I

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1760

To amend the Job Corps program of the Job Training Partnership Act

to establish a program to provide education and job training services

to youths who have been convicted of non-violent criminal offenses.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 21, 1993

Mrs. LOWEY (for herself, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. DELAURO, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr.

FROST, and Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

A BILL

To amend the Job Corps program of the Job Training Partnership Act to establish a program to provide education

and job training services to youths who have been convicted of non-violent criminal offenses.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Job Corps Youth Sen5 tencing Alternative for Vocational Education and Training

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘YOUTHSAVE Act’’.

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

8 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
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1 (1) Over 1,000,000 offenders are incarcerated

2 in the Nation’s prisons and jails, and Federal and

3 State correctional systems face severe prison over4 crowding.

5 (2) The annual costs of incarceration range as

6 high as $36,000 per inmate and represent one of the

7 fastest growing expenses facing States.

8 (3) Most juvenile offenders, regardless of the

9 seriousness of their crimes, are released at the age

10 of 21, and are poorly educated, unskilled, and unpre11 pared to enter the workforce.

12 (4) Research on crime prevention shows that

13 early intervention directed at first-time offenders is

14 essential to helping them avoid a lifetime of crime.

15 (5) Studies have shown that inmates who re16 ceive job training in prison are 3 times less likely to

17 return to jail after being released than their counter18 parts who do not receive job training.

19 (6) The current system of juvenile incarceration

20 usually serves to warehouse offenders without pro21 viding effective counseling, education, and job train22 ing necessary to reorient youth inmates away from

23 crime.

24 (7) Successful efforts to educate and train con25 victed youths could result in substantial cost savings
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1 in terms of reduced crime, incarceration, public as2 sistance, and in higher payroll tax revenues.

3 (8) The Job Corps program, authorized under

4 part B of title IV of the Job Training Partnership

5 Act (29 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.), is the Nation’s only

6 residential education and vocational training pro7 gram targeted to serve low-income youth who face

8 multiple barriers to becoming economically self-suffi9 cient.

10 (9) The Job Corps program has a documented

11 record of success during its 29 years of operation,

12 including a 75 percent placement rate of successfully

13 helping graduates obtain permanent employment, re14 turn to school, or enter the armed services, and such

15 program returns $1.46 on every $1.00 invested in

16 the program.

17 (10) Eligibility requirements of the Job Corps

18 program limit the participation of youths with cer19 tain behavioral problems and youths who are being

20 adjudicated or have been convicted of crimes.

21 (11) Under section 433(a)(3) of the Job Train22 ing Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1703(a)(3)), the

23 Secretary of Labor is authorized to undertake one or

24 more pilot projects designed to involve youths who

25 have a history of behavioral problems in order to
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1 provide these youths with the education, job train2 ing, and counseling services that have proved so suc3 cessful among regular Job Corps participants.

4 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—

5 (1) to establish separate Job Corps Youthsave

6 centers for youths who have been convicted of non7 violent criminal offenses which shall be an alter8 native sentencing option for such youths;

9 (2) to provide youth offenders at such centers

10 with intensive counseling, education, and job train11 ing in order to help them become self-sufficient

12 members of society; and

13 (3) to provide a disciplined environment at such

14 centers in which youth offenders can receive maxi15 mum benefit from regular Job Corps services and

16 other services geared specifically to the needs of

17 such offenders.

18 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF JOB CORPS YOUTHSAVE PRO19 GRAM.

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part B of title IV of the Job

21 Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.) is

22 amended by inserting after section 433A the following new

23 section:
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1 ‘‘SEC. 433B. JOB CORPS YOUTHSAVE PROGRAM.

2 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary is authorized

3 to make agreements in accordance with section 427 with

4 entities described in such section for the purpose of estab5 lishing and operating up to 10 Job Corps Youthsave cen6 ters to provide comprehensive education and training serv7 ices to eligible youths described in subsection (b). Such

8 Youthsave centers shall be established and operated sepa9 rately from the Job Corps centers established and oper10 ated pursuant to section 427.

11 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE YOUTHS.—A youth shall be eligible

12 to become an enrollee in the Job Corps at a center estab13 lished and operated under subsection (a) only if—

14 ‘‘(1) the youth meets the eligibility require15 ments described in section 423 (except the require16 ments described in paragraph (4) of such section);

17 and

18 ‘‘(2) the youth has been convicted of a non-vio19 lent criminal offense under Federal or State law and

20 the sentence of such offense is active at the time of

21 enrollment.

22 ‘‘(c) SCREENING AND SELECTION.—

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—(A) The Secretary, in con24 sultation with the individuals and entities described

25 in subparagraph (B), shall develop regulations for

26 the screening and selection of applicants for the Job
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1 Corps at centers established and operated under

2 subsection (a).

3 ‘‘(B) The individuals and entities described in

4 this subparagraph include the Attorney General,

5 State attorneys general, and appropriate individuals

6 and entities such as community action agencies,

7 community-based organizations, public employment

8 agencies, individuals and entities administering pro9 grams under title II, professional organizations,

10 labor organizations, and agencies and individuals

11 having contact with youths over a substantial period

12 of time and able to offer reliable information as to

13 the needs and problems of such youths.

14 ‘‘(2) INTERVIEWING REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec15 retary shall ensure that the regulations described in

16 paragraph (1) provide for the interviewing of each

17 applicant for the purpose of—

18 ‘‘(A) ensuring that the applicant under19 stands that enrollment in the Job Corps at a

20 center established and operated under sub21 section (a) is 1 sentencing option available to

22 such applicant;

23 ‘‘(B) ensuring that the applicant chooses

24 such option freely and for the purpose of receiv25 ing education and job training services;
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1 ‘‘(C) ensuring that the applicant under2 stands the Job Corps program and what will be

3 expected of the applicant in the event of accept4 ance;

5 ‘‘(D) obtaining from the applicant perti6 nent data relating to background and needs of

7 such applicant; and

8 ‘‘(E) determining whether the applicant’s

9 educational and vocational needs can be met

10 through the Job Corps at a center established

11 and operated under subsection (a).

12 ‘‘(3) SPECIAL LIMITATION.—The requirements

13 described in section 425(a) shall apply with respect

14 to the screening and selection of applicants for the

15 Job Corps at centers established and operated under

16 subsection (a).

17 ‘‘(4) DISSEMINATION.—The Secretary shall dis18 seminate the regulations developed under paragraph

19 (1) to appropriate individuals and organizations, in20 cluding Federal and State courts, probation officers,

21 parole officers, appropriate social service entities

22 providing services to juvenile offenders, and other

23 law enforcement authorities and personnel.

24 ‘‘(d) EDUCATION AND TRAINING SERVICES.—The

25 Secretary may not enter into an agreement with an entity
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1 described in section 427 for the purpose of establishing

2 and operating a center under subsection (a) unless the en3 tity agrees that it will provide enrollees with a comprehen4 sive program of education, vocational training, work expe5 rience, planned vocational activities, physical rehabilita6 tion and development, and counseling.

7 ‘‘(e) PROJECT AGREEMENT.—Each center estab8 lished and operated under subsection (a) shall provide

9 services and facilities under a project agreement with 1

10 or more State or local agencies that—

11 ‘‘(1) requires such State and local agencies to

12 provide, in the aggregate, not less than 30 percent

13 of the cost attributable to operating such center; and

14 ‘‘(2) contains or is accompanied by such other

15 information and assurances as the Secretary may

16 require.

17 ‘‘(f) INSTRUCTOR TRAINING.—The Secretary shall

18 ensure that each center established and operated under

19 subsection (a) is staffed with instructors who have re20 ceived appropriate training in techniques in dealing with

21 youth offenders.

22 ‘‘(g) MAINTENANCE OF INFORMATION.—The Sec23 retary shall maintain information, separate from regular

24 Job Corps statistics, on the performance of the centers

25 established and operated under subsection (a) and the en-
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1 rollees served by such centers, including placement statis2 tics and other related tracking information on the per3 formance of such enrollees.

4 ‘‘(h) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall disseminate

5 information regarding the centers established and oper6 ated under subsection (a) to appropriate Federal and

7 State judges, juvenile delinquency prevention personnel,

8 attorneys, community-based organizations, and other in9 terested individuals and organizations for the purpose of

10 increasing awareness of and referrals to such centers.

11 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to amounts au13 thorized to be appropriated under section 3(d) for a

14 fiscal year, there are authorized to be appropriated

15 to carry out subsection (a) $60,000,000 for fiscal

16 year 1994 and such sums as may be necessary for

17 each of the fiscal years 1995 through 2004.

18 ‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated

19 under paragraph (1) shall remain available until

20 expended.’’.

21 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con22 tents of the Job Training Partnership Act is amended by

23 inserting after the item relating to section 433A the fol24 lowing new item:

‘‘Sec. 433B. Job Corps Youthsave Program.’’.

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