VITA Program - Effort to Save Some Young Prisoners Makes Use of Volunteer Counselors

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Oliver

VITA Program training connects incarcerated young offenders and nonviolent probationers with volunteer counselors to help them sort problems and evaluate alternative solutions. The program aims to demonstrate that behavior can change when offenders choose to change, using a structured “decisions” method delivered through about twelve 11/2-hour sessions. Volunteers complete a 10-session decisions training course before guiding 18–28-year-old participants at the Bucks County Correctional Facility and on probation outside.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages11

Reading Time28 min

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VITA Program

Effort to Save Some Young Prisoners Makes Use of Volunteer Counselors

Does It Work?

Vol.22 No.10 ## VITA Program: EFFORT TO SAVE SOME YOUNGPRISONERS MAKES USE OFVOLUNTEER COUNSELORS By Ordway P.BurdenPresident,Nationa Law Enforcement Assistance Foundation Thousands of offenders who are caught up inthe criminal justice system are less hardenedcriminals than they are confused young men withterrible self-images (usually with good reason)andan inability to think through consequences of theiractions.They turn to crime or drugs without muchthought to what happens next.They are life'slosers. An effort to save at least some of them isbeing made in Bucks County,Pa.,and elsewhere inthe Northeast.It links jail prisoners and nonviolentprobationers with a volunteer counselor who triesto help them sort through their problems and lookat alternative solutions to them. The goal is to show the offender that hisbehavior can be changed(providing,of course,thathe wants to change)and how to do it by findingand evaluating possible solutions to each of hisproblems. In Bucks County,which has one of the morestructured of these programs,about 100 volunteersin the community meet regularly with offenders inthe Bucks County Correctional Facility,and withprobationers on the outside.Each volunteer hashad a 10-session "decisions"training course toprepare him for the task of guiding a youngoffender(from 18 to 28 years old)through theprocess of problem-solving.The program is run by May 15,1991 VITA:Helps Young Offenders……… …… ……1BURGLARS,ROBBERS:Most Go To Prison… …1CALIFORNIA:Who Is The Typical Inmate?……………4JOB LISTINGS…… ………………… ……………4SANCTIONS PROJECT Applicants Sought………5UK:Opening First Private Prison… ………5CANADA:Insanity Detention Law Abolished………6ILLINOIS:Women's Prison Suit Settled……………6ATTICA RIOT Suit Coming To Trial… ………7TEXAS:Transfers Will Be Costly…… ………….7JUVENILES:Mediation Training Planned………………8ILLINOIS MDs:Object To Execution……………8ACA:Initiates Security Project…… …………………8IN THE COURTS.………… …………………10ACLU:Alvin Bronstein Honored……… ………10 Counters Conventional Wisdom: MOST BURGLARY,ARMED ROBBERYDEFENDANTS ARE CONVICTED,IMPRISONED,STUDY FINDS Many persons charged with serious crimesget off Scot free,many of those convicted don'teven go to jail,the likelihood of conviction andincarceration varies widely from one county,stateor region of the country to another,and minoritydefendants are treated more harshly than others.Right? Common though they are,all of these im-pressions may be wrong,according to a unique,in-depth RAND study released May 8. See BURGLARY,page three) (VITA,from page one) the Volunteers in Teaching Alternatives(VITA),anonprofit agency based in Doylestown. Often volunteer counselors are so taken withthe training that they apply the "decisions"methodsin their own lives.One of them,Stan Abrams,aretired accountant,said,"VITA is an unusuallyvaluable tool.I think it should be given as a matterof course in elementary and high schools because ittruly teaches people how to make valid decisions.Iknow it has (helped)me." VITA also offers literacy training in the jail,as well as some specialized courses.Abrams,forexample,teaches an eight-week course to jailinmates on the principles of business. Like many of the volunteers,he was at firstapprehensive about working with inmates. "The responsibility is awesome,"he said."Often you're working with young people whohave horrendous backgrounds and terribleproblems,and when you realize what you aretrying to do as a counselor,the responsibility ishuge." The "decisions"counseling will work onlywith motivated offenders.They have to want tochange their lives.Many of them do,said VITAExecutive Director Frances P.Stengel. "It's the most sought-after program in thecorrectional facility,"she said."We always have awaiting list.Inmates hear about it throughword-of-mouth advertising by others who tell them,'You know,I've really gotten something out ofthis.'" The basic decision-making counseling pro-gram covers a dozen 11/2-hour sessi

FAQs

What is the purpose of the VITA program for young offenders?

The program uses volunteer counselors to help offenders evaluate problems and possible solutions, showing how behavior can change when they want to change.

How are volunteers trained to counsel offenders in the program?

Volunteers complete a 10-session “decisions” training course to prepare them for guiding young offenders through problem-solving.

Is there formal research proving the program’s effectiveness?

Thus far there has been no formal research; VITA has conducted a recidivism study but cited limitations due to the lack of a control group.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Oliver