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Juvenile Work Program Provides Alternative to Detention

NCJ Number
180328
Journal
On Good Authority Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: July 1999 Pages: 1-4
Date Published
1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The Cook County, Illinois, Juvenile Sheriff's Work Alternative Program (JSWAP) has provided a sentencing alternative for more than 3,000 juveniles adjudicated between 1995 and 1998.
Abstract
Initiated to address concerns about juvenile delinquency in the community, JSWAP aims to create sentencing alternatives, relieve overcrowding in the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC), and provide community service opportunities for juvenile offenders. Juveniles who have been adjudicated and could be sentenced up to 30 days in a temporary detention facility may be ordered to the work alternative program instead. Eligibility criteria include males between 13 and 17 years of age who have been adjudicated of a probationable offense, with the exception of specific violent and felony offenses. Between June 1996 and February 1999, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency conducted a process and impact evaluation of JSWAP. Of 244 cases examined, community service activities with the most participation were highway maintenance, park and public area maintenance, vehicle maintenance, and moving equipment. County probation officers said the program was useful but required clearer expectations for juvenile participation. Probation staff said the program was not consistently used by the court as an alternative to juvenile detention. Judges had positive perceptions of the program. Evaluators acknowledged difficulties in measuring the impact of the program on the detention center population, although the program appeared to have contributed to a decline in the average daily population at the JTDC. The average juvenile participant was black, 16 years of age, and male. The top four offense classes were possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a weapon, battery and aggravated battery, and robbery. The successful completion rate of program participants steadily improved, reaching 60 percent by October 1998. The cost-effectiveness of the program is assessed, and recommendations to improve the program are offered. 2 figures