Grants Serving Young Offenders Evaluation - Operating a Vocational Training Program in a Juvenile Correctional Facility: A Case Study Report
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About the Report
In July 2012, Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kansas, received a grant totaling $1.5 million to develop and implement the water technologies training program for residents of the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex (KJCC) in Topeka. The goal of the training program was to increase incarcerated youth’s employment and earnings potential and reduce their recidivism rates after release from the correctional facility. Obtaining good job placements in high-demand occupations could help youth develop economic stability and, ultimately, self sufficiency.
Operating a vocational training program within a correctional facility presented unique challenges. These included securing approvals for non-corrections staff to work with incarcerated youth, achieving buy-in of line staff at the correctional facility and partners, addressing the security requirements for students and staff, and accommodating restrictions on access to certain needed tools and equipment. Yet, operating a program within the correctional facility also had advantages, including cost savings achieved by leveraging existing resources and high program completion rates.
The case study explores the history of the water technologies training program operated by Fort Scott Community College in KJCC from its conception through implementation, focusing on challenges, successes, and lessons learned for future similar programs.
Research Questions
- What was the design and planning process for the program at KJCC? What steps were involved in setting up the program there?
- What core services, including service learning activities, were available in the water tech program? How were they delivered?
- How did Fort Scott CC address the security requirements for operating inside KJCC? What adjustments to the service design were necessary to successfully implement the program in a correctional facility?
- What partnerships did Fort Scott CC develop, and how did these partnerships aid in delivering services at KJCC?
- What were the cost implications of operating the program inside the correctional facility?
- What challenges did Fort Scott CC experience in operating the program at KJCC and how did it address them? What lessons did Fort Scott CC learn that could benefit future programs hoping to operate in a similar context?
Key Takeaways
- Although challenging, partnerships between postsecondary institutions and juvenile correctional facilities are achievable where strong champions exist.
- Understanding and adequately addressing the correctional facility’s security requirements is critical.
- Implementing a program inside a correctional facility takes longer than in other contexts.
- Implementing a program for youth offenders inside a correctional facility holds certain advantages over trying to serve them in the community.
Citation
Leshnick, S., Thomason, S. (2015). Social Policy Research. Operating a Vocational Training Program in a Juvenile Correctional Facility: A Case Study. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.
This study was sponsored by the Employment and Training Administration, Office of Policy Development and Research, Division of Research and Evaluation, and was produced outside of CEO’s standard research development process.