The VisionQuest Program

📖 The Scoop

VisionQuest is one of the largest and most controversial private sector corrections programs designed to handle serious juvenile offenders in the country. Most chronic delinquents referred to VisionQuest by the juvenile court had failed under prior placements and were candidates for commitment to the California Youth Authority. VisionQuest programs consisted of rustic wilderness camps, wagon trains, and extended sailing and bicycling expeditions. All programs emphasized physical conditioning, accountability for one's actions, and overcoming personal and physical challenges. In 1981, the San Diego Juvenile Court began placing delinquents in VisionQuest; this placement was opposed by the San Diego County Probation Department. A study was conducted to determine why the court and the Probation Department held such divergent views on the potential risks and benefits of the program and to examine how recidivism rates for VisionQuest graduates compared with those of comparable youth from other programs. This document reports the findings of the VisionQuest evaluation and contains an introduction and sections on the history and characteristics of the San Diego VisionQuest program; the evaluation design and data sources; characteristics of the program sample; differences in post-release criminal behavior; and conclusions and directions for the future. (NB)

Genre: No Category (fancy, right?)