U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Citizen Volunteers Serving Wisconsin Criminal and Juvenile Justice Programs - State of the Art Report

NCJ Number
75935
Author(s)
W F Winter; J A M Hanson
Date Published
1980
Length
59 pages
Annotation
The study explores the location of criminal justice and juvenile justice volunteer programs, the use of volunteers, the methods of recruitment, and the types of assistance demanded of the Volunteer Development Center in the State of Wisconsin.
Abstract
The data were collected through 3,010 questionnaires which were sent to all public and private agencies in which a volunteer component seemed likely. The statistical analysis of 159 questionnaires indicates that 141 of the agencies represented local or county programs. A total of 42 percent of the sample group were located in medium urban counties. Most members of the survey group used volunteer services in more than one volunteer group category. A total of 81 percent indicated using volunteers to enrich or enhance agency services. Another 46 percent used volunteers in advocacy roles, while more than half of the survey group had volunteers assist in achieving significant organizational objectives, program monitoring, and assessment of system accountability. Multiple methods were used to recruit volunteers: citizens' approach to the agency, 'word of mouth' and talks to community groups, while television, radio, or newspapers were rarely employed. Agencies most frequently mentioned the following areas in which they required assistance: in providing training aids for volunteers, recruitment assistance, and funding/finance assistance. Moreover, at least 312,912 hours of volunteer services had been provided by the agencies surveyed amounting to a yearly dollar value of slightly under 1 million. A copy of the questionnaire and supporting data are appended.