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International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
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A Community-Based Vocational Preparation/Training Programme for Delinquent Youths: General Aptitudes as Predictors of Attrition?

Ivor Shorts

Forensic Psychiatric Service, Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin 14, Ireland

Client attrition in community-based programmes for delinquent youths is a serious and widespread problem. The current study examined whether delinquents' general aptitude test scores would predict attrition in a vocational preparation focused programme. Results showed that completers (n = 26) and non-completers (n = 15) were significantly differentiated on general learning ability, verbal, numerical and spatial aptitudes, with completers displaying higher levels of functioning. Numerical and, to a lesser degree, spatial aptitudes emerged as the best discriminators between the two groups. The derived discriminant function produced a correct prediction ("hit") rate of 71%, accurately predicting almost all of the non-completers (13 out of IS). However, it mis-classified 10 of the 26 completers. In view of this tendency to overpredict the number of non-completers, low aptitude scores alone appear to be limited in their usefulness to predict attrition in individual youths. It is suggested that future research should examine whether aptitude deficits inter-acting with other factors can differentially influence the probability of attrition.

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 32, No. 3, 179-184 (1988)
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X8803200302
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