Date of Award

Spring 2016

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Education, PhD

Program

School of Educational Studies

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Deborah Deutsch Smith

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Peter Leone

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

June K. Hilton

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2016 Taryn R. VanderPyl

Keywords

transition, juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, employability skills, social skills, incarceration

Subject Categories

Criminology | Family, Life Course, and Society | Race and Ethnicity | Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance | Special Education and Teaching

Abstract

When incarcerated youth – those with and those without disabilities – face the prospect of reentering the community, they have many obstacles to overcome. Employment requirements are often associated with terms of parole or aftercare. Those who fail to obtain and maintain employment often reenter the juvenile justice system instead of successfully reentering society. Research shows employment is critical for successful transition from incarceration back in to the community. Limited information is available about programs that positively impact post-incarceration employment for juveniles, however. Practitioners face the challenge of selecting effective curriculum, interventions, or supports. Unfortunately, the current knowledge base provides limited guidance about teaching employability and social skills to incarcerated youth. This study evaluated one instructional program, Ready for W.A.G.E.S., that teaches competencies for employability and social skills to incarcerated youth for the purposes of easing reentry. This instructional program was evaluated using a quasi-experimental, wait list control design with a sample of 22 incarcerated youth in one long-term juvenile justice facility. The results are varied, with the standardized instruments showing no statistically significant findings, but the qualitative evidence showing significant impact. Changes were made to the Ready for W.A.G.E.S. instructional program as a result of this study.

DOI

10.5642/cguetd/98

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