The impact on behavioral training upon the knowledge and effectiveness of juvenile probation officers and volunteers

The feasibility of studying the effects of behavioral training for probation workers upon both the workers and their probationers was examined by randomly assigning ten probation officers and volunteers to a training group and a control group. Pre-and post-tests were administered to assess the knowledge and competence of the probation workers, various kinds of problem behaviors that the workers and parents observed in the delinquent youth, and various kinds of problem behaviors that the youth observed in themselves. The training included both didactic and experiential elements. The behavioral training significantly improved the knowledge and the competetnce of the probation workers and significantly decreased the number of problem behaviors observed by both the workers and the parents. No evidence was found that the workers' behavioral training affected the number of problem behaviors that the youth observed in themselves. The difficulties of conducting such a study are discussed along with recommendations for addressing these difficulties in future research.

Competence (human resources) · Developmental psychology · Experiential learning · Juvenile · Juvenile delinquency · Medical education · Pedagogy · Training (meteorology) · Applied Psychology · Clinical Psychology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Medicine · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending · Social Psychology

• Evaluating the use of social skills training and employment with delinquent youth

  Open Access•Michael J Leiber, Tina L Mawhorr•Journal of Criminal Justice•1995

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• Families

  David R Mace, Gerald R Patterson•The Family Coordinator•1973

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