THE BASIC PURPOSE OF THE SQUIRES PROGRAM IS TO PREVENT JUVENILE DELINQUENTS FROM BECOMING FURTHER INVOLVED IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM BY PROMOTING INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ADULT INMATES AND JUVENILE DELINQUENTS THROUGH TOUGH CONFRONTIVE 'RAP SESSIONS, GUIDED TOURS OF PRISONS, AND EXPOSURE TO EXAMPLES OF PRISON VIOLENCE AND CONTRABAND.' THE CALIFORNIA YOUTH AUTHORITY'S EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM AIMED TO DETERMINE WHAT IMPACT IT HAS ON (1) THE ATTITUDES OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND (2) THE SUBSEQUENT BEHAVIOR (RECIDIVISM) OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. (THE LATTER OBJECTIVE'S STUDY IS NOT YET FINISHED.) ATTITUDE CHANGE WAS STUDIED BECAUSE IT WAS FELT THAT DETERRENCE IS EFFECTED AS MUCH THROUGH INDIVIDUAL PERCEPTIONS AS THROUGH ANY RATIONAL CALCULATIONS OF RISK. A TOTAL OF 69 YOUTHS WERE STUDIED--35 EXPERIMENTALS AND 35 CONTROLS FROM LOS ANGELES AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTIES. COMPARISONS OF EXPERIMENTALS AND CONTROLS ON AGE AT ENTRY INTO THE PROGRAM, ETHNICITY, NUMBER OF PRIOR ARRESTS AND CHARGEABLE OFFENSES, TYPE OF PRIOR CHARGEABLE OFFENSE, NUMBER OF MONTHS IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, OFFENSE SEVERITY, AND PRETEST SCORES SHOWED DIFFERENCES ONLY IN THAT EXPERIMENTALS WERE SOMEWHAT OLDER AND HAD MORE CHARGEABLE OFFENSES. RESULTS ON ATTITUDE QUESTIONNAIRES SHOWED THAT INDIVIUDUALS WHO ARE SOMEWHAT HIGHLY DELINQUENT ARE PROBABLY BETTER CANDIDATES FOR THE SQUIRES PROGRAM THAN YOUTH WHO ARE QUITE DELINQUENT. OTHER FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT ATTITUDES TOWARD PRISON CAN BE REINFORCED, EVEN ALTERED TO A SUBSTANTIAL DEGREE, BY THE SQUIRES PROGRAM, BUT NOT BASICALLY CHANGED IN DIRECTION. FINALLY, AS SOME EXPERIMENTALS RECEIVED EXTRA INPUT FROM STAFF NOT RECEIVED BY CONTROLS REGARDING THEIR FEARS CONCERNING PRISON, EFFECTS ON POSTTEST SCORES ARE SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN. HOWEVER, OVERALL FINDINGS POINT TOWARD SOME ATTITUDE CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. A LIST OF 17 REFERENCES IS PROVIDED.