• Science 15
• Social Studies 20
• English 21

• Increase in Certified Teachers (Prof. Temp.)
• 2000 64 ----- 2002 80

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Prevalence of Special Education Students in
Juvenile Justice Schools

• Increase of Identified Special Education Students
• 1999 32 -------- 2002 43

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III Research Methods and Data

• Cohort of 4,936 youth released from 113
  residential juvenile justice facilities
  throughout Florida in fiscal year 2000-2001 are
  being longitudinally tracked
• Student data from official State Databases (DOE,
  DOC, and FDLE)
• Program level data on Educational Opportunity and
  Program Characteristics
• Statistical method
• Logistic regression

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Official State Databases in which a sample of
4,936 cases were matched from 113 programs across
the state of Florida
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Program Services Community Reintegration
Measures

• Educational Opportunity refers to the quality of
  the education program as annually determined by
  comprehensive assessment of each programs
  educational practices in relation to best
  practices.
• Transition refers to Return to School or H.S.
  Graduation
• Immediate within one semester
• Eventual within 1-2 years post release
• Prior Post release Arrest
• Felonies and selected misdemeanors

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IV Results Is high educational opportunity
while incarcerated positively related to return
to school across High, Moderate, and Low Risk
Facilities?

• Relationships were not statistically significant,
  but were in the predicted direction for all youth
  regardless of high, moderate, or low security
  risk level of the program.

We will now individually assess high, moderate,
and low risk programs.
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Return to school from high risk programs Logit
(n961, Mean Age16.8, Avg. Length of Stay11.3)
indicates significance at lt.05 These results
indicate that high educational opportunity does
not have the predicted effect for youth from high
risk programs.
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Return to school from moderate risk programs
Logit (n2,219 , Mean Age16.2 Avg. Length of
Stay7.1)
indicates significance at lt.05 Youth released
from moderate risk facilities with high
educational opportunity are 39 more likely to
immediately return to school and 46 more likely
to eventually return to school. These results
indicate that high educational opportunity does
have the predicted effect for youth from moderate
risk programs.
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Return to school from low risk programs Logit
(n446 , Mean Age15.6 Avg. Length of Stay3.2)
indicates significance at lt.05 Although high
educational opportunity was not statistically
significant for youth to return to school from
low risk programs, the relationship remains in
the predicted direction for both immediate and
eventual return to school.
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Does return to school result in fewer
post-release arrests?

• Relationships were in the predicted direction at
  both 6 and 12 months post release for all youth
  regardless of high, moderate, or low security
  risk level of the program.

We will now individually assess high, moderate,
and low risk programs.
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Post-release arrest at six and twelve months for
youth released from high risk programs Logit
(n961)
indicates significance at lt .05 Although the
relationship between return to school and arrest
is in the predicted direction, the results for
youth from high risk programs were not
statistically significant.
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Post-release arrest at six and twelve months for
youth released from moderate risk programs Logit
(n2,219)
indicates significance at lt .05 Youth who return
to school from moderate risk programs are 47
less likely to be arrested within 6 months and
38 less likely within 12 months of
release. These results indicate that return to
school does have the predicted effect for youth
from moderate risk programs.
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Post-release arrest at six and twelve months for
youth released from low risk programs Logit
(n446)
indicates significance at lt .05 Youth who return
to school from low-risk programs are 46 less
likely to be arrested within 6 months and 13
less likely within 12 months of release. These
results indicate that return to school does have
the predicted effect for youth from low-risk
programs.
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Continuing Research

• Self-report telephone surveys
• n 350 parent and 273 student survey completions
  of students released during fiscal year 2000/2001
• Match to official data
• Survey questions related to educational
  experiences, performance and school attachment
• Extended longitudinal findings
• 2-3 years post release
• Second cohort using same methods
• Different year of release
• 3-4 years post-release

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V Conclusions Policy Implications

• Conclusions
• Our combined cohort of high, moderate, and low
  risk delinquent youth was comprised of youth
  characterized by disproportionate educational
  deficiencies as compared to matched public school
  students resulting in major challenges for the
  provision of quality and effective educational
  services while incarcerated.
• The reported results indicate that educational
  opportunity does serve as a turning point in the
  life course of moderate and low risk incarcerated
  delinquent adolescents during their six to twelve
  months transition back into their home
  communities.
• The post-release transition back into the
  community for high risk incarcerated delinquent
  youth was not found to be significantly
  influenced by educational opportunity.

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• While our combined cohort of low, moderate, and
  high risk delinquent youth suffered
  disproportionate educational deficiencies, it is
  likely that the moderate and low risk youth were
  less entrenched and committed to their delinquent
  life course as compared to the high risk
  delinquents.
• In terms of life course theory, these results
  support a dynamic conceptualization of the
  adolescent delinquent to crime life course
  trajectory that can involve continuity and
  turning points as related to different
  circumstances and opportunities.
• Continued longitudinal tracking of our cohort is
  necessary to more fully address the conditions
  under which continuity or turning points occur
  and are sustained or not during transition from
  incarceration into the community and throughout
  the life course.

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• JJEEP is now involved in a self-report study of
  measures of social attachment that may be shaped
  by educational opportunity which could help
  provide meaningful interpretations of how and why
  delinquent youth continue or desist from their
  delinquent life course.

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• Policy Implications
• The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 is
  intended to increase the educational
  opportunities for all students in public schools
  and in juvenile justice facilities throughout the
  United States.
• Since the inception of Juvenile Courts at the
  turn of the Twentieth Century, the quality of
  juvenile justice education programs throughout
  the country has been uneven and inferior to
  public schools.

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• Some of the major NCLB requirements include
• 95 state assessment participation rate
• State assessment results from students in
  juvenile justice schools will be rolled up
  and averaged in with all scores for each district
• Highly Qualified teacher requirements
• Reading First program is required in juvenile
  justice schools
• Emphasis on transition services and return to
  school
• Emphasis on Special Education services
• Program evaluation requirement
• percent of students returning to school
• Uniform student academic gain assessment
• percent of eligible students graduating
• Program pupil progression rate, credits earned
  toward graduation
• Recidivism
• Employment

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• If states are able to successfully implement the
  various NCLB juvenile justice school requirements
  and practices, educational opportunity will be
  substantially increased for incarcerated
  delinquent youth throughout the country thereby
  providing the potential for positive turning
  points in the life course of countless numbers of
  youth.

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Contact Us for Information

• JJEEP
• 325 John Knox Road
• Bldg. L, Suite 102
• Tallahassee, FL 32303
• _______________(850) 414-8355______________
• Visit our website for information on research,
  standards, technical assistance documents, and
  links related to juvenile justice education
• www.jjeep.org