“Every summer, teens and young adults across the country fill their bags, pack lunches and head to work — thanks to summer youth jobs programs. These initiatives, which have become ubiquitous nationwide, are beloved by politicians and constituents alike. They aim to perform myriad functions: helping connect youths to employment opportunities, offering them income and marketable skills, and dissuading them from risky behavior.
As summer jobs initiatives have risen to prominence nationally, there is a growing body of research evaluating their impacts …. with one consistent takeaway: These programs can help prevent participants from being pulled into the criminal justice system, particularly for violent crimes.
[To further bolster impact,] policymakers could, for example, prioritize young people who have been involved in the juvenile justice system or show behaviors linked to it, such as extended school absences. Policymakers could also bolster access in low-income communities by offering information sessions, support with applications and subsidized commutes…”
Related: Here is some of the research referenced above:
- Boston: Researchers found that “those in the [summer job program] treatment group exhibited significant reductions in the number of arraignments for violent crimes (-35 percent) and property crimes (-57 percent) during the 17 months after program participation.”
- Chicago: Researchers found that a summer job program “dramatically reduces violent-crime arrests, even after the summer”, dropping violent crime arrests by 33-42%.
- NYC: Researchers found evidence that “participation [in a summer job program] decreases arrests and convictions during the program summer… [and an important benefit of the program is] that the effect is concentrated among individuals with prior contact with the criminal justice system.”