SAN QUENTIN SQUIRES PROGRAM
OVERVIEW
The San Quentin Squires Program is a juvenile delinquency
deterrence program that brings delinquent youth to San Quentin Prison in
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
Target population: delinquent youth
The San Quentin Squires Program began in 1964 and is
described as the oldest juvenile awareness program in the
The program takes place over the course of three consecutive Saturday mornings. Each session includes a three-hour rap group, at which, each participant receives personal attention from an inmate. The inmate educates the participant about prison life and prompts the participant to discuss his criminal offenses, his reasons for committing those offenses, his family, and his education. Language is often rough, but no overt scare tactics are used.
EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM
Lewis, R. V. (1983). Scared
Straight -
Evaluated population: 108 boys between the ages of 14
and 18 served as the study sample for this investigation. Boys were
residents at juvenile probation camps in
Approach: The boys were randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the control group. All boys were administered an attitudinal assessment one week prior to the commencement of the Squires Program. Boys assigned to the treatment group attended three Squires Program sessions. Boys assigned to the control group attended no sessions. The attitudinal assessment was re-administered to all boys one week after the program's completion. Over the course of the following year, all boys had their criminal charges and arrests monitored.
Results: Analysis of attitudinal assessments revealed that boys assigned to the Squires Program had significantly less delinquent attitudes at follow-up than did boys assigned to the control group on a variety of measures. Relative to control boys, treatment boys had shown improvement on attitudes toward police, attitudes toward crime, and on a composite index of delinquent attitudes. Treatment boys did not improve significantly more than control boys on their attitudes toward school or prison, however.
Over the course of the year following the Squires Program, there was no significant difference between boys assigned to the treatment group and boys assigned to the control group on subsequent arrests. The majority of boys from each group were arrested within a year of the program. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between groups on number of subsequent charges, type of charges, or severity of charges. On average, treatment boys were out on parole for almost a month longer than control boys before being arrested (4.1 months vs. 3.3 months), but this did constitute a significant difference between groups.
Subgroup analyses suggested that the Squires Program may have benefited moderately delinquent youth, but that it may have adversely impacted high risk delinquents.
SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION
References:
Lewis, R. V. (1983). Scared
Straight -
Program categorized in this guide according to the following:
Evaluated participant ages: 14-18
Program age ranges in the guide: adolescence; youth
Program components: clinic/provider based or miscellaneous
Measured outcomes: behavioral problems
KEYWORDS: Adolescence (12-17), Youth (16+), High-Risk, Juvenile Offenders, High School, Gender-specific (male only), Clinic-based, Mentoring, Behavioral Problems, Delinquency, Violence, Conduct Problems, Aggression
Program information last updated on 8/31/07
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© Child Trends 2003 |
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