Mentoring: Behaviors Related to Delinquency

Mentoring relationships influence some behaviors of youth.  Little Brothers and Little Sisters were almost one-third less likely than controls to hit other people.^BBS1  Results from an additional study indicate that youth participating in mentoring programs were less likely to engage in "problem" behaviors.^AA2  Compared to the control group, mentored youth in Project BELONG committed fewer misdemeanors or felonies (offenses were reduced from 4 percent to 1 percent). ^BLNG The seriousness of these offenses was less for the mentored youth than for the control group youth.^BLNG Mentoring reduced the likelihood that youth with a prior history of arrest would commit a major offense during the program year and two years after.^BS1,BS2  However, there were no significant differences between youth participating in the BB/BS program and the control group on behaviors such as how often the youth stole or damaged property over the past year, was sent to the office at school, engaged in risky behavior, fought, cheated, or used tobacco.^BBS1