Developing Pathways to Justice and Emergency Services Careers for At-Risk Youth: A Formative Evaluation
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Associated Project
Addressing the Critical Needs of Youth Offenders: Evaluating the Impacts of Grant-Funded Programs
Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
Key Findings
Key Findings:
- About half the grantees are meeting their recruitment goals, but the other half are encountering barriers, including too little time to build new programs and the distrust of justice system providers by youth.
- According to respondents, PJC programs enroll low-income, at-risk youth who are disproportionately people of color; only few youth who are court-involved; and youth who are more motivated than other at-risk youth served by grantees.
- Despite some services being limited in intensity, staff said that PJC programs have improved youth’s lives, leading to meaningful relationships with program staff, better relationships with law enforcement, and more work experience in and knowledge of careers in justice and emergency services.
- Partnerships are critical for PJC programs; working together helps grantees and partners deepen their understanding of career pathways and provides better employment pipelines between employers and participants.
This brief discusses the findings of a formative evaluation of these 13 Pathways to Justice Careers (PJC) programs. It describes the data used in the study, program recruitment, the program participants, the services provided, and the partnerships that grantees developed. It also examines the challenges that grantees have encountered thus far in implementing their programs and the lessons they have learned.
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