Juvenile Structured Day Programs

The place in which I am doing my practicum is considered a Juvenile Structured Day Program (JSDP). Douglas Yearwood and Jibril Abdum-Muhaymin (2007) say this of JSDP's, "Structured day programs are designed to offer education to expelled and suspended youth and are sanctioned by the courts. These programs are part of a community corrections and juvenile rehabilitative effort" (p. 49). The two authors did a study on JSDP's in the state of North Carolina to see the effectiveness of the programs. What they found is that of the programs that responded, 1,803 suspended or expelled students attended the programs in 2001. Of those attending the programs, "521, or 28.9%, were reported to have no further contact with the juvenile courts after leavening the program. At least 200 of these students, or 11.1%, were reported to have had no further truancy incidents, and at least 477, or 26.5% , of the JSDP students reportedly improved in their school attendance" (p. 51). While this may not seem to be an outrageous amount of productivity among these students, those who have been helped in those programs have made a difference. Within the agency I have been at, it is incredible to see the change in some of the students I have been working with over the course of the semester. Within this program, the students have been given a safe place to learn and catch up academically to where they need to be. Have I seen drastic improvement in every teenager that has walked through the doors here at T.A.S.? No, but I have seen improvement in at least three or four kids and I know that this program will make a difference in those kids lives.

Source:
Abdum-Muhaymin, J. & Yearwood, D. (2007). Juvenile structured day programs for suspended and expelled youth: An evaluation of process and impact. Preventing School Failure, 51(4), 47-61. Retrieved April 14, 2008, from Academic Search Premiere.