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JOB CORPS OVERSIGHT

S. Hrg. 104-12

GOVDOC
Y4.Lll/4:S.Hrg

10 V - / :i

HEARINGS

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON

LABOR AND HUMAN RESOURCES

UNITED STATES SENATE

ONE HUNDRED FOURTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION

EXAMINING PERFORMANCE, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND THE INCIDENCE OF
VIOLENCE AT JOB CORPS SITES

JANUARY 18 AND 19, 1995

Printed for the use of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

For sale by the U.S. Government fflnting Office
Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402
ISBN 0-16-047015-3

JOB CORPS OVERSIGHT

S. Hrg. 104-12

GOVDOC
Y4.Lll/4:S.Hrg

10 V - / ;^

^
^

HEARINGS

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON

LABOR AND HUMAN RESOURCES

UNITED STATES SENATE

ONE HUNDRED FOURTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION

EXAMINING PERFORMANCE, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND THE INCIDENCE OF
VIOLENCE AT JOB CORPS SITES

JANUARY 18 AND 19, 1995

Printed for the use of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

ONLY

^OVtiu,,

U"^ 2 e zooQ

87-272 CC

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTINQ OFFICE
"°*^=»=*«z^.,WASfflNGTON : 1991

For sale by the U.S. Government Pntiting Office
Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office. Washington, DC 20402
ISBN 0-16-047015-3

COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND HUMAN RESOURCES

NANCY LANDON KASSEBAUM, Kansas, Chairman
JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts

DAN COATS, Indiana CLAIBORNE PELL, Rhode Island

JUDD GREGG, New Hampshire CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut

BILL FRIST, Tennessee PAUL SIMON, Illinois

MIKE DeWINE, Ohio TOM HARKIN, Iowa

JOHN ASHCROFT, Missouri BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, Maryland

SPENCER ABRAHAM, Michigan PAUL D. WELLSTONE, Minnesota

SLADE GORTON, Washington

Susan K. Hattan, Sta/f Director
Nick Littlefield, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel

(II)

CONTENTS

STATEMENTS
January 18, 1995

Page

Kassebaum, Hon. Nancy Landon, a U.S. Senator from the State of Kansas 1

Pell, Hon. Claiborne, a U.S. Senator from the State of Rhode Island 2

Kennedy, Hon. Edward M., a U.S. Senator from the State of Massachusetts ... 3

Harkin, Hon. Tom, a U.S. Senator from the State of Iowa 4

Wheeler, Rhonda, Ventura, CA, and Fred Freeman, Jr., Carlisle, PA 5

Peterson, Gerald W., former assistant inspector general, U.S. Department
of Labor, Washington, DC; Randall Godinet, Oceanside, CA; Shirley D.
Sakos, Piscatawav, NJ; and Ron Stall worth. Department of Public Safety,

Salt Lake City, UT 19

Anderson, Karen, St. Paul, MN, and Luis Melendez, New York, NY 41

APPENDIX

Statements, articles, publications, letters, etc.:

Hatch, Hon. Orrin G., a U.S. Senator from the State of Utah 53

Gerald W. Peterson 55

Ron Stallworth 58

Luis Melendez 70

Letters to Senator Kassebaum from:

George E. Foreman 54

Rev. Wayne Hoehns 55

Gov. Michael O. Leavitt 74

Senator Sarbanes 75

Senator Reid 76

Senator Daschle 77

Senator Levin 77

Senator Johnston 78

Senator Inouye 79

Senator Murray 80

Senator Conrad 80

Senator Boxer 81

Gov. Terry E. Branstad 87

Letters to Senator Simon from:

A.L. "Mike" Monroe 86

Carolyn Parker 87

Article — Dallas News — "Trouble at the Corps" 64

Letters to Senator Harkin from:

Jean Espinosa 88

Teresa A. Drummond 89

Marietta L. Kibbie 91

Mandy Weber 91

Jean Ann Rogers 92

Kendra Mallek 93

Dody Barnes 93

Derrick Sanders 94

Annette A. Odvody 95

Ed Wisdom 95

Robert Huisinga 96

Amanda Owen 96

Tammy Ribbink 97

(III)

Page

Letters to Senator Harkin from — Continued

Amy Douthit 98

Shannon Sorey 98

James Henderson 99

Courtney Davis 100

Todd Alan Dumdei 100

Amanda M. Wagoner 102

StacieHall 103

Marco Hogue 104

William Tnompson 105

Kim Wingate 107

Kathie J. Donahue 107

Beverly Elizabeth Herron 108

Amanda Jurgens 108

Tonya Morgan 109

Karrie Weaver 109

Andrea Adney 110

Karlene Jansa Ill

STATEMENTS
January 19, 1995

Page

Kassebaum, Hon. Nancy Landon, a U.S. Senator from the State of Kansas 113

Kennedy, Hon. Edward M., a U.S. Senator from the State of Massachusetts ... 115
Deering, John P., admissions counselor. Job Corps, region 5; Larry King,
Forest Service Council, CCC center director, Pine Knot, KY; Dr. Robert

Belfon, Piscataway, NJ; and John C. McKay, TX 115

Ross, Doug, Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, U.S. Depart-
ment of Labor, Washington DC; and Peter Rell, Director, Job Corps, U.S.

Department of Labor, Washington DC 134

Coleman, Hon. Ronald, a Representative in Congress from the State of Texas 152
Gadsden, Curtis, director of worldwide marketing for high-end storage de-
vices, IBM Corp., Mahwah, NJ; Mary S. Young, director, Carrasco Job
Corps Center, E\ Paso, TX; and Jamison Gorby, Ked Rock Job Corps Cen-
ter, Lopez, PA 154

APPENDIX

Statements, articles, publications, letters, etc.:

John Deering 163

Robert Belfon 163

John C. McKay 165

Curtis Gadsden 167

Suzanne Smith 169

Larry King 175

Doug Ross 176

Jamison Gorby 191

Letters to Senator Kassebaum from:

Scott Marquardt 168

Michael D. Empey 169

Michael T. (Mickey) Pablo 171

John McKay 174

Senator Leahy 175

Harvey L. Arrowood 194

Doug Ross 197

Letter to Senator Bennett from Doyle E. Talbot 169

Letters to Senator Baucus from:

CriscoStahl 172

Avleen and Thomas Bain 173

Mary L. Tevebaugh 173

Letters to Senator Simon from:

Wilma P. Mankiller 187

International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades 188

John 0. Crosby 188

W. Lamar Houston 189

Page

Letters to Senator Simon from — Continued

Luis R. Mier 189

Mary A. Yanez and Armida Navarrete 190

Jose L. Aguilar 191

Letter to Representative Obey from Harvey L. Arrowood 195

Affidavit of Christie Miller 204

JOB CORPS OVERSIGHT

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1995

U.S. Senate,
Committee on Labor and Human Resources,

Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:55 a.m., in room
SD-430, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Senator Kassebaum
(chairman of the committee) presiding.

Present: Senators Kassebaum, Jeffords, Coats, Frist, DeWine,
Ashcroft, Grorton, Pell, Dodd, Simon, Harkin, and Wellstone.

Opening Statement of Senator Kassebaum

The Chairman. It is a few minutes early, but since everyone is
in place, I think we will go ahead and call to order the hearing this
morning, which is the Job Corps oversight hearing.

I would just like to say a couple of words first £U)out this hearing,
which will be one of two on the Job Corps program. This follows
up on the oversight hearing that was held last October, which I
think is an important responsibility of this committee on all of the
areas over which we have oversight. We must be able to look at it
in an objective and thoughtful way and analyze both the strengths
and weaknesses of whatever initiative we are undertaking.

At the outset, I would like to thank the ranking member. Senator
Kennedy, for agreeing to call that hearing last fall when he was
chairman of this committee, and it is my regret that he has to be
away today. I know he shares my interest in seeing that the Job
Corps as well as any of the other Federal job training programs
meet high standards and perform in a cost-effective manner.

Job Corps is the oldest and most expensive Federal training pro-
gram designed to help economically disadvantaged youth. It is also
considered to be the best program of its kind. Labor Secretaiy
Reich has described it as "the jewel in the crown of the Federal joD
training programs."

Certainly there are many centers throughout the country that
are performing effectively. These centers are offering skills training
and education that are making a difference in the lives of many
young people. Tomorrow, in fact, we will hear from the director of
one of these centers.

The goal of these hearings is to take a balanced, in-depth look
at the realities of the Job Corps, the good and the bad. My own
goal is neither to tear down the successes nor gloss over the fail-
ures. It is to determine what works and what does not, so that Job
Corps performs as intended, not merely as we hope it might.

(1)

A central issue is whether we want Job Corps to be a quasi-cor-
rection s program or a training program. It has become a bit of
each. The goal has become blurred and the mission, I would sug-
gest, is ambiguous.

There is growing evidence, however, that the rave reviews given
Job Corps as a whole are based more on faith than on fact. Prior
to the October hearing, the committee had not taken a close look
at the Job Corps program in over 10 years. During that time, the
program has enjoyed the strong support of Republicans and Demo-
crats alike, despite a steady stream of negative reports issued by
the Department of Labor's Inspector Greneral, going back into the
late 1980's. Both parties share the responsibility for turning a blind
eye toward the disturbing picture drawn by these reports.

Last fall's hearing offered a sobering accoimt of low performance
and poor accountability in the Job Corps, underscoring problems
identified and documented by the inspector general. We learned,
for example, that with an annual budget of $1.1 billion, Job Corps
costs $23,000 per student per year; yet it only places 12 percent of
those students in the jobs for which they are trained.

We also found that 50 percent of Job Corps students drop out of
the program after the first 6 months.

We c£m no longer focus only on the success stories while sweep-
ing the failures under the carpet. To do so is a disservice to the
American taxpayer and, more importantly, to the young people who
see Job Corps as a beacon of hope for their futures and who are
committed to making their dreams a reality.

Unfortunately, in far too many cases, these hopes are being
dashed. The dreams of training and a good job are being replaced
by the nightmare of an environment which tolerates unacceptable
behavior in the interest of keeping up the numbers.

Following last October's hearing, individuals from throughout the
country began calling my office to offer disturbing accounts of ac-
tivities within many Job Corps centers. I realize one has to be very
cautious about calls of that nature, because some have vendettas
that they wish to exercise. But I think the most troubling is the
pattern of uncontrolled violence which has been a common thread
among so many of these accounts.

Just this past weekend, a Job Corps student was brutally mur-
dered, and three other Job Corps students are being held for the
murder in Knoxville, TN. Sadly, this is not an isolated case.

Several of the witnesses who will appear today will tell their own
stories about the violent actions which drove tnem away from the
opportunity they thought they had found in Job Corps. I believe
their testimony will offer a vivid portrait of the realities which lie
behind the disappointing statistics of overall Job Corps perform-
ance.

Thank you. I turn now to Senator Pell, standing in for Senator
Kennedy today. We welcome your opening comments. Senator Pell.

Opening Statement of Senator Pell

Senator Pell. I thank you. Madam Chair, and I thank you for
holding these hearings.

There has been a lot of discussion about the Job Corps, and I
think it is a good idea to clear the air. At an earlier time, when

the subject of Job Corps was being discussed by the Senate, I spoke
about solutions to the important problems and challenges facing
our young people — the need for originality and new ideas, the need
for knowledge to combat ignorance, and above all, the need for
broadening horizons for youth — so that each young man and young
woman in the United States can develop the best of his or her tal-
ents in a climate of maximum opportunity.

To be precise, those remarks were made in March of 1964, 30
years ago, during the debate on President Johnson's poverty pro-
gram which, among others, created Job Corps. Those comments are
just as relevant today as they were then and they continue to em-
phasize the importance of the Job Corps.

Thirty years later, the challenges that faced the youth in 1964
are the challenges of young people today, as evidenced by the cur-
rent appeal of ooot camps, teaching marketable skills to poverty
youth still remains a novel idea.

It is just as important today to replace ignorance with knowl-
edge, and most importantly, to broaden the norizons of all of our
young people, regardless of economic status. The Job Corps pro-
gram is a vital cornerstone in our efforts to see that our young peo-
ple can develop their talents to the best of their ability.

It is my understanding that we will see and hear some pretty
spectacular testimony during the next couple of days. As one of
only two members of the committee to vote for the original creation
of Job Corps, I have always been a strong supporter of it and be-
lieve, as I said before, that Job Corps will probably show itself to
be the most successful overall domestic program.

I recognize that there are some warts, some flaws, but in gen-
eral, I believe they have a pretty good record. That does not mean
I am opposed to a responsible review, with the goal of making the
program work better. It would be my hope that we might be able
to make this program better able to expand the horizons of yet an-
other generation.

I might add my own personal hope that someday, we will get a
Job Corps center in my own State.

Thank you. Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. Thank you. Senator Pell.

[The prepared statement of Senator Kennedy follows:]

Prepared STATEME^^^ of Senator Kennedy

I commend Senator Kassebaum for convening this hearing to fol-
low-up on the hearing we held last October to review one of our
most important and successful education and training programs —
the Job Corps.

The Corps has been a success story for 30 years. It now serves
more thgm 60,000 new students a year. Since its creation in 1964,
it has helped prepare 1.5 million youth for jobs and careers. Seven
out of every 10 Job Corps graduates get jobs, enter the military,
or pursue further education after leaving the program.

Its success is even more remarkable, since it targets "at-risk"
youth. The average Job Corps student is 18 years old, reads at a
seventh grade level, has never held a full-time job, and comes from
an economically disadvantaged family. Seventy percent are minori-

ties, 80 percent are high school dropouts, and 40 percent of their
families receive public assistance.

Job Corps participants receive good support, including residential
supervision, counseling, food, clothing, education, job training, med-
ical services, transportation, student allowances, and job place-
ment.

For every dollar invested in the program, $1.46 is returned to
economy through taxes paid by graduates, reductions in welfare
and lower costs for crime and prison.

Because of this record. Job Corps has enjoyed bipartisan support
in Congress and by Republican and Democratic administrations.

Last week the Labor Committee held 3 days of hearings on re-
forming and streamlining Federal job training programs, I share
Senator Kassebaum's concern for ensuring that all job training pro-
grams are accountable and cost-effective. In the wake of recent vio-
lent incidents at Job Corps centers, it is particularly important to
do all we can to ensure the safety of participants in the program.

I look forward to hearing from our distinguished witnesses, and
to working with Members on both sides of the aisle in Congress
and with the Clinton administration to make our job training pro-
grams as effective as possible.

Prepared Statement of Senator Harkin

This hearing will examine Job Corps, an education and training
program for disadvantaged youth. We will hear from some partici-
pants and staff about their experiences with the program. I am
aware of some of the problems with the Job Corps program and di-
rection on how to resolve those problems.

A 1982 longitudinal study of the Job corps program by
Mathmetica Policy Research estimated that each dollar spent on
this training program returned $1.46 on the investment. The study
is being updated^ but the new data is expected to yield the same
or similar results.

Job Corps is working in Iowa. In 1993, the Denison Center
served 480 students and placed 80% in jobs or advanced training
programs, I have visited the center on several occasions with my
most recent visit occurring last fall to dedicate a new child care fa-
cility. The center will now recruit and train mothers with their
children, I would note that most of these families could most likely
be on welfare without this addition to the Denison Center. On
every visit I have been impressed by the program.

I would like to include a letter from Iowa's Governor, Terry
Branstad aflRrming his support for Job Corps and a packet of let-
ters I received from students at the Denison Job Corps Center
made a part of the hearing record.

Madam Chairwoman, I know there are some problems. I am very
concerned about the experiences of violence at certain Job Corps
Centers that will be outlined by some of our witnesses. Even on act
of violence at Job Corps Center is unacceptable and I want to find
a way to make sure that the zero tolerance policy is reality for
every participant.

I want to find constructive solutions to these problems to build
a more effective, residential job training pro-am for disadvantaged
youth. I look forward to the testimony at this hearing and look for-

ward to working with you and my other colleagues on this commit-
tee on the major issues affecting the training and retooling of the
American work force.

[Letters from Governor Branstad and the Denison Job Corps
Center may be found in the appendix.]

The Chairman. First, we will see excerpts from a series of tele-
vision reports by a station in Dallas, TX concerning the State of
conditions at the McKinney Job Corps center in Dallas.

Following the airing of these reports, the Department of Labor
closed down the center prior to the scheduled Christmas break and
has since, as I understand it, terminated the contract with the cen-
ter operator.

[Videotape shown.]

The Chairman. I would like to welcome the first panel by saying
how much I appreciate your willingness to come here and tell us
about your experiences at the Job Corps. Your testimony is very
important to us as we tiy to sort out what needs to be done to im-
prove this program, and we look forward to hearing from vou. I
know it is not easy, and for that reason, I think we are all very
appreciative.

First, I would like to welcome Rhonda Wheeler, who lives in Ven-
tura, CA. She was a student the Job Corps center in McKinney, TX
and was shown on the tape that was just previewed.

Fred Freeman is from Carlisle, PA. He was a student at the
Woodstock Job Corps Center outside Baltimore, MD.

I would very much like to welcome both of you. Rhonda, we will
begin with your testimony.

STATEMENTS OF RHONDA WHEELER, VENTURA, CA, AND
FRED FREEMAN, JR^ CARLISLE, PA

Ms. Wheeler. My name is Rhonda Wheeler. Last year, I was a
recently separated single mother of a 4-month-old son. I moved to
Dallas, TX to move with my mother until I got on my feet. I had
dropped out of high school in my second year, and I was faced with
the fact that without an education, I would never earn enough
money to support myself, let alone my son.

While staying with my mother, I searched the want ads of the
newspapers every day, finding nothing that I was qualified for. I
had no driver's license, so that made it even harder to find work.
That, plus the cost of day care, made my situation overwhelming.
That is when I saw the ad for the Job Corps in McKinney.

That ad stated: "Training, room and board, transportation, child
care and clothing allotment provided and a biweekly salary." It
sounded wonderUil. It sounded too good to be true — and as it
turned out, it was.

During orientation the first day, we were given a briefing by se-
curity, which was very strange. They told us the names and ad-
dresses of drug dealers in McKinney, and they told us not to go
there. They warned the women in my orientation group about
places we should avoid on center because of the recent rapes that
had occurred. They also told us the best hiding places on center
where kids go to have sex, which included under the buildings and
in the bushes.

During the 10 days I was at McKinney, I saw kids having sex
all the time, and often right out in the open. When I mentioned one
incident to one of my counselors during my second or third day on
center, I was told, "Welcome to Job Corps. You might as well get
used to it."

From my second day on, whenever I walked anywhere alone on
center, or passed a large group of females, they would start shout-
ing, "Bitch" or other obscenities. When I mentioned this to one of
the security people, he said, "We have got bigger problems than
name-calling to worry about," and that I should get over it.

On my third day there, I was harassed by a student to the point
that she had to be held back from assaulting me. The student then
threatened to "get me when I was asleep." I went to security and
filed a complaint against her. The counselor talked to me and said
the student said she had not meant anything by what she said,
that it was just a misunderstanding and that I should put it behind
me.

As for the violence on center, I saw 12 fights in the 10 days I
was there. During orientation, we were able to tour our various
classes on center, I went to the clerical class because that was one
of my choices. Five minutes after I got there, two students started
punching each other. Both were bleeding, and one student picked
up a typewriter and threw it at the other. The teacher acted like
this happened quite frequently. He sent both students to security.
I never found out if they were punished, but both students were
back in class the next day.

Illegal drugs were rampant at McKinney. I was approached fre-
quently and asked if I wanted to buy anything from marijuana to
acid, and nobody tried to hide it. It was another one of those things
at the Job Corps that was part of the atmosphere of the place.

For example, everyone knew the drug dealers would come to the
east side of the campus and sell it openly to students through the
fence.

And security rarely did anything about it, probably because they
were scared of the students. On one occasion after dark, I saw a
security vehicle patrolling the bushes near the center administra-
tion building. I was sitting on the steps. I saw about 10 students
coming out of the bushes, yelling, "Get that spotlight off my
woman," and shouting all kinds of four-letter words at the security
patrol. The students surrounded the vehicle in a threatening way,
and I thought they were going to beat up the two security guards
in the vehicle, but one student recognized one of the guards and
said, "OK, he's cool," and the security just drove away.

By my 10th day at McKinney, I could not wait to go home. It was
a madhouse. I wanted out. I called my mother and asked her to
come and get me. Some of the managers from the Job Corps center
called me at my mother's house, trying to get me to reconsider.
They came over first thing in the morning. But there was no way
that I was going back there.

I would like to say one last thing in closing. I am aware that
Wackenhut, the center operator of McKinney, has sent information
regarding me to members of this committee. I have read the infor-
mation that was sent, and I would like all of the members of this

committee to know that the information sent by Wackenhut is ab-
solutely untrue and is a malicious attack on my character.

The other information regarding my health histoiy is distorted
and untrue, but even if it were true, it is a clear violation of my
right to privacy that I was promised when I joined the Job Corps.

1 want the committee to know that I am contacting an attorney
to discuss taking legal action against Wackenhut for sending this
information to the committee.

Thank you, and I will be happy to answer any questions.

The Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Wheeler.

Mr. Freeman?

Mr. Freeman. Grood morning. Madam Chairman.

Chairman Kassebaum and members of the committee, my name
is Fred Freeman, Jr. I am 19 years old, and I am from Carlisle,
PA. I attended Woodstock Job Corps Center outside Baltimore, MD
in March of 1992. I lasted for about 23 days before I became con-
vinced that the program was not for me. I left voluntarily; I was
not terminated.

The reason why I left was simple: I was tired of getting beat up
and being threatened by other students and having the center ig-
nore what was happening.

The Job Corps program that the recruiter told me about was very
different from the one I experienced at the Woodstock Center. The
reason I went there was to learn a skill that would help me get
a good job and to get my GED. I was a high school dropout. My
Job Corps recruiter. Bob Settle, said so many nice things about the
program. He showed me a listing and beautiful color pictures of
various Job Corps centers. Judging from the pictures, they all
looked like expensive summer camps and resorts.

But when I arrived at Woodstock in early March of 1992, the dif-
ference between what Mr. Settle had said the program would be
like and the reality was shocking.

The condition of the buildings and the residential living areas
was rundown. Many of the dormitory rooms had cracks in the ceil-
ings, and there was no way to secure your possessions. But the big-
gest downer of all was the violations and the threats of violence
from other students that occurred on a daily basis.

The first night I got there, one of the other new students got into
a fight with another student who had been there for a while. The
new guy got beat up and knocked down, but no one told the resi-
dential advisor. I was told that this was part of the landscape, and
I should get used to it.

The second night, I got mv "blanket party." This was standard
treatment for all new guys. A blanket party, for those not familiar
with the term, is when you are sleeping in your bunk, somebody
suddenly throws a blanket over you, and eight to ten guys take
turns punching you and kicking you. The blanket is so that you
cannot identify who is doing the punching and kicking. After it
happened, I told the residential advisor. He said he would make a
report on it, but nothing ever happened. That was part for the
course at Woodstock.

There were fights regularly, aft«r-hours in the dorm area, but no
one was ever put on report for it. Many of the students carried
knives and other homemade weapons that they made in the metal

shop. I even saw two students who had pistols in their rooms. It
was pretty scary. As for drug use people were always smoking
dope. The residential advisors knew about it, but nobody did any-
thing about it.

One might, a guy came up to me in the hall of my dormitory and
asked me if I wanted to buy some cigarettes. I said sure. He told
me to come into his room, which I did. Once inside the room, he
closed the door and forced me up against a wall, holding a fork to
my throat. He told me to give him all the money I had or else. I
had $10 in my pocket, and I gave it to him.

I mentioned to my roommate what happened, and he said, "Go
ahead and report it, but you had better be ready for that guy to
come after you." I never did report it, for fear that the guy would
come after me.

There was a lot of gang activity in the center, too. Gangs wore
their colors, gave their gang signs and travelled in packs. If you
messed with one of them, you had every other guy in his gang com-
ing after you.

Theft was another problem. When I went to Woodstock, I took
two big suitcases of clothing, including a pair of Air Jordans. With-
in the first 2 weeks, most of my clothes were stolen right out of
my room. A few days before I left, a guy came into my room with
a few others. I looked at his feet, and I realized he was wearing
my stolen Air Jordans.

I said, "Hey, you got my Air Jordans; I want them back." He did
not deny it, but he told me if I wanted them, I would have to fight
him for them. I said, "All right, let's go."

Suddenly, someone turned out the lights in the room, and I was
kicked and punched by him and his buddies. About 20 guys jumped
me, and I got kicked from head to toe. After they left, my room-
mate took me down to the duty officer, and they took me to Balti-
more County Hospital. I had two cracked ribs, and my right temple
was swollen up like a balloon.

I never got my Air Jordans back, and to my knowledge, no one
was disciplined for the incident — ^no center review board, no noth-
ing.

I left the center 2 days later to go home on emergency leave be-
cause my sister was sick. When my parents saw the bruises on me
and my swollen face, plus my cracked ribs, they did not want me
to go back. I did not want to go back, either. I wanted to get my
GED and learn a trade, but not under those conditions.

A couple days later, my father drove me back to Woodstock to get
my stuff, and I voluntarily left the program. When I got there to
pick up my stuff, my dormitory had been torched. Luckily, my room
did not get burned. There were a couple of other kids firom Carlisle
who were also quitting at the same time. One of them had cigarette
burns up and down his arms as a result of an incident in the dor-
mitory. He said he had had it with all the abuse.

When I left, I signed a form stating that I had had clothing,
shoes and personal items stolen from me worth between $400 to
$500. They said they would reimburse me. That was 2V2 years ago.
I have made several calls to the regional office in Philadelphia
about it, but nothing was ever done about it. They still owe me for
the stolen items.

In closing, I would like to say that Job Corps seemed like a good
idea when I first heard about it. It was supposed to be a pro-am
that helped you get your high school diploma and gave you training
in a trade that would help you get a good iob.

The reality is that Job Corps is more like a reform school or a
place that the court sends you instead of jail, where the strong
dominate the weak. I think it is a waste of taxpayers' money. If I
were a parent, I would not allow my kids to go there.

Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Freeman.

I have just a couple of questions. First, Rhonda, I would just like
to say that I share your concern about the memo that was sent out
by the Wackenhut Educational Services. It is an invasion of pri-
vacy— it was sent to every member of the committee — not only re-
garding yourself, but others who were in the television series about
McKinney.

I know that in the past, this has been something that, when we
have asked for records, there is always the question of wanting to
protect privacy, and no records have been available. So I think that
this is unfortunate. We have had situations regarding these hear-
ings which create an atmosphere of intimidation which I really
think is uncalled for.

We have tried very hard to not make this in any way a sensa-
tional atmosphere regarding these hearings. There would have
been far more that we could use that would have been very sensa-
tional if indeed that were the intent. But the intent is to try to fig-
ure out what we can do to make Job Corps a stronger £ind better
program.

Both of you have really shown a great deal of courage to come
here, because I know it has been difficult. I would iust like to ask
you, Fttionda, while you were at the center, it is obvious that the
violence there had a great effect on you and I assume on many oth-
ers there. Did you find that for the brief time that you were there
that there was an effort to have a strong training program?

Ms. Wheeler. No. The first 10 days is orientation, and the only
training that I saw there — I toured the clerical class, and the only
thing I saw was them throwing typewriters at each other. But dur-
ing the 10 days that I was there, we were really just briefed by se-
curity. We played video games a lot is what we did.

The Chairman. From your experience in talking to the other stu-
dents who were there, did you get a feel for whether students were
there with an intent to try to learn some skill? Was the focus on
job training skills, or were there students there who were referrals
from the courts?

Ms. Wheeler. Yes. A lot of the kids just did not have any other
place to go, and that is the truth. A lot of them had warrants, but
most of them iust did not have anyplace to go.

I had a real close friend who wanted to leave Job Corps because
in 10 days, 10 of his friends had gotten beaten up real, real bad,
and he knew he was next. So I went and picked him up from Job
Corps; he left, and we took him to his parents' and his parents told
him that he would have to live out on the street — ^he was 19 — that
he would have to live out on the street before he would come home
from Job Corps, and they made him go back. Three days later, he

was viciously attacked, viciously attacked. And he had to stay; he
is still there. He just had no place to go.

The idea of studying — it is not an atmosphere that you can really
study in. And I am sure that at first, a lot of kids have the inten-
tion of coming to get the training they need, but then all the dis-
tractions that come in are so overwhelming that you lose that in-
tent.

The Chairman. Fred, when you were at Woodstock, did anyone
mention to you — and perhaps this would be true at McKinney as
well — that there is a zero tolerance requirement for violence at the
center, that this is the policy of the Job Corps program, trying to
reinforce zero tolerance of violence?

Mr. FREEMAN. Some members of the security guard and some
residential advisors did, but they did not go by what they said.
What they said to me was one thing, and then when some violence
happened, they did another thing; basically, they ignored it.

The Chairman. Did you find a similar situation at Woodstock as
you heard Rhonda Wheeler describe at McKinney?

Mr. Freeman. Yes.

The Chairman. And as you have talked to fiiends since you have
been out, did you feel that you gained anything while you were
there that has been of use to you since?

Mr. Freeman. No, nothing that I can remember right now that
I can use.

The Chairman. If either one of you had to give some suggestions
for what should be done first to improve the program, do either of
you have a suggestion you would make? Rhonda?

Ms. Wheeler. I would say you would have to first decide wheth-
er you want Job Corps to be like a prison camp or you want it to
be a school. If you want a place like Job Corps to be a school, you
would have to weed out all the people with warrants, all the gangs;
you would have to weed out the drugs. You would have to do that.
You would have to decide whether you wanted it to be a prison
camp, because if you are going to keep the same kids there, you
are going to have to run it like that; you would have to run it like
a prison camp in order for them to learn anything, because it is
just that violent.

The Chairman. Thank you.

My time is up. Senator Pell?

Senator Pell. Obviously, these incidents that you have spoken
about, your experiences, are pretty dreadful. How widespread do
you think those incidents are, from the gossip amongst the kids
who were in your camp, in other camps around the country? Maybe
yours were rogue camps. What are your thoughts?

Mr. Freeman. Well, I just recently spoke to a girl who went to
the Utah Job Corps. While she was tnere, she had her nose broken,
she was stabbed with a pencil. A lot of people at the Job Corps in
Utah were sent to I guess different psychiatric hospitals, from what
she told me, because it is just so violent. I believe that it is wide-
spread.

Senator Pell. Do you have any thoughts, Mr. Freeman?

Mr. Freeman. I recently spoke to one of my friends who attended
the same Job Corps I did, but she attended the year before. While
she was there, she was severely beaten. She got stabbed; she has

scars on her body from a bunch of gangs and stuff like that down
there.

To me, from what I went through, when I was in Woodstock,
MD, everyone who was there who had been to other Job Corps, Hke
in Pittsburgh and stuff Hke that, said that it is basically the same
thing with all the other Job Corps.

Senator Pell. Thank you both very much and for your courage
in coming forward this way.

I have no further questions. Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. Senator DeWine?

Senator DeWine. Thank you. Madam Chairman.

Let me first thank both of you for testifying this morning. You
describe in your separate testimonies about the separate facilities,
Ms. Wheeler, a case where you saw open sex, open use of drugs,
fights; and Mr. Freeman, you were personally assaulted, personally
robbed, and you saw drugs. You have both described a situation
that, to put it charitably, is certainly not conducive to any kind of
learning or study.

Let me ask both of you who really was in charge in your separate
facilities. Who ran the place, really?

Ms. Wheeler. The kids; the students ran my Job Corps. I do not
know legally who ran it besides Wackenhut, but the students ran
the Job Corps, the gangs.

Senator DeWine. And there were gangs there?

Ms. Wheeler. Oh, yes, definitely, definitely.

Senator DeWine. Mr. Freeman?

Mr. Freeman. Basically, the students, the gangs ran it. I am
sure there was somebody who was supposed to be running it and
taking care of weeding out all of the violence and problems like
that, but basically, the kids ruled the school.

Senator DeWente. You described it as an environment where the
strong dominated the weak, basically.

Mr. Freeman. Yes.

Senator DeWine. So it was basically the subculture inside the
operation that was controlling it.

Mr. Freeman. Right.

Senator DeWine. You both described the situation, and both of
you lefl after a short period of time, one of you afler 10 days, and
Mr. Freeman, I believe, afler 23 days. If that was your reaction,
what was the reaction of some of the other students? You have said
that some of them had no place else to go, but certainly there were
some there who could have been other places. I mean, did anybody
else complain to you? Did you find anybody else who had a com-
mon

Ms. Wheeler. Oh, yes — everybody, everybody. I was always told,
"If you fight one, you fight them all." Mainlv during the day, the
kids who did not want to have anything to do with the drugs and
the gangs would go in their rooms and sit afler school. They did
not walk outside, they did not go to dinner unless it was a school
day and they had to. They would sit in there rooms. There would
always be somebody afler you, always.

I literally slept with one eye open. I was literally told not even
to leave a pair of panties out because they would get it. So yes, ev-

eryone there had some sort of problem or another — I mean every-
one.

Senator DeWene. So there clearly were people there, though, who
were like you, who did want to learn, who went there for a specific
purpose?

Ms. Wheeler. Oh, yes, yes.

Senator DeWine. What learning did you observe? I know you
were there for a relatively short period of time, and Mr. Freeman,
you were there for 3 weeks or so, but in each of your cases, was
there learning going on, was there teaching going on, was there
training going on that you observed?

Mr. Fmjeman. Well, I went there wanting to get my GED and
further my education, and second, I wanted to taJte culinary arts.
In the period of time that I was there, they bounced me back and
forth, so that basically I did not get a chance to learn the trade I
wanted to. I learned a little bit of it, but they bounced me back and
forth between landscaping, brick masonry, welding, culinary arts,
and their other training.

And for the schooling, the stuff they taught I already knew.
When I would tell the person who was teaching the class, "I al-
ready went through this, I already know about this; can I take a
test and go on and advance to another level?" she would say, "No.
You are going to stay right here at this level with the whole class."

Senator DeWeste. For some students, though, Mr. Freeman,
would you say that the teaching was appropriate? What I am try-
ing to get at is — ^you have described the culture of violence here
which is not conducive to learning — ^but we are trying to get a full
picture as well. For some of the students, was the teaching appro-
priate, that you could see?

Mr. Freeman. Yes.

Senator DeWine. So there was some learning going on there.

Mr. Freeman. Yes.

Senator DeWine. Ms. Wheeler?

Ms. Wheeler. Well, I was there for 10 days, and that was ori-
entation, and I just never observed any teaching going on. When
I toured the classes, I toured about five classes, but I never actu-
ally saw anyone teaching anyone anything. I mean, the printing
class that I toured, there were no students in the class, and the
teacher was just sitting there, doing nothing. And the clerical class
that I went into, they were throwing typewriters and fighting.

Senator DeWine. Literally, throwing typewriters?

Ms. Wheeler. Literally, throwing typewriters. That was the
class I was going to choose as my clerical class, and I walked in
there, and there were people bleeding — it was bad.

And then I toured tne electricians class, and that was insane; I
mean literally, it was insane. The teacher went back into the office
and took the three kids, myself and two others who were touring
the electrical class, took us back there and locked the door. They
were beating on the door, pounding, just pounding, and they were
not doing anything — ^they were not doing anything, nothing. It was
insane.

Senator DeWine. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Madam Chairman.

Senator Kassebaum. Thank you. Senator DeWine.

Senator Dodd?

Senator Dodd. First I would like to thank you, Madam Chair-
man, for holding these hearings, and let me also thank our wit-
nesses for coming today.

As someone vmo has chaired a lot of hearings over the years
where young people are asked to come and testify, I know it is al-
ways a difficult thing to do, and we certainly appreciate your pres-
ence here today.

Madam Chairman, I really do not have any questions for our wit-
nesses, but I would like to make a couple of comments if I could.
First of all, I would like to introduce in the record a letter we re-
ceived from George Foreman who is, as you know, a graduate of
a Job Corps center and feels very, very strongly about the Job
Corps experience and what it meant in his life.

To quote from his letter, he says, "I want to be known as in Job
Corps' comer as it was once in mine. Since 1968, when I went to
the Parks Job Corps Center in California to Mexico City, where I
won the Olympic Gold Medal, I have gone on record before all
kinds of audiences and in one congressional hearing about what a
youthful direction-changer it was for me. It was more than a skill
training experience. It showed me there were well-intentioned and
caring people, from the biggest American corporations to dedicated
individuals who were helpml, if there was a matching effort and
response from us youthful disadvantaged in quest of opportunities.
They provided first steps from the swamp we were in, and that
there was a way out and up in lives for which no hope was appar-
ent before."

"Job Corps has known both praise and criticism, winners and los-
ers. As one who was in it, knew it from the inside and the hope-
lessness of those to whom it reached out, I have always felt it at-
tacked a problem likely to be with us always, and until something
comes up that is a better way, it should be retained. To me, it was
indeed a friend in need. It is a sad moment in one's life when he
denies his roots or where he comes from, but I acknowledge that
whatever I have been and am today, the Job Corps was my start-
ing point. Treat it kindly."

Signed, George Foreman.

I will put that in the record.

[Letter from George Foreman may be found in the appendix.]

Senator Dodd. Madam Chairman, I just want to make a couple
of points. As I understand it, there are roughly about 100 of these
centers around the country, and I do not know how many people
are presently in the program. We have had testimony now from our
two lead-off witnesses totalling about 20 or 30 days of an experi-
ence there — and a dreadful and tragic one.

I would hope as we go through this process — and vou stated so
in your opening comments — ^there are, obviously, the dreadful anec-
dotal stories that can doom a program, and the only thing people
may know about this will be the testimony of a few witnesses who
have had a terrible experience. As I understand it, the McKinney
Center is now closed. It was shut down. You made that point ear-
lier, and I think that is worth noting. I do not know all the reasons
why it was shut down, but I suspect in part it was because of the
experiences that Ms. Wheeler has had, perhaps among others.

But I think it is important to note, as we look at the kinds of
people we are trying to deal with in our Job Corps programs after
3 decades, and some tremendous successes, that these are the
toughest, toughest situations that these young people are living in
in our country, age 16 to 24. They come from our roughest neigh-
borhoods and communities, under the most difficult circumstances.
All Job Corps students are economically disadvantaged. That is a
criterion for getting in. Approximately 40 percent are 16- to 17-
year-olds; 70 percent are members of minority groups; 50 percent
black, 14 percent Hispanic, 6 percent other minorities; 40 percent
are women; 80 percent are high school dropouts; 70 percent have
never held full-time jobs; 43 percent are from families on public as-
sistance. More than 4 out of 10 entering students read below the
4th grade level. That is 16- to 24-year olds.

I would point out that of those who complete the program — one-
third drop out in the first 90 days for a lot of reasons — but of those
who complete the program, 60 percent end up going on to higher
education and jobs and completing their high school equivalency.
So that as we look at this — and clearly, things need to be done to
improve security and performance — I hope we do not, as I am fear-
ful will happen here, destroy something that has meant a great
deal to an awful lot of people and can work better and work well.
And I did not hear either one of our witnesses say that if they were
sitting on this side of the table, they would vote to eliminate Job
Corps altogether across the country. They had bad experiences and
got out of the program.

Madam Chairman, I served in the Peace Corps in the 1960's
when the Job Corps and a lot of these programs came up. Peace
Corps volunteers came from by and large suburban, upper-income,
middle-class communities, and we went to work in Third World
countries. In a sense. Job Corps is just the reverse of that. What
we are looking at is a lot of children coming from neighborhoods
and communities that mirror the Third World countries that many
of us went to work in.

So I sincerely hope as we go through these 2 days of hearings
on this issue that we will not lose sight of the important value this
program has and will have.

We have all been victimized and seen in the past these programs
of an investigative report, and the eye of a little camera moving
around — ^it was hard to see in that program, and it was kind of a
sensational approach to it — and it can end up destroying something
that is just terribly important.

It costs somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000 a year to keep
a person in jail in Connecticut. It costs about $60,000 a year to
keep a young person in a residential treatment program. This is an
expensive program, and I hope we can reduce the cost, but we have
to start to work with these young people who are the toughest to
place.

And again, maybe there are better alternatives. As George Fore-
man said, maybe someone will come up with a better idea, and if
thev do, then let us consider it. But in the meantime, let us try to
make this program work. Let us get it on track. Let us come up
with some good ideas and suggestions on how to improve it.

So I am sure that of the thousands of people who have gone
through these programs and have completed the programs, some
have had tough experiences in them. It sounds in some ways not
unlike an urban high school in my State when I hear what is going
on from our two witnesses here, or college campuses in some ways.
Now, that is not an excuse, but nonetheless this is an endemic
problem we are facing today in our society. It is not, unfortunately,
focused just on Job Corps centers. Today, you can go into what
once were nice, polite, safe neighborhoods, and there is violence ev-
erywhere. That is an endemic problem we have got to try to do
something about, and I think this is a reflection of what is happen-
ing in some of these places.

So again I thank our witnesses for being here this morning and
look forward to the testimony of the coming panels. And again, I
sincerely hope we will really focus on how we can make this work
better.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

The Chairman. I thank you. Senator Dodd. I would just say, as
I said at the beginning and have said before, that the intent is to
make the program work better. When George Foreman was in the
program in 1969, it was a relatively new program with high ideals.
I think it is a real disservice to the young people who are in the
program today to not make sure that those same ideals and criteria
are maintained.

The inspector general at the Department of Labor since 1987 has
been raising concerns about the program that we here in Congress
have passed over and others have passed over, and that is why I
feel that sometimes it takes witnesses who bring the worst to light
in order to get our attention. Nobody was paying any attention to
the inspector general's report at the Department of Labor, and I
think in order to make sure that we are doing what we should do,
we have to view it in the context of trying to find some answers
to make it work better.

I value what you said, but I also want you to know that that is
the intent of these hearings.

Senator Dodd, I appreciate that. And you are right, when Greorge
Foreman was in the program in 1968, tne United States was a lot
different then as a country, too.

The Chairman. Senator Harkin?

Senator Harkin. Thank you. Madam Chair.

Again, I appreciate the witnesses coming this morning, and I
want to echo what the chairman of the committee said when she
said we want to make the Job Corps centers work better and find
out if there is anything we can do to help make them work better
and more effectively, more efficiently. I am all for that. So I appre-
ciate your coming this morning to tell your stories.

As I xmderstand, there are 111 centers in the United States. Ms.
Wheeler, you spent 10 days at McKinney. Have you ever been to
another Job Corps center?

Ms. Wheeler. No, I have not.

Senator Harkin. And Mr. Freeman, you spent 23 days at Wood-
stock. Have you ever been to another Job Corps center?

Mr. Freeman. No.

Senator Harkin. Well, I guess I would just echo what Senator
Dodd was saying. We have 111 centers, and they serve really some
of the toughest populations in the United States. These are some
pretty tough kids. And quite frankly, I am surprised there are not
more stories like this when you tnink of the population that is
being served and some of the environments that some of these
young people come out of. I am surprised there are not more.

But I think, quite frankly, that the vast majority of Job Corps
centers are doing an outstanding job in the United States.

We have one in Iowa, the Denison Job Corps Center. I have vis-
ited there many times, and I have never heard stories like this. I
am not saying that it has not happened; I would not have first-
hand knowledge of it. But the private businesses in the community
of Denison think it is probably one of the best things that ever hap-
pened to Denison, lA. And these are the Main Street business peo-
ple there. It has support from that community.

At first, when it moved in there, people were a little leery of it.
And Denison is a small community of maybe a few thousand peo-
ple, but I am telling you that the members of the private sector
there are the biggest supporters of the Job Corps center. And these
are kids who come fi'om all over the State, out of State. Again,
these are some pretty tough kids who come in there.

We just added a facility onto that Job Corps center where moth-
ers like you, Rhonda, who have young children — now, you probably
were not able to take your child to the Job Corps center, were
you

Ms. Wheeler. No.

Senator Harkin. At the Denison Job Corps Center in Iowa, a
young woman like you with a young child can be there with her
young child. There is a day care center there, there is a Head Start
center there, so that you can go to classes, and your child has great
day care, preschool, nutrition programs. They are all right there in
the Job Corps center.

There are not many like that in the United States. This was one
of the first centers that got such a system. But it tends to make
it a more family-oriented type of experience, rather than just single
people nmning around there; it makes it more family-oriented. And
with the Head Start center there, I thought, gee, we ought to have
more of those around the country, where we combine the young
people with their children, and a Head Start center right in the Job
Corps center itself I think it tends to take some of the hard edge
off of people.

So there are innovative things that we can do, I think, to change
the Job Corps centers to be able to reach out to people like you and
to make your experiences there a little bit more pleasant. And I
think if you could have had your child at a center like this, your
story here today would have been completely different, if you could
have been at Denison.

Ms. Wheeler. No, I do not think it would have. I am sornr.

Senator Harkes[. If you had been at Denison and could have
taken your child to the Denison Job Corps Center in Iowa and got-
ten training, you say your story would not have been any different
today?

Ms. Wheeler. No, no, that is not what I am saying. I am saying
that if I would have had my child with me

Senator Harkin. No. I said if you could have had an experience
at the Denison Job Corps Center in Denison, lA, where you could
have taken your child and lived with your child, and your child
could have gotlO day care training, and you could have gone to
classes and so on, and where there was no violence, I think your
story would have been different today.

^ls. Wheeler. It might be, it may nave been, yes.

Senator Harkin. That is what I am saying. So I guess this Job
Corps center has been shut down. I am not going to defend every
Job Corps center and every manager that runs one, but you cannot
paint all the Job Corps centers with a broad brush.

You have probably never been on a college campus, either, have
you?

Ms. Wheeler. No.

Senator Harkin. Have you ever been on a college campus, Mr.
Freeman?

Mr. Freeman. No.

Senator Harkin. Well, I am telling you, there is a lot of sex and
a lot of drugs going on on college campuses, whether it is Ohio
State or the University of Kansas or Connecticut or Iowa.

Senator DoDD. Be careful, now. We are number one in basket-
ball. [Laughter.]

Senator Harkin. But I am saying you cannot paint all of these
things with a broad brush stroke.

Madam Chair, I would like to submit for the record a letter from
the Reverend Wayne Hoehns, Des Moines, lA, in support of the Job
Corps center. He is a volunteer who works with Job Corps people
when they complete Job Corps and go on to get jobs.

He says, "I am proud to be one of the thousands of volunteers
all across America who are able to help many Job Corps completers
make successful transitions into our Nation's work force."

"I have observed that the finest training programs at Job Corps
centers are those which are in partnership with free enterprise cor-
porations. My conclusion is that we need to encourage more of this
kind of cooperative opportunity."

[Letter from Reverend Hoehns may be found in the appendix.]

Senator Harkin. Last summer was the 30th anniversary of Job
Corps. I was honored to be at one and to be honored for my support
for Job Corps at that time. I was not the only one — Senator Simon,
Congressman Williams, Congressman Hoyer, and Senator Dole
from Kansas were also honored.

I would like to include in the record a letter from Senator Robert
Dole, the now Majority Leader of the Senate, and I will just read
a couple paragrapns.

He says, "Well, first let me thank Rick Littinberger for an earlier
presentation of the award. I am very honored to receive the award.
We have a great Job Corps center in Manhattan, KA — Flint Hills
Job Corps Center. I was there for the dedication. I was there trying
to get it built. We had a lot of help from Republicans, Democrats,
and people in the area."

"It has been a great success story, as other Job Corps centers
have been across the coimtry. It gives young people opportunities

they never dreamed of and makes them successful workers. They
get back in the work force, do good things and are on the tax rolls
and payrolls all across America. And I mink this is one program,
Mr, Secretary, we ought to take a look at when we talk about ex-
pansion."

"I used to know the Secretary of Labor pretty well; I think her
name was Elizabeth Dole. And I talked about the Job Corps pro-
gram to her, and she was a very strong supporter of the Job Corps
program."

"I am sorry I cannot be here for the main program, but I thank
you very much for this outstanding award. It will be displayed
proudly in my office."

"Thank you." Signed, Senator Robert Dole.

Senator Harkin. So again, I do not doubt what you say at all.
I do not doubt that these incidents happened. To the extent that
thev do, we need to tighten down on them, and any suggestions
and advice that we can get on how we perhaps restructureTnow we
take care of these kinds of things, I am all for. We cannot let one
or two bad apples spoil the barrel.

Quite frankly, I think the vast majority of Job Corps centers in
the United States are doing a great job. So I think your testimony
here this morning will encourage us to take a look at how we might
revise, how we might streamline, how we might make them more
effective and able to do a better job.

And as I said, rather than holding up McKinney or Woodstock
as prime examples of Job Corps, Madam Chair, I would like to hold
up the Denison, LA Job Corps Center as the prime example of what
Job Corps can do.

Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you. Senator Harkin.

I would just like to point out, though, that McKinnev is not an
isolated incident. The Department of Labor itself has identified 25
centers as being ones with potential problems relating to the condi-
tions at the centers.

As I said earlier, we tried hard not to have a whole array of wit-
nesses here wanting to tell stories, because it is difficult not to re-
gard everybody tarred with the same brush, and that is not the in-
tent. But I would suggest to you that just because someone is eco-
nomically disadvantaged, we should not tolerate the levels of vio-
lence that are being tolerated. That is very unfair to those who are
wanting to seek job training and assistance at these centers. And
that was the purpose of this hearing.

Senator JL^kin. Madam Chair, I could not agree more with you
on that. You are right on point on that.

The Chairman. Thank you.

I thank Ms. Wheeler and Mr. Freeman very much. We appreciate
your testimony today.

It is a pleasure to welcome our second panel. I would like to in-
troduce Grerald Peterson, the former assistant inspector general for
audit at the Department of Labor. Randall Godinet is a former resi-
dential advisor at the Flint Hills Job Corps Center in Manhattan,
KA. He now works with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America in
San Diego. CA. Shirley Sakos was a licensed practical nurse at the
Edison Job Corps Center in Edison, NJ from 1992 to 1994. Ser-

geant Ron Stall worth has been a law enforcement officer for 20
years. He is a gang intelligence coordinator with the State of Utah
Department of Public Safety, Division of Investigation.

It is a great pleasure to welcome you. Let me first say that your
full statements will be made a part of the record, and if you could
hold your statements to around 5 minutes, it would be appreciated.
Thank you.

Mr. Peterson, we will begin with you.

STATEMENTS OF GERALD W. PETERSON, FORMER ASSISTANT
INSPECTOR GENERAL, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, WASH-
INGTON, DC; RANDALL GODINET, OCEANSIDE, CA; SHIRLEY
D. SAKOS, PISCATAWAY, NJ; AND RON STALLWORTH, DE-
PARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, SALT LAKE CITY, UT

Mr. Peterson. Thank you, Senator Kassebaum and members of
the committee.

As you have already mentioned, Job Corps is a very expensive
program. It costs taxpayers over $1 billion per year, and this trans-
lates to about $23,000 per year per participant.

Let me say at the outset that I am one of those people who be-
lieves very much that the Government needs to support a progn'am
similar to Job Corps. I also very much believe that the progfram
should be improved £md can be improved and made more effective
in helping participants to become more employable, responsible and
productive citizens.

In our reports, we have reported that over $100 million is wasted
annually; that is to say, there is no measurable gain for 15 percent
of total Job Corps funds. Only about 12 or 13 percent of the partici-
pants obtain jobs for which they were trained. That is the job
match category. Most of the information I am revealing today. Sen-
ator, is for program year ending 1990, which was the last year that
the inspector general audited the statistics for the Department of
Labor.

A full one-fourth of total Job Corps participants are lost in the
system, and I think this is very disturbing. Job Corps simply does
not know what happened to them. What we have said is that know-
ing what happens to students after leaving Job Corps is essential
before any evaluation of program effectiveness is possible.

One out of five of total Job Corps participants are not placed in
any jobs or returned to school or enter the armed forces.

Only 17 percent of total Job Corps funds actually go toward the
educational/vocational training piece. As you know, the residential
part of the program is a very expensive part of the program.

Classroom aosenteeism averages 33 percent in some centers and
as high as 50 percent in other centers. I believe the inspector gen-
eral, later on in the year, will have a more detailed report on mis,
but before I retired, we had developed a pilot which suggested a
very high rate of absenteeism at the centers that we visited.

The poor-performing centers consistently rank at the bottom, yet
they continue to be fmly funded despite the fact that they show lit-
tle or no improvement.

Also disturbing, I think, is that by Job Corps' own count, there
are approximately $400 million in unfunded renovations necessary

to make the current Job Corps centers a more desirable environ-
ment, more conducive to learning and intensive trsiining.

I think what is really troublesome about that is that at the time
when Job Corps had $400 million of unfunded renovations on their
books, they were trying to at the same time expand the program
considerably.

I believe that the program operations and performance need to
be carefully evaluated and corrective actions taken if the American
taxpayers are going to continue to support a program like Job
Corps.

I think more important than the statistics is ensuring that you
have a management that is intent on doing something about these
statistics. Most troublesome to me was that shortly after we briefed
you. Senator Kassebaum, the Secretary of Labor characterized the
data that we used in that briefing as isolated facts and misinter-
pretations of isolated facts. I think that is not the way to go about
evaluating this program and getting it fixed.

More troublesome than that, the current Job Corps director told
me that I was wasting his time when we conducted an exit con-
ference using this data and refused to even appear at future exist
conferences because he felt that this data was, I guess, not nec-
essary for his management of the Job Corps centers. I think that
type of approach to management of Job Corps assures you are
going to get into problems, have serious problems, and that you are
not going to solve them.

Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Peterson.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Peterson may be found in the ap-
pendix.]

The Chairman. Mr. Godinet?

Mr. Godinet. Good morning, Chairman Kassebaum and mem-
bers of the committee.

My name is Randall Godinet. I reside in Ocean side, CA, where

1 work as the executive director for the Ocean side Boys and Girls
Club. I have been involved in Boys and Girls Clubs since the early
1970's.

In January of 1992, I left my job with the Boys and Girls Club
to take a position as a residential advisor at the newly opened Flint
Hills Job Corps Center in Manhattan, KA. I was later promoted to
senior residential advisor. It was a position I occupied for the next

2 years, in which I received and completed a certified reviewer's
training, phase one, in Reno, NV.

I along with other staff was involved in the start-up of this Job
Corps center in Manhattan, managed by the Management Training
Corporation. I came to this position with high hopes that I would
be able to use my experience and education to improve the future
prospects of at-risk youth who look up to Job Corps as a real alter-
native to the dead ends to which their untrained lives are leading.

But my experience with this MTC facility showed me a cynical
reality far-removed from my lofty aspirations, one where little at-
tention was paid to the needs of these young kids and where selec-
tions and retentions were based upon the things which would best
contributed to the luster of MTC's image.

I left feeling that much of the funding designated for this vital
need was wasted through malfeasance and incompetence. With a
heavy and disillusioned heart, I returned to California smd re-
sumed my previous career as executive director.

Prior to opening Flint Hills Job Corps Center, the center director
stated at a meeting that we would be serving 250 students; a popu-
lation which would include men, women, and single-parent mothers
and their children. From the onset, the director stated that we,
staff, needed to be primarily concerned with the students' average
length of stay, or ALXDS, the completion rate of vocational trade,
and/oT GED, and the termination rate. He also stated that he
would not tolerate any violence on this campus, nor would he toler-
ate the students damaging the facilities. He also stated that he
would not hesitate to load all the students onto a bus if this was
called for by violations of the PRH, which is the policy regulation
handbook.

From the beginning, we had problems retaining students, and it
became more apparent that our student retention rate was deterio-
rating. To oflFset this, management staff became more creative in
manipulating the numbers. We increased our medical terminations
for students who were experiencing homesickness at the direction
of management, and instead of reporting how many students were
absent without leave, or AWOL, the center would report that they
were on unpaid administrative leave.

As time went on, the staff became concerned with the amount of
violence on the campus. Reports included a disproportionate num-
ber of students of color, altnough the same act of violence was ig-
nored when committed by a nonethnic counterpart. When the stu-
dents would report "blanket parties," beating up a kid at night in
his room by throwing a blanket over his head and physically abus-
ing him, the center standards officer, or CSO, would disregard this
since it meant that a sizable number of students could be termi-
nated for their participation, at a time which would impact finan-
cially on the center's income.

When students would go out during the evening and on weekend
trips, they would often come back under the influence of alcohol
and/or drugs; also, with these substances on their person or in
their belongings, we were not allowed to search their rooms or
their person. However, we were allowed to search their suitcases
or bags. If a substance was found, very rarely did we involve our
local law enforcement, although a close relationship had already
been established with the chief of police and the county attorney,
both of whom served on the center's board.

When a student would report that he or she had been victimized
by a gang in the center, the victim's safety was not a priority.
Often, the solution to this problem would be that the victim would
be medically terminated or transferred to another center, leaving
the gang element intact. If a student did not complete his or her
vocational and/or GED, the center would still take credit for the
student as if he or she was able to find employment, even at a fast
food restaurant or local McDonald's, where ne could have found
work without the Job Corps program.

Another concern at this center was an increasing amount of sex-
ual activity, both student/student find student'staff If a student or

staff was held in high regard, nothing was done. If it involved stu-
dent-to-staif, depending on the member of staff and their position
at the center, the complaint might be disregarded, or the staff was
terminated, and the student was transferred to another center.

I realize that these allegations are serious, and some may ques-
tion why they were not presented to the Department of Labor in
a timely manner. My explanation is that from the beginning, the
regional office of the Department of Labor collaborated with the di-
rector of the Flint Hills Job Corps Center, and they would inter-
cede on behalf of MTC because of their strong personal ties, both
with MTC management. Therefore, it would he difficult to ask the
Department of Labor to investigate the allegations. My expectation
of the outcome would have been that the investigation would have
been conducted with little honesty and, at best, would have been
futile.

It is reasonable to believe that MTC has deliberately misrepre-
sented Job Corps and has failed to provide an environment that is
conducive to young adults in achieving a vocational degree so that
they might become productive members of society.

I do nave a recommendation. I would suggest that a neutral
party join the group that oversees the semiannual review that is
done twice a year, one by the Department of Labor and the other
by the corporate office. This will obviate the tendency of Depart-
ment of Labor personnel to act in collusion with MTC staff to turn
away from problem areas requiring immediate attention. It is of
primary importance that Job Corps staff, like all members of the
organizations that were designed to offer service to youth, remem-
ber that their primary function is to serve the best interests of the
youth who look to them for support.

Thank you very much.

The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Godinet.

Ms. Sakos?

Ms. Sakos. Chairman Kassebaum, members of the committee,
my name is Shirley Sakos, and I reside in Piscataway, NJ. I would
also like to say that I live half a block away from a Job Corps cen-
ter.

I was employed as a staff licensed practical nurse by ITT Federal
Services at Edison Job Corps Center in Edison, NJ from March
1992 to September 1994. I was acting health services manager
from March 1993 to May 1993.

From the onset of my employment, I became aware of the impor-
tance of maintaining the OBS, or onboard strength, of the students.
And at our center, which was the first Job Corps center to be con-
tracted in 1965, our center OBS is about 524 students.

There were many times when students were on an unauthorized
leave of absence from center, otherwise referred to as AWOL sta-
tus. When the students returned, some would claim that they had
been ill. I was requested by the center director to write a LETT
form, which is a leave extension, termination or transfer form,
which would then void out their AWOL status. This was not a pol-
icy approved by the policy requirement handbook or the TAG, tech-
nical assistance guidelines, but one rather developed by the admin-
istration to prevent terminations of students and thus maintain the
onboard strength.

I would liken this to if I had a job, and I was awav from work
for a week; I did not call in, I did not bring back a doctor's note,
but I showed up and said, "I was ill, so cover me."

There would be daily meetings in the center director's office to
review problem students. There was one recommendation among
many I recall when a student had been continually disruptive in
classes, exhibiting violent behavior and general noncompliance
with the program, including failure to participate in the drug pro-
gram. He was recommended for termination by the staff ana also
the mental health consultant, who was a Ph.D. We were overruled
by the center director, who thought the student should not be ter-
minated due to the already low OBS. And I refer to this as "manag-
ing by the numbers."

Because disruptive students were kept in the program who
should have otherwise been terminated, violence in the center was
allowed to proliferate. I observed personally on a daily basis that
not only were injuries sustained from fights on center, but often
self-inflicted wounds from emotionally disturbed students. Many of
these incidents involved drug or alcohol abuse.

When anybody would come with an injury, we would do drug
tests, because sometimes they were referred to us as suspicious.

Students were often very disruptive while in the dispensary.
Loud, foul, abusive language and disrespect toward the staff were
common occurrences, with often threatening remarks or gestures.
When students thought they were waiting too long for care, they
would often throw chairs about the waiting room to get attention.
Having to take time out to call security officers and write these
students up denied time that should have been spent caring for the
other students who truly needed medical attention.

Not only did the violence affect the staff, but also students who
were at Job Corps to take advantage of the program. One evening
I was called to the center for an emergency. When I arrived at the
center, I was informed by security that there had been a fight at
the center between two gangs. The police had come to center, and
everything was now calm, but there was a female student in the
dorm who was hysterical.

When I arrived at the dorm, the female student was in a State
of hysteria, afraid she may get hurt. After reassurance and emo-
tional support was given, she felt secure enough to leave the dorm
to go to the dispensary for further treatment. I suggested that the
counselor speak to her and the other members of the dorm, since
everyone appeared to be frightened by the incident.

There was also the issue of sexual assaults at the center. As a
member of the sexual assault response team, I was called to the
center one night when a student claimed that she had been raped
and wished to press charges. I instructed security to call the police.
The following day, the ^oup life manager called me to express that
I had mishandled the incident by calling the police. There was an
atmosphere that whenever possible, incidents should be handled
internally and not involve the local police department.

Students come to Job Corps to leave drug abuse and violence in
their communities only to find the same conditions exist at the Job
Corps centers. I believe there has to be a more viable alternative
than to allow the drug abuse and violence to continue at Job Corps

centers. Students who are serious about job training should have
that opportunity to do so, in a drug-free and safe environment.

I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to share
my experience at Job Corps, and also for allowing me to take part
in the process of government.

Since writing my statement, I became aware that the last utiliza-
tion report reflects that approximately one-third of our students at
the Edison Job Corps Center are taking some kind of drugs, mostly
marijuana. When you asked about alternatives and how we can
correct this problem, sometimes I think that when students come
in, a boot camp type atmosphere for students who are positive and
could be separated from the rest of the students and oe active in
a very good drug treatment program, so that those issues could be
addressed before thev start in the educational setting.

I was shocked to near about the murder; I did not know about
that until I came here today.

I would like to share two incidents that happened. Back in 1987,
a lady was murdered across the street from the Job Corps center
by a Job Corps students, and he was responsible for no less than
13 burglaries in my neighborhood.

Also, several years ago, some students stole a car; they happened
to be cut off in front of my house, drove over my front lawn, took
down my mailbox and a telephone pole. So I can attest first-hand
that there is violence, and my concern is that it is starting to pro-
liferate. When the Job Corps were first started, I do not think
these problems existed, and I appreciate the committee having
oversight hearings so we can deal with these issues.

Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you very much, Ms. Sakos.

Sergeant Stallworth?

Sergeant Stallworth. Madam Chairman, distinguished mem-
bers of the committee, I want to thank you for the opportunity to
testify at this hearing on Job Corps.

I want to say at the outset that I am a supporter of the program.
Such endeavors are vital to ensuring that some of the have-nots in
society are presented with the means to elevate themselves into the
realm of the haves, and in the process become productive contribu-
tors to the betterment of the Nation.

Before proceeding any further, you should first know a little
about me. I am Sergeant Ron Stallworth, a 20-year veteran of law
enforcement and currently the gang intelligence coordinator for the
Utah Division of Investigation. It was my concepts for addressing
the emergence of the gang culture in UtaJi which ultimately led to
the creation of the federally-funded Salt Lake Area Gang Project.

I was among the first law enforcement officers to explore the cor-
relation between gangster rap music and gang culture and have
lectured nationally on this subject since 1992. Last year I pre-
sented testimony on that subject to the Senate Judiciary Sub-
committee on Juvenile Justice.

In 1989, the Utah law enforcement community began responding
to the rise in criminal street gang activity. We quickly determined
that a major reason for this was due to the influence of imported
gang members by the privately managed Management and Train-
ing Corporation and Job Corps Center m Clearfield, UT. We sought

information from Job Corps officials there as to the gang presence
on the center which bled over into our communities. Our request
was met with a brick wall of defiant excuses contrary to the truth.

We questioned whether or not Job Corps officials had an obliga-
tion to the communities negatively impacted by their program. We
questioned whether they had a moral and ethical obligation to do
everything within their means to alleviate the impact of the burden
placed on Utah taxpayers bv some of their student gang members.
To us, the answer was clearly yes.

Clearfield officials have always assumed a defensive posture
whenever the negative aspects of their program are raised by law
enforcement. They promote a polished image to sell themselves to
the community. I have learned over the years that when this image
is challenged, when any negatives of the program are brought
under microscopic scrutiny. Job Corps officials adopt what I call a
siege-like, "us versus them" mentality, and they circle their wagons
to try to defuse and redirect the focus of attention from the issue
in question.

Their most egregious effort to protect that image involves coer-
cive threats and intimidation. I have twice been on the receiving
end of such tactics by Clearfield officials. Their compromising of
public safety efforts to me and to some of my colleagues in Utah
law enforcement is at the height of defiant arrogance. Such an atti-
tude to us is, at the very least, irritating and, at the very worst,
contemptuous of all proper and appropriate ethical behavior.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am not the enemy of the Clearfield Job
Corps program, as some of those officials have asserted over the
years. I whole-heartedly endorse the intent of the Job Corps pro-
gram. I do, however, think that under the private management sys-
tem, the private contractor system, as experienced in my State, it
has become a Frankenstein monster which is rampant and out of
control. To me, it needs to be brought back into focus and made ac-
countable to the needs and concerns of the citizens whose tax dol-
lars support its existence and whose lives are negatively impacted
by the imported criminal element.

Toward this end, I would suggest that the following questions be
deliberated on during this nearing. First, is the private contractor
system the best resources to administer the Federal funds in pur-
suit of the Job Corps mission?

No. 2, should a comprehensive investigation into the administra-
tion of Job Corps' funding be initiated by an appropriate Federal
law enforcement agency?

No. 3, is the money used to maintain the program receiving ade-
quate return on its investment? Is the program having a positive
effect on the vast number of its participants, or are the statistics
reflecting a financial boondoggle that could be better used in a dif-
ferent format?

No. 4, is there some Federal guideline that prohibits private con-
tractors from cooperating with law enforcement officials? If so,
should that guideline be reevaluated?

No. 5, if a social disease such as gangs is imported into
unsuspecting communities as a result of a benevolent social im-
provement program by the Federal Government, should the Gov-
ernment then have an obligation to assist those communities in

funding to address the backlash of having to respond to the nega-
tive impact of that program?

In closing, I Feel that we must look at the current State of Amer-
ica and the impact of its youth on the affairs which threaten to tear
apart our society. We must ask what effect will todays youth, gov-
erned by the ethics of gang culture, have on the structure of tomor-
row's society if left unchecked, without a Job Corps or similar type
of program to address certain needs. To me, the outlook is frighten-
ing.

As a Nation, we are held hostage by the grip of gang culture on
the hearts and minds of our young. In the Salt Lake City metro-
politan area, that grip, ladies and gentleman, has seized the hearts
and minds of children as young as 6 years of age. We must stop
the death grip of gangs. Quarantining such a social bacteria by
keeping it confined to the inner cities rrom which it has tradition-
ally nestled will forever be doomed to failure. We must seek to con-
trol this problem in part through the positive benefits of programs
such as Job Corps.

To me, ladies and gentlemen, the youth of America represent our
future. We must seize control now to ensure that the future for
them is a bountiful one. Well-managed social programs can go a
long way toward ensuring that that future shines brightly for gen-
erations to come.

I would like to thank you, and I would also like to offer as part
of my testimony a partial list of crimes involving Job Corps stu-
dents at the Clearfield facility that have warranted police response
over the years, and also a copy of a report I prepared in 1993 for
the Governor of Utah's Summit on Gang Violence, in which the
first 15 pages are devoted to elements of the Job Corps problems
we have experienced in the State of Utah.

Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you very much.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Stallworth may be found in the
appendix.]

The Chairman. Thank you all very much. This has been a very
impressive panel. I will tell you why I am so impressed, and that
is because all four of you are dedicated and caring people who want
to see a program such as Job Corps succeed. You believe there is
a need for a program like this, and yet your testimony indicates
that there are some enormous problems that are keeping it from
succeeding in one way or another.

I go back again to how often questions have been raised, either
through the inspectors general reports over the years and/or your-
selves, as you have reported to the management and have just met
with a blank wall in being able to carry through su^estions or
even acknowledgement of problems that exist. Ana Sergeant
Stallworth, from your experience, you are certainly well-positioned
to understand the difficulties that are there.

I just think all four of you have given us some very, very impor-
tant testimony. I guess I would like to ask all of you a question in
general, because you have all mentioned that corrective action is
necessary.

Sergeant Stallworth, you mentioned a different format perhaps
would be necessary as one of your points, if I am correct. Have you

given thought — and some ideas have come forward already — to
whether it is a training purpose, or is it a correctional purpose or
a boot camp-tvpe environment? What format do you, witn your ex-
perience, think we should be looking at?

Sergeant Stallworth. Really, that is an interesting question.
We have two Job Corps programs in the State of Utah. One is man-
aged by the Management and Training Corporation out of Ogden,
OT, which is the Clearfield Center, and then we have one that is
managed by the Department of Labor, the Weber Basin Job Corps.

Wehave virtually no problems at the Weber Basin Job Corps. All
of our problems, from a criminal and especially a gang standpoint,
reside and exist on the Clearfield facility.

My biggest complaint with this program is that I have always
been a supporter of it, and all I have ever asked from the stand-
point of doing my job and doing it effectively for my bosses is co-
operation when the need arises.

For example, if my public safety commissioner or the Governor
of Utah asked me the nature of tne gang problem in the State of
Utah, I could only give them estimates, because I do not know
what exists on the Clearfield facility, because they will not give me
the information. If you look at the report that I will submit, my
"Gangs in Utah" report, I did an informal survey to try to get that
information when the Job Corps in Clearfield would not give it to
me, and my survey was basically every time we contacted the
Clearfield Job Corps kids, which was every night, I would ask them
what gangs exist on that facility, what are the numbers, give me
some estimates. And over a period of time in 1989, all of these
numbers were the same — about 300 gang members at that time,
Crips and Bloods, about 29 Crip gangs, 21 Blood gangs, 7 Hispanic
gangs out of Los Angeles, and the two major gang mctions in the
Midwest, from Senator Simon's State, the Vice Lords and the Black
Gangster Disciples.

Now, that is in an informal survey. I have tried to get firm sta-
tistics fi-om them, and they refuse to give me anything. All I ask
is for numbers so that I can do my job. When we contact these kids
on the street, and they tell us about their gang involvement, I call
back to the center or have called back and ask for follow-up on
some of this information, and the response I always got was, "We
don't have gang members out here. We have wannabes." I ad-
dressed that issue in my "Gangs in Utah" report also.

So clearly, I think the program is needed. I think that this pri-
vate contractor system needs to be seriously reevaluated; why do
I have these problems at the Clearfield facility, but not at the
Weber Basin facility? Is there a management issue here? I do not
know, but I think something needs to be done to rectify these prob-
lems because it impacts what people such as myself have to do in
terms of public safety efforts.

The Chairman. Mr. Peterson, from your standpoint of audits
through the years, do you think there is a problem with private
contracting? Is that it, or is it something much different?

Mr. Peterson. I am not sure if there is a problem with private
contracting. I think maybe there is more of a problem with large
versus small. My memory of Clearfield and Weber Basin is that
Weber Basin is a very, very small center as opposed to Clearfield,

with a veiy large population much of which was imported from
New York City and major metropolitan areas.

Sergeant Stallworth. The population at Clearfield is primarily
fi'om south-central Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, St. Louis, Kan-
sas City.

Mr. PETERSON. Yes. So there are very different types of people
at the two centers and very different in terms of the size of those
two centers.

I do have some thoughts on what Job Corps should be doing and
what they should not he doing. Certainly, Madam Chairman, there
should be no thought of expanding and opening new centers while
Job Corps has $400 million of unfinanced, unftinded maintenance
building up. Many of these centers are in very bad shape, and we
certainly should take a look at what we have — maybe close some
of those centers because they may not be economical to run any-
more—but certainly we should not be opening new centers while
we are carrying these older centers with a heavy unfunded mainte-
nance problem.

I think the next thing is that management needs to look and get
back to the roots of this program. If you look at why we had a resi-
dential training program, it was because many of these young peo-
ple were coming from very disruptive environments, and this resi-
dential program was about changing the environment.

Well, what you have heard today is young people sitting here
saying that the change is from a decent environment to a disrup-
tive environment. Certainly if we are going to justify a residential
program, priority one has to be that you change the environment,
that the environment is a safe environment, that the environment
is conducive to learning. That is essentially what the program was
all about, but I am afraid we got away from that. I think we got
management that was too much interested in building the size of
their program. Down at the Department of the Labor, you often-
times heard the thrust of getting it to the billion dollar level, in-
stead of the concentration on the kids and on a safe place for young
folks to be trained and educated.

So I think if we did those two things, if we went back and picked
up that unfunded maintenance and got it cleaned up — either closed
or cleaned up — and we had a greater concentration on making sure
that the young people coming into this program came into a place
where the environment could in fact be adjusted, could be made
safe, then I think Job Corps may be on the right course to satisfy
this potential. But until those thmgs are done, I think there is very
little hope.

The Chairman. I have some further questions that I would like
to ask Ms. Sakos and Mr. Godinet, but my time is up for right now.

Senator Simon?

Senator Simon. Thank you very much.

Let me say that I start with some prejudice — I think the Job
Corps program is a great program. I also agree with what you say
in that it needs improvement. And I think. Sergeant Stallworth,
your opening statement was just precisely right. It is a good pro-
gram, but it does need improvement.

And I would add — and I have visited a couple of Job Corps cen-
ters— that we have to remember we are not dealing with the Sun-

day school class of the First Presbyterian Church in Topeka or the
First Baptist Church of Cleveland or Our Savior Lutheran Church
in Carbondale, IL, The average student is an 18-year-old dropout,
reading at a 7th-grade level, is from a disruptive home life, and has
never held a fiill-time job.

You mentioned, Mr. Peterson, the $23,000 cost, and that is a
high figure, but we also have to look at what it costs to put some-
body in prison, and you are talking about a very similar annual
cost and not doing, frankly, the constructive things that need to be
done.

Mr. Peterson, in your written remarks, you say "the last Senate
oversight hearing on Job Corps took place in February 1984." Just
for your information, we had one in October of last year. And I
commend the chair of this committee for holding this hearing
today.

Charles Masten, the inspector general for the Department of
Labor, had these comments in testimony in October: "In its 30-year
history, the program has enjoyed a great deal of success. However,
as is always the case for programs of this size and magnitude,
there is room for improvement." And then he adds, "In most cases,
management has addressed our recommendations for changes and
taken necessary corrective action."

My impression, Mr. Peterson, is that you hit right on part of the
problem in small versus large. When we try to deal with too many
people in a Job Corps center, I think then we have problems. I
think that is one of the things that we should learn in the process
of all of this.

The second thing, you mentioned. Sergeant Stall worth, and that
is the private contracting system. I am not opposed to it, but I
think we have to be very careful, and when people do not perform,
they do not get any more contracts, period.

One of the problems — and I have helped to create it, and I hate
to say it, my colleagues may have even helped to create it — ^is that
we try to keep down the number of Federal employees, so the De-
partment of Labor and every other department try to figure out
how can we get the job done and not have so many Federal employ-
ees— so we contract out, when sometimes that is not the wise thing
to do, as you have pointed out.

I would like to enter into the record a letter from Mike Monroe,
the international president of the painters* union, which is very
supportive of this program, as are, I would add, the homebuilders.

[Letter from Mr. Monroe may be found in the appendix.]

Senator Simon. Ms. Sakos, you mentioned the drug problem, and
I guess all of our problems are interrelated, but our failure to pro-
vide drug treatment for people when they need it is just a tragedy
in our society.

The Chicago Sun Times had a story the other day stating that
90 percent of the people who come in and say, "I want drug treat-
ment" cannot get it; they are told to get on a waiting list.

I visited the Cook County jail. There are 9,000 people in the jail,
and in this kind of dormitory, minimum security area, there were
about 45 people. And in going around visiting, one of the prisoners
told me, "I would like to get into drug treatment." I turned to the

assistant warden and asked, "Why can't he get into drug treat-
ment?" He said, "Well, we have 120 places for 9,000 prisoners."

I turned to the other people there and I asked, "How many of you
would like to get into drug treatment?" and probably 25 raised
their hands.

Your point that we have to move on this I think is very impor-
tant, and the gang problem. I know I am digressing from the sub-
ject here, but oecause you have so much experience in this gang
issue. Sergeant, if all oi a sudden, you were a member of the U.S.
Senate, and you could do anything you wanted to do to deal with
the gang problem, what would you be doing?

Sergeant Stallworth. That is a dangerous question to ask me.
Senator. For one thing, I do not believe in giving up on these kids.
I believe very strongly in this generation. The vast majority of
these kids who are involved in gangs and causing the problems
which are epidemic in this country are really good kids. They are
confused kids. They are at a stage in their lives where they are re-
volting against something, and in many cases, they do not know
what they are revolting against.

I liken it to the time when I was growing up in the 1970's, and
we had the Vietnam War, we had all the protests that were going
on and so on. But we had something we could attach ourselves to,
and when we went through that rebellious stage, we latched onto
it, and whether we were right or wrong was not the issue; it was
an issue for us, and we latched onto it. Kids today do not have
that, and a lot of these kids, especially in my State, are looking for
something to revolt against, there is nothing, and this gang issue
is the big thing. They latch onto it, and they do not know what
they are getting themselves into, and if we do not act quickly, we
will lose them; mey literally get lost.

When we talk about the problem out there, we are looking at
probably 3 percent of this generation that is involved in this, that
is causing the problem, and in my State, commit about 50 percent
of the crimes.

So I do not believe any of us should give up on these kids. They
are good kids. They need a lot of help. Programs such as Job Corps
can nelp in that respect if they are managed properly. I think we
need to look at some other things, such as alternative programs,
alternative education programs, for a lot of these kids. A lot of this
generation is not cut out for college, so we should not try to force
them in that direction when they probably want to get involved in
a good, well-paying job, raise a family, and move on with their
lives. There is a lot of variety. If you ask 10 different people who
have worked on gangs, you will get 10 different answers on how
to respond to this issue.

Senator Simon. I thank you.

Madam Chairman, I would just note in the back of the room,
Sarge Shriver, who played a leading role in not only Job Corps, but
a lot of other good causes. We are pleased and honored to have
Sarge Shriver here in the audience today.

The Chairman. Come on up and take a seat. It is a pleasure to
welcome Mr. Shriver. He has been a long-time supporter and activ-
ist and initiator of many of these efforts that have been so impor-
tant.

Senator SiMON. Absolutely,

The Chairman. Welcome.

Mr. Shriver. Thank you.

The Chairman. Senator DeWine?

Senator DeWine. Madam Chairman, thank you.

Let me thank the members of the panel for their testimony this
morning.

Mr. Peterson, let me start vsdth you. I want to follow up on a line
of questioning that Senator Simon was exploring a moment ago.
My questions to you are just so I can better understand where you
are coming from and what your philosophy is and really, what your
testimony is.

I do not think there is any doubt that any time you have a resi-
dential facility, it is going to be, by most people's standards,
shockingly hign.

For example, in the prison system in the State of Ohio, we think
we do it cheaper than just about any State in the Union, and it
still costs us on average $11,500 per inmate per year. That is a lot
of money. Residential facilities for young children, troubled chil-
dren, teenage children, run anywhere between $30,000 to $60,000
or even $70,000 a year in my experience. So I think you would
agree that residential by definition is going to be expensive.

I would ask you what your opinion is in regard to one of the
basic premises of Job Corps, which is that it should be residential,
that it is moving people from one environment into another envi-
ronment. Is that as correct a premise today as we thought it was
in this country 30 years ago?

Mr. Peterson. I suspect that the premise is still correct. Unfor-
tunately, many of the centers, or a number of the centers, do not
do a very good job of adjusting to that environment. So that while
some of the centers are doing an excellent job of providing a safe
environment, an environment which is conducive to learning, a
number of other centers — I can think of 20 or 30 of them — do not
do a good job and are below the average in virtually every category
of measurable benefits.

Senator DeWine. And I think that is pretty clear from your testi-
mony and some other information that we have received. But just
to summarize, you would not change the basic concept — ^you do not
like how many of them are working out, but you do not have any
problem with the basic concept. It is going to be expensive; we are
targeting a very difficult group in the sense that they have been
deprived that most of us have had during our lifetimes, and so
going into it, we know it is going to be expensive.

Mr. Peterson. I think. Senator, that we should expect it to be
expensive, but we should also expect it to be a safe environment
and one in which they can learn.

Senator DeWine. I appreciate that and certainly agree with that.

Let me look at one of the figure that has been quoted and that
you spoke about this morning. I believe you said that 13 percent
of the people in Job Corps found jobs that matched their vocational
skills. What is the significance of that statistic — and let me just ex-
plore that with you a moment, and then I would like you to re-
spond to that.

That assumes that there is a higher level that found other jobs
that did not fall within the category of matching their vocational
skills. And is the basic premise that these individuals who found
these other jobs who do not fall within that could have found the
jobs anyway, even though they were not involved in Job Corps?

Mr. Peterson. Well, we know that a certain percentage of yoimg
folks are going to get jobs with or without intervention on the part
of Job Corps. What Job Corps seems to be is an established envi-
ronment in which a young person can get vocational training or
educational training and then qualify for a specific job. That is not
the only rating factor, certainly for Job Corps, but if you rate Job
Corps just based on how effective they are at getting young folks
jobs in the vocation being trained, they are not terribly effective —
onlv about 12 percent.

Senator DeWine. Let me explore that further with you, then. Is
it possible that Job Corps is also teaching work habits and is also
teaching other things that might not directly show up? In other
words, let us take another example. Let us take a child of mine
who might have an English degree from college. That child may not
go on to teach English. That cnild may use that English degree to
get something else. Maybe some of the discipline that was learned
in college somehow translates into getting a job that is, ostensibly
at least, totally unrelated to what the specific degree is.

What I am trving to explore with you is what are the correct cri-
teria that we should use to judge the success rate of Job Corps —
and I understand what you are saying about the 13 percent, but
what I am trying to understand is do we give them credit for any-
thing beyond that.

Mr. Peterson. Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And certainly, as you
point out, there is much to learn in some of these centers tnat
stays with a kid perhaps his or her whole life and may be more
important than the vocational training. But we do think that the
matched employment should be part of the criteria, that if in fact
we are going to afford this vocational training, then we ought to
be measuring how effective that training is. And unfortunately, it
is not as effective as one might think, particularly given the discus-
sions that go on about the need for developing skill training. You
know, we keep hearing that there are lots of jobs out there if the
young folks just had the skills. Well, Job Corps seems to shoot that
in the foot because it does not appear that we are able to get that
training across in that environment in such a way as to make that
person employable.

Senator DeWene. My time is up. I do have some additional ques-
tions, and I hope we have a second round. Madam Chairman.

If I could, though, let me just finalize this by saying that I think
one of the things this committee has to look at is what are the cri-
teria that we should use for a program that costs over $1 billion
a year, that is targeted at young people who are going to have a
very, very difficult time, wnere the success rate percentage-wise
may not be as high as we would expect if the criteria for entering
Job Corps were different, and how in fact do we judge this in the
future. I think one of the things that we should insist on from the
Department is that the longitudinal studies be in place and that
we truly measure not just the process, but also the results. And

with you, Mr. Peterson, I was trying to explore what those results
should be and how we should actually measure them.

Mr. Peterson. I think if you looked at all the statistics, probably
the one that correlates most closely with a person being successful,
both in terms of getting the job and the wages received, is probably
length of stay — in other words, how long a person stays at the cen-
ter. If we could keep that person in the center for a full year, for
instance, the opportunity and the chance that that person is going
to get a job in fiie field trained goes up significantly, and the wages
that that young person is going to get upon graduation goes up sig-
nificantly. But we have got to get back to finding out how to keep
them there. You certainly cannot keep them in the center, listening
to the first panel today, when the kids do not consider themselves
safe and so on.

So I think we need to concentrate on the environment and then
get some decent standards. For instance, there is no standard on
classroom attendance. In a program like this, you would guess that
there would be some kind of a standard that says you need to go
to class. There is no standard. So that when we went out and took
a look at the centers, we were finding an absentee rate of 33 per-
cent and up. The kids just are not there.

So I agree with you that we need to agree upon some meaningful
criteria and then hold Job Corps management responsible for re-
porting on a timely basis, and I think active oversight on the part
of this committee will do a great deal.

Senator DeWine. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. Senator Well stone?

Senator Wellstone. Thank you. Madam Chair.

Since I was not able to hear the testimony, and I know you have
one more panel, I have just one very brief question — and I thank
each of you for being here.

Regarding the statistic about 12 percent placed in trades, my un-
derstanding is that the Department of Labor, looking at the first
6 months of program year 1994, found that 25.7 percent of all par-
ticipants had been placed in jobs in which they were trained, and
of all the students placed into jobs, 41 percent are job training
matches.

I do not want this to become just a battle of statistics, but I just
wonder whether the panelists might want to respond to that, just
so we can know which data we are working with.

Mr. Peterson. Well, if that figure is correct, it is an enormous
step in the right direction. I must say that I come from a back-
ground that would question that a bit, and I would wait until you
get an audited figure before you conclude that the statistic is cor-
rect as presented.

Senator Wellstone. I think that is fair enough, Mr. Peterson.
I just want to point out that some of the information is from the
1990 report, and that was 1990

Mr. Peterson. Yes, that is correct.

Senator Wellstone [continuing]. And there is some other data
that I think is important, and we can all look at it and see whether
we think it is rigorous. But I just wanted to get that out as part
of the record.

Mr. Peterson. The reason why I was using 1990 data is because
that was the last audited data.

Senator Wellstone. I understand.

Madam Chair, first of all, I would like to thank you for this hear-
ing. I am really looking forward to the next panel — Karen Ander-
son is here fi^om Minnesota — so I will just wait.

I do want to make the point that I know others have made as
well, and that I think Karen Anderson can speak about with more
eloquence and more personal experience than I ever could, which
is that for whatever problems there are — and one of the things I
appreciate about what you are trying to do is the rigor of your ap-
proach— for whatever problems there are that we have to deal
with, for whatever accountability — more accountability has to be
built into the system — this program also has some startling success
stories, has an extremely important mission, and sends a very im-
portant message to some yoimg people in this country who live
amidst some pretty brutal and pretty awful conditions. And I would
like to focus, of course, on the success of it, so that we can really
build on that and make sure that we do not move away from what
I think is a terribly important mission to Job Corps.

I just wanted to get that on the record, and I think that is the
spirit in which we will work together.

Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you.

I would like ask another question, because I did not get a chance
to hear either Ms. Sakos or Mr. Grodinet respond. What corrective
action do you think would be important? I think, building on what
Senator DeWine and others were asking, it again goes to the pur-
pose of the Job Corps program and what should it be for us in the
next decade. And all four of you are supportive and feel a need
there, but what do we need to do to answer that need? Both of you
have worked in Job Corps centers, are dedicated to seeing it
achieve what we want it to achieve, so I would like to hear both
of you suggest some corrective action that you think would be use-
ful.

Ms. Sakos?

Ms. Sakos. While I was at the Job Corps center, I was also a vol-
unteer in women and community service, which is a program fund-
ed by the Department of Labor for the women at the Job Corps
center. I think these programs are very good for the young women
who come into the progframs, but the main thing that I see is the
drug problem on the center, and I think this leads to some of the
violence.

Before we expand the program, I think we need to look at alter-
native methods. This week in the news was very interesting. We
had the Bill Moyers report; I saw another program on teenage
pregnancy. And one of the problems I saw at our Job Corps was
lack of adequate staffing. When I would go into one of the dor-
mitory, there would be maybe 100 girls in the dormitory and only
two residential advisors for the primary shift, 4 p.m. to 12 p.m.,
and maybe only one at night. This is totally inadequate.

And I think there should be better educated staff to deal with
these problems. When you have one psychologist, one center mental

health consultant for 524 students, I think that is inadequate as
well.

So I think before we go ahead and expand the program, we
should look at the staffing, the training of the staff, and whether
we should have a separate drug treatment program before the edu-
cation program starts for those students who come in and are posi-
tive for drugs.

The Chairman. Let me just ask you — I thought there was a drug
treatment program in place for students.

Ms. Sakos. We have one drug treatment counselor and one cer-
tified alcohol counselor for the whole center, and then we have a
part-time, subcontracted drug counselor, 20 hours a week. To me,
that is inadequate, especially when you have the CAC, who has to
test all these urines. You are testing maybe 500 urines a month
doing drug screening. There should be somebody separate just to
do that. The staffing is just totally inadequate to deal with the pro-
gram.

The Chairman. And then, too, there is no real enforcement for
students who continue to use drugs, so you have got an unbalanced
sort of approach there, it seems.

Ms. Sakos. And also, I found when I was the health service man-
ager, and I went into the managers' meeting in New York for Re-
gion 2, they were just totally unaware of the reality of the situa-
tion. The regional director got up, and the first thing he said to me
was, "My main priority this year is to stop smoking on centers." I
just could not believe that this was his main priority when we had
all of these other drug problems, teenage pregnancies. In the mas-
ter plan at the Edison Job Corps Center, they talk about opening
a day care center, bringing women who have children to live on
center. Before we even address that, we should address the drug
problems. Are we going to bring children into this setting in a cen-
ter where one-third of the students are on drugs? Is this going to
be a safe environment for opening a day care center, or bringing
women and children onto the center?

I think we just need to deal with the problems at hand first,
which are the drugs and the violence, and I think part of the cause
of the violence is the drugs.

I am also a police matron in my town, and again, with most of
the young women who come in, it is drug-relatea violence. I think
all the health issues are connected to this, and if the committee
will only look at the cost of not taking care of these problems now,
later on the problems are going to be much worse — the drugs are
going to lead to health problems, the cost of the health problems,
the cost of incarcerating students who get arrested for the drugs.

This is a great opportunity to do something in the community for
students who have problems. Years ago, I remember the word
'latchkey" was the prominent phrase of the 1980's. Now, unfortu-
nately, these latchkey children are known in my community as
"throwaways." And that disturbs me greatly, that we would even
think of using a term like that for young adults in our society. We
are a great society, and I just think that having the Job Corps cen-
ters right now is a good perspective for students who have prob-
lems to come, if only we will do something more as far as staffing
and education; I think it will help.

The Chairman. I am sorry, I am using more than my time, but
I feel this is a very informative panel.

Mr. Godinet, could you give us a few thoughts about what correc-
tive actions you think should be taken?

Mr. Godinet. As you heard some of the testimony from students
who were there, even though they said they were only there for 3
weeks or so, the bottom line is that Job Corps has to realize that
they have a problem, and they need to get out of the denial stage
about the gang element.

When I first took the job at Flint Hills Job Corps Center, I had
a lot of experience with gangs. I listened to Sergeant Stallworth
speak, and one of the first things I identified in my first week of
training at the Denison Job Corps and with the first influx of stu-
dents who came to the Flint Hills Job Corps Center was an in-
creasing number of gang members.

A lot of people say if you have no idea what a gang member is,
and the director of your center is saying that these kids are
"wannabe" gang members, those kids are just as bad as gang mem-
bers. They are very intimidating to some of the students, the quote-
unquote good students" that you have on center; and you lose a
lot of those students through termination because of the intimida-
tion that some of these gang members are bringing into the center.

One of the biggest things that we had on our center was this
"hands-oflf," attitude; nobody can touch the Flint Hills Job Corps.
We were the first brand-new start-up center, and we had this per-
sona about ourselves that nobody from an outside agency could
come in there and ask any questions about us. We had a closed
door policy, and nobody could come in there. And the staff were in-
timidated from saying anjrthing because they thought they were
going to lose their jobs. And Flint Hills Job Corps had probably the
most educated out of all 108 Job Corps at the time that I was
there, as far as percentage of graduates. Probably 25 percent of the
residential advisors were taking jobs at $7.40 an hour, with de-
grees, at the Flint Hills Job Corps.

I visited four Job Corps centers — ^it is not just one Job Corps cen-
ter that I visited — and I think the biggest issue is that we have lost
focus of what Job Corps is all about. When I first heard about Job
Corps, and I thought about the process of Job Corps and what it
could do for at-risk youth, somewhere along the line, the impor-
tance shifted to how much salaries the management was going to
make, increasing the dollar amount, and the lack of experience that
the managers had in working with the kids. You hire the line staff
who know how to work — and they often refer to residential advi-
sors as "line staff' — they hire these people to make them look good,
and then, when they thought they were burning out and they were
questioning management, they got rid of them. These were the peo-
ple who understood the kids.

So when you go in and look at a Job Corps center, a lot of people
who have no affiliation and do not understand the students at the
center, ask the questions of the wrong people, because these people
are only going to give you an image of what Job Corps is all about;
they are not going to give you the truth about what Job Corps is
all about. The only way you can find that out is to know where to
ask the questions and to get down there with the students and to

get out of the denial stage and allow outside agencies to come in
and evaluate your program to improve some of the positive things
that can come out of Job Corps for the students.

The Chairman. Thank you very much.

Just one further question, Sergeant Stall worth, about your re-
sponse to Senator Simon about the gang problem. How prevalent
is the gang problem in Job Corps nationwide? Do you have any sta-
tistics at all that would give us some indication? Is this prevalent
nationwide? I think most of us have a hard time even understand-
ing this.

Sergeant Stallworth. No, there are no statistics nationwide to
the best of my knowledge, and I will be honest — I would be very
surprised if any one of you in the positions you have could find that
information out, because Job Corps refuses to acknowledge that the
problem exists. They try to downplay it or to just flat deny that
there is any such thing as a gang problem.

As I mentioned in my testimony and in my written statement,
in 1989 we started addressing the issue, and we immediately iden-
tified that the bulk of our influence was coming from the Clearfield
Job Corps. So we tried to address the issue at that time, and we
did not get any response.

The Chairman. And partly, too, I suppose it is a reflection of dis-
advantaged youth in our society today; there are more gang initia-
tives in and among disadvantaged young people today which did
not exist that much in the mid-1960's.

Sergeant Stallworth. Yes.

The Chairman. So I suppose it is reflecting that, but to ignore
it as a problem is to then jeopardize the whole program, I think,
and that is what we have got to address.

Sergeant Stallworth. One of the things that happened in my
State was that we had officials at the Clearfield facility tell us they
tried to downplay the gang past of a lot of their incoming students.
All we asked for was to identify that problem and let us know that
you have this particular gang member, from this particular gang,
in our midst, so that we can be prepared to address such issues.

All we wanted essentially was numbers — how many gang mem-
bers are out there, what gangs do they represent — and then when
we contact them over the course of doing our job, we will deal with
the issue at that time. We could not get the basic numbers from
them.

The Chairman. I think Senator DeWine had another question,
but first, Senator Simon.

Senator Simon. If I could just ask Mr. Grodinet and Ms. Sakes a
question that both Mr. Peterson and Sergeant Stallworth ad-
dressed. The idea of having smaller Job Corps centers, smaller
numbers, they have both indicated that that makes sense. Does
that make sense to you, too?

Mr. GoDiNET. Absolutely. I believe that a smaller Job Corps cen-
ter with smaller numbers — instead of opening up new centers, have
a waiting line of students wanting to come in, and show the suc-
cesses of the students who are already there. It makes no sense to
open up a new Job Corps center and bring a lot of other students
into the same tjT)e of environment without improving the existing

environment that you have in Job Corps. So I do beheve that that
is a very important issue.

I also think that Job Corps cannot be used as a substitute for
jail. A lot of students that I met with indicated that their probation
officer told them, "Either you go to Job Corps, or you go to jail."
That perception in the community is what went out in Manhattan,
KA and in the Midwest during tnat time, and that was the wrong
perception of the community about Job Corps.

Senator Simon. Ms. Sakos?

Ms. Sakos. I agree that smaller Job Corps would be better. At
our Job Corps, we have two programs. I the Prep program, a num-
ber of inmates come from the youth detention center in Jamesburg,
and they are housed, and they intermingle with the regular stu-
dents. I think that there should be a separate program for inmates.

And the PAY program was a program where students were sent
to Job Corps in lieu of going to jail, or that was their sentence, was
to go to Job Corps. Again, I think there should be a separate pro-
gram for these students.

I think when they screen for these students, they need to screen
them better. One of the problems I found as a health services man-
ager was that some students were being sent to Job Corps with su-
icidal histories, severe emotional problems — ^they needed to be test-
ed prior to coming to Job Corps. Some of them were at borderline
mental retardation and were not even appropriate for the program.

So I think these students need to be looked at separately. When
you have a student who is incapable of understanding that he has
tested positive for exposure to tuberculosis, and he needs to take
this medication on a daily basis, and he cannot even comprehend
that, and we have to have the residential advisor give it to him on
a daily basis, I do not think these students are appropriate for Job
Corps.

So I think smaller Job Corps, smaller programs, and keep it spe-
cific. Focus on what it was originally meant for.

Senator Simon. Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you.

Senator DeWine?

Senator DeWine. Ms. Sakos, let me start if I could with you.
Your testimony earlier, and actually, the testimony of all the panel
members, would indicate that build into the system todav is sort
of an economic incentive for the contract agency to be in denial, to
deny the violence, to keep as many students on the rolls as they
can, which ultimately leads to. Sergeant Stallworth, what happens
when you try to investigate and find out and get some information,
no one wants to give you any information, frankly because there is
an economic incentive for them not to tell you wnat is going on. Is
that a fair summary — or, I guess I would ask if anyone on the
panel disagrees with that.

Ms. Sakos. I agree with that. When I started getting more in-
volved in the management side of Job Corps, everything was fo-
cused on the numbers. We cannot terminate anybody from health
services for medical this week, for example, because we have had
too many already. And these statistics — ^from what I understand
today, there has not been an oversight hearing in many years — so
we need to re-look at the statistics.

I am told in the policy requirement handbook that I should only
see in a Job Corps as big as ours something like only 10 percent
of the students for nonphysician visits.

Well, I would like to know when those statistics were written.
Was it 10 years ago? Health issues on our young adults have really
changed. So— especially when something is for profit — but that was
more or less the atmosphere throughout the Job Corps, was the
focus on the numbers, to keep the students there no matter what.

Senator DeWine. Ms. Sakos, you have alluded to the fact that
some of the individuals who are in Job Corps perhaps should be in
a different t5T)e of progpram. And you talked about the alternative
of you either go to prison, or you go to Job Corps. And I do not
know whether any of the members of this panel can comment on
it, but I think it is an appropriate question for the committee, and
for the committee to ask not only this panel, but additional panels,
and that is to try to put the situation in a little historical perspec-
tive as to whether or not the group of individuals who are sup-
posedly being served by Job Corps today is a different kind of popu-
lation than it was 10 or 20 or 30 years ago.

I do not know the answer, because I do not have the institutional
memory, I do not have the history of this. But if any of you have
a comment on that — Mr. Peterson or anybody else — I would just be
curious to know whether, as we are trying to judge how Job Corps
is doing today, we are comparing apples and oranges versus how
it was doing in 1970 or 1980.

Mr. Peterson. Well, there is a very strong desire to keep the
beds full as the program speaks to it. And I think perhaps that
drive does ensure that you are getting somewhat of a different mix
of students today than you did sometime back.

You speak of some of the criteria. Maybe the criteria we ought
to apply to this program should include what kind of a waiting list
of young folks do we have to take this $23,000 scholarship that we
are offering.

Unfortunately, at many of the centers, there is not only not a
waiting list, but there is active resistance to going there. So that
while there are some centers that have been identified by that tar-
geted population as being good and people want to get into them,
particularly on the West Coast, there are many centers that people
are trying their very best to avoid.

Senator DeWine. Well, also, is there not a recruitment process?

Mr. Peterson. Yes.

Senator DeWine. There is obviously an economic incentive to
keep it filled, so there is a recruitment process which goes with
that — ^which may not all be bad, but that is the fact of life.

Mr. Peterson. That is a fact of life, yes.

Mr. GODINET. The screeners who screen students into Job Corps
receive bonuses for the length of time that a student goes to Job
Corps. So it is almost more important that they get any kid in
there, and they realize that a Job Corps center will try to keep the
student as long as possible, whether the student is nt to succeed
in Job Corps or not. So maybe you ought to take the incentive away
from the screeners that they will receive a bonus for sending a stu-
dent, which will protect the Job Corps center from allowing some-

one to be sent to them, and the next thing you know, as soon as
they check on center, they have to stay on center.

Senator DeWine. Maybe the incentive should be how many of
them actually get jobs and keep the jobs. I do not know if that can
be built in or not, but that ultimately is what we are trying to do.

Mr. GoDlNET. And there is a misconception, because you have
students who are on center for 100 days, 150 days, and then those
students basically walk on water, because you cannot lose those
students or they will screw up your ALOS — excuse my language —
but they try to keep those students on center as long as possible
so their ALOS looks really good.

Sergeant Stallworth. I would just like to add. Senator, the
Clearfield Center states that their capacity is 1,200 beds. They rou-
tinely are at around 1,400, and they have even cited as many as
1,500 in the past. So they clearly are constantly over the allowed
capacity, and I think that goes to the incentive factor that we have
discussed.

As to your statement about the nature of the kids coming into
the program today, I think clearly we are dealing with a different
breed of animal, if you want to call it that. This problem is mani-
festing itself all over this country. It quite clearly is a plague, an
epidemic — you can call it any variety of names that you want —
but gang culture has quite literally gripped this country and is
holding it hostage.

I use my State as a perfect example. Stereotypically, we should
not have a gang problem in the great State of Utah. It is 93 per-
cent white, and 89 percent of that is conservative Mormon. And yet
I have got Mormon missionary kids returned and planning to go on
their missions who are doing driveby shootings all over me State.
It does not make any sense, but yet these kids are as dangerous
to us as the kids in South Central and East Los Angeles and other
parts of this country.

So it is clearly something that has to be addressed. Going back
to your question, Senator Simon, we have to look at the issues of
why these kids feel the need to identify themselves as gang mem-
bers. We have to look at the issues of poverty. We have to look at
the educational factors. What is causing this thing to take hold of
the hearts and minds of our children and make them want to be
gang members and literally become outlaws of society? Something
is wrong.

Senator DeWine. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

The Chairman. I thank every member who has testified on this
panel today. It was very important testimony, and we appreciate
your coming.

Thank you.

Senator Simon. While the next panel comes up. Madam Chair,
I would like to enter into the record a response by Friends of Job
Corps to a Dallas news series.

The Chairman. I would be happy to do so. Thank you.

[Document referred to may be found in the appendix.]

The Chairman. It is a pleasure to welcome our final panel. I
would like to introduce both of you, and then I know Senator

Wellstone, who has to be gone for a few moment, wants to make
a special introduction of Ms. Anderson.

First, Officer Luis Melendez, who has been a New York City po-
lice officer for 8 years and youth officer for South Bronx. It is a
great pleasure to welcome you.

Karen Anderson is a Job Corps graduate, a success story and
owner of a small business in St. Paul, MN. It is a pleasure to wel-
come both of you.

Senator Wellstone just wants Karen to go first.

Senator WELLSTONE. Thank you so much. Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. Do you wish to say anything before she begins,
Senator Wellstone?

Senator WELLSTONE. Just to offer a warm welcome and my
thanks for being here. Karen is a graduate of Hubert H. Humphrey
Job Corps Center, a center with an excellent track record and a
great reputation in our State. I just want to be here while Karen
testifies, because I have another meeting to attend soon. Thank you
very much, Madam Chair.

The Chairman. Ms. Anderson?

STATEMENTS OF KAREN ANDERSON, ST. PAUL, MN, AND LUIS
MELENDEZ, NEW YORK, NY

Ms. Anderson. Thank you.

I want to thank you for having me here today, and I must say
that I feel slightly like a minority, but hopefully after I tell you my
story, you will not think so.

I am here in defense of the program that saved my life. I had
a life of hardship and despair, and Job Corps basically saved my
life.

Although you have heard about other Job Corps experiences, I
can only tell you my own. I guess I c£in say I am your classic story
of growing up in an alcoholic, abusive, struggling mmily on welfare.

Where does that word "classic" come from? It is not a word to
be used when describing despair. It saddens me to know that this
type of upbringing has become all too common, and here is my
story, my classic story.

My father was an overworked St. Paul policy officer. When I was
4, he was shot in the line of duty and nearly lost his life. After
that, he became a violent, abusing alcoholic, and I would wake up
in the middle of the night to hear the horrifying sound of my moth-
er, a drunk herself, being beaten, at times nearly unconscious.

When I was 9 or 10, my father was gone, my mother was a
drunk on welfare, and I found myself raising a younger brother
and sister.

At the age of 16, I was basically living on the streets, because
I had burned every bridge imaginable. By the time I was 18, I
found myself in total despair, and I was homeless. This was exactly
the place where even^one said I would be: Nowhere.

You see, the word classic" does apply.

One day, I was reading the want ads, and I came across an ad
that read, "Job training. Earn while you learn. Free room and
board, free meals, clothing allowance." I signed right up. It was Job
Corps.

I was only going tx) stay at Job Corps until something better
came along, because the school part did not appeal to me at all.
But Job Corps saw me coming, attitude and all. The messages I got
from them were: No conning, no Ijdng, and no destructive behavior
whatsoever — although I did give them a rwn for their money, until
1 day, my BAM instructor called me into his office, and he asked,
"Karen, aid you ever consider going into sales for a living?"

I replied, "No."

Then he said, "Well, you should. You are the biggest con artist
I have ever met in my life. Now get out of my office.

Wow, these people really knew me pretty well. That was the day
I started my new life. Job Corps really did change my life. It gave
me the opportunity to learn job skills, do some self-healing, learn
communication skills and new and better life skills. Job Corps gave
me a vision. Job Corps taught me to take responsibility for my ac-
tions and credit for my accomplishments.

At times, I struggled through the program, but Job Corps did not
give up on me. Job Corps taught me tnat I was really important
and that I should not give up on myself. So I did not. I completed
the Job Corps program, and it was the proudest moment of my life.

Like many other 17- and 18-year-olds in the Job Corps, when I
left, I did not find a job in my trade, but I did not give up. Job
Corps taught me that if you do not find a job in your trade, just
findf a job.

I found a job working at a 7-Eleven for about a year. It was the
first time in my life I could ever pay rent. I then moved to Califor-
nia, where I got a job working in a copy center. Eventually, we got
a computer in the store, and I started messing with it after work.
I decided that this was it; this was what I came here for.

I taught myself how to use the computer and how to do design
work. Ironically, after leaving California and returning to Min-
nesota, I found myself unable to find a job because I was overquali-
fied.

With my new skills and the commitment to succeed which I dis-
covered at Job Corps, I got an entry-level position working at a
new sign company in St. Paul. I proved to be an asset to the com-
pany and presented the owner with a business plan to incorporate
graphic design into our sign business.

With trust in me, she made an investment for the company's fii-
ture and made me a 50 percent partner. We have been open for 5
years now, and the business is very successful. We are an active
business in the community, we pay taxes, and we do a lot of com-
munity work. We also act as a work experience site for other Job
Corps students.

So you can say I may not have gotten a job in my trade, but at
least I got a job. In fact, I have never been unemployed since I left
Job Corps. Now I am a business owner, giving back to the commu-
nity more than I ever would have if I had stayed in my trade.

And for those who say that the program is not serving enough
and is not worth the investment, I would say that in taxes alone,
I more than paid back the Grovemment for my stay at Job Corps.

I am not alone. Each year, the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps
Center serves and helps 500 students. Seventy-five percent of them
get jobs, join the military, or pursue ftirther education. That is just

the tip of the iceberg when you consider there are 88,000 poor kids
in the State.

That is why about a year and a half ago, I became a part of the
Job Corps system again as an advocate. In the spring of 1994, the
Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center, the Midway Chamber of
Commerce and my company planned and participated in a graffiti
removal project. It was a one-day event, and teams of volunteers
were sent out into the streets of our community to clean up vandal-
ism off of our buildings.

The following Monday, I got a call from a local bank executive
who helped in the cleanup. He said he was amazed at how sincere,
caring and hardworking the students from the Job Corps center
were and that he felt guilty about his opinion of Job Corps before
that day. On a greater scale here today, I wish to hear the same
reaction.

I also got a call from a local business owner who said that in the
20 years that he had been in business, no one had ever done any-
thing this good for the community. What a proud moment for Job
Corps. Those students finally got the respect they deserved.

That event was just one of many proud moments for those stu-
dents. I truly believe it is not always the big college grad who
makes and gets opportunities. Job Corps gives young, disadvan-
taged adults their spirits back.

I met a young woman named Samantha 2 weeks ago. She had
graduated from Job Corps and was just starting out on her own
and had nothing to furnish her apartment with. So I went to
Samantha's to bring her some items for her apartment. What we
found was a rundown efficiency with not one ounce of furniture,
not even a lamp. But she could have cared less. She had a job, and
she was proud of herself and her accomplishments. She told me she
was going to get some furnishings eventually, but she was happy
just the way things were. Furniture was not even relevant. And I
remember myself, when I left Job Corps — it did not matter to me,
either. I am sure Samantha will not be unemployed again if she
has anything to do with it, thanks to Job Corps.

Newt Gingrich once said, "If you are on welfare, you are not
free." That is true, because I have been there.

So I would like to close my testimony with a question. If you
were 18 years old, unemployed, homeless, and without resources,
would you a) enter the Job Corps program, where you have a
chance at a better future, or b) enter the system of the not free?

I made my choice, and I am very proud of it.

Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you very much.

Officer Melendez?

Mr. Melendez. Good afternoon. Madam Chairman and distin-

?iished Senators. My name is Luis Melendez. I have been a New
ork City police officer for 8 years, assigned to the 46th precinct
as a youth officer.

I am here to officer testimony based upon my personal experi-
ences with the South Bronx Job Corps Center,

As a youth officer, my primary function is to act as a liaison with
the community in dealing with all area youth in the Bronx.
Throughout my tenure as a youth officer, one of my most positive

experiences has been the special relationship the precinct has
shared with the South Bronx Job Corps Center.

As a youth officer, I have had the opportunity to visit a number
of schools within the precinct area, as well as to be in a position
to be acutely aware of negative incidents that occur daily in the
New York City public school system. In contrast to what is happen-
ing in both tne schools and in the streets, the South Bronx Job
Corps Center offers a safe sanctuary for those kids who believe
that an education is still their ticket out of an uncertain future. It
not only offers them an opportunity to complete their education,
but for many, the residential setting has helped countless youth es-
cape homelessness, hunger, abuse, and other conditions associated
with their home environments.

The majority of the South Bronx Job Corps Center student popu-
lation is from the immediate Bronx area, where most of the youth
of the same age category are high school dropouts. Yet I am aware
that many of the South Bronx Job Corps students are now attend-
ing college-accredited courses throughout the City University of
New York system.

Many kids from the Bronx are borderline in that a little push ei-
ther way makes a difference. These kids by and large do not have
the sense that anyone cares, but they do when they become stu-
dents at the South Bronx Job Corps.

The foundation for the success for the South Bronx Job Corps
Center is "tough love," with a strong focus on old-fashioned values.
"Doing the right thing is the only thing" is a way of thinking and
a way of life. Often, this may be the first time these young people
have been made to understand what is acceptable and unaccept-
able behavior and that every action has a consequence in a manner
which is supportive and nurturing instead of hostile and threaten-
ing.

The staff work hard to impress that living by these values will
be necessary for the young adult to get and Keep a job somewhere
down the line.

Over time, reverse peer pressure is a natural progression. So
many of these kids come to truly believe that Job Corps is their
salvation, that it is a wonderful privilege, and they themselves
exert pressure over their peers to behave and get the most out of
their experience while at the center. This generates a tremendous
amount of positive motivation among the student population and,
coupled with a consistent discipline system that sanctions inappro-
priate behavior and extensive counseling support, makes for a win-
ning formula.

The premise of practicing ^ood values is constantly being rein-
forced with a reward system m place for positive behavior and re-
sults, be it in the student's educational and vocational progress, or
learning to live and become self-sufficient among 250 peers of sev-
eral different nationalities.

Over the year, there have been very few calls to the 46th Pre-
cinct from the center on violence-related activity, and whenever I
have visited the center, the halls and grounds are free of graffiti
and trash. It is my impression that the South Bronx Job Corps is
doing a terrific job with these kids, and I understand it is rated one
of the best in the country.

Every day and in every way, the message at the South Bronx Job
Corps Center is to strive for excellence. Over the years, the stu-
dents and the staff of the center have become the oest neighbors
to the 46th Precinct and its community members. They have
opened up the facility to host a number of events, including joint
community relations meetings held monthly. They have hosted and
catered a number of meetings for community-based organizations
that do not have the room or the resources to do so on their own.

Every year, the 46th Precinct is host at the center for the police
clergy conference, the police business conference, and the police fel-
lowship breakfast.

When our community members need assistance cleaning up a
park or renovating a church, these kids are there. They have orga-
nized and participated in anti-drug and anti-violence rallies,
worked in soup kitchens, delivered meals to their peers in the ado-
lescent AIDS ward of Montifiore Hospital, collected and wrapped
boxes of toys for the 46th Precinct's "Toys for Tots" campaign every
year — and the list goes on.

Every year, our precinct sponsors a talent show for the commu-
nity though, and South Bronx Job Corps Center students with both
students and police officers participating alike. The center has par-
ticipated in the "Cop of the Month " program, which recognizes he-
roic behavior from my fellow police officers. Job Corps students are
part of the monthly ceremony, presenting the awards with our com-
manding officer.

ClearW, for a lot of these kids, this positive interaction is the
first such interaction they have had, and likewise, both cops and
kids share the experience as partners, breaking down the barriers
and historical way students have viewed law enforcement in the
past.

Students from the South Bronx Job Corps Center lead by exam-
ple, and as a police officer, I must say that one way or another, we
will deal with most of the youth in the community. Watching the
students at the South Bronx Job Corps Center growing into caring
and responsible adults, and channeling their energies into positive
things is very rewarding personally, versus meeting up witn them
in a public safety arena.

Our precinct is very grassroots-oriented, and after 7 years of
working with the South Bronx Job Corps Center, I can without
hesitation say that they are one of our best neighbors. If schools
in New York City and throughout the Nation could replicate what
goes on at the South Bronx Job Corps Center, my job would be
easier.

Many articles have appeared in the New York City newspapers
about the severe adolescent high school dropout rate. Job Corps
fills a much-needed niche that, if not available, would surely result
in an even bleaker picture.

In closing, I know what the South Bronx Job Corps Center
means to the kids from the Bronx. It means breaking free of gen-
erations of poverty and getting much more than piece of paper
when they leave. It means receiving love and support that they
may never have experienced. It means learning to be a productive
member of our community and giving something back uncondition-
ally. It means everything to some of these kids, especially those

waiting to get in and those we know are still out there who need
the services.

From my experience as a member of the New York City Police
Department, 46th Precinct, Job Corps works.

Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Melendez may be found in the
appendix.]

The Chairman. Thank you very much. I appreciate the testimony
from both of you ,and I will reserve my time for questions and yield
to Senator DeWine, since Senator Wellstone is not back yet.

Senator DeWine?

Senator DeWine. Madam Chairman, I really have no questions.

I would just say we appreciate your testimony very much. Your
testimony clearly indicates that Job Corps can work and that it cer-
tainly is very, very cost-effective in some cases. I do not think this
hearing todav is about whether it is worth it to spend $20,000, or
$22,000 or $24,000 to save a human being and turn their life
around. I think it clearly is. I think the question is whether or not
Job Corps as it is currently constituted is the best use of those
funds, and your testimony, Ms. Anderson and Officer Melendez,
has been very, very helpful to me.

Thank you.

The Chairman. Senator Wellstone?

Senator Wellstone. Thank you, and I apologize to both panel-
ists for missing their testimony, which 111 read later with interest.
Every once in a while — and I know my colleagues know exactly
what I am going to say — every once in a while, a phone call comes
at exactly the time you want to be in committee. So my apologies.

First of all, let me thank both of you. Mr. Melendez, and Karen,
whose draft testimony I did get a chance to read before coming. I
would like to ask a couple of questions.

Karen, you have been willing to kind of lay bare your own per-
sonal life because you feel so strongly about the importance of Job
Corps. And of course, it is great because in Minnesota, it is named
after a great Senator, the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center.

But what would have happened to you if you had not found Job
Corps? I know it is sort of hard to look back, but I think we need
to understand what this all means in personal terms.

Ms. Anderson. Well, I cannot say tliat I would have stayed on
welfare, but I am sure I would have been on welfare for quite a
while. I would say that I had a lot of problems personally — alcohol,
myself — and I just do not think I was old enough or intelligent to
make major decisions in my life. I probably would have just stayed
where I was. I did not really have the smarts to interview for a job
even at minimum wage, like McDonald's or something like that, or
the clothes or anything. I felt like I was at a point in my life where
I just did not have a thing, any means to really pursue a life.

So I probably would have been on welfare, public housing, and
getting foodstamps for quite a while if I had not entered the Job
Corps system.

Senator Wellstone. I have a couple of other specific questions.
I know that this letter from George Foreman has already been re-
ferred to, but I want to just read the last paragraph again because

of the way in which I think it reinforces your testimony, Karen, or
your testimony reinforces this letter.

The last paragraph of this letter from Greorge Foreman to the
chairman of our committee reads: "Job Corps has known both
praise and criticism, winners and losers. As one who was in it,
knew it from the inside and the hopelessness of those to whom it
reached out, I have always felt it attacked a problem likely to be
with us always, and until something comes up that is a better way,
it should be retained. To me, it was indeed a friend in need. It is
a sad moment in one's life when he denies his roots or where he
comes from, but I acknowledge that whatever I have been and am
today, the Job Corps was my starting point. Treat it kindly. Job
Corps took me from the mean streets and out of a nightmare life-
style into a mode where the most incredible of dreams came true."

My point, before I just ask a couple of more specific policy ques-
tions, is that at this hearing, it should be emphasized that however
we talk about improving this progn'am, however we talk about mak-
ing this program accountable, however we talk about streamlining
this program, let that be only with the purpose of providing con-
structive criticism. Let it not be for the purpose of weakening this
program or abandoning our commitment to the mission of this pro-
gram, because there are many problems with many different poli-
cies in this country — I cannot think of one program that does not
have its problems and its imperfections — ^but that cannot detract
from what Mr. Foreman is saying here today. It cannot detract
from the testimony of the two of you, because if you think about
it, it is the same old story — either you make the investment in
young people in the skills and the health and the intellect and the
character of young people, and you have hope for them and what
they can do for our country, or you pay the price later on. And
when I think of the cost of this, and then I compare the modest
cost of your training, Karen, versus who you have become and what
you do with your business and what you contribute to the commu-
nity, it seems to me that this is a very worthwhile investment. And
I believe that that is what Mr. Foreman is trying to say; I believe
that this is what you are trying to say.

I would say to the chair that I hope that whatever we do is only
in the direction of building on this program and improving it, not
in the direction of moving away, financially or in any other way,
from what I think is a very, very important commitment and a
very successful program.

Mr. Melendez, since I missed what you had to say — and I apolo-
gize for that — given what Fve just said, what is your sense of Job
Corps' mission? Should we build on what is there, should we try
to make it stronger and more positive and expand it, or do you
think there is a need to begin to scale back this program?

Mr. Melendez. I can only answer that as to how it applies to
my job as a police officer in the Bronx. The Job Corps that I work
with is a vital resource for a lot of the kids that I deal with. You
have to understand that working with today's youth is hard
enough; you have to have things at your disposal, tangible things,
that they can get into and that can give them some kind of hope,
can give them a way out.

Lots of times, they feel that people are too caught up with other
issues and do not have time for them. The sergeant was speaking
about gangs before, and I think it is a sense of family and a sense
of support that they are lacking, and with the Job Corps that I deal
with, that is the sense I get. We deal with a lot of different organi-
zations in my precinct, and we do develop a sense of family, where
we deal with each other on a professional level, of course, but we
have helped each other so much that it is more of a family type
of atmosphere, and the kids see that, the kids that I deal with.

I do not have to State enough how hard it is for a police officer
nowadays to deal with youth.

Senator Wellstone. Thank you.

And the final question for the two of you — and Madam Chair, I
have visited the Hubert Humphrey Center in St. Paul and had a
chance to meet with a lot of the students and staff and to talk to
them about their lives, and also have had a chance to talk with the
graduates and have seen what they have been able to do in their
lives — what would each of you say about Job Corps' mission? The
most important thing is that this hearing begins to lay the basis
for that analysis.

What would each of you say is the single most important key fac-
tor for success, based upon your own experience, so that we can
make sure that that is a part of all of the Job Corps programs —
because that is key if we are going to maintain this program, and
build on what we've done in the last 30 years. We had better not
move away from our commitment to the program. Are there ways
of improving the Job Corps to make it more effective.

Ms. Anderson. It is obvious to me that from what I have heard
today, it is who is running the Job Corps center. It is good manage-
ment. I know that the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center is
run by the Vanel Corporation, who obviously must do a tremendous
job running that center, because I see nothing but positive. And
when there is negative in any situation there, it seems to get taken
care of pretty quickly.

I was shocked to hear some of the stories today. I would say
management. You know, it starts from up top; it is your staff. I
think it is important that maybe those Job Corps centers in those
real hard areas need more security.

You know, when I went to Job Corps, I did not just get out of
Yale. I was living on the streets; I was a mean kid; I caused a lot
of trouble. But I learned to accept that troubled side of myself as
a positive in how I brought it into my future.

So I think management has a lot to do with how those Job Corps
centers are being dealt with.

Senator Wellstone. Thank you.

Officer Melendez?

Mr. Melendez. I would pretty much piggyback on what Ms. An-
derson said. I think you have to accentuate the positive and the
good things that are being done. Just like in £my major corporation,
any department, you can look at any facet of life, and there are
problems with certain aspects, but you have to look at the good
that is being done. And the things that are not working out so well,
you just have to take a better look at them.

Just looking at it from my standpoint, in New York we have 76
precincts, and what may work in one precinct may not work in an-
other precinct. I think you may have to do the same thing with
some of the Job Corps centers — ^look at what is working in some
of them and maybe take some of those programs or projects or ini-
tiatives or ideas and see if they will work somewhere else.

Senator Wellstone. Thank you very much, and I apologize for
my impoliteness of stepping out while you were testifying.

Thank you, Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. Officer Melendez, you mentioned that what
works in one precinct might not work in another. As I understand
it, the South Bronx Center has as their students only those from
the South Bronx area; is that correct?

Mr, Melendez. I think it is a little wider than that. I am not
sure, but I do not think they are just from the South Bronx. I think
they probably bring kids from all over.

The Chairman. From the New York area, though.

Mr. Melendez. Right.

The Chairman. In some of the centers, they come from other
States; there is an active recruitment to bring them in. I was just
wondering if, when you said it was sort of like family, they were
basically there from the same area, so they did feel a certain close-
ness, and if that is an advantage.

Mr. Melendez. I understand what you are saying as far as com-
ing from different States and areas, but I am a firm believer that
kids are kids, and most kids are willing to embrace certain con-
cepts. I think that is one of the reasons why we have gangs; they
are following

The Chairman. And how do you deal with that problem in the
South Bronx center?

Mr. Melendez. Well, I am not saying it is an easy problem, and
you are not going to cure it overnight, but there has to be some
sensitivity at the site. I have met people at Job Corps who used to
go to Job Corps and are now working there. I think that is helpful,
because the kids see that you can come into the center and go out
and prosper and come back, and give back something to the kids
who are in there. So that is something that you may want to look
into, something like a mentoring program where the kids can see
people who have made it. A lot of kids who are out on the street
just see drug dealers making it, or people who rob and burglarize
making it, and that becomes, unfortunately, a mentor to them. So
that is something you may want to look at.

The Chairman. Ms. Anderson, I was impressed that you are in-
volved with a work experience program, that you initiated a work
experience site, I guess you call it. I have the feeling that you actu-
ally would have done quite well, even without the Job Corps pro-
gram. I think you have a lot of abilities and a keen understanding
of some of the needs that exist. You have put into place, I think,
not only dealing with your own problems successfully, but you have
translated that into some very positive work.

Follow-through is one of the things that has troubled me. There
is not good data on where young people have gone and one helping
them. Maybe their first job only lasted a month, if that long. Is

there a place to go — tell me what you do at this work experience
site. Do you help graduates of the Job Corps center?

Ms. Anderson. They are actually students who are still in Job
Corps. They call it a work experience site. After a person completes
his or her program and has not yet left Job Corps, they would come
to my business for 6 weeks, from 8 o'clock in the morning until 2
o'clock in the aftiemoon, and treat it as their employment.

I feel like my work experience site is kind of special in the sense
that we do not necessarily cater to the office occupation student,
the BAM student, the TCU, culinary arts, or whatever; but we
bring students into my business so that they can see first-hand
what it is like to operate a small business, whether they are in cul-
inary arts or any other trade that they took, so they can see what
happens in accounting, what happens up front with the customers,
how do we rim production through.

So every Job Corps student that I have had in my store has just
been a tremendous help. They have all worked hard, they have
really tried hard to prove themselves. And that is kind of the sad
part where I feel bad about those students, because they have to
work twice as hard as the next guy. They really have to try to
prove themselves, and it is very important for those kids in Job
Corps to see a business operating and how things work and all
that. So I feel that it is really an important part of Job Corps.

The Chairman. I agree with you, and I am really pleased to hear
what you are doing in that regard and how that is working.

I would gather that both of you feel that if there were a drug or
violence problem at the centers with which you have been involved,
that it was not great; is that correct?

Ms. Anderson. The Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center real-
ly does have zero tolerance policy. Did I see drugs while I was in
Job Corps? Absolutely, I did. On a large scale? No. But at the same
time, if I were to look back on it, that exactly the kind of kids who
go to Job Corps, people who are going to turn it around. But those
people did not last long at Hubert H.

The Chairman. They were either dismissed or helped; is that
right?

Ms. Anderson. We did not have zero tolerance while I was in
Job Corps, but I will tell you they did get a lot of chances. But I
think it does not matter how old you are, 17 or 47, if you are not
going to take to having somebody help you, then you need to leave,
obviously.

I think people get to the point where they say this is not working
for this person, and they are not helping us in any way, and so
they do not last in the program; but that is going to happen.

The Chairman. And that is management, too.

Ms. Anderson. Management, too, absolutely.

The Chairman. Thank you both very much.

Senator Pell?

Senator Pell. I have one question, and that is how do you ac-
count for the difference between the testimony of the earlier wit-
nesses and your own experience? You said, Ms. Anderson, that it
was a question of management? Is that what your thought would
be — leadership?

Ms. Anderson. I would think that if a Job Corps were nin prop-
erly— I know that the Job Corps center in St. Paul may possibly
be a model Job Corps center— but I gprew up on the streets, so I
would imagine that any Job Corps that you go to is going to be a
real tough environment, although in areas where the populations
are either way too large, or their are mismanaged, I thinlc that is
a problem.

I think the basic point for Job Corps is that it is going to take
young adults who have absolutely zero other options and get them
into the work force, and I think that is the main objective.

I would say my opinion, just having an opinion about it, is it
would be a management issue. If a Job Corps does not have the
proper security, that could be a problem. My story is very different
from their stories. I would have never spent 21 days in a Job Corps
center. I would have spent maybe a couple of months, to adjust to
the environment. So I spent a year at Job Corps, and it was a posi-
tive experience for me. That is kind of how I feel about it.

Senator Pell. Thank you.

Officer Melendez?

Mr. Melendez. Actually, I was kind of surprised at some of the
testimony and a lot of the negative things that I heard, compared
to the Job Corps that I am associated with and that I work with.
I kind of thought that all the Job Corps centers were like the one
in the South Bronx, and that they were all doing an outstanding
job. Everybody has problems, and you are going to have isolated in-
cidents, but I was shocked at what I heard today. I thought every-
body was going to come in here and just rave about the Job Corps,
and so to near some of the things that are going on is surprising.

Senator Pell. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Madam Chair.

The Chairman. Senator Simon?

Senator Simon. Just an observation. My impression — and I have
to say my experience is extremely limited — ^but from just visiting
two Job Corps centers is very positive. When you mention manage-
ment, I think that really is a key, and I think the most important
point on management is not in itself enough, but management real-
ly has to care about young people and not just the bottom line and
how many bucks you can make on a situation.

Officer Melendez, in your excellent testimonv you talked about
the Job Corps participants being "borderline. I think that is a
pretty good description. And if you will forgive me, Karen Ander-
son, you were bor(krline

Ms. Anderson. I was probably a little bit less than borderline.

Senator Simon [continuing]. But you have turned into a great
asset to your community, and I think your testimony was terrific.
George Foreman was borderline, and Job Corps lifted him.

I think what we have to do is say that yes, we have to improve
the situation; we have some situations that are not as good as they
should be — but we should keep your testimony in mind.

I thank you very much.

Thank you. Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. Thank you, and I agree. We should keep your
testimony in mind. It is important to hear the success stories that
do exist. I think also, because we do care about wanting to reach

those who are troubled and who go to the Job Corps program seek-
ing help, we owe them the very best Job Corps program we can
provide.

And where there are problems, and where violence may exist, it
is not fair to those who wish to succeed in that program not to look
at it with a critical eye. That does not mean that it is not very im-
portant, and I think that is what this committee is trying to do.

So we value your testimony; I think it helps give us a side of the
picture that we need to keep in mind. Thank you very much for
coming today.

[The appendix follows.]

APPENDIX

Prepared Statement of Senator Hatch

Madam Chairman, I want to thank you for initiating these hearings to review the
Job Corps program.

As you know, the Job Corps has recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, it is one
of the few programs that came out of the Great society era that I actually agree
with and believe has done a lot of good.

I am proud that Utah has two Job Corps Centers — Clearfield and Weber Basin —
which have posted records of adiievement.

I believe, Madam Chairman, that there is a place in an integrated job training
system for a residential program. While I agree that Job Corps is an expensive pro-
gram to operate, there are some young people who simply must get away from the
poor and unhealthy environments that nave contributed to their unemployability,
substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, or other difficulties.

At the same time, I agree with your concerns about maintaining the Job Corps
as a job training program, not a quasi-correctional program. And, I am most dis-
turbed, as I am sure all Job Corps supporters are, about gang involvement in Job
Corps centers. It should be obvious to everyone that steps must be taken to protect
the integrity of the program.

Additionally, the type of intensive residential remediation and training offered by
Job Corps is not for everyone, however. Perhaps we also need to make more effec-
tive determinations about those young people who can succeed in Job Corps and
those who are likely to drop out or who may have a harmful effect on other partici-
pants or on the community.

I agree with the chairman that the taxpayers do not have money to waste on the
ineffective placement of youth in Job Corps as opposed to a job training program
liiat may be better suited to them.

As much as I support the Job Corps, I do not believe that it is perfect. I held an
oversight hearing on the Job Corps during my tenure as chairman of the Labor
Committee. During that hearing, we exposed several Job Corps Centers that had
been allowed to deteriorate.

I believe oversight is essential to ensure program integrity and effectiveness. In
my opinion. Congress does too little of it. Almost any Federal prop-am can be im-

6 roved, and I support the oversight of job training programs initiated by Senator
[assebaum. This particular hearing has identified important specific areas for im-
provement in the Job Corps, which, if we act on them, will help Job Corps meet
our expectations for performance as well as its own goals for assisting young people
in our country.

January 16, 1995

Oiairman Nancy Landon Kassebaum,
Senate Later Comnittee
Senate Office Building
Washington, DC

Dear Cbalman Nancy L. Kassetaan:

My aail and my telephone eince Novanber 5th, laat year have been Cull of appeals
that I be heard fran on many subjects. Qae is the great honor of an invitation
to ai^jear before your congressional haarings regarding the Job Corps. My
sdiedule is so jairraed, including impending departure to Europe, a perianal
appearanoe is iipoEsible. But I vant to be known as in Job Oorpe' oomer ae it
was once in mina. Since 1968 when I went from the Parks Job Corps C«nt«r in
California to Mexico City vhere I von my Olyapic Gold Medal, I have gone or
record before all Kinds of audioncss and in one Congressional hearing about vhat
a youthful direction-changer it was for oe. It vas acre t^an a slclll training
experience. It shoved me there -were well-intentioned & caring people fran the
biggest American corporations to dedicated individuals who were helpful if
there was matching effort and response from us youthful disadvantaged in quest
of opportunities they provided first steps frou the swamp we were in and that
there was a way out and up In lives for which no hope was apparent before.

Job Corps has Icnown both praise and criticisn, winners and losers. As one
who was in it, )aiev it from the Inside and the hopelessness of those to vhoo
it reached out, I have always felt it attached a problem lltely to be with us
always and until something codeb up that is a better way, it should be retained.
To me it was indeed a friend in need. It is a sad eonent in one's life when he
denies his roots or where he ccraes from but I acknowledge that whatever I've
been and am today. The Job Corps was my starting point. Treat it Kindly.

Job Corp took me frooi the mean streets and out of a nightmare lifestyle into
a mode where the most incredible of dreams caoK true I

George E. Forentn,

Twice and Current Heavyweight Bcocing
Champion of the World

The Honorable Nancy Kassebaum

Chair, Committee on Labor and Huiuan Resurces

302 Russell Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Kassebaun:

I aja writing to share vith you my firm support of the Job
Corps program,

I am a volunteer who contacts Job Corps completers when they
return to Polk County, Iowa. I have assisted them with finding
jobs, going on to college, locating housing, and securing medical
care .

In addition, I have visited six Corps centers during the past
year to improve my follow-up skills with these young men who
are usually beginning their first job in the "real world".

I've observed that the finest training programs at Job
Corps Centers are those which are in partnership with free en-
terprise corporations. My conclusion is that we need to encourage
more of this kind of cooperative opportunity for at-ristf young
men who are being equipped for Lifetimes of tax-generating and
incoae producing employment.

I am proud to be one of thousands of volunteers all across
America who are able to help many Job Corps completers make
successful transitions into our nation's workforce.

If there are any ways I may work with you to improve Job
Corps training for at risk youth please feel free to solicit my
support.

IhiaUH you for your leadership.

Rev. Wayne Eoehns

1422 Cutler Ave.

Des Moines, Iowa 50315

Prepared Statement of Gerald W. Peterson

Madam Chairwoman and Members of the Committee:

I am pleased to appear before you today to testify on the
Job Cflrps Program, Specifically, I will attempt to
convey some o£ my concerns that result in unsatisfactory
performance outcomeB by students.

Concern II - Lack of ConarassloBal Oversight . The last
Senate oversight hearing on Job Corps took place in
February 1984. For a program costing more than a billion
dollars a year, you should do better.

concern •2 - Lack of Maaaaf ■«»»*• Co»»it:«eBt. My Initial
briefing of you and your staff pertaining to much of the
data I will discuss today was dlsnissed as "erroneous .
or misinterpretations of Isolated facts" by
secretary Reich. The current Director of Job Corps told
me I was wasting his t lae when w« bciefed him on this
data and in fact refused subsequent briefings offered on
our "Analysis of Costs Invested In Human Capital In the
Job Corps Program."

Concern 13 - Policy and pTa^rmm Prnhlaan.

$100 nlllion spent with no measurable benefits -
15\ of the resources Invested in the Job Corps
program had no measurable return. Participant
did not get a job within six-months of leaving
the program, did not demonstrate any educational
achievements, and did not complete a vocational
program. There were 13,112 students who fell
into this category in PIE 1990. This represented
20. 6X of total output.

Students are not being placed in jobs for which
they are trained - Only 13% found jobs that match
the vocational skills they gained in the program
for Pys 1990.

In pre 1990 24.1% of the total Job Corps
participants were lost in the system - Job Corps
simply do<^s not know what happened to them.
Knowing what happened to students after leaving
Job Corps is essential, before any evaluation of
program effectiveness is possible.
Approximately 1 out of S of the total Job Corps
participants are not placed In any job, returned
to school, or entered armed forces.
Only about 17% of the total Job Corps funds
actually went towards educational/vocational

training In PYE 6-90. Co«t« were Incnrred In tbe
Eollowlng cateqorles:

* Aaalnlatration - 26%

•t^ Residential Ilvlnq - 24%

* Educational and vocational training - 17%

* Facilltlas, cquLpaeot, and
depraciatlon - 14%

* Allowances - 10%

■i- Medical and Dental - 4%
f Outreach, ■cccenlnq, plac«nent-3%
4 Travel and transportation - 2%
Consistently poor partoralnq centers are not
closed. Thase poor performing centers place
fewer students upon termination, assist Cewer
students In obtaining their GEO or in achieving
learning gains, have fewer atudente who complete
their vocational training, and have a higher
turnover o€ students. At some point. Job Corps
must decide whether it Is wise to continue to
invest in a center which Is performing poorly
and not meeting program objectives, or whether
these funds are better invested elsewhere.
There la $400 millioD in unfunded renovations
necessary to make the currant Job Corps centers
a more desirable environment and conducive to
learning and Intensive training. This may help
to explain why In PYE 1990 39% dropped ont within
the first 90 days. Job Corps management says the
drop out rate results from Its strict discipline
which they see as a sign of the program's
success. In actuality only 13% drop out for
disciplinary reasons.

Job Corps Is a very expensive program, costing tax payers
over $1 billion a year. This translates to about 823,000
per year, per participant. I believe that program
operations and performance need to be carefully evaluated
and corrective action taken if we are to continue
investing in this program.

Prepared Statement of Ron Stallworth

Madam nhairwuman, disdngoisfacd members of the comminB&, Udies aoi gcntlcmcii; I
wani to Thank" you for allowmg mc this opportunity to present tEstimony on a matter I feci is
crucial in adrtressmg the needs of a particular s^ment of American yootiL Before proceeding
atty further I would first like to introduce myself.

I am Sergeant Ron Stall-worth, of ^ Utah. Depanmenr of Pnblic Safety's Division of
Investigatioiis. I have been a law enforrgment ofBccr for approrimaiely 20 years. I am the
senior gang investigator in the State of Utah and axuemly serve as its Gang Intsnigeoce
Coordinanir. I have been invtiLved in the Utah law enfbrcement response effon against gangs
. stnrr. its JTirrption in April, 1989. It was rny concepts for addiessiiig this issue diar later tesuhed
in the creation of ±e federaHy flmdcd Salt Lake Area Gan£ Prqjca (a mnlti-jurisdicrioiHl gang
suppression and diversion unit). In addition I was a pioaaeer in the study of gang behavior and
mentality as espiessed in the tyncs of 'gangster' r^ music. I have authored two selT-pobiistied
boGJcs on the snbjcct and have coaducted uaiiiiiig throughout the councry ar seminars sponsored
by federal law enfarcemect agencies. rnrinAm^ the offices of the Drug Enforcement AdminiS'
nation, Btffcan of AlcohoL, Tobacco & Fiteanns, U.S. Marshall's Servioe, Dwaitment of Agri-
callnrc/U.S. Fotestty Service, and U.S. AUDmey. In Frfjiuary, 1994 1 presented testimony on
the sobject of 'gangster" rap music to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Sobcommiitee on Juvenile
Justice. In Noveanbex, 1994 at the invitation of Ae Naiiooal Drag Intelligence Ccmcr, under
tile au^iccs of tiie DqanmenT of Justice, I was invited to particq»te in a Street Gang
SynqKwium. I along with fifteen (15) other "recognizBd street gang experts from state and local
law enfarcemeot agencies across the connrry. " were brought together to exaxoine die street gang
problem ftom a. Tiatinml pearapective.

Let me state ai the onset that I am fiist and foimost a believer in and sapporter of tlie
mission of social progiams, such as dot of the Job Corps. Programs such as ttiis, wliich. are
designed to hi^ disadvantaged youth achieve a basic mwPTP*- of education anri vocational tiaii>-
ing, ffben efifectiv^ and responsibly mataged, are noble eSbrts on the part of the American
consciousness and very, verv necessary. When snch endeavors are successful they embolden
^le impacted individual to bolster self-esteem and in the process eccoarages the coniinned poisuit
of achievement towards becoming a prodnctrve member of sodecy.

The America of tlie 90's, ladies and genflemen, has becotne a hostile land of inane
aggression and violent acts of defiance by the "have noes" of soday towards the "haves."
NowiMTC is tins attitude and behavior more evident than amnnc the youth , especially diose
whose lives unfold amidst the fii«;mai sordid squalor in die 'concrete jungles' of the inner cities.

Fuel far this cycle of violent aggression frequently lies in tiie sense of disfranchismcnt
anH despair brought on by the social isolation of inner city living Tn such circmnstanccs the
despair I speak of ofben lies in the faihne of irtner city inhabitants to feel a 'connecdon, ' a sense
of community, with the maiiBtieam of Amedcansodcty. Too often ttie feeling of social isoia^
tion results in a destroctiveiniiid-set among the yoa& of iimerd^ America. In thdr misguided
effort to express a sense of sdf-wurth and achievement^ diese young people all too oftoi fiud
tiiemselves on the path of destruction— towards themselves, their peers (who are often innocent
bystanders), anH the commnnity-at-large .

It theiefore becomes inqierative that those m positions of power and authority do every-
thing within their Tnrwni: to address such issoes. If we as a society are to have any bape of
reducing and/or dimiDBtiiig this feeling of de^tair and social isolatkn, it k esential that we
arrest the derelopment of the "rloknce as a narmal nspaose" attitude wliich finds l^or
amoog the youth of America, espcdaDy tliose in die inner dties.

Having expressed my suppCHt for ttie Job Coips mission, I traist iktw express some
concerns that I have r^arding tiic pxogiam. The tesetvations I have are based on my peocmal
kiKTKricdgc and tzpcocncc of having worked on the gang issue in fiie State of Utah during tiie
past six (6) years and of involvemait in tiiis issue ficm. a TwtinnHl perspective over the cocrae
of my roleasamCkxsIlcctDierdurii)gdiepasttliree(3) years. Ttie issue* I discuss have been
experiexKcd, personally, by me over the coorae of my years as a Gang Investigator in my state.
To aid in tlic understanding of the subject of Job Corps, gangs and their intact en Utah society

lattacfaacopyofnjyrqxHttifled, 'Gangs In Utah: A Paooranric Perspective On. The Cutanc'
(pages 2-15 spedficaJQy Hiyiif^ the connection with Job Coips). This rqpait was picpaied in
cxnjmKaion with tJK Utah Depaitaicnt of Public Safety's 1993 Smnadt(niOa% Out

of faimrtiR to tbc corrcnt i«i<w^»hTp of the Job Corps progEsm in OeaxfMd, Utah I most state
that thcxc has been a iHgTiifiraint ciiange of direcdon, for te better, where concems for Job
Corps stDdeat/gHng members arxl tiierr D^ative hnrfl^ on Qic sonounding coannunities has
amen. Ibis change, tboo^ not as encompaasing as I and ottier gang invcstigatots in the stale
would Uke to see, is ncnetfaeleas in mxiked conrniv to die pievioas administtation of die deai^
field prt^rain.

As I stzied earlier. iiii-<gi»ii« such as Job Corps are a yory necessary ingredient in the
recipeforaddiessiDgtiaepli^it of disadvantaged yonfli in diiscoantry. However when it is time
to add tliis ingredieat "*" ttB mix some impactant considerations mnst first be examined.
Among themaie:

1. The efiiectiveDess of the progmm. to podtively tnq>aa the targeted yoodi.

2. The locale erf (he pDJgrain til triation to the enyiroiinientalbadcgrDniid of ttie targeted
youth. For example, rural vs urtmiATig city ^.c., Los Angeks) vs small diy (i.e.. Salt Lake
City). Cahnrai issnes ghoold also be aobject to review.

3. The impact Oh (be couuunnity in the placement of certain groups of tai;getBd ycnth.

When all of tiKse &ctcHs arc considered and the end icsah is a negative, tiien yon wID
tind tbar the comnmnily (or some vestige of die comnnmity) will explode in an oproar of
n^ative verbiage against such programs. It is under such coodirioiis that Job Corps has come
under dose scrutiny and severe criticism firom die citizens whose taxes st^jpon its existence.
An ivMpnfiiTm to this would also lie with die failure of Job Corps ofRrials Id adequately assuage
the conoems of die community i^aiding certain aq>ectB of thfir program, llie issue of gaug
involvement on the part of Job Corps student/gang members is, perii^s, the best example of the
latter.

in die latter part of the 1980's this coootry was impacted by a major social qndemic:
the migration of tmiftr city gang monbers across the Vifirn\a-nA of America. This migration,
primarily from metropolitan Los AageJes, s^ in modon a social phcnnmenon of violcrKc., anti-
auihority defiance, and revoIuQooary arotrchism among the youth which drastically altered tiie
larirfitf'app^ of commmiilies across the nation and, in the process, destroyed lives. The migration
revolved axoond several issnes. As staled in tiie 1994- National Drug Intelligence Center's
"Street Gang Symposirmi Report, ' among the reasons why street gang members migrate fitom
larger fitva to smaller cities and commamties are:

1. Relccatiau of families.

2. Avoid iqpprdiension and prosecutian.

3. Avoid letilbiition firom rival street gang moohers.

4. In connection widi private and public rraimng and refaabilitatinn programs.

5. New cTTTTiTnal madoets and hi^ber Illegal profits.

6. Less street gang rivalry and coi!^>etitioii.

7. Trnwpir to fflt-fmidwfg and iittiuipulate the aintriiiiity.

8. limitBd law enforcemcot resources and lack of street gang recogmtion/awareaess.

This TTTigratimi across tbe expaaae of osidguoas American states spread a cuhnral
dynamic and aiidrauflj»jiiIiy/iTffi-fT>'''TTnrTTwm vataie system i^dch, as a byproduct of the criminal
association of SV*S involvBtneai, has torn, at the fthric of our socieiy. This cultural dynamic has
empowered our youth, most notably those in the so-called 'at-dslc/troubled" cai^ory, to tnglits
of jrrfhvnrr' and powcT previously unbeard of in the comnumities 6um which fljcy onginatBd.

Over time and under such circnmstaDces as listed above, many yotdi came nrviw ^
wingofttie Job Carps program (in particalar see caD^ary #4 above). In perbapsttc vast major-
ity of cadcs these individDals saagbt out Job Corps as a legitiiiialc and bonafide ttimhh; of social
bettEnnenL UnfommalEly, thnngh sooie of tbcsc youth hrr-ajn^ products of the progx'am as a
result of corat onkicd Trmndmr rcfcnal; Lc, "join Job Corps or go to jaE. " It shoald be noted
that in my encounters widi Job Corps snirifflifs over the years, many iiave told me that tbey wcr
in the program as a result of having committed a criminal ofBsnse in thar city of cdginand was
given sucli an option by tte coart.

As evidenced by my report on the history of the Utah gang mviiomnent, "Gangs IiT
Utah...,* since at least 1978 the lole of some Job Corps smdaot/gang members has been a
negative one in teons of ttieir Tmpart cm Utah society, especially among its youth-

In pen that iit^ativiiy has been based oo a foim of 'colmre shodc' expezicnced by the
tran^lantedstudeot/gang members. This ciiltnre shocJ: relates to my staiemeat on die previous
page r^aiding locale betng given prime coosiderarion when determining the placerxKot of some
Job Coaps students.

For same of the inner city gang meaiilcis placed at the Clearfield, Utah Job Corps Pol-
ity the relalivdy pristine and sedate Utah li&style (in relation to the lifestyle and mttnral
eiiviraimietitofthenei^ibcHchoods tern whiditbcycaiiie) is an alien experience. In sodi instan-
ces it is only nalnzal to search for and/or cling to ttiar tefaich provides £ainiliaiity to a mra^.
com&Hiable zone of cxpedeace. This, in part, accoonts for the propensi^ of Job Corps student/
goTTg membecs to reqxmd to the foreigoess of the Utah enrironment by rimgfng to the lifestyle
of the gang cohure which mutmed tiKm. Their effuits to adapt broo^ then in close contact
with Utah youth who admired the Hi-finnt antL-atitharity/anti-estabUshnieni ffry^ of ffv^ parti-
colar cahnre's value systoiL This, m Omi, led to the adoption of the coamer-caltiiral lifes^Ie
of gangs on the part of Utah's yoong. The end result of this 'cross-breecfing' of cnltuies has
spawned anew generatiQn of hankned Utah yootb-gang members— whidi, in turn, led to a level
of violence previoosly tmseen on the streets of Utah commrmities.

For Utahns the inability of the Job Coips student gai^ miember to accultuiatc to a diGkr-
ect social rfimatf! reflects a amative stain on the pristioe setting I spoke of eartier. That stain
faindsns totiic social pheawiTienfm canaed by ti>e gang migrarirm.

As I previoosly mentiQned. rritifHein of the Job Corps program, e^xciaUy among law
enfoiccmcnt nefjit-m throughoat tlie country who have had the nusfortnnc to come into conflict
with its negative aspects, lies in the fubnc of hs administrative officials to respond to L^-
im&tely cxpiessed coocexos from the mmniiniiiiy The issue of gang involvemeot among its stu-
dents is an cxcdlfiast exan^le.

The Utah law eufcaueinentcQiimmiii^b^an to proactively address the issue of crironial
street gang activity in April, 1989. It was qoiddy dctEnained thai aome Job Corps studenc/gaog
members finom the Qearfidd ftdlity were, to a great exico:, prhne reasons for doe iurrrairing
metamorphosis of Utah youth into acc^tance of the gang culmi^ value system as their preferred
mode of bcbarionl expiession. To aid ns in ideatliying die extent of tbc gang presence in the
Salt Tjttnp City metropolitan area, we in the Salt Lake Area Gang Prcrject sought the aarisrance
of officials with the privatdy tun (Managemetji and Training CcipcaatioD-MTC) Job Corps
fiir.il ify m ClcaifieLd, Utah. The stndoc/gaiig members we were routinely encountering or citv
streets were fiom tiiis partjcnlar &cOiiy (tiiere is a second Job Coips program operating in die
Ogdcn-Salt Lake City metropoKtan area wiach is managed by the Department of Labor). The
nature of the assistance we requested was as follows:

1. Name of g?Tig<: represented on the nrarfirlfl facility.

2. Names of idexitified Job Cocps gang members (or vedfication of infonxtadoD
independently obtained biy gang invcsdgatais).

3. Monilxrs used by f^rr*^*^ Job Corps gang mcDabcQ.

4. Dates of btrdL

5. Social Seamty NumbcB.

6. Home address of dc dty of ongiD of idotifiod Job Coips gang members (many dmes
if aaindtvJdnal'sgaiigaffilijstiaaisDotieadifykiiownitcanbedetexmmedbo' viitD£ of a hcxne
address in flic city of ongin).

RegietftiOy our nm|>le request far g™'«^"^ went unanswered. In &ct, tite rwcjOTiwa^
cfaoscD by Job Corps ofBcials was to not coopaxte wMi our cfEorts to address public safety
issues invidviDg a small peiccdage of tbdr stodeots. They resarted to a semantical game of
denying tiiey bad 'true* gang membeis at ibe QearSdd fKdli^, botralbcrif tbcy had asyttting
it was nothing inoic than "waniBbe* gang mexobos. To nukistBnd the use of tbis term by Job
Corps o£5cials in an eSbtt to deny a downplay tbe frisi^TK^ of gang membeis in tiimr pro-
gram, please refer to page #12 of my 'Gangs In Utah...' rq>OTt.

From the very b^iiming of oar contact with Job Coips ofEcials legarding tbe negative
nnpart some of dieir student/gang members were having od tiic oxiummity, we asked a few
simple questions: Does Job Corps bxve an obligation to iic commnnities n^atively impacted
by die effect of its tirugram? Do Job Corps officials, in tbeir zEaknsncss to Tnumfatri smdeni
capacity, have an obligation to assure Utah ciiiifaw Aat die social pjmimumftfitjii iinpjrf of ih^m-
somewhat dyKftinctinrwl famnan imports will not be a stain on the Utah lifestyle? Is there a
moral, ethical., and puifawinnal obljgaticxi on the part of Job Corps officials to do everydiisg
wjdm dieir means to iBUi£y (or kaBcn) die inqnct of die boidcn placed on Utah taxpayers aixl
its criminal justice systtin by a groop of its ont-of-control charges whose basic foondation is
rooted in placing a faig^ regard on aggression and violent expression against aiTthority. and
whose cnlmnl eOaic is diametncaDy opposed to that of the mainsoeam? To us the answer was
a clear and resounding YES!

The Cleaifield Job Cocpe ptogtam is fodenDy sobakBzcd whh tax dollars which are
administered throo^ the private Maoagemen: and Training CorporatioQ in Ogden, Utah. The
corporation and its employees are rootEd in Utah sode^ «n<i, like all citizeos in die state, iiave
a vested inTCTPiST in issues of pal>lic wel&ie and sa&ty. A conflict seemingly occurs when die
interest of a private enterprise's efifbit to ensme a profit reQcdres diat they promote a false image
to the community by siq^picssing viable infoimatian ^bdch could aid in secmlag the safety of
the general public and which, in fact, trndetmines all legitimate efforts to ttiat emL

PiivatBly managed Job Corps piograms mainnip a 'polished" pnblic ft^v> in order to sell
itself to the commnnity. I have learned over the years that when tiiis image comes under fire,
when any aspea of die piogiam with tiie slightest hint of negativity attached to it is broo^ to
the f(xos of public scmthry. Job Corps officials adopt a siegc-likic "Us versos Them" mentality.
In essence they circle their wagons to try and diSiise or redirect die focus of attccdon &om the
particular issoe in qaestiorL

The most ^legious act on the part of thcac officials to protect tiieir image in the wake
of law enforrwnent efforts involving their stodeot/gang members has been tibe sobtls nsc of
threats and intimidatioiL I have twice been en the receiving end of such tactics by MTC/Job
Corps officials.

There have been othex e£Eons on die pait of these officials to protect their program and
its public image 'v^iencvcr conSicts or potential conflicts occor with law enteccemeoL Such
arrogant deSance is, at the very least, imtatiug and, at die very worst, giiiteiiiptuons of all
proper peiu^lion of appropnate flthifal bdiavior.

As I stated at the start of my testimony, I am a believer in anl suRxmer of the basic
mission of die Job Corps prugranL I camuit, lioweva, snpport such eQorts when re8p<nsQ>le
rffiriaJK act itxcspooaibly to the needs and concerns of the pobBc interest wiien it regnrds
issues of public safWy.

My remaxics throogboot die tcstimcHiy have ceiiiBcd on the program aod actions of offi-
dals of die Job Corps program m Qeacfidd, Utah. The aeoood piogiam I spoke of eadiei,
Weber-^astn Job Corps, has hal virtoaDy litde contact widL law enfbrceiDent officials in comiiir-
ison with tluir Clearfidd ccontczparL In niy years of addressing this issue I can only recoanL,

pediips five mdimt^ mvolving ^>nA»nt^: of tbe Weber-Basm program. Is lias a reflection of
maoagemenl styles? One csn only ^iTfmigA tfaet periaps Tnnmigefn^rTTr ttTftTw>T»r'i»<i ms^ be an
iiii|«ii lnnt fectDr.

f<nHiL a l2w wifiin^iiKi^it penpective tbere bas been nnthm^. but f^rw»»pi^T^ aod total
cooperation firom Webar-Buin officials on tfaooe few ocsaskms wbcc tfacy hive had to be
contsctcd regarding ptobkm sodeots. Pedtutps teas positive attitndr accoants for te Wdner-
Basin ptDgiam, based on a five yesr (1988-92) smcfy, bemg listed as amoog flie best Job Corps
cemers in the coontiy wi& a #3 rating (as oppoeed to ttie Qcirfielfl fscfliiy wfaicii was rated
significantly lower). The cantnbation of tiK Weber-Basin prognin to Utah's incrraamg gang
presence has been ncm-exiatent cxunpaisd ID that of the Clfan-fiHfl pojgtmn.

Is the Job Carps piugiam in Utah the only one of its land corSributiDg to die spread of
onng coltnie Ttimnghnnt the United States? In Joly, 1993 I ti^^rifi*^ in a coital homicide trial
in. An grin, Texas u^tuch "^i*^ in tiie conviction of a 19 year old Houston gwng member nrvniovi
of rtmrderiiig a Texas State Tmopei. Testimony fiom fanuty and fdends of the accused iiKlica-
tcd he b^an esdnbiting gang btiiavior and expressing a propensiry towards violent acts of
aggression towards law encforcemeni officials only after spending tinv. in a Job Corps program.

I have tiad conversations widi law eufiaicement coDeagnes in the midwest and along tlK
eastern seaboard who bavc had similar cocotmiBrs with. Job Corps students and officials as tiiosc
I have described in my tesdmoi^. Hie only difEerence in tbeir cxpedeoces and mm^ has been
the locale. Bverytiiing else lemaics the same in an almost clone-like fRshion, I have also bad
discnssions with Idaho officials of the U.S. Department of AgDcalQiic who have had negative
eocomneis with Job Corps smdent/gang memhen;.

As I expressed earlier nmch of my teservations r^arding tjbe Clearfidd Job Corps
occurred nnder ^ psevioos «<^Tn^ntc^nIf^nn dian tliat wliich cnnently oversees the program for tie
Management and Training CotporatiaiL It should be iKitcd by tins coromittRe, however, that
some iKddova- of the actions of Job Corps offidais causing those reservations remain today
under ttie current leadership. In point of &ct the most egr^joos acts by those o£5cials in
response to law cnfbrcemesit e&irts have strictly come ouder the aoqiioes of die anient
administratioiL

Ladies and gcaidanen of the commiitee, I am sot '^ enemy* of Job Corps, as some
officials with the nrarfifilH program have asserted over the years. I wtolc-heartedly endorse
the basic rntrmt of the prngram I do howcver tiiit^ that under tlie tnffnHgemenT of certain
private eiseqjrises it has become a 'Ptanlcenstein'' mooster tampaging oat of concroL It needs
to be broogiu: back into fbcns and made accoadabb to the needs and concerns of die citizens
v^bose tax dollais support its ezJEtcoce. Towards diis end I would suggest the following
questions be asked and df^UbfrcatRd on dnring die coarse of diese heanngs:

1. Is fie private contractor system tlic best lesourcc to adoinister tiie fedaal fimds in
pmsnit of fiie missicHi of die Job Corps program. Should this system be abolished and reaffir-
med orxkr the Dcpartmait of LabOT as it was origioally intended?

2. <:hnnlH a fyimpTT^ifffisivr TTTVffsrigafinn rntn ttie arimtrrigrnrinn nf rh^ fiw^/^^^l frmtte nqv

porting the Job 'Carps program be mitiatr^ by an appnqiriaiB fedeiral law eufotcaueot agency?

3. Is the mcQcy nsed to TnaintiiTn the Job Corps progiam teceivtng adequate return on its
investment? Is the progiam having a positive effect on the vast nmnber of its participants or arc
tiie statistks reflecting a *n«mfi"^ booodog^ that could, petiiaps, be better nscd in a difCeicnt
format^

4. Is tbeie some federal gmddine ttigt prohibits privaie oontracton from coopcrafiuog with
law enforcement officials in maintaining pobUc safety by providing select infbrmwrinn on 'prob-
lem* stndcnls? If so should it be reevaluated widi provisions JiftachH tiiai would allow for
excepdons in seiect cimniistances?

5. If a veruable "social disease, " such as gangs, is gomg to be imported imo unsmqacamg
communittfis as a lesalt of a "benevolent social iugjiovement program" administered by tiic
federal government; should the government fhen have an obligation to assist those connnQnitics
in funding to address the backlash of having to respond to the negative inquct of their "bottvo-
Icnl nugcation?'

In closing, I feel we most take an imrospcctivc look at the ajuem state of America aal
die impact of its youth on Ihc sffam -windi threaten to tear apait oar society. We must thpn
mm oar sights towards the fniure and ask what effect will the yonlb of today, governed by the
ethics of gaqg behavioial attdbmes and the social isolatioDism caused by bang prodocts of
America's "concrete jungles," have on the snticmre of tcanorroWs society, if left nncbecked
wMuKit a Job Corps or similar ^pe jjjLugiam to address certain needs?

To me, ladies and gentlemen, the ootkxik is a fiigfateoxng one. Much of tiiis coimtry is
hdd hostage by flic grip of gang colmre and its behavioral atrrTtvii- on the heaiis and minds of
our young. In tiie Salt Lake City metropolitan area th«t gnp has seized childrBn as young as 6
years of age. We imgt stop tiic deafli gnp of gangs! We Tmua actively seek to control tfac
ingredients which make the socially catdndcd inner dly communities fiatile environmems fortfae
fermentation of gang cnlmre. Quanmrfning such a social bacteria, keqnng it cosi&iied to tbc
inner cities fran wiiicfa it has tradirinnally aesrled, will forever be doomed to faDnrc. Wemnst
seek to control this problem at its sooice, in part, dirtngh the positive benc&s of a Job Corps
and odier such programs. If such eodeavors prove socccssfiil, then as a society of concsncd
citizens, pa±Hps, we can limit its spread.

The yoolh of America, ladies and gentlemetu i^iescnt cor flmire. We msS saoi
control now to msnre that the fiitnre for them is a boontiful otk. Well managed social piogiams
whose hkxM is qie of a cooperative and vested interest in comnmnity concerns (as opposed to
acomimg an adversarial staDce doe to the &cade of maintaiuiiig a 'polished' public image) can
go a long way towanis insoring diat fiiQite sMoes brigiDtty for generatims to come.

Hiankyou vciy mixiL

Dallas News Series— Trouble at the Corps"

McKinney Tape Excerpt

Suggested Text Insert i

"Students call it SCARY

The three-part investigative reoort aired '!

Employers call it CRAZY

during November ratings period on

the Inspector General calls it a WASTE

KDFW Channel 4 News in Dallas.

Many of the statements are untrue.

A Becky Oliver exclusive..."

Many of the images are staged and

distorted. What follows are the facts

about the McKinney Job Corps center

and national facts about Jod Corps.

"The campus is a haven for sex.

FACT: These claims are. simply put.

violence, gangs and drugs. "

lies. Many scenes show normal events

technically dramatized to give a sinister

effect.

Visual: Blurry. Gritty black and white

This footage was taken by a hidden

images with ominous background music.

camera in a security guard flashlight.

Upon close scrutiny, you will see that

these images show students in their

dorms, in the recreation center, the

cafeteria and other common areas on

center. ^

Anchorwoman: "Investigation shows

FACT: Since 1989. the Inspector .

rampant abuses..."

General has issued 202 repons on Job 1

Corps. None of these reports uncovered

Becky Olivers introduction to the

"rampant abuses" of a fiscal or program

segment, "...complaints were

nature of any kind.

! unbelievable..."

McKinney Tape Excerpt

Suggested Text Insert

I Job Corps Employee ID of man saying
"its a madhouse, the students run the
campus. "

"Weapons are not allowed on campus
but weapons are common knowledge on
center.."

Hidden Camera: "Here a student brags
about making weapons in carpentry
class. "

"Security guards are shown discussing
government checks issued to students
and how they use the funds for drugs.

FACT: This man is an investigative
reponer for channel 4.

According to students, this man
encouraged, solicited, and orchestrated
unacceptable behavior among
McKinney students so he could film it
instead of performing his hired duties of
providing for the safety and security of
stucents. staff and property as stated in
his joD description.

FACT: There is a strict disciplinary and
behavior code that all Job Corps
students are to follow. In addition,
regulations require between 12-15:1
teacher-to-student ratio in academic and
vocational classes.

FACT: This is a false statement.
Weapons are not common knowledge
on Job Corps centers and by regulation
are prohibited on all centers.

FACT: To ensure safety on all Job
Corps centers, center staff periodically
check dorms and lockers for weapons,
drugs and alcohol or other unauthorized
items. If a weapon Is found, it is
confiscated, destroyed or turned over to
local authorities. The owner must then
appear before a center review board
which recommends termination or other
sanctions.

FACT: This statement is out of context.
This stuaent voluntarily signed a
statement saying that the incident he
mentioned happened several vears ago
at another eaucational institution.

The student is enrolled in plastering -
not carpentry at fvlcKinney.

FACT: Job Corps students earn a
maximum of S36.82 every 2 weeks.
Research shows that most Job Corps
students use this modest stipend for
personal hygiene products, travel home,
and clothing.

Job Corps maintains and enforces a
Zero Tolerance Policy towards drugs,
alcohol, violence and harassment at all
centers.

McKinney Tape Excerpt

Suggested Text Insert

"Teachers report thai students come to
class stoned and drunk, making it
impossible to teach. ..Lighting up before
class. This student even offers to sell
drugs..."

Segment shows openly lewd Pehavior
on a picnic table..."

"Even though there have been
confirmed cases of HIV on center,
students are crawling under the building
for sex.. .pillows have been found in this
crawlspace..."

Rhonda Wheeler a single mom. lasted
only two weeks.

"If there's a word for it. it is HELL.
There are used condoms all over the
place. "

Becky Oliver concludes with stack of
documents with incident reports.

"Why the troublemaKers get to stay..

FACT: Nationally about 30% of
incoming Job Corps students test
positive for arugs. Once oetectea. tney
are immediately enrolled in drug anc
alcohol counseling. Any student who
shows no improvement is terminated
from the program or referred to a
community-based treatment center for
intensive counseling.

FACT: The female student featured in
this scene informed the center director
the day of the taping that it would
appear in the news story that night.
She also assisted Channel 4 with
locating disgruntled students for the
segment. The footage was filmed with
a teiephoto lens from a van outside the
center.

FACT: All incoming students are tested

for HIV and AIDS upon entry. The
t\/lcKihney Job Corps Center has not
had an HIV individual on center for over
a year

FACT: There are no reports of these
items having been found in the
crawlspace. If the scene videotaped by
the channel 4 investigator working as a
security guard had actually been
discovered, it should have been
reported. Nevertheless, the Center has
sealed all 70 such crawlspaces beneath
the older buildings on Center.
There are 600 students enrolled at
McKinney. Other students offer a
different point of view. Ms. Wheeler
remained on center 9 days.

FACT: A total of 87 Significant Incident
Repons were filed for a 2-year period at
McKinney. During that time, almost
2.000 students were on the center.
These incident reports range from
modest disci plinar/ action to drug
possession.

FACT: By regulation "troublemakers"
do not remain in Job Corps once due
process procedures by staff and
rtudents have been followed.

Mc Kinney Tape Excerpt

Suggested Text Insert

"They could care less about those kids.
all they care about are the numbers. "

Becky Oliver: "We found administrators
play more of a number game than
running a program that adds up to
success. "

i Tapes of two students: one reports that
a student is in the hospital nght now
because he was hit with rocks in a sock;

Louis King says his roommates bed
was set on fire as he slept.

Segment shows teacher in profile. Says
there are kids with 187 absences in his
class. When asked. "Are they terminating
and following the rules? He responds. "Not
at all. "

FACT: By statute and regulation.
Congress and the Dept. of Labor
require centers to keep detailed records
on each student in their care and to be
accountable to taxpayers for funds
expended.

The vast majority of staff work on Job
Corps centers because they are
committed to helping disadvantaged
youth: certainly not because of the pay.

FACT: Job Corps' success is well
documented anecdotally and
statistically. Nationally. 7 out of 10 Job
Corps students start jobs, enter the
military or pursue higher education.

FACT: Job Corps is the most
thoroughly evaluated program in the
history of federal job training programs.

FACT: There are no documented
reports to support this statement.

FACT: The roommate was the
unfortunate victim of an ill-conceived
practical joke called "hot foot. " The
student who committed the prank was
discharged the same day it occurred.
The injured student was treated at the
clinic for burns to his left foot and ankle.

FACT: Over the past year, the iVlcKinney
Job Corps cente'- terminated 1.030
students - an average of 20 students per
week.

FACT: Regulations do not allow students to
be retained who have been absent for 10
or more consecutive days, or more than 22
days per year

Job Corps operators use a software system
that tracks student absences, and this
system does not allow students who
exceed these limits to be retained in the
system. Students who are AWOL from the
center are not paid for the days they are
absent.

In a system as large as Job Corps, there
are some staff that do not measure up.

McKinney Tape Excerpt

Suggested Text Insert

After Joses comment. "I'll act on it so
quickly it will make your head turn. "

Gerald Peterson: "You're getting ripped
off."

Second Peterson segment. ..Congress
has known all along that Job Corps is
wasting SI 00 million and yet the funding
keeps on comma...

Peterson continues... "The talk about
expanding the program is insane. "

Report shows a graphic with two points:
1 out of 3 dropout: 1 in 8 get jobs they
were trained for...

FACT: Job Corps prime concern is the
safety and well Peing of its students.
Immediate action was taken.

FACT: During the seven years. Mr.
Peterson led investigations of the Job
Corps annual Inspector General audits
of over Si billion of Job Corps
expenditures found that 99. 7% of those
expenditures withstood intense scrutiny.
And that only three-tenths of 1 % of Job
Corps expenditures were disallowed

FACT: This statistic is a gross
distortion of the IG repon. which stated:
85% of the investment resulted in
participants receiving measurable
results." The 15%. or Si 00 million, with
"no measurable results" were attributed
to "students who aropped out early from
the program. "

FACT: Since 1990 Republicans and
Democrats have strongly endorsed the
Job Corps 50-50 Plan, which proposes
to gradually add 50 Job Corps centers
to serve 50% more disadvantaged
youths by the end of the century.

There are an estimated 6 million
imprisioned young people in America.
Job Corps' comprehensive services
could greatly benefit many of these
hardest to serve and most needy youth.

Drop in Senator Dole's remarks (CG
over the footage: Senator Robert Dole
(R-KS). l\Aay 4. 1994. "Should be
considered for expansion..."
FACT: The national average illustrates
that 30% of Job Corps students do not
adapt to center rules and regulations
and expenence severe homesickness,
causing them to leave the program. In
addition. Job Corps is required by law to
provide placement assistance to all
students - even those who drop out
before completing the full program.

FACT: Job Corps mission, according to
Public Law 97-300 is to assist young
individuals who need and can benefit
from an unusually intensive program.
operated in a group setting, to become
more responsible, employable ana
productive citizens. "

McKinney Tape Excerpt

Senator Kassebaum remarks ... "No
accountable. ..it isn't working as it
stiould. Ttie perpetuation is fraud. "

Suggested Text Insert

Becky Oliver statement. "First tieanng in
12 years..."

FACT: Job Corps' success is
measured in several areas: GED
attainment, reading gains, matti gams,
lengtli of stay ana vocational comoletion
and placement.

FACT: Nationally Job Corps places
70% of its students into jobs, military or
furttier eaucation - 28% enter jobs for
wtiicfi they were specifically trained.
31% into ottierjobs and 11% enroll in
full-time sctiool.

41% of Job Corps students are 16 or 17
years old or under, limiting tfie full range
of jobs available to them.

FACT: A long-term follow-up study
shows that Job Corps returns SI. 46 for
every dollar invested. Indicators from
subsequent years have shown an
equally high return on taxpayers '
dollars.

FACT: There has been no record of
fraud in Jod corps in over 200 IC audits.
Of the more than S4.4 billion reviewed
in total, the IC found 0.3% as
disaliowabie costs - attesting to Job
Corps fiscal integrity.

FACT: Expansion of Job Corps is
warranted because of the alarming
numbers of poor youth needing
residential education and job training
services, tvlembers of Congress and
officials from the Bush and Clinton
Administrations have endorsed a
phased-in expansion and enrichment of
Job Corps over this decade.

FACT: This statement is false. There
have been hearings on Job Corps by
virtually every Congress since the late
1960s

FACT: The Dept. of Labor testifies
about Job Corps before the House and
Senate Appropriations Committee every
year

Mc Kinney Tape Excerpt

Suggested Text Insert j

Oliver statement to Jose: "Shouldn't
DOL follow ttiese kids longer, stiouldn't
we..."

FACT: By law. Job Corps is not
mandated to follow students fo'
extenaed periods of time. Resources
for extended follow-up for each student
are not provided by Congress.

FACT: A pilot program following Job
Corps students for 13 weeks is
underway to evaluate and estimate the
costs and staff resources requires to
follow 62.000 young people annually.

1 — II

i
1
1

1
1

Prepared Statement of Luis Melendez

Hello, my name is Luis Melendez. I have been a New York

City Police Officer for years, assigned as the 4 6th

precinct's Youth Officer.

As Youth Officer, my primary function is to act as a liasion
with the community in dealing with all area youth in the Bronx.
Throughout my tenure as Youth Officer, my most positive
experience has been the special relationship the precinct has
shared with the South Bronx Job Corps Center.

As Youth Officer I have had the opportunity to visit a
number of schools within the precinct area as well as in a
position to be acutely aware of negative incidences that occur
daily in the New York City public school system.

Several years ago, the New York Daily News ran a front page
article entitled "Murder Streets". The article was speaking
about the area in which the South Bronx Job Corp Center is
located. It was one of the highest crime areas in New York City,
with the area immediately surrounding the center plagued with
devastation. In stark contrast to what was happening in both the
schools and the streets, the South Bronx Job Corps Center
offered a safe sanctuary for those kids who believed that an
education was still their ticket out of an uncertain future. It
not only offered them an opportunity to complete their education,
but for many, the residential setting has helped countless youth

escape homelessness, hunger, abuse and other conditions
associated with their home environments.

The South Bronx Job Corps Center has become the one constant
that was a positive thing in the lives of these young adults and
it continues to be. A brief review of any New York City paper
bears out some of the parental atrocities which occur daily in
the Bronx. And then there is the South Bronx Job Corps Center, a
shining light in an otherwise very dim existence.

Ninety percent of the South Bronx Job Corps Center student
population is from the Bronx, where conservatively, over 80% are
high school dropouts. And yet, almost 2 0% of these students are
now taking college accredited courses through the city University
of New York system while enrolled at the South Bronx Job Corps
Center.

The majority of the kids from the Bronx are borderline, in
that a little push one way or another makes the difference.
These kids by and large don't have the sense that anyone cares.
But they do when they are students at the South Bronx Job Corps
Center .

The foundation for the success of the South Bronx Job Corps
Center is "tough love", with a strong focus on old fashioned
values. "Doing the right thing is the only thing" is a way of
thinking and a way of life. Often, this may be the first time
these young people have been made to understand what is
acceptable and unacceptable behavior and that every action has a
consequence in a manner which is supportive and nurturing instead
of hostile and threatening. The staff work hard to impress that
living by these values will be necessary for the young adults to
get and keep a job somewhere down the line.

Over time "reverse peer pressure" is a natural progression.
So many of these kids come to truly believe that Job Corps is
their salvation, that it is a wonderful privilege, and they
themselves exert pressure over their peers to behave and get the
most of their experience while at the center. This generates a

tremendous amount of positive motivation among the student
population, and coupled with a consistent discipline system that
sanctions inappropriate behavior and extensive counseling support
makes for a winning formula.

The premise of practicing good values is constantly being
reinforced, with a reward system in place for positive behavior
and results, be it in the student's educational and vocational
progress or learning to live and become self sufficient among 250
peers from several different nationalities. There are no calls
to the 46th precinct from the center on violent related activity.
The center's only "family" is the South Bronx Job Corps Center
"family" and the halls and grounds are free of grafitti and
trash .

The South Bronx Job Corps Center is ranked in the top 2 5
percentile in the country with well over 100% achievement in
Reading (110%) and Math (104%) gains, GED attainment (157%),
Placement (102%) , Quality Placement, including Job Training
Match, college and/or military (121%) and length of stay (118%) .
They have been the Regional Academic Olympic champions every year
for the last four years, yet never won a basketball championship.
Every day, in every way, the message at the South Bronx Job
Corps Center is to strive for excellence. Over the years, the
students and staff at the center have been the best of neighbors
to the 46th Precinct and its community members.

They have opened up their facility to host a number of
events including joint Community Relations meetings held monthly.
They have hosted and catered a number of meetings for community
based organizations who don't have the room or the resources to
do so on their own. Every year, the 46th Precinct is hosted at
the center for the Police Clergy Conference, Police Business
Conference and Police Fellowship breakfast.

When our community members need assistance cleaning up a
park or renovating a church, those kids are there. They have

organized and participated in Anti-Drug9 and Anti- Violence

rallies, worked in soup kitchens, delivered meals to their peers
in the Adolescent Aids ward of Montifiore Hospital, collected and
wrapped boxes of toys for the 4 6th's "Toys for Tots" campaign
every year and the list goes on and on.

Every year, our precinct sponsors a talent show for the
conununity youthy and South Bronx Job Corps Center students with
both students and police officers alike participating. Last
year's winner appeared in a Spike Lee movie. The center has
participated in the "Cop of the Month" program which recognizes
heroic behavior for my fellow officers. Job Corps students are
part of the monthly ceremony, presenting the awards with our
commanding officer. Clearly, for alot of these kids, this
positive interaction is the first such interaction they have had
and likewise, both cops and kids share the experience as
"partners", breaking down the barriers and historical way
students have viewed law enforcement in the past.

Students from the South Bronx Job Corps Center lead by
example^and as a police off icer il must say that one way or
another we will deal with most of the youth in the community.
Watching the students at the South Bronx Job Corps Center growing
into caring and responsible adults and channeling their energies
into positive things is very rewarding personally versus meeting
up with them irupublic safety j,'' Our precinct is very "grass
roots" oriented and after seven years of working with the South
Bronx Job Corps Center, I can without hesitation say that rhey
are one of our best neighbors. If schools in New York City and
throughout the nation could replicate what goes on at the South
Bronx Job Corp Center, then our world would be much berter. Did
you know that it costs over 538,000 a year to keep a young person
in jail in New York City? $24,000 a year for public school, over
$19,000 for foster care? According to Board of Education
officials, the Bronx public school system cannot boast more than
a 44% graduation rate which is based on attending five years of
high school versus the traditional four. Compare that to the

South Bronx Job Corps Center's 157% achievement in GED attainment
and over 109*: overall achievement in the criteria established to
be considered a graduate during an average length of stay of 230
days. The cost of Job Corps is not only less than jail or public
school, it's proven success is significantly higher than the
public schools in New York.

In closing, I know what the South Bronx Job Corps Center
means to the kids from the Bronx. It means breaking free of
generations of poverty and getting much more than a piece of
paper when they leave. It means receiving love and support that
they may never have experienced. It means learning to be a
productive member of our community - to give something back
unconditionally. It means everything to some of these kids,
especially those waiting to get in and those we know are still
out there who need the services. From my experience as a member
of the New York City Police Department, 46th Precinct, Job Corps
works! !

January 26, 1995

The Honorable Nancy Landon Kassebaum

Chair, Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources

SD-428 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Madame Chairman:

I am writing in support of the Job Corps program which has provided a
valuable service in my state. It is one federal program that has had continued
success in Utah and has provided needed assistance for our at risk youth.

Job Corps makes a big difference in the economic and social well-being of
Utah. Two centers presently operate here: the Clearfield Job Corps Center and the
Weber Basin Civilian Conservation Center. They provide a safe environment and
effective job skills training to more than 1,500 of our nation's at-risk youth each
year. A zero-tolerance policy initiated at Clearfield and Weber Basin four years ago
ensures a proper atmosphere at both centers and keeps violent incidents to a
minimum. More than 70 percent of the students from both Utah centers are placed
into jobs, higher education, or the military. More that 220 Utah businesses
participate in the work experience program that each student goes through.

Job Corps provides other important benefits. The program helps prevent
crime, provides role models for young people outside Job Corps, and produces
workers with valuable social skills. Clearly, Job Corps is worth the investment of
federal funding it takes to turn these students into tax-paying wage earners and
responsible citizens.

This success is especially gratifying when you consider the Clearfield center
is operated by a private contractor under a highly accountable system of standard
and measurements. The Clearfied center, and dozens of others like it acro";"^ thp
nation, are prime examples of how private business can apply innovations and cost
savmgs to produce excellent results from a government program.

I applaud your efforts to limit federal spending and mandates. As you do so,
hope you will continue supporting programs like job Corps that contribute so
successfully to our nation's future.

Sincerely,

Michael O. Leavitt
Governor

January 10, 1995

The Honorab]*? Nancy Kassebaum

Chairman

Cominitree on Labor and Human Resources

428 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Madame Chairman:

I ain writing to express my strong support of the Job Corps
program. The Job Corps program has a proven record in giving
disadvantaged youth the skills, training and confidence to lead
productive and independent lives.

The Job Corps programs in Maryland have helped thousands of
at-risk youth gain the necessary training and life skills to help
them succeed in today's job market. The statistics on outcomes
are impressive. In program year 1993, 70% of all the individuals
who eucccsEfully completed their Job Corps program got jobs,
joined the military or went on to further their education.

Job Corps has also proven to be a sound economic investment.
An independent study by Kathmatica Policy Research, Inc.,
determined that for every dollar invested, an estimated $1.46 ie
returned to the economy through reductions in income maintenance
payments, costs of crime and incarceration and through increased
taxes paid by graduates of th(^ program.

While I am aware of and support the need to streamline and
consolidate the multitude of often duplicative and inefficient
federal job training programs, I hope that the success of the Job
Corps program is not overlooked. Job Corps is an effective, low
cost approach to servicing the job and life Skills training needs
of disadvantaged youth. Therefore, as you move forward with
relevant Committee hearings on federal job training programs, I
encourage you to look closely at the success of the Job Corps
program.

As you and our colleagues on the Labor and Human Resources
Committee continue to examine federal government's approach to
job training and reemployroent issues, I appreciate your keeping
my comments in mind .

Sincerely,

"paui ST Sarbanes
United States Senator

January 17, 1995

Honorable Nancy Kassebaum

Chairman

Senate Committee on Labor and Human

Resources
835 Kart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Kassebaum:

I am writing to express my support for the Job Corps
program. In my state of Nevada, Job Corps has reached out to
manyiyoung people, provining them the skills, knowledge and self-
esteem they need to turn their lives arcund.

In these times of scarce federal resources, we must invest
m programs that work. Almost seventy percent of Job Corps
graduates go on to higher education or find meaninaful
employment. Additionally, a longitudinal study conducted by
Mathematica Policy Research demonstrated that the public
investment in Job Corps yields an even more substantial return to
the government and to American taxpayers. The study found that
for every dollar invested in Job Corps, a $1.46 is returned tc
the public through increased taxes and reduced costs in crime,
incarceration, and public assistance.

Uob Corps has proven its commitment to our nation's
disadvantaged youth and will continue make a difference in their
lives and in the future success of our nation. I encourage you
to consider all of its merits while examining the program's
future .

If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to
contact me .

With all best wishes.

Sine

ates Senator

Januar>' 13, 1995

The Honorable Nancy Kassebaum

Chairman

Committee on Labor and Human Resources

428 Diiksen Senate Office Building

Washingion, DC 20510

Dear Madam Chaimian:

I understand thai you will be holding oversight hearings on the Job Corps program next week. At a
time when the entire federal bureaucracy is undergoing an examination designed to majtc
government work better and cost less, a review of Job Corps is certainly in order. 1 am writing
today to make you awaie of my strong support for this valuable program.

South Dakota has more than 17,000 rural youth living in poverty. The Box Elder Job Corps
Civilian Conservation Center in Nemo, South Dakota is able to serve 200 of these at-risk youth
each year.

In your Committee's review of the statistical and anecdotal information relating to Job Corps, please
keep in mind the unique population this program serves - severely disadvantaged youth who arc
trying to break the cycle of poverty and welfare. Considering the group that it serves, it is
important to note that over 70% of the young men and women who complete their Job Corps
training cither go on to find paid employment, join the military, or attend further schooling -
immediately contributing to the economic growth of our country.

I have heard recent reports critical of certain Job Corps centers. Ii is my understanding that these
concerns are being addressed. In the final analysis, if there are problem.<; with Job Corps, let's fix
them. However, let us not dismande a program that returns $1.46 for every doUar invested m it.

While I am aware of and suppon the concept of streamlining the assortment of federal job training
programs to make them more cost-effective, the successes of Job Corps should not be forgonen.
This program has provided a viable alternative for our at-risk youth who may otherwise end up
utilizing more costly options, such as welfare and incarceration.

I look forward to working with you in an effon to make Job Corps an even more effective training
program for our country's young people.

With best wishes, I am

oodAlj^

To^,Daschle /•'
United Siates'Senate

January 17, 1994

The Honorable Nancy Kaassbaum

302 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Nancy,

I am writing to you to express ray strong support of the Job
Corps program. Job Corps io a unique and vital progran in our
country. The comprah^naive group of services it presents to ac-
riaJc youth are the only chance that many of them may have to
develop a akill or find gainful employment.

Over its thirty-year history, Job Corps has oarvad 1.6
million individuale. Seven out of every ten graduates get jobs,
enter the military or pursue further education. This ia a truly
outstanding achievement vhen one coneidere that the average
student is a high-school dropout, with low reading Bkllle, who
has never held a full-time job.

Tha state of Michigan currently operates two Job Corpe
Centers, with a third Blated to b« opened in Flint, MichigAr. in
1996. Ae an indication of th« coiwnunity' e commitment to thie
program, over thirty local organizations have raised two million
dollars in resourcea to help support the program.. Michigan, like
many other states, has depressed communitieB struggling to
produce and employ competent workers. Job Corps is one of the
programs that many of these communitiee rely upon to meet that
challenge.

1 appreciate your effort to conduct oversight hearings on
this effective program. It is Important that w« in Congress
supervise programs like Job Corps to ensure that they are
oroanised and operated ae efficiently as possible. I believe a
fair and impartial look at the evidence will end up strengthening
and supporting the Job Corpe program.

Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,

^^g^^^^O^ruL

Carl Lovin

Januarv 10, 1995

The Honorable Nancy Landon Kassebaum

Chairman

Senate Committee on Labor and Himian Resources

428 Dixksen Senate Otiice Buildmg

Washmgton, D.C. 20510

Dear Madam Chainnan

It has come to m>' attention that you will be holding oversight hearings on the Job
Corps program later this month. I wanted to express my strong support for this program
as a cost-effect ve investment in today's economically disadvantaged youtli

The State of Louisiana has more than 156.000 povert\- youth. The Shreveport and
New Orleans Job Corps centers have played an integral role m helping reduce the nnmbpr
of poverty youth m the state In addition, the cines of New Orleans and Slueveport have
benefited from tlie renovation, beautificanon and repair projects performed by the Job
Corps smdents.

As you review the statistical data available about Job Coips, take care not to lose
Sight of pan of the program's onginal mtent -- to contribute to both immediate and long-
term economic giowth. For those young men and women in the State of Louisiana who
complete the program, and immediately go mto paid employment positions the return is
self-evident. But, please consider diat tlie focus of Uic Job Corps program is as much
about developing responsible, dependable, motivated and employable youth for tomorrow
34 it IS about employing evers' youth it graduates today I continue to bcHcvc such a
rmssion is both insightful and forward thinking.

Senator Kassebaum. I am pleased of your interest in the Job Corps program and
am confident that upon review, you will share, as I do. the hope for its continued
contributions and success for our society and our country.

Sincereh'.

January 10, 199:

The Honorable Nancy KasEobaum

Chair

Committee on Labor and Human Resources

United States Senate

Washingtc^n, D.C. 20510

Dear Kadai!

rman:

I am writing to Express my strong support of the Job Corps
program, which his brought hope, opportunity and empowerment to
more than a million young people looking for a chance to prove
themselves. I have always viewed Job Corpb as one of the federal
government's most effective programs. It is amazing to note
that, considering the population that it serves, 70% of all Job
Corps participants get jobs, join the military or go on to
further education.

I am especially proud of the Job Corps in Hawaii, which has
helped hundreds of at-risk youth gain necessary employment and
life skills to help them succeed in the job market. The Hawaii
Job Corps program is ranked second in the nation, and currently
holds a rating at 13^.7% of the standard. 75.7% of students in
the Hawaii program were verified as placed into jobs or full time
further education upon completion of the program. If it were not
for the Job Corps, many of these young people would hi^ve ended up
dropping out of school, in detention homes, jail or even worse.
Instead, they will become productive members of our community,
contributing tax dollars to our economy.

I appreciate your efforts to conduct oversight hearings on this
program, and I know that you will take a fair and impartial look
at all of the evidence presented before you. I also know that
you will find thot Job Corps wcrks.

I look forward to working with you to improve the best proyreim
for at-risk youth our nation has to offer, the Job Corps.

aoh

DANIEL K. INOUYL
United States Senator

January 12, 1995

The Honorable Nancy Kasscbaum
Chair, Committee on Labor and Human Resources
302 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Madam Chairu-oman.

I am wnting to express my support of the Job Corps program I believe in ihe Job Corps
because it has helped bring hope, opportunity and empowerment to more than a million young
people looking fo a chance to prove themselves

The Job Corps program of Washington State has helped at-risk youth gain the necessary'
employment and life skills to help them succeed in the job market If it were no: for the Job
Corps, many of these young people would have dropped out of school or ended up in detention
homes or prison. Four centers in my state serve ovei 1,400 students each year, and offer a variety
of occupational training. One of those facilities, the Cascade Job Corps Center, volunteered over
3,000 hours of community service to the County last year

I have aJways viewed the Job Corps as an effective program. 70% of all Job Corps
participants find employment, join the military or further their education Additionally, modest
investment in the Job Corps results in a return far more valuable than the dollars we put in the
program-coiifidem young people poised to support themselves and their families and to
contnbule to the overall productivity of our nation

Madam Chairwoman, I appreciate your efforts to conduct oversight hearings on this
effective program, and look forward to working with you to improve n great concept for our
nation's at-nsk youth. Thank you for your consideration

Sincerely,

PATTY^Mi/RJl.AY

U.S. Senator

January 11, 1995

The Honorable Nancy Landon Kassebaum
Committee on Labor and Human Resources
Dirksen 4 28
Washington, D.C. 20510-6300

Dear Madam Chairman.:

I am writing to share with you my strong support for the Job
corps program. I have always viewed Job Corps as one of the
federal govermtiGnt ' s most effective programs, and I am pleased to
know you will be conducting oversight hearings on the program in
the near future.

Last September, a ribbon-cutting carsmony was held for the nev?
Quentin Burdick Job Corps Center in Kinot, North Dakota. There
is no question that this facility, like its fellow centers
nationwide, will help a large number of at-risk youths gain the
training and employment skills necessary to help them succeed in
an increasingly competitive job market. Without the program,
many of these young people could end up dropping out of school,
being placed in detention centers or jail — or worse.

I have witnessed first-hand how effective Job Corps is for North
Dakotans , and I think the statistics are clear about its impact
nationwide. As you are probably aware, approximately 7 0 percent
of all Job Corps participants get jobs, join the military or go
on to further their education. The average learning gains among
Job Corps participants include a jump of 1.2 grade levels in
reading and 2.2 grade levels in math. Job Corps students perforn
an estimated S22 million worth of community project work annually
as part of their training. And these numbers don't even begin to
reflect the intangible benefits that Job Corps provides, such as
instilling in participants a sense of self-respect, work ©thic ,
responsibility and self-sufficiency.

The modest investment we make in Job corps results in a return
that is far more valuable then the dollars initially put in the
program. The role of Job Corps is particularly important as
Congress begins to consider welfare reforms. According to the
Child Welfare League, some 500,000 youth are in the child-welfare
system, and at least 2 million families have become long-term
users of AFDC benefits . Job Corps exemplifies the kind of

education, training and support that is needed to help break the
cycle of poverty -- the same cycle of poverty w<? must confront as
we debate how best to reform our welfare system. As such, I
again applaud you for scheduling the forthcoming hearings . I am
confident that any balanced analysis will further emphasize the
effectiveness of the Job Corps program.

I look forward to working with you to improve the best program
for at-risk youth that our country has to offer.

KENT CONRAD

United States Senator

January 20, 1995

The Honorable Nancy Landon Kassebaum

Chairwoman, Committee on Labor and Human Resources

United States Senate

Dear Madam Chairwoman:

I am writing to express ray strong support for the Job Corps
program. I believe m Job Corps because it has helped bring
hope, opportunity and empowerment to more than a million young
people seeking a chance to improve themselves.

1 appreciate your decision to hold oversight hearings in an
attempt to address some recent problems experienced by the Job
Corps. Like you, I have been disturbed by reports of violence at
Job Corps Centers. Violence cannot be tolerated at any level and
this must be a clear mandate of the Job Corns.

I am proud to say that the Job Corps has been a success in
California. Four of the five California Centers rank. :in the top
21 of the 110 Centers in the nation for overall performance. Last
year, 2,547 students part.l-cipated in the Job Corpe in California
and more than 75% of therr. were placed in jobs, joined the
military, or pursued further education, a rate higher than the
national average.

If it were not for the Job Corps, many o£ these young people
wou.1d end up dropping out of school, m detention homee, jail or
even worse. Additionally, the modest investment in Job Corps
results in a return that is far more valuab.Te than the dollars we
put in the program- confident young people poised tc support
them.selves and their families and contribute to the overall
productivity of our nation.

I look forward tc working with you to improve one of the
best programs for at-risk youth our nation has tc offer. Thank
you for your considerat .icn.

ra Boxer
U..S. senator

'A9td<^ /

JOB CORPS PERFORMANCE SUMMARY 1989-1994

PY 90 PY 91 PY 92

7/90-6/91 7/91-6/92 7/92-6/93

PY93

7/93-6/91

PY 94 ^'''^ ^'^

7/94-12/94

Entered employment

Enrolled in school

5346

3.250

TOTAL PLACEMENTS

34,446 I 58,070

24,300

NOTh: Job Corps IS responsible
tor providing job plocement
assistance to ail students —

inrludinq t'orlv dropouts

"h of Students placed,
including early dropouts

NO TE: See reverse side for tiow
placement rate is calculated.

Number

% of job placements

Began tracking as a
perlormance standard
PY9?

12,289

8.663

% of all terminees

17.9»/o

19.3%

25.7%

S4.88

SS.08

SS.33

S5.33

S5.S6 ■■

All placements

Training match jobs

$5.72

S5.77

SS.93

J5.93

$6.43/

60,586

61,888

61.577

63.117

31,319

W lii I'll llliillll

37.6%

36.7%

30.8%

31.4%

32.2%

l-'.U^Mil'U'l'ihimgBM

7.6

7.8

7.5

7.6 1

Reading

1.3

1.4

1.2

1.8

Math '-8

1.9

1.8

2.2

2.0

QH3

# eligible for CED

25,090

24,796

21,596

23,816

13,145

U passed CED

10,101

10,802

10,931

12,289

6,109

% of eligible that passed GEO

40%

44<Vo

51%

52%

46%

.V.W.'MJM»V.1.M-JI=,.(.1!II

Began

35%

32%

34%

39%

% of all students

in PY 91.

THE MISSION OF JOB CORPS'

According to Public Law 97-300, Job Corps' mission is: "^ assist young individuals—to
become more responsible, employable, and productive citizens_by providing the
training and opportunitY to succeed." Job Corps serves disadvantaged young men and
women ages 16 through 24 by providing them with the educational, vocational, and soaal
skills needed to become productive, taxpaying citizens.

FACTS ABOUT JOB CORPS PERFORMANCE

WHAT DOES THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (OOL) MEAN BY JOB CORPS
TERMINEE?"

The U.S. Department ot Labor (DOL) defines "lermrnee" as any student who enrolls in Job
Corps, whether or not he/she graduates. A center termination does not mean that a student
has been dismissed from a center; it simply means that the student has lett the center, either
by completing the program and graduating, or by leaving prior to completion.

HOW DOES DOL CALCULATE JOB CORPS' PLACEMENT RATE?

DOL counts as placements all students who are placed in jobs, further education, or the
military. The placement rate is calculated by counting all students whose placement is verified
by DOL through personal contact or paperwork, plus an estimated percentaj^e of those stu-
dents who could not be tracked. DOL conservatively estimates that the percentage of non-
trackable students that are placed is the same as the percentage ot students documented as
placing themselves into |obs, further education, or the military. Employment may include
temporary jobs, and education includes colleges, universities, trade schools, and other ad-
vanced training programs. (Note: 41% ot Job Corps students are 16-17 years old, which
limits the full range ot lobs available to them.)

WHAT IS A JOB TRAINING MATCH?

A |ob training match means that a Job Corps student has been placed in a )ob that exaaly
matches his or her vocational training.

WHAT IS AN EARLY DROPOUT?

DOL defines an early dropout as a student who leaves Job Corps in less than 90 days.

ARE JOB CORPS STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR THEIR CED?

More than one-third of all Job Corps students are eligible for their GED. When students enroll
in Job Corps they participate in standardized testing — the same exams used by most public
schools - to determine if they are eligible for GED artainmenL Students may not be eligible
for GED attainment if they arnve at Job Corps wrth a high school diploma, if they expenence
significant language barriers, or if they have other serious learning obstacles.

HOW IS A JOB CORPS STUDENT RATED A VOCATIONAL COMPLETER?

Job Corps students who have achieved all skills listed in the Job Corps' curriculum for their
trade are considered vocational completers .

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January 13, 1995

The HoF^rc|t>,^e;Baul, Simon
Senate labor and Human Resources Committee
462 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC. 20510

Dear Senator Simon:

I am writing to express my strong support for the Job Corps
Program. The International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades,
has been involved in Job Corps for more then 25 years. Dunng that
time, thousands of young men and women, Youth at Risk, have gone
through our Job Corps Painting, Glazing, Floor Covehng and Sign
Industry Programs. Through the training and opportunities provided by
Job Corps, these graduates have entered our apprenticeship programs
to further hone their skills. There are numerous success stones of Job
Corps graduates who have become journeymen in their trades, shop
foreman, job supehntendents, contractors and union officers.

Each year, Job Corps helps tens of thousands of young people
to break the cycle of poverty and welfare dependance by providing the
vocational training and job placement that young people need to
become tax paying citizens.

This week, the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee
will be holding oversight heahngs on Job Corps. I hope, as a member
of that committee, you will take an objective look at all of the data, not
just concentrate on anecdotal presentations. After studying all of the
facts, I am sure you will find that this modest investment in our
nation's youth results in a return that is far more valuable than the
dollars spent on the program. The bottom line is, Job Corps Works
and Job Corps graduates are poised to support themselves and their
families, and to conthbute to the overall productivity of this nation.

If you need any additional information, please feel free to
contact my office at 202/637-0720.

Sincerely,

A. L. "MIKE" MONROE
General President

To U>e Honorable Paul Simon:

It has been Tri-State Beauty School's pleasure to vwwfc with the EJ Paso Job Corps lo tram K)
students at a times since June 1991. When a student oraduated, me student was replaced so we
usually had lOsUKlents enrolled. AH ttm students were hgh ris)( students. Many had no
discipbne, parental guidance, or place to live From the day they entered school, we saw the
difference in our usual high risk student. Job Corps studente were more highly niotjvated.
generally easier to «N>rk with, and their attendance was exceHem. They were constantly
monttoted by Job Corps counselors, and if there was a problenn wtth the student, we were
immediately assisted in solving it.

Trt-State Beauty Schools in B Paso, Texas have been training students as cosmetologists
since 1931. Most of our students receive Pell Grants, but Tri-State Beauty Sctiools give
instilutionai grants, or loans, to the students instead of relying on Federal loans. We were once
one of tt>e institutions with high default. However, we have reduced the default to 0 % with one
servicer, and to 20% with another servicer for the past year.

Every single student «Aio graduated from Tri-State Beauty School and who was an El Paso
Job Corp resident, has a job In the cosmetology inoustry.

I teatfier Oilmor« t» the proprietor of a salon, wtiich wt» iiBtHlKxt tqr her grandmother. Ana
Vargas, Angle Mendoza and Norma Borunda, all Job Corps graduates, have a jointty owned
shop.

Sonia Lopez had been consistently toM by her mother she would never achieve anythirtg. The
day she received t>er diploma, she ran to take it to her mottier, proving she was able to achlevel
She has a job m cosmetology.

All these cosmetologists are paying their way in society, and we befieve that their stories wouU
have been different if they had not been enroHed In El Psso Jobs Corps and then sent to Tri-
State for job training.

We have worked «wth many state and federal agencies for many years. I have never««rt(ed
with an agency, either state or federal, which has had a more consistent manner of handling
clients or a better achievement record.

El Paso Job Corps fills a vital need in this community, which is one of the cities in the United
States most depressed economically. We will appreciate your considerabon of this agency.

President

January 17, 1995

The Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, Chair
Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee
302 Russell State Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Senator Kassebaum:

As Governor of Iowa, I am writing you to encovirage the continued
support for the Job Corp 50/50 Plan.

I have visited the Denison Job Corp Center on many occasions and
we are pleased and proud of the positive results produced by this
center. The very capable staff is offering training for at-risk
youth throughout the Midwest. They have an outstanding program
for single parents, which provides on site living facilities and
day care while the students are receiving an education and job
training.

If we are going to break the cycle of poverty, crime, and
unemployment, how better can we do it than by providing training
and educational opportunities for these hard to place young
people. Not only do they learn job skills, they are also learning
the value of community service (putting something back into
society). They are involved in many community service projects
in the Denison area which give them worthwhile experience in a
wide variety of fields, plus a sense of belonging to the
ccMnmunity.

The Denison Job Corp Center serves an average of 500 students per
year. And, this site is the number One center in the nation for
placement of its students.

I strongly encourage you to continue this valuable program.

Sincerely,

firryE. Branstad
Governor

January 13, 1995

Senator Tom Harkin

531 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Haricin,

The students at the Denison Job Corps were verj' concerned about the upcoming hearings and
want their voices heard!

I am sending you a packet of letters and essays from them for your review

Please take the time to read them and when you do, I'm sure they will speak for themselves. All
of these were written voluntarily and are in their original form

Thank you on behalf of the Denison Job Corps Center

Sincerely,

^SipOUXK tji^<A(34^v_

foann Espinosa
Center Director

Januan 1 0. 1 995

L' S Senator Tom Harkin

3 1 6 Hart Senate OfYiceBuilding

Washington DC 20510

Dear Senator Harkin,

My name is Teresa Drummond, and I am a student at the Denison Job Corp Center I want
to tell you the story of my life, how I came to be a student here, and what it has done for me

I was born to a low-income single parent home, which put me at a disadvantage to other
children 1 had the potential to succeed, but was never given the opponunitv to show mv talents and
abilities Never the less, there was a problem side to me as well My mother had difficulties raising
me, and when I was in my early teens I was placed m a group care facilit\ To say the least, I was
far from being an angel

When I was sixteen years old. 1 decided that I wanted to do something in life I wanted to
be somebody I went into the Independent Living Program, sconng the highest in Iowa on the
evaluation Every month. I received a check from the state which enabled me to stay in school I
was an honor student who was enthused with learning Everything was going as well as could be
expected 1 was working and making more than minimum wage, which is not bad for a high school
student

V/hen 1 was a senior in high school. 1 turned 18 years old This meant that I would no longer
receive checks for being a child of the state Paying bills on time became difficult, and 1 had to start
working extra hours This caused me to miss a great deal of school In the midst of everything, I was
dropped from school a month and a half before graduation 1 really couldn't afford it, but 1 took the
day off from work to go to the graduation ceremony for the class of "1994" 1 sat up in the bleachers,
watching my fnends go up for their diplomas ] was fine until thev came to where I would have been
standing, had I completed I burst into tears There was nothing 1 could do to stop the hurt and the
disappointment 1 was feeling All the nights I had stayed up studying, the events 1 had missed, and
the fijn I could have had. if only there weren't a test the next day These things seemed as if they were
for nothing They no longer had any meaning

I lost hope in everything 1 had ever believed in 1 thought that I could never be successful at
anything, and no one tried to change my mind or tell me different I pawned off everything I owned
just to make my rent pavment Things just seemed to be getting worse and worse Then they didn't
just seem that way. they were Within a month. I was living on the streets Sleeping where ever 1
ended up at night I registered at the local Human Services for food stamps and Title XIV My
friends were having troubles with money as well, so I could not ask them for help I didn't talk to my
family much any more, and 1 wasn't so sure that they would help me anvovaN Towards the end I
resorted to staying in an abandoned van behind m\' friends apartment

When I was in group care. 1 had heard of a place called Job Corp After hearing about it, I
never thought an\lhing more about it A concerned friend of mine informed me about a crisis center
in mv home town Come to find out later, 1 had lived there as a child with my mother I had been
living there nearlv a week when 1 came across a pamphlet on Job Corp I dialed the number for the
hotline on the back, and they put me in contact with a screener Her name was Cindy Swan, and she
was happy to help me out

Mv time had run out at the crisis center and 1 had no where to go A week later I met with
Cindy and she helped me get fijnding ft-om the Human Resources office to stay in a hotel until I could
get into an orientation group Within a couple of days I received a call from Cindy She had gotten
me bumped up on the waiting list, and they had an opening for me 1 would be leaving within a few
davs or so

Thai next 7 uesday I boarded a Greyhound bus that would take me to stan the betiinniny of
my neu life I amved in Denison. Iowa at 8 45 p ni on June 21.1 994 with nearl\ twenty others w ho
had no idea what lay aliead of them As we drove up the long curv>- drive way. fear rose in me 1
had no idea what to expect The bus stopped at the top of the iiili and let everyone out There were
several students there to meet us We entered the orientation room, and we were greeted by the
instructor who did her best to show us that we were welcome The first couple of weeks were tough,
but we managed to make it through

If I had only known what this place could do for a person, 1 would have been here long before
now I am trving to make a life for myself The skills that I learn here will always be with me That's
something that can never be taken away from me I have been here for nearly seven months now
It has not been eas\' There have been several times that 1 have wanted to leave, but I knew that if
I stayed, things would get better Leaving would simply ha\ e been the wrong solution to a simple
problem

In the time that 1 have been a Job Corp student, I ha\ e succeeded in doing many things in
September of 1994, 1 received my G ED , my High School Diploma, and my Certified Nurses Aide
Recently, in December of 1994, 1 earned my Home Health Aide certification A am currently a
Business & Clerical student and a part-time college student I am enrolled in the Arts &. Sciences
program at Western Iowa Tech with hopes of starting the Licensed Practical Nursing program in
August. Even after I venture away from Job Corp, 1 plan on fijrthenng my education in the field of
pediatrics

I owe mv success to the staff and students at Job Corp Without them I would never have
been able to put on that cap and gown that I worked so hard for in high school With their help I've
nearly touched the stars All of my dreams for the future are slowly becoming reality 1 now know
that i can be successful and that I can do anything that I set mv mind to Job Corp has made me a
better person It is shaping the person that I will be in the future Not only am 1 well educated, but
that 1 can be successful and that I can do anything that I set my mind to Job Corp has made me a
better person It is shaping the person that 1 will be in the future Not only am I well educated, but
I have the social skills to make it in life I hope that others can come to find what I have found in this
program It's not something that is just given to you, you have to set your sights and go after it.
Now, not only do I have the potential to succeed, I've been given the opportunity to succeed, and I
have.

I truly believe, that if I had not come to Job Corp. that eventually I would have been living
off of welfare with a dead end job, perhaps I would have been li\ing back on the streets That ver\
well could have been my fate It just goes to show that you can change your destiny I will never
lose hope again, because 1 now know that ever\thing that lies in my future, is up to me I have the
power to be anyihing that 1 want to be

1 want to thank you for your time, and giving me the chance to tell you what Job Corp has
done for my life

Sincerely,

Teresa A Drummond

How Job Corps Changed My life'!

B\ M.iritniiiL. Kibbitf

Before 1 came to Job Corpo, I had problems with m>' family and 1 was stealmg from m}-
parents Then I was socially melesied by m}' uncle, so my parents and 1 decided to find a soiutiou
to tiie problenu, Tliat's when I heard about Job Corps.

We contacted the screener in m}" area ot'centitil lowia, and \\e had an mte^^^e\^■ with hnn.
He asked nie some questions !ii:e "How did 1 hear about Job Corps'?" I said my hiah school
counselor liad told me alxiut the ludi sclux)! diploma class here so 1 said "Let's go tor it " So 1
entered the Job Corps program on July 5, 1994,

Then I tal};ed with Mrs. Phyllis Harms, the high school diploma msmjctor, about getmig
in to Higli School Diplouj-\ ClaiS. Tlit;\ kid to oixler iny u-auiciipli.. liicn waii lo gei my
trauscripls back before I could gel in. Now I am in High School Diploma clss and I am doing
very well in there, even passing the tesli in my classes. I have seven more credits left then I will
gel high school diploma.

I w ant to complet my training hei-e in Deniiion Job Corps then go on to Excelsior Springs
Job Corps in Missouri for more extensive trailing in business.

The teachers here are veiy nice to me, especially one of the teachers, Mrs. Jud>' Jepsoii,
who kind of adopted me as her daughter. I even have a step Grandpa out here ao Job Corps. His
name if Mr. Ike Johnson; he is %ny cool. Even the RA's arc nice to me, espcialh' Sheila Reitan,
Linda Blum, Diane Littleton, and Linda Bnnk. lliey axe like moms also to me. Even the C-2
dorm ladies, especially Kanie Weaver, Stacie HalL and Kathie Donahue are good friends and
siste:s.

My other responsibilities and duties are Bigs Sister and Brother, Lmen Monitor and Rec
Aide.

I am glad that we get ftee medical, dental, food, and housing pro-vided Wc e\-en gel paid
like in the real world.

The center is a perfect pLice fcu" people who are having probiems in the faiiiil} and sdjt\>:.
Even if you have lo leave brothers and sisters behind that goes craz>- then they are around you.

Job Corps is a good place to go and improve yourself. The teachers here help you figure
out 3'our problems and e\eu the RA's help me wth mj' homework when 1 need it. The old sa3'iug
"You can leam a lot when ^-ou put }-our mind to it" is true. Job Corps helps me get on with m}' life
instead of dependuig on my parents. Job Corps will help me get an educahon and job were I can
support myseh'in the future uiilioui depending on my parents or socien- for sudstauce.

How Job Cof-ps Changc'd My Life
by Maridy Wsber

before I c£ir::e to Job Corps I was living at, my frierds
hou3'i-. I slept on the cou:rh. I Ki-.fe ori food stamps arid no*
rettinr; i>long with iu> p-xrentz very i-,ell.

t'lv r.other told r,i=- eiboLit Job Corps and the benefits it
provioss. She tolc nie that they pay for your health arid
ce-.ial car-£, anH they pay yoM every two weeks. They also
givv y--.i.. riothir.2 .; 1 I oiMS.-.ces, so you can buy clothes y:.u
neec;.

I've t-sic-r, hii-rt-- rcr s. ye^ar and I coulcin't have made a
better choicti, I've made lobs of friends and I've had more
responsibility than I ever did at home. I'm on the BIGS and
I enjoy that because I help people get to know the place
better. I-ve been on Dorm Government, but I resigned to
focus on my high school diploma and my trade.

I'm m the Security trade and I love what I do. I
basically do security skills books and we do cross walk duty
at the elementary school in Denison. The Security students
do campus patrol, fire drills and fire Marshall reports. fis
futurt- Security guards, we do physical training , watch
videotapes on what to look for on the job sight where you
would work.

U'.TC-n I get out I want to go into the United States
Coast Guards. There i want to be trained in Maritime law
enforcement. fifter boot camp, I would like to be sent to
Corpus Chrir.ti, Texas. When I finish rny tour of duty in the
C.03.'j,t Guards, I would like to be a guard in the prisori
systisr.i.

If I say anything to Ar\yorie who c£<n' t afford college or
is halving trouble? getting through high school and who meets
tl.e age qualifications of sixteen tc' twenty-four years; I
would suggest Job Corps. I think it's a good program with
lots of benefits to it. It is worth being here for as long
as it tal-.ef you to complete. filso life is too short to come
to wasttv. If you have a charice to come to Job Corps, take
it. It riiay bi the birgr>3t step in your life srid one of the
Stuart est ones too.

How Job Cor, .5 Changed My Life
by Jean finn Rogers

I have been in Job Corps for three months. Job Corps
has changs'd my life abound all tri^- way. Job Corps gave me a
secure place to stay. Wr.sr, I was back home I was in end out
or foster hc^mes for about t'.-:z> anci a half yearns. I lived in
several foster homes, nsvtr liviv^g i ri any of then for mor'e
than six monthis. Just b-^fors I camt? to Job Corps I was
living with a friend in an Apert merit beciiust.- 3 was kicKCd
out of my mother's for hantjinr; out witti the "wr~ong CT'cwd."

Job Corps is giving me sc'r.ie training skills as rny trads
is Health Occupations. In Hec.lth Occupations we study the
body parts, how to make occupied beds and how to bathe the
patients. I r. order to become a Cer';ified Nur-ses Aid you
must be able to pass the states board test. When you iu-e
halfway through the training you will learri tiow to take cetr^e
of patients. With all the training I have, I hope I will be
able to become a Registered Nurse sometime.

Job Corps has also taught me how to learn
responsibility. Back home I rie\/er had any responsibilities.
But when I came to Job Corps I had to do chores as part of
the dorm living arrangement. Every morning we have to get
up and clear, our rooms and do the dorm duties so the whole
dot'w will be clean. Everyday we get graded on the areas
and rooms and if any rooms or areas fail the people in the
room or the people ori the: crew havc? to do the scrub club foy^
one hour.

Job Corps has also taught me hCiVJ to handle money. When
I was back heme I thought I should have money everyday. But
since I have btien up here I learned money doesn' t grow on
trees. Job Corps pays us »££. 00 dollars every two weeks.
So basically when you av^e out of money you have to wait
until the next payday. Also up here we have a bank i ri case
you want to deposit money. But you do rieed to tell the bank
the night befcre; if you want moru- than ?.£5. 00 dollars out.

Job Corpz is also helping mi:> gei £i high school diploma
becai.ise I quib school my jui-iio- year. I had a lot of
problems I didn'i, thinW. I could handle on my own. Then one
afternoon, Job Services cr.lled and asked me if I was •
interested in going back to school. I said yes, because
while 1 was at home, I Juc!; sao around and thought to myself
tf.at I would like to complete:- my education.

Job Corps gave me a lot to look at because in Marshall
evcrythif.g vjas negative. I thought there was no life out
tiiKrii' for r. :■ bi.;t since I ca::"<i to Jc':.. CJorp-ii, they sriov.cci mc?
tha: I i-.ou:,i like to do sor-.st!-, inr with my lift;-.'

So if T knov-; anyone whO' quits school I will sugrest Job
Corpr, to thu.^ih hscause- it is i. nr^-at place'

How Job Coi~p Changed My Life
by Kendra Mallek

Jc'b Corpc has changed my life in many ways. 1 would
say that the biggest change Job Corps has made has been in
r.iy attitude. Without a positive attiti.ide you will not make
1 I f ar^ in lift.

before I came to Job Corp^-, I didn't have any plans for
the future and I didri't care. I am only sixteen years old
arid alre£iriy have my life plarriec out. Since I've been at
Job Corps I have completed Security.

I am working ori riiy high school diploma and hope to have
it by the end of Ppt'il. I didn't d'O so well in high school
when I was at home, sc' I catiis to Job Corps with very few
credits. But I believe if I put my r.;ind to it I cari
accomplish anything.

I am very tharikful to certain staff members for being
so supportive and for helping me get past my problems and
getting on with more important things in life.

The best thing Job Corps is giving me is the training
and education I will need to support my child that is on the
way.

I have so many things to be thankful for and the most
important thing is Job Corps. It has changed my life for
the better in my way.

I believe you get what you want out of life. If you
C'i';i-:i- to a Job Co-'ps with a bad attitude and start causing
trouble, don't think that your education is just going to be
handed to you. Cm the cither hand, if you come- to Job Corps
with a positive attitude and the strength to overcome
obstacles, you can &r\d will get what you came for-.

Everyone doesn't like the rules, but Job Corps is just
preparing you for the real w.orld.

How Job Corp Cnar.gec I'iy Liv;
by Zc'J.y Barr.ei.

Uhen 1 was fiFt^er- 1 uot inco a lot of trouble with tne
polict:-. I i-ios ir,t-u '.-tealiY:^ £-i'ic thought it i^;as cool r-at I
rot thirigs for fref? i-ih .?.-i L?verybcdy els-3 liad L .;■ j:c-y fc " i \:
and I didn't. Well, I got caught all right oncJ c,ot ei>:
months probation. I got shippc-d to my ftunt J'ud^-" s i-.r.i-i; in
01 ir., Ihi in tnB country so I couldn't get intO' tro.it le. 1
sperit aooiut one year tner~e sr..; straightened up a iittle but
I met alcohol and drugs; they helped me forget m>- pY-oolems
for ths maar. wiile.

Whei'i I got off of probc-,t i on I move;
parents. I was sixteen, now is teenager
but rny norn made a curfew. I r^s .sr iiste
anyway. Then I started hanging out with
they dropped out of school and I sM.ipped
have fur; with them. fifter about six mon
too and my parents were vefy unhappy wit

I got a Job at McDonald's as a pre
there for three months or so until I qui
told my parents and they kicked me out.
go, my parents said if r.iy friends were s
with them. I er.ded up going to Foundat i
kids who have no place to go, but you ca
for' three wesl'.s. t'*.y r.ior'-, let me co'iif? hoai

I kept getting into trouble and sh
straighten up 1 will send you to Job Cor
threat. I started reading about it and
good idea. So I had my mom take ma down
her nsiiio is Pat Jackson. She told me in
about Job Cor-ps. I wanted to gat into d
they did not offer it iri this Job Corp s
Welding. I stuck with Welding for three
wasn' t for u:^. I cjot a tr-^.tisf chiang-' i nt
a lot of fric-.'ids ard I ar,-, ras'inij a lot o
learning a lot about carjjeritry. Wfie ". I
could hardly read and write, now look at
to be more furi up here and I finally go't
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Life

tiy Derrict-, Ear

Fl-- ri,.:a. h;y li re ^:
d;d;-.' t rur, the- strf.-
my g i r' 1 f r~ 1 e rtd ^ric'. i.:
dru.jk cr-iver hit |-ii?

Or-.. r:.^t.''r<; : . . - * ,..: ■■

I came t .' J-., b Cz^T-pn I uje-d tC' live.- iri Naple-i,
■ lire z-;:!:; r.cr-..-ial. Z hi Id a fj.i-- yr.ryirr^ ji_b .

;3. My life c,-;an^ed fo^- the ..;o--it •^^i.-r-.
child th.:,t she was carr^y:. fig died wnen <
cr.-. "fter-- I was told she had passed
.od 'TO hi", -J f:-- m;. .nt r..-thir-.- to ms. I
icl-nt t e ■.■,.:, .-r flare upi2. Pfter a w^lll(
"ror.-, Det Koines arid I decided to move Z:
joined to charige much. I got into
and I could orily get lo-w paying Joba.
yo to Job Corpr- to change my

quit r.iy job. I had
my mother ca 11.3d rr.t-
lowi-.. But riothing sc
trouble i;_th t^■le l;.i-;
fifter a while I da-cided
life.

Pit Job Corps thity tn.ight me tc control my temper arid tci
think things thr.:ii.igh. Tiiey have different trades that they
offer at tht ceriter. I'm m the Welding trade. The\
Welding instruct.or taught me forms of welding sriti he also
taught m^ how to read arid writ?, bl i.,£?pr int s. He is teaching
us to be succer>rful in life; ric rnatter what we do.

When I complete the Welding program ,1 hope to be a
well respected individual. Mzist importantly, I hope to be
ari example for ri^^y little brotlicr Morris, who is in and out
of trouble. In ten years I plan to own my oi'.'n welding shop.

Eo t'-st'E- why I came to Job Ci.rps. That's why Job Corp
is so important to young people like me.

Jani.,ary ii, ^y:

HC'VJ Joa

:m-,q£

Jc!j Cc^-p= hciE rha/igc-d wy lif^:;- cincc' I ' v5 tes'n here.
".' : r. ; ■ :■ beer, i' i-)hr?.e e.ignt rr.oi'.t .'ie iJvriC I'm wc',-i-'.irig on mor'e iand
DC .ratior, ;-. I ' in rr'ino to bs si ccip. Bfi'CU!" l ty is t.'--.^ tv icJ.s

. ^--.i p " -r. .'I r. -' r y on cJcm^. I ' vs &lwiiy=; v.rrir.t t-:J to becorr.-:: c, roc.

Tl'iis, 15 really a coocJ plr.cB to dc. Tho tc-£.oherr., r.-ade
instructors and students s.rc^ really nice. They tresvt u.s
witn .-eapect, t'Ut you ^av^:■ to give respsct back too.

You also ric-ed responsibility, because thst's very
important. You hii-.'a to be- up by £ : 30 a. m. . You have to be
iri Either cla^s C'r tracs by 6:00 a. rr,. and no one has tc keep
pestering yoL; and telling you to dc' this and that. You need
to dO' it by yourself.

There a lot c.f peciple who have found a cor.ipaniori and
wait months to finish their education. Then they get
r.-iarried and gradi.iate for Job Corps.

In conclusion, this is a gC'Od place t'O be I I would
suggsst Job Corp for evsry student i-;ho w^ints an educatior.
and training for yC' -ir trade-.

jrely,

Annette hi. Odvody (J
Student at D. J. C. C.

Jauuar. 12, 1995
To uhom 11 couceiiii.

Before I cnme to Job Corps, I wn.-; ■.vorking at Pizzr. Hvit Then I \vcm :o Jc-h Corps T cnme
up to gel a good schooling bccauie they good teachers and nice stai^~ that arc reaU\ pohie to us kids,
they hnre lof; cfc]v.\-- hkc tl;c D.J '.'liib. Bijis, CIowti Club. Weight Club, nr-.d Chcv; Club

We aoto cIpj>s« from 8 to 3:?0 p.m. The^' Iw^'c aa classes and tlie^' have E>resscodes and thr--

hft\e ?) Afierertf BTISc.S f»r t+ie eerrtcf t tliili'k= thr eet^hrf k^e^BS >ifmir iftrii rtH» nf frrtMbtc .Srrd Ref.i*rtnrirt>

im'self I lil;e Job Corps. You have aid of respoosibiht}' to take care of at Job Corps to ccnpleai ai Job

Corps. I realh- like Job Corps.

I ruall}. Have diauiied m}' life b\' comiiiJ to Job Corps I found a uia airllrieud ai Job Corp.s.

We will le.ave locether. w.th onr trades and educations.

Your TrulA'.

VO-'<3^.

Ed W'isdoiu
Student at D.J.C.C.

How did Job Co!T>s ChaH'je iti^' hie ?
by Robert Huisinga

On M.T-' 24. 19*'>3 I hnd a prablsfm uith :nonr.' and I didn't pr.y for rny bills, i was Iniiig wi'di
my freind's gnuidpareiiii. Tuey 201 10 ihe {)oini that ihey couldni aionl in- sinyiriii there. I liiid to
patk and mo\e od but to weie I di Jii't kuou'. I ended up walkuic arouiid for two da> 's ilieu I ended
tip sl:i}'i:ig \\ ilii iij\ ollie; gi\id fhiiui maimd Tom} . That fell lhix>w the ix>jf I ended up at the paik for
a weei: That was the worst week I had m my life.

C>uMa> 29, 1993 1 found a job T kvas uoikiaii in a C'Ody iliop. Tliat work out iiv.'C'u. 1 fbuiiJ
a hou:.- to li\e ii. oil Jcne :, 1??4 I told uiy srlf ihat h'M. -o-;^ tst. Tliat worl: fbr a year. One
■'^rsl:::: Tidd csnie horrj: tbr a wcekia and he :cld :ne abcut -Vb Corps I thought at^oui 11 for a day or
to. Tncii 1 decidefi 10 laik to n auv a'vim )( his nnnie was pjcii rovve he was an Old eider bin he was
nice kind of funny to. He told me it will lake ab-oiu iwo to three weeks or longer. Ttiree weeka p.iit
J got a phone ca'l nnd it was Job Corps lo IcU me that tlicy ui"! pick me up in a u '.■•:••. at thai lime I
wonted to go Two weeks pnsi J col ncr.-ous and scared ;uid I decided not to so. I stayed at Uial
house lor fl yoflr. In thai yeor act to the pouit thai ©verylliina was goin.K wrong I ■w-as dependent on
dnigs I wa.s using it ever-- clr. until I go; sick and tired of the \va}' I was h\"iiig. I iost my friends
because I chose my drui; our m}' fricuds.

Cm June of 1 994 1 lost ur-' house. 1 stopped and told uiy seu I couldn't live this way amiuore.
I movt?d to my sisters house in CarroL LA. She tried to get uie urJer control and change my attimde
pivbleni she lielp a little but it all fell tlirougli tlie roof I decided to call Job Corps to see if tliey can
give nie a netlier chance at it and 1 did.

It was July 30, 1994 we were on tlie way to Job Corps when I got there I was nervous 1
.smoked ab<>ut tlrree ciflarenes less than 30 mm. tiioujili I waD;cd up to the building I filled out papers.
My sister had to go back home ngitt a wa}' 1 didn't laiow any one except nvo people 'lodd Dumdie
and ijeii. After 1 got all those pajiers doi?e they io<.">k me to my room al my roommates were there to
meet iTiii- 1 was .sail nervous. Xly big had to co in to\\"n so my roommate should me around his name
V. as Ja.son he was alrigli:. V\'e went to eat tlien Jason liad to li\e for a hour or two 1 staged in my room
unpacking.

Tuo moutks pas: I didn't have a attitude an>iuore and found out the easy way to save moue}'.
I made iiiore uieuds here in Job Coi;ps tha:; v. hat I h;;d in m}' home town. 1 decided lo tal-;-.' Culinar}'
.•ijls because I lo'.e to cook. M}" in.structor shoued c;e how to coi:^k interesting thuii! V.l^en 1 came
in 10 Job Corps 1 didn't know aloi but 1 stan my classes and I had the best teacher her name is Ms.
Beeck she is easy to talk to and she undersund:. people, also she is verr sweet.

-Anotiier month went h^' so 1 lia'.-e been here for tiree mouilis and 1 found a gii'l how is meant
!(.> be mine Ibaner liiis giii cliaiige«j my life see made me look ai life a difieieiu way. Now I'm trying
10 make ni}' self to tliink p>osiii\e not negati\e tliiiiji.i.

Job Corj'S IS a nice p'ltce to st.^y aivd lear.t. meet tTiends. ro t':x }oi!V problem-:, and to n'.rdce
your life Lieiter aiio easier lo m-e

\\^\- Job Corp Chanoed M\- Life!

Jivnum i:. 1995
M''ivime is •■^jiiru^dn ( '•Avn rjid \ tt.-. v.t.ts^c this essav tX/rtaininc. \\lr"' Job '. "cro tta"

changed mv lite, for tiie reason benig it kis. Biick ui 1992 of August 1 entered the program in the

'•xwn months I was here aioi happened I gradiuatcd rcccivmg my GED. Ves that was n fterause

of my aninide and low leiupei' I was constantly m uoubie. InMarch of 1993 Iresigned. Comeback

with m>' uncle for two :neiitli3 \\ crkiiii; a: a rrcvcLmii ccnir^an'^' I saved eiiouiih mone^' to it-t mi

apanmeni of im- own. Tilings were going fme bui I lound uivielf always woiideriiig whai if I wouIJ

of stflVTsd at Job Ccrp As un^ went on and niontlis passed realin- was siartiM to mchien me. li wa.>

hard lA-ing to keep up with bUis and bir>-ing gjories too. Tnan in Apiil of 94 I found out 1 was

pregnant. Tn'uig to work double shirts of IS hours an day plus finding tinie for nivselr was

iiiiposiftJe. On lov of tilings uj>- cai- broke down and I had no iraniponaaon to work. In Jvil\ of 1 994

I quit job and struggled day by day At ilie end of July 1 lind a miscarriage. Tliat's when 1 decided

1 wanied to go back to Job Corp. Augu.>t 23, 1994 I aiTi\ed here on center. Siuc« v\e been back we

received no NIR's. I'm abiiost compleie<l in my CNA and I'm niruimg for Secreiar.' of E>:citive

Council. I've b-eeu on dorm Govenunen: on my dcnu. And also I'm uying to become a Big Sister.

Job Corp is a gocxd oppormmt^' and I'm glad 1 had a chance to be a part of it. I fell more responsible

and manire than before. ,'\11 1 can say is il'you want to make something of yoursell'you have to put

some etion inio ii and coming to Job Corp has helped me do so.

How Job Corp Changed My Life
by Tannny Ribbink

i came to Job Corps on Marcii Sili i99-i. V\'ueii I iieaid about Job Corp.s 1 was reaiiy not

inlei"K.teu in ii. But I made My mind up and called this couuselcr about Job Corps she ^at down widi

uie and talked loine about the diti'ereiu trades liiat Job Corps had. 1 said I'll iei you loiow if I decide

to go. And I did go to Job Corp^ not b}' ms'self bi:t wiili my husband.

V. nm V. s get h^^ a: Job Cci-f:^ 1 v.as \e:y neivoui didn't uiiiil: I lii:e it but as the \\ eeks w ent
on it got easier. I hfi<;i io •ao to some ciasset; ih<>]-- are Residing, Writing an-i Tmnking Skiiis. Mmb
Cullura! Awareness. Tlicse classes a;e helpins mc in these ;u"ea.^, because I needed the e\lra help.
The teacher's reaiiy help me when I ha\e a problem. My trade is Cuhnar>' .Arts which I want to be
a cook 1 plan on completing m}" trade before I lca\e Job Corps.

When I was at home I ahvays had m}' parents gel me tip in the mcmiag but since I came tf>
Job Corps I get up bv mvself 'oecause I know I have to go to school or my trade. Job Corps has
changed my iiie because I know no^^ I have a trade or a job for me when I'm finished. NMien ro}"
husband and I Jea\e Job Corps we hope to have jobs waiting for us l^ecause we want to spend the rest
of our li\es together forever. L^ we didn't come to Job Corps we wouldn'I ha^■e a good life to look
forwar<l to.

How Job Corp Changed My Life
by Amy Douthit

Job Corps dian'jed my iilV so much. I cauie up here lo get a lieuer eciucauon e\en liiough I
alreacV kne u;}- diplci:-'i. The li;.'id;e)-'s .-u'e io uice to me aiid patient to nrj. I 'A'aj:tcd lu get a better
job in the near liiture Job Corps is a neat place to co. It's a place ware kids cau caiiie to aet more
edccatioii

Job Corps paws you for aciiig to school and it pays for >our room arid board. Job Coips is a place-
where kid'i can ome \o if their family has n^ money to send 10 a college thai does cost roouey. If the
kids vvatil U.' go lo college.

Job Corps offers trausp^3rtatiou to go home ou the holidays and to go into town if you wanted
lo go. Job corps has councilor's thai can help you when you need it.

We even have a bank that is very lUKlerstAiidins. Job Corp5 has rooms where we cnn sleep
at night. Job Coips respects other people problems and doesnl tell anyone else. They ha\e a great

atliru<le toward other people.

Job Corps will lead nie to a job tliat 1 really want and uallmg to work iiard m. It gave me a

cliance tlial 1 can impro\'e tkit 1 can do .something with uiy lite and for mj self. It makes me fee! good

1 will t^ a completer.

How Job Corp Changed My Life
by Shannon Sorey

Job Coips is the higiicii uupioveiueu; in my life. Job Coips. gave me a second chance 10
prove to myseU'that 1 con tuake it ou my cwii ^omeda} . Job Corps, brings me self-esteem !"\e ne'.er
Itad so much of Job Crrps has brought n;e resp^nsiablt;.-. hope, and most inrA-rtaiU honesn- to me
and all tlie people aivuivj lu-.v

Job Ca-ps helps >ou to ha\e respect f-^r other people know in;; the\- kive problem^ ic-o and that
I'm not tfie onh- one.

I do benej- haie at Job Coipi. betttir xIaJU, I evci did in idi^ol Job Coipi i:ivc.^ nuL-
oppMntumties that I'd ne\e; Lave an\' wheic ei^e

I came from a p<.^.^r family and never d)<»uy1u Id have a ciioiice for much i m njiiiilmii my
dreauLS now. Some kids don't ia\t home's to go to or money to get tiungs the}' need. Job Corp'S. bu>'s
us things 10 survive tlicn the money we do gel gets spent on thm^'' like shamp>oo, soai>, aitd .mvoiv
VVTiich some kids lyonng adults'i have never had before the monrv or a home.

Job Corps, helps us to survive in the fiiture 'oecause we arc the funirc. Job Corps helps us all
10 stay in Ime 10 dc- our \er. best.

Job Corps, teaches how to live good hfe's and gives us help and lime out's (breai;s") so our
niinds don't over load.

Job Ccups, has teccher, tlirit take tinie out to help you understand your work. Job Ccrp'i offer?
us a doctor, dentist, and couuclor's. Job Corps tenches us the meanmg of respect tor everyone's
feelings, ue all treat each otiier equalh and always ha\-e friends to lean on.

Job Corps. \c.~ \js v.'crJc nt c.ir nv.--, pncc so v.e nrcn'l bc-ing pvishcd cr pressured %vh;ch lielps
to the greatest forme Ixicaiise I'm a slow ieamcr and Job Corps, heij^ed me to realize tiiat hs okay as
long 35 we hru]g-in and keep trying.

Job Corps, give.s us transportntion home on holidays and take's us to town to get tliii^cs we
ncc<l

Job Corp.^, litlped nie to fmd n;} self and n^ . er let go again. To hang-in even wlitn limes are lougk
Job Corp5 taught nic to be serial z.:\d nc-v-cr cr.-c up bec.iuse T-.-rr^.ilung i.s ^^xv.h a \r-\

Job Coip-.s. alio n',nv- iieip you to meet die jiu}' or girl tliat was meant to be for jou and the good
tlnnj about it is youll be able to support each oilier or }ourself. Job corps also gives you love!

Dear Sir,

Im wnung to reiponse to the prc^viied downsizing of Job Corps. I'm a 1 9 year eld male whc^
attends tlie Efenisoii Job Corp.s di Lteiu.siiii lowii. Job Coras lias and continue.s to pro^'ide \ ouiig adiilc.>
v%itli an e'ducation Job Coip' doj.-, k;\e ii.-. sliare of problcuLs but tlie po.sitiNe outweigh the iiega'i'.e.
I ha\'e anencievi Job Corps lor the last 3 mouths and stud}' CNA. Before I came to Job Corps my life
was oiu of ccnU"ol. Ii"iad no cliicipline and I ran the su'eelj. I wai in a gang and had been shot once
and stabh'eu n- ice. V^'hen I got to Job Corps the staff took a gemiine concern for my well fair the}'
welcome me and got me wright in my trade. I have met many people at Job Corps and have changed
considerabh' since I first enter Job Corps. Job Corps had also mabiiing me to pers'jaded my high
school diploma and i hope to gradivite in 2 cr 3 mouths. There is also another ad-.'antagc of Job Corps
I have been able to keep up on m) child suppoii for my two kids. There is a place where single
parent's can come and also get their kid.s around tlieni Job Corps is a very good program Unit
shouldn't be do\Misized. A lot of your adults rely on Job Corps for a second chance. I know a lot of
people uho would be in jail if tlic}- where not at Job Corps.

It cost a lot more to seivj a kid to Jixi Coips tlian to send a person to jail for a year. Job Corps
iia-s lielp a lot of people betiei' tlieie sell'ove:- tlie } eais. I hope tliat you will see tlie positive benefit-,
lliat Job Corps lias to offer 1 would like to hear back from you to see how you feel on tlie issue.

Sincereh'.

James Henderson
Student, of D.J.C.C.

100

My Life Without Job Corps!
by Courtney Davis

J am a DeniiOii Job Corps siuiicn'.. ;md I tun >*Tiii!iii ^.< iet ^■ou ij;'."»- ihtf ihcls Hi i see
them, aiicl iiow the racti .'li I aee diem, and hou liicy aje wnticn. and iiou Job Coipi ha^ ciijniied
xu\ lili.'. li'liie bud_'L-t liad Itrru cut a luug time a.io i would iiv\ have mid iLe Ci-"r;j;TiaiiTy u> ,oi:;e
to Job Corps, and more thnn liiccly. J would hrtvc c::dcd ;:p in jroi or inurdcrcd

Job Corp.^ is llie larceit ledeiully funded reiKlential. edacaiiou. and iob u^imi-uj proiii'am
for youtJii whct w ould not li:t\ e t«en ab;e to ltini;er ti:eir educuioi;. Job Ceipi si'jder.Lb T'^^i:
'oetween tlie rigej of 16 ;uid 24. Some ofus iirne cluldien. lliere are 1 1 1 Job Corps Cenier
nauonwide. and liiey aie ihe oniy pj\>snim ihai ofiers us jobs irainmg. educaiion. aiKL'iicii I ;im
prepreienii>"ul. To eliiimiatc the Job Coips pro-irams wouio be deumienud lo die fuiui"e of our
countiy, ,'uid to om young ciiiidien } el to l?e bj;:;. I ki\e bren ■..mgiiie\e:'} iluJenl V.iiO becmea ::
compieler at Job Corps is making a contribution lo our countr} .

Our success rate at die Job Corps Ceuters is lailisr impressive. Sc\eu out of even teu
iiaduates get jobs, eutrr die mllitan', or pursue funlier funber education. Small businesses
nationwide tuni to Job Corps for v%ell framed and educated workers At die Job CoTp> Centers it
C031.S S-^S a day or iZ i.OOu per trauimg slot ri.ir each Job Corps student. In other progranis such as
Boys Town it cost S40.000 to .S4S.000 amiuaih per student. Research has shov\ii diat seme
correctioiv.1 facilities exp-endetures for die incarceraied for the Lncarceraled is a-, higli as S56.00
annually to licr.se eacli pnsoner,

I don't know if an}" of this means auvTliing to ycu. but it meaas a lot to someone like me. I
am sbneen 3'ears old and 1 ha\e been in and out of school since 1 was 12 v'ears old. I was ranning
with canes and drinkmg alot, and smoldng ■>.%'eed. 1 earned a gun to keep myself safe, and most cf
the luue 1 didn'tknow what my situation would be from one hour to the new. I aspire to become
more educated, because I ha\ e alway.5 been smart I just never used my intelliceuce in the outside
world before. I ue'.tr liad much of a chance to use inv' abilitv' in my v\orld. 1 was on a one wav-
street headed for destruction and no one could help me.

C^ue dflv after I had been on the sueets for two week, and no one knew where I vva> and
fnuikly ncil2;er did I. I vv.io found f^y nr • fndier and he brouglit me heme. My friend called me and
•ih^ .ind her friend were talkms r.hvv,'- corrunc lo Jot» Corps. I thouglii nboirt if bccntist: ] v,-n5
desperate 10 gci out of tJhs inprcdictaWe life srvle. so I dcscided to coiuc to Dcnison Job Corp>
Center. I didn't know what to cxspect. and when I I'lrsl puiicd up I thought I wai going to iail. but
I didn't see anv' bars. Af\cr a vvliile of being here the rules no longer bodicred me. for this is the
l"irst tliat 1 have ever had possitive structure in m>^ life.

TcJav, 1 have plans for my future, somedoing I never liad before. Job Corps has given my
life hoj;>e. and not only ho}:* but my life has meaning now 1 hi:e win: I am doin^, and I li-;e the
way 1 feel 1 feel ILke I am finally succeeding at sottietliing in my life, and 1 am somebody.

Vv'iih ou: diis program I v\\;uld liave Ix'came another siadstic, possibly hving on the stieets.
1 v\ould liave eidier ended up ui jail, dead, or vvidi too man}- babies, no future, and no education.
'nianJ:s to Jo? Ccips for providing me tiit oppommir." to be educated, iob trained, and self rei:.-\ii;
With out aii; need or iici).> fii;iii vvelfiire

How Job Corp Changed My Life
by Todd Alan Dumdei

On October 5, 1993, a struggling young man drove to Ida Grove
to talk to an older gentleman about changing his life and goals.
This older man, whom I will call Alex, told the younger man about
making a wounderous new life and a better future for himself. Alex
told me about Job Corps and the chance it gives almost everyone.
I asked alot of questions about Job Corps because I had heard all

101

kinds of stories about the place. Alex did not pull any punches.
He was straight forward and confirmed a few of the stories. Most
of them were wrong. I was still unsure about Job Corps, but still
decided to go and try to accomplish something other than working
deadend jobs.

Alex called me on October 13th and told me that the date was
set and the staff would be waiting for me on the 19th. I got
nervous and asked if he could start me at a later time. Alex told
me that he could give me a week longer. But, in order for me to be
able to change my life I would need to stop stalling. I called Job
Corps and told them I would be ready on the 19th. The next day I
was fired from my job and a week later my car was reposessed by my
bank. My life was getting more messed up by the minute. The only
thing I had to look forward to now was Job Corps.

A van pulled up outside my house and a strange man walked up
the sidewalk. I knew he was the driver, somehow. I loaded my bag
in the backseat, climed in front, put my seat belt on and soon fell
asleep. While we were driving up the hill to the Denison Job Corps
I read the signs. They offered me some comfort. Here's what they
said:

You Have Now Entered,

Where Dreams Become True.

For At This Center,

Life Begins Anew.

The Skills You Gain,

Will Always Remain,

No Matter Where Your Domain.

WELCOME DENISON JOB CORPS CENTER

When we reached the Orientation building my "Big Brother" was
there waiting for me. He introduced himself as Jeremy. He helped
me carry my bags to the Orientation room and on to dorm as soon as
all the necessary paperwork was done. Jeremy showed me around the
campus for a while then we went to the cafeteria. I was really
scared being around all of these new people and didn't eat much.
Later on that night, I was able to meet all of the people on dorm.
I was starting to relax a little and after roll call I went to my
room and went to sleep. My week in Orientation was fun and very
informative. I was starting to feel a lot more welcome.

As I finished Orientation and starting OEP, I was making more
friends than I ever had in my home town. OEP, which stands for
Occupational Exploration Program, helped me decide which carrer I
wanted. I was also shown how to set goals and meet them. After
just two weeks at Job Corps, I was starting to feel good about
myself and my future. As I started my trade and academic classes,
I felt myself gaining self-esteem and pride. I was accomplishing
something for a change instead of just giving up and running away
from my problems.

After a few months, I started getting a little stressed out
and fell back to what I used to be. I stole a pool stick and I got
caught. The staff that delt with me were fair in my punishment.
I asked if I could see the center Mental Health doctor. I was put
on medication for my stress and learned from a friend about a
relaxation technique. After about four more months, I was doing
better so I was put on two different types of medication. I think
I was allergic to one of the medications because that next day I
went into extreme depression and I ran from the center to try to
kill myself. I was found walking and taken to the town hospital
v;here I requested mental treatment. I was taken to Cherokee Mental
Hospital where I received the treatment I needed.

102

After I was released, I was put on medical leave for a month.
When I came back I was greeted by all of my friends. I was very
happy I was allowed to come back and I thanked all of my friends
for being there when I needed them. I also apologized to them for
putting them through the pain and sorrow when I left. I still feel
bad for not being able to say good-bye to some of my friends who
left before I got back. However, I feel we will all meet some day
in the future.

Now, a year and three months after my first day, I have
completed my trade and am starting pre-employment training. I now
have the future I didn't have before. I am proud to be a Job Corps
student and I will encourage other people who are needing guidance
in their lives to go to Job Corps and get the training they need
for a brighter tomorrow.

I am finally able to say I finished something that will make
me a better person.

HOU' JOB CORPS CHANGED MY LIFE!

BY AM'^JDA r:. WAGONER

January 11, 1995

When 1 entered Job Corps on June 21, 199i, I had only been
out of college for a month and a half and I still was having a
difficult time finding a job to support myself. I was living on
my own for three years and only fifteen miles away from my parents
for whom were still supporting me before coming here.

As I was coming up the drive in a very cramped, packed bus
of bags and about 30 some kids, including myself, I saw about 7
to 8 signs spread a part from each other and each one read a
different phrase:

YOU HAVE NOW ENTERED

WHERE DREAMS BECOME TRUE.

FOR AT THIS CENTER

LIFE BEGINS ANEW.

THE SKILLS YOU GAIN

WILL ALWAYS REMAIN

NO >LATTER ^JHERE YOUR DOMAIN.

WELCOME DENISON JOB CORPS CENTER.

At first when I read that I thought "Yeah right. I may have
entered, I'm not going to stay because my dreams have never became
true." After reading all of those signs, I had yet another thought.

My other thought was after getting to Job Corps is that if
three years of college and two credits short of getting a college
diploma didn't work for me, Job Corps certainly wouldn't work for
me either. As you can now see, I didn't quit no matter how much
I wanted too and I am still here.

In my own opinion before Job Corps, 1 just wasn't getting
anywhere with my life. I really thought my future was bleak
because of the way I was treated by other kids from my younger
years of elementary, junior high, and high school grades.

With me having a learning disability, I thought I would never
graduate from high school. Eventually, I thought I would hi>ve gotten
a lousy job that 1 would be stuck with for the rest of my life that
I may not like nor would want for the rest of my life.

103

Now that I'm in Job Corps, I'm getting even closer to being a
step off completer in my trade. I guess you can say, 1 made a good
choice in staying. Once 1 have completed that step off level, I
will have a better chance of getting a good job that I would like
rather than getting a job that only requires you to have a high
school diploma for which I already required on June 1, L991.

I would like to say I've had some help from some fellow
students, teachers, residential advisors, and all other staff
members, past and present, to get where I am at now. 1 know 1 did

the work myself but I've had their help on understanding what I'm
working on now and what I have worked on in the past since I've
entered Job Corps. Without their help, I don't know where I would
be now.

By doing what I'm doing now in Job Corps, I have changed in
many ways that I can't think of or could have imagined on changing
if I was still going to college back home right now instead of being
here. Since being here, I have become a part of the Big Brother/
Big Sister Program, a Dorm Aide at one time, a Dorm Government
Officer position of Chief Justice, and a Recreation Aide.

After I am completed with Job Corps, I'm thinking of going
back to college at home to complete the two credits I need for the
college diploma in Office Technology. Maybe this time, I'll have
a better time at adjusting to going to college.

All in all, I think Job Corps is a good place to go to for a

very good education and the training you will need for the future.

Job Corps can change a person's attitude on life. Please give it
a try.

Have a HEART and the S.P.I.R.I.T. to go for it in Job Corps
anywhere here in the United States.

KOVv JOB CORPS CHANGED MY LIFE
By Stacie Hall

I dropped out of high school to be with my older friends that
had already graduated. If I went to school I missed out on all the
fun with them. Drugs and alcohol became a big part of my life. In
fact it pretty much took over. At that time I left home, thinking
I would do 3ust fine on my own.

I moved around from here to there living with friends; eating
their food and using what little money my family gave me for drugs
and alcohol. I never asked them for much because I had my pride and
didn't want to admit I was wrong. I still did not have a job.

I finally got a 30b in my hometown and stared working. Drugs
and alcohol were still a big part of my life, and because of that I
lost my job and my apartment; which meant once again I was letting
my family down.

I went through two more jobs, still living with friends, before
I found a job that I really liked. I got my own apartment and found
a roommate. I had all the training I needed for the job, but because
it was a small business, the pay was very low. I barley made enough
money to live, even with a roommate to split the bills with. My drug
addiction was taking up all the money I had.

104

Then one day I was watching television and I saw a commercial
about Job Corps. It was then I decided I was sick of living the
way I was; dodging my family because I was embarrassed to how my
face because I was a loser. I wanted to get job training, get a job,
and live like normal people. I wanted off welfare. I wanted to make
something of myself. I wanted to amke my family proud of me. I wan-
ted to make my mom and dad so proud of me that they would say, she's
finally getting it together.

Job Corps was my last chance. If it weren't for this program
I'd still be in my apartment getting high and drunk, hopin I would

work the next day do I would have enough money to get food.

If you were to close down the Job Corps Centers, think about
all of the people that are just like me. The ones that wouldn't
get a chance to make their life better. Some people want to straigh-
ten their life out but can't because of money or other things. Job
Corps is the answer to their prayers.

I've been here 7 months now. Its changed my life. I haven't
done any drugs since I walked on center and I haven't drank for four
months. Since I've gotten here I've earned my High School Diploma.
I plan on going to college once I complete my trade and get as much
education as I can. There have been rough times, and I've wanted to
leave but thanks to the support of my friends and the staff I've made
it through. I want to be somebody, not a nobody. Thanks to Job Corps
I well be somebody someday.

How Job Corp Changed My Life
by Marco Hogue

Before I entered Job Corps I was seventeen years old living in
East St. Louis as a young teenager out on the streets parting, in
a gang and sellling crack doing all the bad things a teenager would
do.

One day in a shoot out my cousin got shot standing next to me,
and died. Right then and there I realized that could have been me.
I told my dad and he worked with me and said, "Son, you need to
leave this town and make something out of yourself besides this
surrounding here."

Three days passed, he suggested Job Corps, that's when I got
signed up at Mingo Job Corps. That's where I had a chance to get
a fresh new start with my life, and a change-

The first day I met new people, and a friend. It took me five
months to get adjusted to the place and straighten up, also a
chance to leave my thug life behind. There were rules for me to
follow, I learned a lot about discipline. I also learned about
people and how to deal with them on center and off.

105

Thanks to the training of social skills, when it was first put
out to be a learning subject for the Job Corps system. This was a
part of my life that I took serious, this is when I matured, by
eighteen I felt like I was twenty- three.

Thanks again for the Job Corps system for the good things they
have to offer for the young and older students. As well for the
training to a forest fighter on the side, beside your trade of
choice to make extra money.

I also learned C.P.R., and I was trained to be a Cormen
leader, which I thought was great. This charged my point of view
about life, that I can be somebody. I also completed and recieved
a certificate in Culinary Arts, this is when I ran for Vice
President of the center and won.

The best part is that I had the chance to travel, and visit
other Job Corps Centers, as well as meeting new people. I'm only
human, I had some bad times and some good times at Job Corps. Most
importantly the people at Job Corps that care about the students
here, that helps a lot, with any problem.

Peer Counseling was an important part of my life on center is
helping out the students with their problems and concerns that make
me feel good.

Me, myself, and I can be devoted to the Job Corps system.
That's one of the reasons why I came to back to Job Corps to
Denison to get my G.E.D. and meet more people and give lots of
ideas to make this center a better place to work and live.

Needless to say I had to leave Mingo to take care of my sick
Grandmother, but now I'm back and going all the way to the top of
my goals, instead of one step away.

Then I want to help Denison out as much as possible by giving
them more and more of the ideas to make and improve this center so
everyone could be happy.

That is the reason why I'm running for President for Executive
Council. Hopefully in my future I will be a part of the Job Corps
Center, by starting out as a Center Standard Officer.

HOW JOB CORPS CHANGED MY LIFE
by William Thompson

Before I came to Job Corps, my life was shattered. I started going down hill at the age of
nine. It got worse through the years

My parents fought with me every day to go to school I never liked school from the third
grade on, but it was in the sixth grade when I rumed it for myself I started doing drugs and
alcohol.

One morning my mom told me to get up for school and I swore and threw an ashtray at
her. She picked up a belt and was going to spank me, and 1 grabbed a knife and told her if she
came near me 1 would kill her My dad came hoe that morning and made me go to school. I got
kicked out of school the same day for fighting with a student.

Later that day mo took me to see a psychiatrist. That very day I was admitted into the
psychiatric care unit at Marian Health. I was in different lock-ups during the next five years

106

My teenage years were in nut wards and I had only myself to thank for it All I did was
fight and lose control When one place would get sick of my behavior they would ship me to
another Even in the placements when they tried to get me to do school work I would throw it at
them and tell them to do it themselves I got treated fair in some placements and unfair in others.

Finally at the age of sixteen I got to go home I found out how precious life and freedom
was to me But my attitude never changed My parents and I fought even worse I got more and
more into drugs and alcohol I would go to school for a month or two and quit That was my
pattern until I was eighteen lucky for me I worked good enough to pass.

As soon as I turned eighteen my attitude changed a little The fighting slowed down a
little between my parents and I They didn't like me doing drugs, but they knew they couldn't stop
me. I was never at home that year. Instead i was out partying and getting into illegal activities.

There was one person that would not give up on me, my English teacher from East High
School he came out to the house quite often tr>'ing to get me to sign up for Job Corps Even'
time he left I threw the papers away and said I didn't need Job Corps Then one day he came
over, discussed Job Corps with me, and said if 1 fail to sign up this time he would never ask me
again He told me 1 was ruining my life by not working or finishing my education Well, for a
year and a half after that I still thought he didn't know me or what he was talking about •

Then it happened, mom told me that because I had no job or intention of going back to
school I had to move out So I moved onto a farm with a friend of my dads

That is when 1 realized how bad my situation really was. I kept thinking how I had let my
parents and myself down, I knew at that moment I wasn't going anywhere in life. I couldn't get
any of it out of my mind. So I went back to my parents and asked if they would take me sign up
for Job Corps They thought I was joking or trying to pull one over on them But my dad took
me to a Job Corps screener before I changed my mind I thank God he did because once 1 signed
up I wondered if I had made the right choice

It was awhile before I got my invitation letter But in between time. I kept thinking maybe
I did something that I was going to regret after I got there I thought 1 would be there a week
and would quit My parents and relatives "gave me two weeks" and said I would quit

I've been here almost seven months and I am very proud of myself I am more proud of
myself than I have ever been in my life I have earned my G.E.D so far and hopefully my high
school diploma in time I have done some of the most unbelievable things here I am proud to be
president of the chess club and wing leader of my dorm 1 push myself in spons to do the best I
can and to get trophies or awards I have already won three and I'm going for them all 1 am
proud of my certiftcates of completion in the classes I've completed I've never felt so good about
myself as the way this place makes me feel

Maybe I've never been off drugs long enough to know what it feels like I have shocked
my parents and relatives. Now when 1 go home, they always tell me good things that 1 haven't
heard since I was a kid I try to be more responsible than 1 was 1 look back at my past and thin
why did that have to be me

Since 1 have been at Job Corps, I have seen a different future for myself one that really is
there if I want it bad enough There's no way I could throw my last chance of making something
of myself away I plan to get my diploma and finish a trade or two, or three. I'll do anything 1 can
to change my life and build my relationship with my family again before I lose them I almost
blew up and got terminated, but I handled it better than 1 have ever done in my life I know it's
because I've never been this far, and I'm never going back Job Corps has changed my life in ways
I've never imagined. And I know if I can do it anyone can They just need to wake up the way I
did, hopefully sooner

107

Tc whom it mav concern,

This letter is to inform you of Che concern existing about the
need of Job Corps Centers nation wide.

As you know, since its beginning. Job Corps has been helping
kids by offering vocational training such as Health Occupations
and Business Clerical, techinical training such as building
trades or welding with the option of . Union benefits, or college
courses and advanced training for completers. Plus, Job Corps
offers a high school diploma and/or GED program for those stu-
dents who have come into the program without finishing high
school.

The after-school activities are just as numerous as Che voca-
tional choices with a recreational hall, art room, and a gym.
The rec hall also funds trips to rec and fitness centers,
movies, concerts, and sporting events.

In a perfect world, Job Corps would not be necessary, teenagers
would stay out of trouble, and the government would make all
the right choices.

Unfortunately, as we all know, this is not a perfect world.
Job Corps is necessary not only for troubled teenagers but
those without a last chance, like me.

If you vote against Job Corps in February you will cake away
that last chance that many of the A0,000 students currently
enrolled in the Job Corps program have, not Co mention the
countless others awaiting enrollment into this vital program.

I am Kim Wingace and have been in Job Corps since June 15, 1993.
The program has given me a chance for a fuCure. I now have
plans for a job, a place to live, and enough readjustment to
get off to a good stare once I've compleCed my trade.

Please Cake anocher look ac Job Corps and consider what may
happen to our society if it doesn't continue Co exisc before
you make your final decision.

Thank you for your cime,

Sincerly ,

Kim Wingace
Denison Job Corps
Center

How Job Corps changed my life

As a scudenc of Job Corps 1 think that I can truthfully speak
for how much Job corps can really help people Chat need it.
Before I came, I had made so many plans for my future, but none of them
fell Chrough for me. Maybe because I didn't have my G.E.D, Driver's
license, or any money at all for college.

But if people would just stop and think about what this place
offers, they would realize chac it truely benefits them. But most
people come here thinking more of a social life than anything, and
don't even take into consideration all the opportunities that Job Corps
has to offer.

I'm not saying I never got fed up with having rules that made you feel
as if you never passed out of 7th grade, but I do realize chat almost
every rule Chey enforce here serves a purpose Co you later in life.

108

I am a student in the Painting trade here on center and when I
complete and land a good paying job I can't exactly be tired when I
come to work, nor late for that matter. So that's why there are cerfews,
to help you get nsed to what it's like in the real world. And my employer
won't tolerate a person strung out on drugs or abuses alcohol. And that is
why drinking and drugs are prohibited. The lists can go en and on. But
what everyone finds to be unfair, is really helping you for your future.

I don't actually expect that everyone is going to come to the great
realization that I did, but everyone still needs the opportunity to try
and understand. I've seen Job Corps turn people that would seem hopless
to the rest of the world, and turn them into people that live and work
in your community.

Written By:
Kathie .J. Donahue
student of DJCi

kf/icJ'^^^

My name is Beverly E. Herron and I am twenty years old. 1 am the oldest of
four and come from a single parent home, where mom works nights, collects
child support and welfare.

Job Corps is helping me to keep from getting on welfare and getting behind
on payments. This is my home now. If you take this opportunity away from
me and others then some of us will be living on the streets or in prison.

This is our second chance to straighten up and become good citizens. I'm
learning how to keep my temper, a clean house and community. In Denison
Job Corps Center we are also learning to respect others and ourselves.

Job Corps is also home to a lot of single parents with small children, whose
futures depend on their parents education and jobs. Congress says that
they want people off welfare and not to be totally dependent on it. Yet
Congress wants to cut back on our education and ticket to a better future.

Please don't take the bettering of our future and others future away from
us and them.

Beverly Elizabeth Herron
Denison Job Corps Center
Denison, Iowa

Hello, 01-12-95

My name is Amanda Juryens I am m the Business &. Clerical program in the Denison Job
Corps Center 1 am nineteen years old. and 1 don't want to know where 1 would be at in this point
in my life if it weren't for Job Corps

1 have been m Job Corps for about eiuht months 1 have come alonu way. So far. I lia\e
received my High School Diploma, my drivers license and 1 am close to finishing my trade

Because of Job Corps, my fijture is a much brighter one It has not only taught me the skills
that are vital for getting a job and keeping one, it has made me open my eyes Open m\ eyes to life
1 now realize that college IS A MUST' Because of Job Corps. 1 am looking forward to being on my
own, supporting myself

Before I came to Job Corps, my life was basically a dead end No car, (no transportation) no
job, (1 was living off of SSI), and 1 was doing dmgs, and getting pretty much involvedroad to
loserville

109

Now, in tlie time-span of under a year, my life lias REALLY CHANGED' ' A am not saying
it has been easy eitFier The living environment of Job Corps can sometimes be a httle ner\e
wraci^■ing. but I guess an\lhing wortii having is worth working for isn't it'^ 1 am not also tr>'ing to say
tliat Job Corps is wonderful, and its flawless, because it is not

What 1 do know, though is that I'm going to have a job, car, place, college, career, and sense
of pride when 1 get out of Job Corps 1 am almost there It has really been worth it

Thank You for your time.
Amanda JurLiens

How Job Corps Changed My Life
by Tonya Morgan

Job corps has improve my life in so many ways it
is hard to list all of them.

I guess the biggest chartge for me is the fact that
I finally started going to school regularly. At Job corps
there's no where else to go, but at home there were to many
other places. Job corps is a good program because you can
go to high school and learn a trade at the same time.

The way you have to be so independent is good for
me, because it was rally time to realize mom wouldn't slways
take care of me. I am learning to budget my money, and that
making money the right way is the best way. While you are in
this program you learn to do everything for yourself that mom
did for you.

Job corp has taught me one lesson that 1 will need
for the rest of my life, and that's how to get along with oth-
ers, and to deal witn others, even if I don't like them. It
used to be that I would be ready to fight if someone lookes at
me the wrong way. This program teaches me the work place you
just can't beat up your boss because of a disagreement, or yo-
u'll either end up fired and/or in jail.

So, If you think this program doesn't teach anything
you're wrong; it improved my life almost loo%. Because I fina-
lly realized that without an education you can't make it. This
society is hard these day's and an education is the best way to
get anything you want.

HOW JOB CORPS CHANGED m' LIFE
BY KARRIE WEAVER

Job Corps has changed my life in so many ways. When I came in Co
Job Corps I had nothing. I had no job skills, and I was fighting
with my family. I was only 16, I didn't know how to handle respon-
sibility or know how to live without my family and friends.

Job Corps has given me job training. 1 am currently in the Health
Occupations class. In Health Occupations, we study how to take
temperatures, pulses, respirations and blood pressure. We also
learn to care for people. All of this studying will help me to
become a certified nurses assistant. If it wouldn't of been for
my instructor, Mrs Lisa Hartman,' I doubt if I would be able to take
state boards. Mrs. Hartman has helped me so much with my classes and
my personal life.

110

The counselors here at Job Corps helped me to deal with my family
problems. They encouraged me to talk things out with my family.
Now, because of the Counselors help, my family and I are getting
along better. The counselors take time out of their nusy schedules
to talk with us.

My RA, Sheila Reitan, helped me learn responsibility by encouraging

me to run for Dorm Government. As the Treasurer of C-2 dorm has taught

me how to be more responsible because I have to help a dorm full of

ladies clean. I also listen to become a better member in a group living
atmosphere .

Another area in Job Corps, besides my Vocation and dorm that has
helped me are the extra activities I am in, such as Bigs, Jr.Wics,
and peer helpers.

If I hadn't heard of Job Corps, I might be living on the streets. If I
could give some advice, to anyone without job skills, it would be to
gc to Job Corp. It has helped me out alot. I would also tell then
that it maybe hard, but it will be worth it when they complete 1

To Whom It May Concern:

This is in regards to the current situation in Congress concerning the Job
Corps Program. I will be perfectly honest in that I do not tend to stay
abreast of political situations. However, 1 air. aware of the fact that our
new Republican majority have shown the utmost interest in down-sizing the
federal government.

I have just recently become aware that this down-sizing that is taking af-
fect will include the Job Corps Program. If you have ever visited a Job
Corps Center, no doubt, you found a lot of teenagers in both educational
and technical training. If by chance you remained on that center tc find
these students in their leisure time activities, I'm positive you would find
a great deal of activity in the recreation room, art room, and in the gym.

I would not begin to say that all Job Corps Centers are perfect or run as
smoothly as a freshly paved highway, but the students find a place that they
can call home, not worry about where meals might come from, or if they'll
be able to scrape together the funds to pay for school fees or clothes.

My name is Andrea Adney and I am twenty-two years old. I have resided on
the Denison Job Corps Center since August 9, 199A. For myself as well as
many other students here, Job Corps was a last chance to make something of
our lives.

When I came to Job Corps last fall I was leaving behind a part time job at
a fast food restaurant that paid minimum wage, in hopes of having the op-
portunity to gain enough knowledge and experience so I wouldn't have to live
as I had in the past. So I wouldn't have to go through trying to fit three
adults into a two room living space, or live out of a car; not knowing where
the next meal would come from or when.

For me Job Corps has become a place where I can pick up the pieces of my
life and put them together. I've been doing that and I've had help. For
the first time in my life I have a couple of freinds that I trust farther
than I can throw them. With them as well as members of the staff I've found
pieces of mv life that 1 didn't know were missing, and I found where they
fit.

Job Corps gives so many young adults the opportunity to get the training

that will be needed to make it in the world today. Many of us who are here

are here due solely to financial reasons, as I've already explained that 1

am. Being unable to affort to attend a regular "institution of higher learning".

we turn to programs such as Job Corps to build ourselves a tomorrow that we

can all live with.

Ill

I hope Congress will help us to have a today that will allow us to build a
better tomorrow than we had to look forward to yesterday. Please do not cut
Job Corps from the Federal Budget, if you do in the long run all you will
be doing is making the deficit rise a little for each of the approximate
A0,000 students currently in this vital program, not to mention the count-
less others who are waiting to come here.

Thank you very much for your time, and hopefully your support.

Andrea Adney
Denison Job Corps
Corpsmember

U S Senator Tom Harkin

3 !6 Hart Senate Office Buildmt:

Washintzton D C 20510

Dear Senator Harkin.

When I was a cliild 1 went throuuh nian\' things \Mtli my famil\' V\ith m\ brothers in and out
of the liome and my dad running from the cops 1 ne\'er went to school on a regular basis I was
always a sman child, but never given the chance to really work hard

Bv the time 1 was in high school 1 had a stable home and things were better There was a fe\s
problems and I didn't want to live at home anymore I fell in love and moved in with my bo\friend
at the age of sixteen. 1 didn't want to quit school, but by the time 1 got permission to change school
districts it was too late 1 would have had to of taken the whole junior year over
1 didn't want to do that So I went and I recei\'ed my GED

1 basically gave my education up for my boyfriend and his children We went through some
hard times and split up after being together for 3 years 1 wanted to start on getting my education
after that My best friend told me about Job Corp 1 was definitely interested So after 3 months of
deciding what I wanted I decided to go for it

I arrived August 23, 1994. I had no idea what to expect or hou to react It was quite a
change for me Within the ftrst week I knew this was for me 1 made alot of friends and 1 felt real
comfonable. After taking orientation and learning about all the trades 1 felt that this place had alot
to offer me and anyone who is willing to take advantage of the opponunity

If I wasn't here in Job Corp 1 would be in the streets or in a dead end Job I feel real proud
of myself and 1 think that anyone who wants to achieve their goals will do it here

This place has changed my life forever With all the education I receive and all the people 1
knovs' it's well worth even.- little sacrifice I make

Sincerely,
Karlene Jansa

The Chairman. That concludes today's hearing.
[Whereupon, at 12:52 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]

JOB CORPS OVERSIGHT

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1995

U.S. Senate,
Committee on Labor and Human Resources,

Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:09 a.m., in room
SD-430, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Senator Kassebaum
(chairman of the committee) presiding.

Present: Senators Kassebaum, Jeffords, Frist, DeWine, Ashcroft,
Abraham, Grorton, Kennedy, and Simon.

Opening Statement of Senator Kassebaum

The Chairman. The hearing will please come to order. My apolo-
gies for starting late. Senator Kennedy and I were making a pres-
entation before the Rules Committee on our reduction of 25 percent
to the Labor Committee funding. Senator Kennedy is on his way,
and I think I will go ahead with my opening statement, because
he will be here any minute.

Yesterday the committee heard disturbing testimony about the
problem of violence at Job Corps centers. That testimony by young
people who have gone to Job Corps seeking help, and from former
staff members at Job Corps centers, was I thought powerful evi-
dence that violence is not an isolated or incidental problem.

In fact, the evidence suggests that Job Corps has fsiiled a central
part of its mission — to provide a safe, secure environment for dis-
advantaged young people who desperately want to break out of the
cycle of poverty.

Today we will hear from Job Corps management, staff, and ad-
ministration witnesses on the problem of violence and other issues
that this committee must address if Job Corps is to meet its real
potential. I believe a key issue facing this committee is the fun-
damental question about how Job Corps is being managed and how
we can change a system that I think clearly has gone off course.

The witnesses in these 2 days of hearings demonstrate that Job
Corps has a great pool of dedicated and talented workers who de-
serve to be backed up and supported by this committee in seeing
that serious problems are addressed, not ignored. Denying the seri-
ousness of these problems is not an option, and I want to make
clear that I as chairman intend to follow through and see that real
change occurs.

The concerns raised about Job Corps and the severe budget lim-
its facing Congress have brought Job Corps to a crossroads. This
committee will have to decide what direction we want this program

(113)

114

to take — whether we want this program to focus on training and
education or to operate correctional laciHties.

We must explore the role of private contractors and whether they
are being held fully accountable when they play numbers games
that place their Federal contracts above the needs of young people.

Finally, we need to ask whether local communities should play
a far greater role in how Job Corps centers are operated.

I believe Job Coros serves an important and necessary role, but
I also believe Job Corps must change, and change for the better,
or it will die. I for one want to send a clear message that Job Corps
must produce real results, not just glowing press releases. Now is
the time to deal with these issues.

We heard yesterday about what a success Job Corps had been in
Greorge Foreman's letter about what Job Corps had meant to him.
That was 1968. We are in a different time. We have not held over-
sight for about 10 years in a thorough way to really analyze what
has taken place, not only in the population being served, but the
needs of that population that need to be met.

So I think it is a great opportunity, but it is one that we have
to take seriously, and I think we can only succeed by being very
realistic and serious about the responsibilities that each and every
one of us holds.

Senator Gorton, we are waiting for Senator Kennedy, because I
know he does have an opening statement.

Senator Gorton. Madam Chairman, I have only one request. We
received an unsolicited phone call yesterday from a woman in the
State of Washington who had serious problems and was subject to
an assault in one of the Job Corps sites. I have asked her to put
this in writing, and I would simply ask that the record be kept
open so that her letter, assuming that it comes, could be made a
part of the record.

The Chairman. Yes, I will be happy to do so, and as I stated yes-
terday, the hearing record will be kept open until the end of the
week and perhaps even until the first of next week. A number of
people have asked if they could submit statements for the record,
and I think it is important that the record be kept open so that ev-
eryone can have their statements be a part of the hearing testi-
mony.

I will go ahead and introduce the first panel, and when Senator
Kennedy arrives, we will go eihead, and I know he will want to
make his comments at that time.

It is a pleasure to welcome the first panel this morning. John
Deering lives in Augusta, WI, where he is an admissions counselor
for Job Corps Region 5, which includes 11 Job Corps centers in six
States.

Larry King is president of the Forest Service Council and direc-
tor of tne Pine Knot Civilian Conservation Center in Kentucky.

Dr. Robert Belfon is a pediatric dental specialist, with practices
in Piscataway and Plainfield, NJ. He worked at the Edison Job
Corps Center in Edison, NJ between April 1991 and June 1993.

John McKay began working for Job Corps in 1965. He has
worked as director of a civilian conservation center and proiect
manager at the Job Corps regional office in Dallas. He retired last
year and lives in Irving, TX,

115

It is a pleasure to welcome all of you.

It is a pleasure to welcome the ranking member. Senator Ken-
nedy. I explained that we were both testifying at the Rules Com-
mittee prior to coming here. Do you have any opening comments
you wish to make?

Opening Statement of Senator Kennedy

Senator Kennedy. Well, we are here to hear the witnesses. I
thank the chair, and I want to say how much all of us appreciate
the chairman's leadership on this issue and the reviewing that we
are giving the Job Corps program and training programs generally.

The purpose of this series of hearings is to find out how we can
coordinate, consolidate and make more effective the resources that
are being expended at the Federal level and also matched in the
States and the private sector.

The Job Corps program has been in existence for a considerable
period of time and is a lifeline to many young people who have
dropped out of school or who have had difficulties in their own aca-
demic training, to give them a second opportunity and a chance to
move into the future in terms of employment, or possibly the mili-
tary service. We know that some 60,000 young people have grad-
uated from the Job Corps programs, and close to 65 to 75 percent
have actually been placed.

We heard enormously distressing and disturbing reports yester-
day of incidences of violence at Job Corps centers. A single incident
of violence is too much, and I think all of us have to try, in any
program, to see what can be done to make the program itself more
efficient, more effective, and more directed; and hopefully, as a re-
sult of these hearings today, we will get constructive suggestions
and ideas as to how to deal with the complex problems which we
are facing in our society, and how we can address some of the real
challenges that are facing these young people with extraordinary
difficulties and complex life experiences.

It is not an easy problem; if it were £m easy issue, it would have
been solved a long time ago. But we can certainly learn from these
hearings, and I am looking forward to working with the chair and
other members of the committee to try to make this a more effec-
tive program.

Thank you. Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. Thank you. Senator Kennedy.

Mr. Deering, we will start with you.

STATEMENTS OF JOHN P. DEERING, ADMISSIONS COUN-
SELOR, JOB CORPS, REGION FIVE; LARRY KING, PRESIDENT,
FOREST SERVICE COUNCIL, CCC CENTER DIRECTOR, PINE
KNOT, KY; DR. ROBERT BELFON, PISCATAWAY, NJ; AND
JOHN C. McKAY, IRVING, TX

Mr. Deering. Chairman Kassebaum, Senator Kennedy, members
of the committee, my name is John Deering. I am from Wisconsin,
and I am employed as an admissions counselor for Region 5, which
covers 11 Job Corps centers.

As an admissions counselor, I am the first, and most of the time
the only person, that young men and women see before they enter

116

the Job Corps campus. I see the anticipation and desire in their
eyes for a change in their Hfestyle.

As an admissions counselor, I am also employed as a placement
specialist. When a young person graduates from the Job Corps
campus, it is my duty to help that person find a job.

I believe the Job Corps program is a great program. I think it
helps young people, and I think the rural youth of Wisconsin need
this program. But I do believe there are problems — not only the
problems that were mentioned before this committee yesterday, but
other problems.

I toured the largest campus in Region 5 in November. The in-
struction that I was given before I even got off the bus was: Do not
go anywhere alone; always go with another person.

I do believe that there is violence and gang activity on these
campuses, and frankly, I choose not to send the young people from
my area to those campuses. Of the 11 campuses in my region, I will
send my youth to only two — ^two small, rural facilities that I believe
are safe. I have sent youth to some of these other campuses; they
come home scared, they come home frustrated.

I believe that it is time for the Job Corps program to be looked
at, to be streamlined, and to take a serious look at the violence and
gang activity that happens on our campuses.

I think part of the problem with the Job Corps program is the
Job Corps centers. They are nm on a contractual basis, and again,
the problem here is money. Each young student graduated means
a dollar amount to that contractor. There is no incentive for that
contractor to send home a student who is causing problems, when
that student may mean $400, $500, $600 to that contractor. And
for a contractor who is already in trouble financially, it does not
make financial sense.

The same goes for admissions counselors such as myself. My job
is to recruit young people. I need to recruit a specific number of
young people each month or my job is in jeopardy. I know there
are admissions counselors all over the country, particularly in my
area, who will recruit anybody they can possibly get — violent gang
member, drug abuser — it makes no difference. My job depends on
numbers.

That is incomprehensible, and the Job Corps program cannot be
run that way.

Third, I believe that the Department of Labor regional offices
have too much control over students and too much control over the
Job Corps campuses. I believe that if the Department of Labor had
less control and were streamlined, the Job Corps campuses would
be much better.

I will make a side comment that the Civilian Conservation Corps
campuses in my area — there are two of them — are the two cam-
puses I send my youth to. They are rim by the Department of Agri-
culture, they have a different mission tnan the other campuses,
and I am proud to send my students there.

In my statement before this committee, I have three rec-
ommendations— streamline the Department of Labor; make the ad-
missions counselors and the Job Corps campuses one entity — they
are now two and sometimes three entities — that would bring ac-
countability to Job Corps admissions counselors and the Job Corps

117

campuses if they worked hand-in-hand. Finally, make the Depart-
ment of Labor responsible for oversight of the functions and not a
controller. I believe there is too much control in our Department of
Labor regional offices, and that control should be sent to the Job
Corps campuses.

Chairman Kassebaum, Senator Kennedy, thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you very much, Mr. Deering.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Deering may be found in the ap-
pendix.]

The Chairman. Mr. King?

Mr. King. Good morning. I would like to take this opportunity
to thank Chairman Kassebaum, Senator Kennedy, and the other
distinguished members of this committee for the opportunity to tes-
tify before you today.

My name is Larry King, and I am a 12-year employee at the
USDA Forest Service, at the Pine Knot Civilian Conservation Cen-
ter in Pine Knot, KY. I also serves as president of the National
Federation of Federal Employees' Forest Service Council that rep-
resents 18 Civilian Conservation Centers and approximately 650
Federal employees.

First and foremost, I would like to say that the Job Corps pro-
gram is a much needed program. We serve the kids whom everyone
else has given up on. We provide opportunity to those who have no
opportunity. We are truly a program of last resort.

I would also like to go on record and say that our Forest Service
CCCs are the best-managed and most productive centers in the
program. However, for the past 5 years, I have lobbied for changes
in our program; I have raised concerns regarding the way the pro-
gram has been managed by the Department of Labor. As protection
from the many attempts to cut the program in the past, the De-
partment of Labor has developed elaborate systems of statistics to
justify the program's existence. While we felt sure that this was a
necessary evil at the time, this has become part of the problem
with our program. Center directors are currently engaged in ob-
taining successful statistics at any cost. They are forced to do this;
if not, they risk the chance of DOL closing them due to low statis-
tics.

The single most disruptive factor is called ALOS, or average
length of stay. This single factor weighs heavily on how a center
is ranked by the Department. More often than not, center directors
keep students who are disruptive, violent and who fail to make
progress, solely for the purpose of obtaining a high ALOS. While
ALOS tends to be the key standard in rating a center, other factors
such as education, social adjustment, skills and vocation are treat-
ed as side issues.

We now have a program which has been developed to produce
numbers, not to train highly-motivated young men and women who
are socially well-a(^usted and competitive in today's work force.

In recent years, the program has come under attack due to nu-
merous negative incidents that have occurred both on Federal and
contract centers, and the costs associated with the program. Most
of the Job Corps population is obtained from inner cities through-
out the Nation.

118

The program accepts those youth who are not functioning in our
society for £iny one of a number of reasons. Therefore, it is under-
standable that our centers are experiencing the same problems
that have been occurring in the inner cities. While most students
can be turned around, it must be recognized that not every youth
who comes into the program will be successful. Some students do
not benefit from the program and continue to exhibit violent behav-
ior. Because of the ALOS requirement, these students are com-
monly retained long after it has been determined that they should
be removed.

While our student population has become more aggressive and
violent, the Job Corps program itself still functions under a 1960's
mentality. We function under what is conceived by the rank and
file as the "poor bab^' concept. Centers are now allowed to enforce
discipline or maintain a proauctive atmosphere in which social de-
velopment can occur. DOL policy in regard to discipline reflects
standards under which students do not have to be responsible for
their actions. Instead, centers operate under the concept that the
student's background is justification for whatever actions the stu-
dent takes. In other words, our students are not responsible for
their poor behavior — society is.

We currently have a DOL administration which highly favors the
use of contract centers. It should be noted that when contract cen-
ters were established, they were run by major corporations to train
prospective employees. This is not the case today. Currently, any-
one can establish a contract center. A contractor's primary objective
is to make money, not to train students. Contractors provide the
minimum training environment needs for the students, with profit
dictating their choices.

In comparison, Federal centers are set up to provide quality
training, not to make profit. The cost difference, however, between
the two kinds of centers is not that great. The quality of training,
education and social environments found in the two Icinds of cen-
ters is strikingly different. Federally-operated centers have by far
the best managed and most productive training environments.

The additional cost of the Federal centers is offset by the value
of the projects that students produce during training. Specifically,
students at contract centers are taught by building mock-ups or
simulated construction projects. Federal centers teach students
skills by actual construction of public facilities, such as ranger sta-
tions, visitor centers, and Job Corps centers themselves. Many com-
munities around Federal centers have greatly benefited from
projects completed by Job Corps students.

We believe that the current DOL Job Corps administration must
change before any real progress can take place. In fact, we suggest
a complete flush of the current DOL Job Corps administration,
from the Washington level through the regional offices.

If the current administration and the philosophy are not
changed, the program will never become a vehicle to effectively
serve those who need it most — the students and the taxpayers of
this country.

The committee should know that this program is a good program,
a needed program, a program that serves kids whom no one else
wants to deal with, a program that changes many potential de-

119

pendents of the Government into taxpaying citizens. We do make
a aifference in the lives of these kids. The pubHc does benefit from
our program.

However, we recognize that we can and we should improve. Re-
cently, the Forest Service reorganized our national and regional
Job Corps structure to cut overhead costs and streamline the orga-
nization. We, the employees, and the NFFE Forest Service Council
stand ready and willing to work with anyone, at an^ time, to im-
prove the program so that it will be truly the best m the Nation.

If eliminating the Job Corps program is on the committee's mind,
I ask that you reconsider and help us put one of the best programs
in the Nation back on track. The kids need it, and the taxpayers
deserve it. Eliminating the program is not the cure; fixing it is. We
need a program based on accountability, not accounting.

The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. King.

[The prepared statement of Mr. King may be found in the appen-
dix.]

The Chairman. Dr. Belfon?

Dr. Belfon. Chairman Kassebaum, Senator Kennedy, members
of the committee, I wish to thank you for inviting me to testify.

My name is Robert Belfon, and I am a pediatric dental specialist
with practices in Piscataway and Plainfield, NJ. I was a contracted
medical services provider at the Edison Job Corps facility from the
period of April 1991 through June 1993 in Edison, NJ, which was
administered for the DOL by ITT.

In early February 1991, I was contacted by the medical staff of
Edison Job Corps, which requested that I see a few of the resident
Corps members in my office for the purpose of providing dental
treatment. The arrangement suited us, and I agreed.

Subsequently, Mrs. Jacqueline Tchir, the then health services
manager, inquired if I might be interested in joining them as a con-
tracted dental services provider. She went on to explain to me the
philosophy of Job Corps and how it served the underprivileged and
possibly misdirected youth, many of them from inner cities and
many of them from minority groups. She also explained to me the
many training programs that were set up for young people, and
how for many of them, it was their first time out of the ghetto and
a drug-ridden environment.

Well, I must admit that I found the proposition challenging. As
a 46-year-old African American male who was raised in the South-
west Bronx in a housing project, and a former gang member, I
know that I could never have survived my teenage years in the tur-
bulent 1960's without many of the guardian angels who helped me
and shaped me into what I am today. Indeed, many, if not most,
of the young men who were my contemporaries in that housing
project never made it to their 25th birthday, let alone out of the
ghetto.

So needless to say, I jumped at the chance to give something
back and maybe make a difference in some kid's life. I guess I even
saw myself as a role model, as I assumed the other staff members
and administrators undoubtedly were.

Well, I was certainly wrong in my assumptions. I soon found out
that what we had in Edison was the Edison Job Corps Center ghet-
to dumping ground. By this statement, I mean that these young

120

people were taken out of a negative environment of many inner
cities in the tri-State area only to be placed in another negative en-
vironment in Edison, NJ, to be victims of another system that had
no concern for the human being, but just for the slot that he or she
occupied. If all the slots were filled, then all was right with the
world and Job Corps. It was nothing but a numbers game.

The center director's mandate was to preserve the census so that
the Government checks kept coming in. To keep the census up,
HIV tests were misdated, positive arug screening tests were ig-
nored, and medical problems not noted in charts. Many things were
done to keep the residents in and to facilitate and keep the num-
bers.

There were in fact several times that as per the Job Corps hand-
book, I was obligated to terminate certain residents for medical
reasons and/or noncompliance of medical treatment. However,
when I discussed this with the medical director and the center di-
rector, I was advised b^ the center director that her interpretation
of my instructions, which were in fact in the Job Corps handbook,
was different. She refused to allow the terminations to go through,
and after I discussed this matter with the regional director of den-
tistry, he advised me that the center director should not have over-
ridden my medical recommendations.

Other measures that were taken to keep the residents happy and
compliant included allowing them to conduct their social activities,
including sexual, anv place they saw fit — under our windows, in
the bushes, behind the buildings. In the spring and summer, there
was an unusually high number of cases of poison ivy that came
through our medical department. Students were allowed not to go
to class, to hang out in the stairwells, hallways, and even in the
infirmary.

The residents who were assigned to the medical department to
help clean up were allowed, after they felt they were finished, to
sleep side-by-side with residents who were housed in the infirmary
for various illnesses. This was standard procedure throughout the
entire time that I was there.

The Job Corps members were the only losers. They were not
being prepared for a job, or for a life outside the center; nor were
they being taught the basic skills needed to find, keep, and func-
tion in a job.

As a matter of fact, a common complaint among the residents
was that many of the training programs that they were advised
they could participate in before they joined were either no longer
offered or had never been offered at that center.

Drug use and trafficking of the same were also overlooked. It
was common knowledge around the center that certain residents
sold drugs in and out of Job Corps. In one particular case, there
was a resident who drove a $30,000 customized BMW and would
periodically be AWOL for weeks at a time, only to return to the
center and continue his business deals. Yet nothing was ever done
by the center director about this.

Violent behavior was allowed. The dental department reported
numerous incidences of negative and violent attitudes and behav-
iors, such as threats of a physical nature. These incident reports
were never acknowledged. It was common knowledge among staff

121

members that incident reports were not worth the ink they were
written with. Many violent residents went on to injure other staff
members and/or residents.

This tvpe of behavior was disruptive and detrimental to the resi-
dents wno wanted to make proper use of the program and opportu-
nities. Instead of establishing aeterrents for tnis negative behavior
by enforcing the rules, they were allowed to continually disrupt
others and exhibit antisocial behavior, without any fear of con-
sequences.

These young people were falling victims to the same negativity
that presumably, they had come to Job Corps to avoid or overcome.

I must tell you that as a taxpayer, I condemn this misuse and
abuse of moneys, and as an African American male, I resent the
for-profit ghetto created by DOL and ITT, which only benefited the
people who were running the programs.

Throughout my stewardship of the dental department, I wrote
and forwarded many letters and other correspondence to both DOL
and ITT in reference to these incidents and irregularities, but they
were all ignored.

I wish to thank you very much for this opportunity to testify.

The Chairman. Thank you. Dr. Belfon.

[The prepared statement of Dr. Belfon may be found in the ap-
pendix.]

The Chairman. Mr. McKay?

Mr. McKay. Chairman I^ssebaum, members of the committee,
my voice is a little rough as a result of the Dallas game last Sun-
day.

I entered the Job Corps program in 1965, shortly after its incep-
tion. I came from the public school systems in Texas and Okla-
homa. I first served as deputy director of a conservation center for
the Bureau of Indian Affairs and then later as acting center direc-
tor of that center. Later, I transferred to the Office of Economic Op-
portunity as their national training director, and then was assigned
at the national level as a project manager.

In 1971, when regionalization came about, and the Department
of Labor took over administration of the program, I transferred to
the Dallas office as a project manager.

In the interest of time, I will just briefly State my opinion of the
problems, as I see them, in Job Corps.

I see these problems as essentially the result of a policy that
seems to reward contractors, but places the welfare and achieve-
ment of students far down the ladder of objectives. Speaking as
someone who has seen the program from the inside, I can honestly
say that I do not believe it is worth the $1 billion a year that we
are spending on it now.

One of the reasons is violence on centers.

The Chairman. Mr. McKay, could you pull the mike just a little
closer? Thank you. The Cowboys did not win, either, did they?

Mr. McKay. They did not win; it was that 21 points to begin
with that got me. I am an old coach. Senator. [Laughter.]

In August 1992, I got a telephone call from Senator Bumpers' of-
fice in ^kansas, asking me about conditions at the center at Little
Rock. I was very cautious, as I had no program responsibilities at
Little Rock, and I told them that. The yoimg lady I spoke with,

122

Rose Collins, said, "Mr. McKay, your name has been given to us
as one who will be honest with us."

I looked into the serious incidents in Little Rock, and I called Ms.
Collins back and told her that everything she asked about had been
verified.

Later, on review of two centers in our region, I was looking at
discipline, and I learned that at the first center, two security offi-
cers had been beaten so badly by Corps members that they had to
be hospitalized. At the second center, a vocational instructor was
beaten so badly that he was off the job for 3 months. This instruc-
tor asked me not to include this in the review, because he feared
repercussions from his center.

I took both of these problems to the regional director and asked
him to include them in the annual center review, and he refused
to do so.

The assistant district attorney of Chavez County, NM threatened
to arrest center administration at the Roswell Center because they
had knowledge of an alleged rape. They did not notify the police,
and they allowed the 20-year-old person who allegedly committed
the rape to resign from the center and leave the State.

Serious incident reports as I reviewed them in the past year,
1992-1993, proved to me that incidents of gang-related and dope-
related problems had increased.

I was asked to say something about the performance measure-
ment system, a system designed to judge the effectiveness of the
centers. I worked on records of PMS every time I monitored a cen-
ter I was assigned to, or on the eight or nine annual reviews that
I made. I never reviewed records that were completely accurate.

In discussing this problem with staff members, some of them told
me that if they did not come up with positive results, it would
mean their jobs. I am speaking of the categories of vocational
completers, reading and math gains, and length of stay.

Job Corps did develop a good policy handbook. However, their
biggest problem, in my opinion, was when the administration de-
cided to admit students with serious criminal backgrounds and
drug-related problems. You may recall that in the original GEO
program, students with such backgrounds were precluded from en-
tering Job Corps.

Policies were frequently ignored. The best example I can give you
is that we have mandatory termination for discipline problems, and
if necessary, centers would ignore this.

I would like to make some brief comments on program mis-
management. I witnessed the following problems of mismanage-
ment, ethics, and possibly illegal activities in my tenure in the Job
Corps over the past decade. I would be pleased to provide the com-
mittee with further information regarding these many problems.

High-level Job Corps officials have had improper relations and
interactions with contractors, including providing confidential in-
formation regarding bids on Job Corps centers to incumbent or fa-
vored contractors.

There has been collusion among contractors regarding not to bid
against each other on certain center contracts. I have seen many
contracts awarded in violation of Federal Acquisition Regulations.
There have been many high-cost settlements made to protect cor-

123

porate and possibly high-level Federal staff paid for with appro-
priated funds and then sealed to protect the facts. There has been
little if £iny congressional oversight in the past 10 years.

I would like to offer some recommendations, but in the interest
of time, I will not, but would ask that they be included in the
record.

Thank you, Senator,

The Chairman. They will be fully included in the record. Thank
you, Mr. McKay.

[The prepared statement of Mr. McKay may be found in the ap-
pendix.]

The Chairman. I will save my questions and yield my time right
now to Senator Jeffords.

Senator Jeffords. I thank the chair. I have to go off to another
adventure, similarly related.

I have been following Job Corps for some 20 years now, 14 in the
House and 6 in the Senate, so I have been through the ups and
downs of the Corps over the years. I think we have to keep in mind
what the Corps was designed for, and I will just quote some statis-
tics to emphasize that we cannot just end up changing our philoso-
phy and "creaming," just picking out the great kids who need some
help.

The cost, as you know, is around $20,000 per student. That is
two to four times what other options cost. On the other hand, the
failure in both human and financial terms — when you recognize
that it costs some $60,000 to incarcerate someone, and you recog-
nize that up to 80 percent of those incarcerated are school drop-
outs, you can see that there can be a tremendous advantage to hav-
ing success in the Job Corps if we do pick out those who are at risk
but do have potential and are able to give them a good education.

Where I do become concerned, though, is as to whether we have
any measure of outcomes or longitudinal studies that you are
aware of that indicate to us that we have had success in these pro-
grams and that we have reduced the number that will end up in-
carcerated. If anybody has that, I would appreciate that informa-
tion, and second, how do we try to balance those who are there so
that we do not end up with gangs, and at the same time, we do
not end up with, as I said earlier, just picking the best out there
so that our statistics look good. I would appreciate your comments
on that.

Mr. King?

Mr. King. I have no real knowledge on the job placement. At one
time, I understood that basically, if the kid went on the job for 1
day, he was counted successful. That may have changed since the
last time I knew anything about that.

This program is a great program, and nobody even questions
that. We do question me administration of the program and how
it is being administered. In bringing the kids in, yes, I think we
should be open; we should try to take in as many kids as we can
possibly work with. But we have got to recognize that we are work-
ing with some kids who have been very unsuccessful throughout
their young lives, and we cannot get every kid who comes into the
program turned around; we cannot be 100 percent, 100 percent of

124

the time. That is unrealistic, and it puts you in a skewed environ-
ment.

Senator Jeffords. Mr. Deering?

Mr. Deering. Senator, I believe there are several answers to
your question, from my standpoint as an admissions coimselor. One
of the problems that I have in the State of Wisconsin is checking
backgrounds on youth. For any young person under the age of 18
who is a juvenile, those records are sealed, so I can get no knowl-
edge of a criminal background, and it is very tough for me to dis-
tinguish any youth who has a criminal background. And I think it
is very difficult for an admissions counselor, whose job is on the
line, to distinguish between wanting to keep his job and sending
in youth who are appropriate, and keeping the numbers up so he
does not lose his job. I think that is a vital problem that the Job
Corps program has, and I see it.

On the other end of that, I think the administration of the pro-
gram at the Job Corps center level is also mishandled. There are
many youth on the Job Corps centers who see violence, who are in-
volved in violent activities, who are not sent home. Again, I deal
with many young people who are at their rope's end. I get calls
from schools and human service agencies every day, saying, This
is this kid's last chance," and judges, saying, "Take this voung per-
son away, or he will be incarcerated." These are the kinds of young
people that Job Corps is dealing with.

Many of these young people do well in the Job Corps program.
Many of them do not. As an admissions counselor, I have no way
of telling which youth will work in the Job Corps center £ind whicn
youth will not. That has to be up to the Job Corps center staff. My
opinion is that the Job Corps center staff are not doing that job
productively, and we are keeping too many students on center who
are inappropriate.

How we determine who is appropriate on center and who is not,
I cannot answer that.

Senator Jeffords. Thank you.

Mr. McKay?

Mr. McKay. I agree with you. I think we need to serve these stu-
dents as long as we can.

Senator Jeffords. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. Thank you very much. Senator Jeffords.

Senator Kennedy?

Senator Kennedy. Thank you very much.

I thank the members of the panel. I think the last comments are
enormously important to consider as we are looking at Job Corps.
The growth of violence among young people in this country in the
period of recent years has just exploded. Every superintendent of
every school can tell you about it. A lot of them are doing very cre-
ative and imaginative things — I know they are in my State, and I
am sure in many other States as well — to try to deal with it.

We are dealing with the problem of school dropouts, we are deal-
ing with the phenomenon of the growth of youth gangs, we are
dealing with the explosion of youth violence, particularly among
younger people. In my State, any young person who is incarcerated
costs $75,000 within Route 128, and about $45,000 outside Route

125

128. So we see judges making decisions about what they are going
to do with these young people and where they are going to go. This
is a very tough crowd.

But that does not excuse the kinds of situations that you have
outHned here, and the extraordinary abuses that Mr, McKay has
outHned here. I know you were outraged by it and complained
about it, and why you did not get more action, maybe there is a
good explanation for it that you want to comment on, but certainly,
with that kind of record, I think there is some responsibility to
take it not just to the immediate superior but to others as well.

One of the points that seems to run through here, though, is the
incentives for recruiting. We hear a great deal about privatization,
and I am all for it where we can have it. But just listening to this
panel talk about how this is put out in a contract, and you get a
contractor who is going to get the lowest cost in order to be able
to compete £md meet Federal regulations; then, there is the issue
of how we are going to be able to get profit, how we are going to
keep those young people in the slots; and then, why we ought to
keep them. So you have all of the incentives, as you mention here,
going the wrong way.

I am not here to say that a Federal bureaucrat can manage this
thing any better, although I was interested in the Conservation
Corps — that is run by the Department of Agriculture, is that right?

Me. King. That is correct. Senator.

Senator Kennedy. And from what Mr. Deering has said, that ap-
pears to be a better progn^'am; am I right on that? Mr. Deering, you
mentioned that the two schools that you do send people to are the
Conservation Corps Centers?

Mr. Deering. Yes, Senator Kennedy. In Region 5, those are what
I perceive as the two best centers, simply because they are small,
and they are in rural communities.

Senator Kennedy. That, I am sure, has something to do with it.
There are many factors, I am sure, but I think one of the things
that we will have to deal with which is pretty fundamental is the
recruitment and the establishment of these programs, and the con-
tracting and the maintenance, and the fact that it is a bottom-line
item that these contractors are going to profit more by keeping the
gang member who is committing violence, selling drugs, or doing
some other inappropriate behavior, in order to make a buck. That
undermines the program, it is unfair to the other kids, it is out-
rageous in terms of the other young people, it is denying them an
opportunity, and we have got to try to deal with this.

I do not know whether you have any recommendations, and I am
sure that that in and of itself is not the problem. In my State, we
have some Job Corps programs, and I wish they were better, but
there are some good programs. In other places, we have seen how
the Job Corps centers are tied into the communities in a more ef-
fective way, are tied into the local law enforcement, are tied into
the education system, and are tied into the private sector in terms
of the training programs, and have been much more localized.

You can ask yourself, should you take a kid fi-om the Job Corps
in Boston and send him to South Carolina; does that make any
sense, if he can go to a better program where he can get more focus
and attention and coordination — whether it is law enforcement.

126

and he can come back sind say, 'This guy is a bad person. He is
causing these problems, and you are better off getting rid of him,"
or "This one ought to get a second chance."

Do you have any suggestions on how to estabHsh the program so
that those incentives are not going the wrong way, as you have out-
lined; and second, do you have any suggestions in terms of the
structure of the program, and how you might see involvement of
local law enforcement, local education, and local private sectors, so
they could work more effectively and get away from the Depart-
ment? I know the time is moving along, but could you please ad-
dress those questions?

Mr. King. Yes, Senator Kennedy. I think first, you and Senator
Kassebaum need to know that we feel the CCCs are the best pro-
gram. We feel that we are being held constantly hostage by the De-
partment of Labor, under threats of contracting us out. We hear
that every day: If you guys do not hop through this hoop, then by
Grod, we will just contract the rest of the CCCs out. We live under
that threat day to day.

Second, you talked about centers and locations. If you look at the
Glen Mills approach and some of the other programs out there that
are doing very, very well

Senator Kennedy. Well, explain to us about contracting out and
what that means. What are they trying to say to you?

Mr. King. What they are trying to say is that if we do not con-
form to the statistical means and methods they have, such as
ALOS, then they will contract the CCCs out; they will close out
centers, lay off our Federal employees, and turn those centers over
to the private contractors who are already running the contract
centers. We live with that throughout every day.

Senator Kennedy. I see. The point I am trying to get at is the
best way to get it done. You say that that is not a good way to do
it — and we do not want to get caught up in these generalities, and
we do not want to say that there are not superb programs that
have not been run through contracting — but how do you suggest
that we address the issue of the incentives that are built into the
system, that I understand are going the wrong way in terms of the
contracting out — the fact that you will get more people in there,
and keep the bad apples, the ones you should not have in there.

Mr. King. I started to mention a program called Glen Mills,
which is in Pennsylvania. They deal with the same population of
young people that we deal with, and their strategy and their phi-
losophy is just 180 degrees different from what we are doing. We
are doing accounting. They are doing a socialization program. They
are moving these kids out of the culture that they are in — ^you are
talking about Boston, an inner city environment, you move those
kids out of that environment, and you put them in a culture where
success is the norm — they call it "normative culture" — it is the nor-
mal thing to be. Instead of being a gang member, you get your
GED, and you are around other kids who do that, you are around
other people who are successful.

So changing the environment and changing the culture is abso-
lutely fundamental. If you leave the kids in the same environment,
doing the same things that they do every day, that is what you are
going to get. True organizational insanity is doing the same things

127

the same way and expecting different results. You are not going to
succeed unless you move the kids out of that environment.

Senator ICennedy. Mr. Deering?

Mr. Deering. Senator Kennedy, from my perspective as an ad-
missions counselor, I work for a contracting agency. The Job Corps
centers are different contracting agencies. My belief is that if we
made the admissions counselors and the Job Corps centers the
same contracting agency, there would be continuity between myself
and the center directors. I believe center directors should be ulti-
mately responsible for the recruitment of youth in their areas. That
puts the responsibility for the youth who are eligible not on me as
an admissions counselor, but on that center director. That makes
the center director ultimately responsible for a) the youth who
come to that Job Corps center, and b) the youth who leave that
center. To me, that is the answer to the problem.

Senator Kennedy. Could I just get other panel members' reac-
tion to that suggestion?

Mr. King. That is not a bad idea at all.

Senator Kennedy. Mr. McKay?

Mr. McKay. I think it is great — ^local input, local employment.

Senator Kennedy. Dr. Belfon?

Dr. Belfon. As a medical provider, it really would not be appro-
priate for me to comment.

Senator Kennedy. I understand. Thank you.

I thank you for the suggestions. If you have others, I hope you
will express those. Thank you very much.

Mr. McKay. Senator Kennedy, you cited a comment I made. I did
try to go through other avenues. I wrote a letter to Pete Rell in the
national office, and also a letter to this committee through my
union activities; I was a local steward in the union. So I tried.

Senator Kennedy. I see. Thank you.

Mr. King. I would like to add to that. Senator Kennedy, this is
just part of one file that I have put together. I have written, and
I have been on the Hill and tried everything I could do to change
the program.

Senator Kennedy. Thank you.

The Chairman. Senator Frist?

Senator Frist. I also would like to thank each of you for your
testimony today.

Dr. Belfon, your testimony is most disturbing to me in that very
little positive at all came out. Was there anything positive that you
saw in the particular center that you participated in?

Dr. Belfon. Oh, yes, sir, there were many things that I felt were
positive in the center. I felt that there were many Corps members
who wanted to complete the program and get through, and I did
in fact see many get through and go on to be successful.

The great problem I had with the program was that there were
other kids who were quite disruptive, and that just made it very
hard for the kids who wanted to be successful and who wanted to
use the program for what it was intended.

Senator Frist. And to change that, what would you rec-
ommend— at that particular center, what would you recommend?

Dr. Belfon. At that particular center, first of all, when there are
youth who are disruptive, maybe they should not be sent home;

128

maybe there should be some kind of alternative for them, maybe
something like a boot camp type program that they might partici-
pate in, that is a little bit stricter, so that they would know they
had to do what was necessary, and then they could eventually be
integrated into the general program.

Senator Frist. M\d how much of that is driven by the statis-
tical— keeping people in a program so that you can report statis-
tics— and this may be for you, Mr. King, or Mr. Deering. How much
of what Dr. Belfon just said is driven by the statistical record-
keeping and accounting?

Mr. King. You have nit the problem. That is absolutely the prob-
lem. You cannot correct any of this as long as you are hopping
through these statistical hoops. If you have to be 100 percent, 100
percent of the time, and you live and die by that number, then vou
are going to do anything you can do to get the number, and then
the program, whether you are training or whatever, that is a side
issue.

Senator Frist. And do you eliminate the statistical hoops bv
bringing it down to more regional control, or local control, or back
to this local standard-setting.

Mr. King. I want to echo what Dr. Belfon said. One of the rec-
ommendations that I made to NPR was to establish orientation
centers before the kids could come to the main Job Corps centers,
with basically a boot camp atmosphere, to get their attention, to
get them focused. If you have kids who are drug-dependent, if you
have kids with mental problems, you can address those problems
right there, before we make that big investment of $20,000 that
you are talking about. There, we can do that. We cannot try to
train, educate, socialize and try to deal with kids with these prob-
lems at the centers, all at the same time. It is a really bad system.

Senator Frist. So everybody would go through that orientation
process?

Mr. King. Yes.

Senator Frist. And would that help with what vou were talking
about, Mr. Deering, as to predicting — this lack oi predictability is
a fundamental problem; it clearly cannot be done — if you haa an
orientation program like that, would that allow you to further sift
through and predict? And clearly, we do not want to take just the
people who are going to do well, but those whom you can poten-
tially help.

Mr. Deering. Yes, Senator, I believe that it would.

The State of Minnesota does quite a good job. There is a Job
Corps center in Minneapolis, and there is a local governmental
body on the board of that program; the Grovernor is involved. The
State of Minnesota Job Corps, which is in Region 5, is an institu-
tion that works totally on its own in the State, and I think because
they work on that small local network, they do some of those
things. I think that is a good program, and I would urge the com-
mittee to take a look at the Job Corps center in the State of Min-
nesota. There need to be some changes, and I think an orientation
program would be a great idea.

Senator Frist. This goes to Mr. King and also to Mr. McKay, be-
cause one of your recommendations was to abolish the existing 30-
year procedure for awarding contracts, and it goes again to what

129

Mr. King said. Could you shed a little more light on if you abol-
ished it, what would you replace it with?

Mr. King. It has been my belief that instead of expanding the
program — I am on a CCC, so contracting, I am limited on — ^but in-
stead of expanding the program, I think we should strengthen
what we have in place. We are taking resources away from a pro-
gram that we already have in place which could strengthen our
program, such as orientation centers.

Somebody else has to speak on the contracting. I am not familiar
with that.

Mr. McKay. I do not see anything wrong with the contractors.
I think it should be more localized. I think tne recruits should come
from the immediate area, and you should work with the employers
in that area. I think the contracting situation, whether through
local, State, Federal, will still work.

Senator Frist. Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you.

Senator DeWine?

Senator DeWine. Thank you.

I thank the four witnesses. Your testimony has been very helpful
to us. We are now in our second day of testimony, and several
things, at least to my mind, are becoming apparent. One is that we
have created a system that puts a premium on a numbers game,
that puts a premium, as Senator Kennedy was referring to, wneth-
er we privatize, contract out, whatever we do. But we have created
that system in the Government. We have created a system where
we tell the contractor we are going to reward him for the number
of people he has in, for the number of people who physically get
through the program and accumulate this time.

We are not, to my knowledge, at least, rewarding or penalizing
the contractor based on the only result that I think really matters,
and that is where is this person 6 months from now after he leaves
the program; where is he a year from now; does he have a job? And
whether it be the same job he got immediately or whether it is a
job he was trained for, I am not sure is that relevEint. It may have
some relevance. But it seems to me the question is where is he in
his life.

I would like any of you who would like to to comment on my com-
ment. Am I wrong in this regard, or not? Is that the situation that
we have created?

Mr. King. Well, Senator, you have heard several good sugges-
tions and ideas, and once again, as you know, we submitted to
NPR; and you are going to hear them all day long. The problem
is you cannot get them into the Department of Labor. They are not
gomg to listen to you. They are not going to listen to people who
do the job every day, who point out these problems and say, "Gee,
maybe we should chamge our accounting," as you suggested. You
cannot get that through to the Department. They are not going to
listen to you. They are not going to listen to us.

Senator DeWine, Mr. Deering?

Mr. Deering. Senator, we do keep track of statistics of where
youth are 6 months after the Job Corps program, whether they are
vocational completers or they go AWOL. We keep track of statistics
on minimum wage and how much that person is making, the type

130

of job he has, it is congruent with the job he trained for. Those sta-
tistics, again, are skewed, maybe not by the Department of Labor,
but by the way we go about them.

It would seem to me that we should lengthen that period of fol-
low-through to more than 6 months, to maybe a year, to find out
where those students are further down the road.

Senator DeWine. And how are the statistics skewed?

Mr. Deering. Well, one of the statistics we have is the average
wage the Job Corps student makes. I think it is approximately
$5.69 an hour. That takes into consideration all the young people
who go into Job Corps, come home without completing their voca-
tion and go to work at McDonald's. That will automatically bring
that wage down. It is not what I would consider an accurate de-
scription of those young people who are going out and making
wages at $15, $16, and $17 an hour. That is how I believe the sta-
tistic is skewed.

Senator DeWine. I took the opportunity yesterday to have sev-
eral of my staff members back in Ohio visit Job Corps centers, one
in Dayton and one in Cincinnati, and I was surprised to find what
at least they explained to me — and I would like for you to comment
on it in regard to your own experience — ^the disconnect between the
placement for a job and that job center.

I was told, if I understood the conversation correctly that I had
this morning with my staff member, that in one of the Ohio offices,
for example, the people who are involved in job placement are not
in Ohio. Is that possible?

Mr. Deering. Yes, sir, it is definitely possible. We have contrac-
tors doing placement in the State of Wisconsin whose main offices
are in Chicago.

Senator DeWdje. How can that work?

Mr. Deering. It does not, sir. That is part of the problem. As the
admissions counselor, I do dual duty as admissions and placement.
There are other organizations that contract just to do placement.

It is not reasonable for an organization having an office in Chi-
cago or Dayton to place a student in Eau Claire, WI. IT is impos-
sible. I do not know how it happens. I have a hard time doing it,
and I am 40 and 50 miles away from the students I work with.

Senator DeWesje. Mr. King?

Mr. King. I am in Kentucky, and our placement office is in At-
lanta, to give you an idea. But I would like to say that the AFL-
CIO trades on our CCCs do work very much hand-in-hand with the
kids, placing them through their locals.

Senator DeWine. And that was another thing that we found out
from the Cincinnati office, the close connect between labor and the
actual placement, which I think is a very, very positive thing, very,
very positive. I was very happy to hear about that.

It seems that there is a real disconnect not only from the place-
ment, but in the actual recruitment; that in some cases, the re-
cruitment is — and I think that goes back, Mr. Deering, to what you
were saying — and it seems to me what several members of the
panel are saying is that you have to really get the recruitment not
only for the job after the fact, but the recruitment for who goes into
the program much more tied to the individuals who are ultimately

131

going to be held accountable, which is the people who run that par-
ticular program. Is that my understanding?

Mr. Deerd^g. Yes, it is, sir. I speak weekly with the center direc-
tor from the Job Corps center in the State of Wisconsin. I have a
very good working relationship with that center. I have never spo-
ken with some of the center airectors from the other centers. Un-
less I have a student going there, I do not even know what pro-
grams are being offered in those centers. The information that I re-
ceive from some of those centers is very old.

I make a point of contacting the center director, the orientation
specialist, whoever it is on a center that I work with closely. The
Blackwell Center, I have a great relationship with. That is why my
recommendation to this committee is take those two organizations,
the centers and the admissions people, and put them together; then
there has to be communication between the two, where right how,
there is not.

Senator DeWine. Well, there has to be accountability, too,

Mr. Deering. Absolutely.

Senator DeWine. I mean, ultimately, someone is going to have
to be accountable. If I am going to be judged on my performance,
it seems to me I would want to nave input both ways, both incom-
ing as well as the actual placement in the job, ana then hold me
accountable.

Mr. Deering. There is no continuity. The centers keep track of
all the students that I send. If I continually send students that are
inappropriate, the center has no recourse to me, because my main
office is in Chicago, and my director is saying, 'Tou keep your
numbers up. We do not care about what is going in."

Senator DeWine. Thank you. I see my time is up. Thank you
very much.

The Chairman. Thank you.

Senator Abraham?

Senator Abraham. Thank you.

I just have a couple of questions. Mr. Deering, Region 5 I think
includes Michigan.

Mr. Deering. Yes, it does, sir.

Senator Abraham. I think we have two sites in our State. We
heard testimony yesterday about problems at various sites. Can
you shed any light for me on what might be going on at these sites,
from your perspective, EUid how do you think they are operating?

Mr. Deering. I cannot comment on the Job Corps center in De-
troit. It is one of those centers that recruits only from the city of
Detroit. The Grand Rapids center is a center that I have not been
on. I can only tell you what I hear from admissions counselors in
the State of Michigan. I would not send any of my youth to that
center. The admissions counselor in the State of Michigan has told
me that he is fearful when he travels to that center. So unless a
student has relatives or family in that area, I would not send a stu-
dent there. And for what reason, I do not know, I do believe they
are making some good changes. I have heard some positive things
about that center. As of yet, I would not send anyone there.

Senator Abraham. This whole panel has outlined problems. This
is a problem in the Job Corps per se that is about 30 years old,
I guess. The concept of CCC camps goes back a lot further. In fact,

132

my own father was in a CCC camp in northern Michigan many
years ago.

The problems you are describing have evolved, though, and I
would like to get a sense of when you think the deterioration and
the problems with respect to the standards began to occur. It has
certainly not just happened over the last 12 months. Give me what
your sense is.

Mr. King?

Mr. King. I would say we started declining about 10 years ago;
in the last 5 years, it has been pretty rapid. Once again, that is
with the more elaborate statistical and accounting programs to go
the rough than ever before; contractors have expanded. That is my
view of things from being in the program for 12 years.

Senator Abraham. Mr. McKay?

Mr. McKay. I would agree, in the 5-year time frame.

Senator Abraham. Dr. Belfon?

Dr. Belfon. The problems that I observed, sir, were basically
consistent throughout the time I was there.

Senator Abraham. Mr. Deering?

Mr. Deering. I cannot comment on that, sir. I have not been
with the Job Corps program for that long. But I can tell you that
this program has been around for 30 years, and there are commu-
nities in Wisconsin that have never heard of it. So for the northern
part of the State of Wisconsin, it has been a 30-year problem.

Mr. King. We do have employees who have worked for their en-
tire lives on the centers, and from my discussions with those folks,
I would say 5 to 10 years. They shake their heads and say, "Gree,
you should have been here when the program was this."

Senator Abraham. My reason for asking is that I think some-
times in Washington, we tend to look at thmgs in the political con-
text too often. The program problems you are describing are not
ones that are just 2 years old; they did not start with this adminis-
tration, and they were not just part of the last administration.
They have sort of developed over a lot of different administrations
and political contexts.

So as we approach trying to solve these problems, I would like
to make sure we look at it not in the political sense, but in terms
of that it is not just one person's fault or one administration's fault,
and that it is something that hopefully we can approach without
a lot of accusations and finger-pointing at specific political figures,
but rather at a problem that we can all work together to address.

Mr. McKay. Senator, I would like to comment, and I hope my
comments are not taken as finger-pointing. I think the real serious
problems on the Job Corps centers started when we dropped the re-
quirements of input. That is to say, a student with a murder con-
viction, which I have experienced, could come into the Job Corps
program. I think this probably started the real downfall of the Job
Corps program.

Senator Abraham. Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you. Senator Abraham.

Senator Kennedy has a follow-up comment.

Senator Kennedy. Part of the ^lemma is that we are all looking
for accountability. The purpose of these hearings on the jobs pro-
gram is to try to find out, with the expenditure of billions of dol-

133

lars, is how good is the training program; does the young person
or older person being trained really get skills; does the employer
know about those skills so they can make a judgment; are those
skills portable, so they can go to different places and find work;
does the taxpayer know whether the programs are really good. We
really do not do that very well, and the American people are not
going to support it; if they do not know what they are getting, they
are not going to support it, and they should not.

Now we have a situation where, in the Job Corps, we require
them to compile statistics on job placement, on further education,
on GED attainment, on average reading and math gains, on job
training match, on average wage upon entering employment, voca-
tional completion rate, number of terminees per week, number of
absences per day per student, number of significant incidences on
the center, along with general financial information. We have re-
quired all of these things to get it, and we are really not getting
it. That is what you are telling us here. I think there is an honest
desire to try to get it, to support those that are working, and to
hold accountable or de-fund those that are not working.

This is part of what we are trying to do, and after the hearing
today, if you can think a little more, now that you have a better
idea — and I am sure you had a good idea before the hearing — but
if you have a better idea after listening to some of the questions,
and if you could give us some additional information, working with
our staffs, we would be very, very grateful.

I want to thank all of you for your testimony.

Thank you, Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. I think it was just superb testimony. All four of
you have added a gpreat deal to our understanding of the issues. As
Senator Abraham said, and as I said at the beginning of this hear-
ing yesterday, this is not a political issue. It is something which we
are engaged in and a responsibility that I think Congress has in
oversight, to try to solve some problems as things change, and as
we need to be able to change with it to make things more account-
able and more effective. All four of you have approached this with
that interest, and I just want to assure you that I do think you
have the attention of the Department of Labor, as well as the Con-
gress, and out of that, I think we will find some answers.

I appreciate very much your coming and thank you for being
willing to share your thoughts with us this morning.

I think we will go ahead and start with the second panel, even
though there will be a vote at around 11:30.

It is a pleasure to welcome the second panel, and I am sure you
are pleased to be able to have a chance to offer your testimony this
morning.

Peter Rell is the director of the Job Corps Program at the De-
partment of Labor, and Doug Ross is assistant secretary for em-
ployment and training at the Department of Labor.

Would you like to go first. Assistant Secretary?

134

STATEMENTS OF DOUG ROSS, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,
WASHINGTON, DC; AND PETER RELL, DIRECTOR, JOB
CORPS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, WASHINGTON, DC

Mr. Ross. Thank you, Madam Chairman, Senator Kennedy,
members of the committee, and my old Michigan colleague, Senator
Abraham.

I am indeed delighted to have this chance. You have raised im-
portant questions, and I am eager to respond. I will briefly summa-
rize my testimony and submit the full written statement for the
record.

The Chairman. Thank you.

Mr. Ross. Job Corps has really been a long-term bipartisan test,
I think, of two critical propositions. The first is can a structured
residential environment that focuses on individual responsibility
and preparation for a job actually empower large numbers of our
most disadvantaged young people to be able to turn their lives
around and get off on a productive track. And the second, which
has come up very much today, is a heavy reliance on the private
sector rather than public bureaucracies, an effective way to deliver
these relatively complex service to this at-risk group of young
Americans.

We think, looking at both the research and the stories of at this
point hundreds of thousands of young people, that the answer to
both of those is an emphatic yes. At the same time, Madam Chair-
man, Secretary Reich and I agree with you that this is also a pro-
gram that would benefit from some significant reform, and this is
a topic I want to talk about with you today.

First, we have sought to define a very clear and straightforward
mission for Job Corps in the 1990's — I know that is an issue that
you have raised — and that is to provide a disciplined environment
where disadvantaged young people, whose lives are either going no-
where or going the wrong way, can step up, have the chance to
take responsibility for turning their lives around, and leave with a
clear path to adulthood either in the form of a job or full-time post-
secondary education that we think will lead to a iob.

So the goals are likewise very clear: Jobs, further education, bet-
ter incomes. That is how we want to measure all of this and deter-
mine what success is.

Now, by those standards, the first question is how are we doing.
Well, of the 1.7 million young people whose lives have been touched
by Job Corps over the last 30 years, 1.1 million, or 65 percent, have
gone on to jobs or further education following their Job Corps expe-
rience. The inspector general of the Department of Labor, who in
fact has been a source of a lot of good suggestions for improving
the Corps, testified I believe before this committee last week that
Job Corps is in fact an important tool in helping disadvantaged
young men and women turn their lives around and increase their
economic earning power.

In the first 6 months of this program year. Madam Chairman,
nearly 75 percent of all students leaving the Corps for whatever
reason, went into jobs or further full-time education. And of those
getting jobs, 41 percent got jobs in areas directly related to their

135

vocational training and averaged more than $6.50 an hour in start-
ing wage.

Now, as for the question of return on investment — m other
words, what is the real impact; do the benefits outweigh the costs —
we believe that the current returns on the program are at least as
great today as the $1.46 in benefits to society for every dollar in-
vested that the Mathematic study documented in 1982. The reason
we believe that is the performance measures that were used in that
Mathematica study have in every case either remained steady or
gotten better. The real costs of the program have remained con-
stant since the late seventies, no real costs at all. And finally, what
has happened to kids not going to Job Corps — ^high school dropouts
in this country — in terms of their employment rate and their earn-
ings, things have gotten markedly worse. So we believe the new
Mathematics study which, as you know, is out there will show that
we are doing as well, if not better.

At the same time, some important questions have been raised
about Job Corps that I believe are serious and deserve answers,
and therefore, before closing I would like to just address three of
them very briefly.

One of the points that I think you have made very effectively.
Madam Chairman, and Secretary Reich strongly agrees, is that we
have to know what we are getting for these programs— not how
many are enrolled in training, or how many are enrolled in this or
that — ^the outcomes. How many are getting jobs? What are they
earning? What are the wages, and what is the education?

The measures we use to determine whether a Job Corps contrac-
tor keeps a contract or not are primarily job placement, education
fains, and wages. This length of stay is one of nine measures. We
ave kept it, with the inspector general's support, because it is a
good predictor. IF people think it gets in the way, we can get rid
of it. You do not make more or less money, basically, around hold-
ing people in; you make it finally in terms of what happens to kids.
That is whether you keep a contract or not.

The second issue, very quickly, is does Job Corps have a problem
with violence at its centers. Now, again, in Job Corps, we start
with the belief that any violence is unacceptable, that any level of
violence above zero just is not acceptable.

Job Corps does provide a level of safety that is substantially
greater than the places disadvantaged kids come from or go back
to — ^meaning the streets of our cities, our public schools, and our
prisons.

A couple quick facts. During the last full program year, there
were no homicides committed on a Job Corps center in the Nation,
and nine Job Corps residents were killed while off center, either
while on leave or during a vacation break. So the homicide rate on
Corps centers was zero. The rate for all Job Corps students — we in-
clude those who went home and then met with death — was less
than half the homicide rate for similar young people not in Job
Corps. In fact, if you do it by 100,000 the way things are measured,
it was about 28 per 100,000. In the city of Washington for kids that
age, it is over 200 per 100,000. So Job Corps kids are substantially
safer in their centers than living in their own neighborhoods. And
when matched with public schools, you see the same thing. Two

136

percent of high school kids experience violence each year. On Job
Corps centers, it is somewhat less than one percent.

But, having said that, it is too much. One percent is one percent
too much, which is the reason for this zero tolerance for violence
policy initiated in June, which I hope we can talk about.

The final question, I think, is: Has Job Corps responded quickly
and thoroughly to the suggestions for improving the program
raised by the OIG and enforced very effectively by yourself. Madam
Chairman.

I just want to announce that Job Corps has now taken strong ac-
tion in virtually all of the areas for improvement identified by the
IG, including concerns over low-performing centers, stronger per-
formance measures, better match placement, and more extensive
followup of students when they leave.

In addition — and I will close now — working with the IG, we are
proposing a set of bold reforms that I think will deal with many
of the issues we have been talking about, including raising the age
of Job Corps entrants, requiring students to be drug-free wnen they
enter, establishing a 30-day probationary period during which time
the student has to step up and make a very explicit commitment
about his preparedness to do this and to give the center an oppor-
tunity to get rid of the young person if they are not ready for it,
with no effect at all on their performance, and also, legislative au-
thority to be able to also deal with public centers. Government-run
centers, that are not performing at an appropriate level so we can,
in that case, bid those out.

So we believe, bottom line, that Job Corps works to g^ve kids a
chance at personal responsibility — it is not perfect, but we propose
to make it better, and working together, we think we can.

Thank you so much.

Senator Kassebaum. Thank you, Mr. Ross.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Ross may be found in the appen-
dix.]

The Chairman. Mr. Rell, I understand you do not have an open-
ing statement, is that correct, and that you will just respond to
questions?

Mr. Rell. Yes, Madam Chair.

The Chairman. Thank you very much.

Let me make a few comments. You have heard a lot, but I think
there is a disturbing sort of trend that I want to question you
about.

Mr. Ross, perhaps it is important to State for those who do not
know what the placement criteria are for Job Corps.

Mr. Ross. The placement criterion is one of two things.
Unsubsidized employment in the private sector — at this point, it
has to be at least 20 hours a week, although we are raising the
number to 32 hours shortly — or placement in further education
which requires full-time attendance. So you either have to be in an
unsubsidized job or in further education that requires full-time at-
tendance in order to be considered placed.

The Chairman. But placement is only tracked for 1 week; is that
correct?

Mr. Ross. Placement is only tracked for a brief period, but based
on feedback from the IG and actually issues raised in your hearing

137

in October, we are now in the process of implementing a 13-week
follow-up to see whether the person is still there, much the way we
do in JTPA, and to make sure that counseling services continue to
be available for up to 6 months.

We are asking further for easier access to wage placement data
and Social Security data, so we can do the kind of one-year or fur-
ther follow-ups that Senator DeWine mentioned, which I think are
very sensible.

TTie Chairman. Yes. I am pleased that you are moving in that
direction, because 1 week of placement does not, I think, make an
outcomes-based record very useful or helpful to the young person
if you are really trying to get data about what is happening.

Mr. Ross. Right. Now, the Mathematica study, those longitudinal
studies, followed young people for up to 4 years, so that when we
talk about $1.46 back on $1, it is after people have been followed —
but we need to do it for each kid on an ongoing basis; I could not
agree more.

The Chairman. What has really troubled me a great deal is the
violence that we keep hearing about. You spoke of a disciplined en-
vironment, and it seems to me that what we are hearing more and
more is that it is not a disciplined environment, that we have situ-
ations now where it is not a correctional environment, either, and
yet more and more young people unfortunately are coming as court
referrals. Should they be handled in a different way — and I think
that was a comment made by the first panel — in sort of a separate,
boot camp environment, first, before training, and there has to be
something there, in a very disciplined, structured environment.

You say that zero tolerance is in place, but we have heard in tes-
timony that indeed this really is not working very well. So I would
like to explore with you a little bit about that.

The inspector general has reported the high dropout rates, 50
percent in the first 6 months. There are some who would attribute
this to an atmosphere that exists there, and that they do not wish
to remain in that atmosphere. To what would you attribute the
dropout rate?

Mr. Ross. To begin with your question about whether it should
be run as a correctional place, or as a place where you can get
training and other learning opportunities to move forward — I think
in our minds, that is clear. It is the latter; its purpose is not correc-
tional. Students who have serious criminal backgrounds should not
be admitted, and we in fact are proposing that as evidence of a real
commitment to step up and take personal responsibility, if you are
not drug-free, you should be referred to a place where you can get
drug-fi-ee and oe allowed admission only when you are drug-free.

The reason, I think, for the dropout rate is this. Job Corps, if you
do not have a serious criminal record, has open admissions. It says
if you think you are ready to step up and take responsibility tot
turning vour life aroimd, you are welcome in, and here are the
terms. If you live by them, you can succeed; if you do not, you will
have to leave.

More than 8,000 young people were asked to leave last year
alone because they could not meet the disciplinary standards.

In reality, 30 percent leave in the first 90 days. As you know.
Madam Chairman, in terms of community college population, kids

138

who sign up for 2-year programs, associates degrees, more than 60
percent drop out before getting to the second year. In 4-year uni-
versities, more than 45 percent drop out before getting their B.A.S.
This is fairly thought. You have got to be ready to do it. We think
that by eliminating younger entrants, 16-year-olds, and beginning
to reduce the number of 17-year-olds, we will also have a larger
population that is ready to step up and take the responsibility £md
make something of this opportunity.

The Chairman. But by increasing that age limit, aren't you also
missing an ever younger level of population that is dropping out?

Mr. Ross. We think that between JTPA, school-to-work, and the
Title II-B and II-C programs, there is in fact an effort to keep those
young people closer to home and get them connected up with local
learning, because as you have said, one of our goals is job place-
ment, and even if you give a 16-year-old pretty decent vocational
training, in many cases, they are not really ready yet, or legally
cannot even go out and get good full-time jobs in the private sector.

The Chairman. And I can accept that. I think again, though, it
speaks to this uncertain purpose that has evolved perhaps over the
last 8 to 10 years. We are not quite sure what population we want
to serve or how.

Going back to the fact that the high dropout rate reflects, you are
saying, the strict discipline and requirements that exist there, as
you know, that was one of the questions that was raised when Sen-
ator Kerrey of Nebraska and myself sent a letter to you, raising the
concerns that we had, and one of them was the high dropout rate,
and you reflected at the time that you believed it was because of
strict discipline and behavioral codes. This response was sent to all
of the Members of Congress at that time.

Does the Department of Labor still believe that that is the case
and that violence as we have seen reported has nothing to do with
it?

Mr. Ross. I would never say that.

The Chairman. I mean, we have heard students say they have
left because it is not an environment they want to be in.

Mr. Ross. I would never say that violence is not an issue. Job
Corps is still part of America. The kids come from America, and the
Job Corps centers are located in America; and America at this
point is sadly a country beset by an enormous amount of violence
involving its young people.

Job Corps centers are safer places than the streets and schools
our young people come from, but we are not there yet. And by the
way, the zero tolerance policy, started in June, doesn't mean yet
that there is zero violence. It means that there is a renewed com-
mitment to face up to all situations where any act of violence oc-
curs, to make sure it is dealt with, to encourage — as has been hap-
pening and was mentioned by previous panelists — the fact that
when young people show by their behavior that they are not ready
to live by the code, you have to ask them to leave.

The Chairman. Mr. Rell, let me just follow through a bit on this.
It is my understanding that on June 10th of last year, you sent a
memo on violence to all the Job Corps regional directors and the
center directors. And in the memo, you state: "The evidence sug-

139

gests that the gp-eatest single factor causing students to leave our
program early is violence."

Mr. Rell. Yes, ma'am.

The Chairman. Do you believe that that is the case?

Mr. Rell. I think it is.

The Chairman. Do you and Mr. Ross agree on this?

Mr. Rell. We are not inconsistent, Senator, I do not believe. The
strict requirements that we have on Job Corps centers include no
violence. So that when young people cannot accommodate them-
selves to a disciplined environment and to the requirements that
are established, part of their failure to accommodate themselves is
committing acts of violence. So I do not believe the two things are
at all inconsistent.

Over the past several years. Madam Chairman, the level of vio-
lence in our society has increased, the students we receive have
been exposed to more violence, drugs have increased. Our popu-
lation has indeed changed, and our problem has gotten tougher.
That is why we have had to move and make changes in the pro-
gram as we moved along.

We have added substance abuse counselors in an effort to ad-
dress the substance abuse problem. We have become convinced at
this point that the problem in that area is so great that we do not
have the adequate resources to address it properly. As Mr. Ross
mentioned, we have come to the conclusion that what we need to
do is we need to require young people, as a sign of their commit-
ment to changing their lives, to become drug-free prior to enroll-
ment.

With regard to the violence aspect, we noticed an increase in vio-
lence not only in the general society, but unfortunately, in the Job
Corps centers as well. That is why I sent that policy directive last
June to implement a zero tolerance for violence policy and to make
it clear to the centers that that was the policy and that that is
what needed to be enforced. And that is part of the discipline envi-
ronment, and that is part of the requirements that young people
need to live by. If they do not choose to live by that, then they must
leave.

Mr. Ross. And contractors who are not able to establish that en-
vironment, we have simply moved to terminate those contracts. So
we are holding both the contractors of centers, both public and pri-
vate, and the young people themselves.

The Chairman. Following along that line, let me ask you — ^be-
cause as you may know, we started the hearing yesterday with a
videotape of the McKinney Center in Dallas. My understanding is
that the center operator there was terminated; is that correct?

Mr. Ross. That is correct.

The Chairman. Could you just describe for us, given the fact that
you say that this is something you are following through on, how
that termination was handled, and was this a mutual agreement
of the parties?

Mr, Ross, It was done this way. Whenever we get any evidence
in addition to our own monitoring find reports that behavior is not
being maintained at appropriate standards, we immediately move
in and attempt to determine what in fact is going on.

140

There is a center run by the National Park Service in North
Carolina, and some parents had given us some information that
there was violence on that center. We checked it out — there was no
media involved in that — and stopped sending young people there,
because we cannot, unlike the gentleman here saiid, currently bid
out a Grovemment center that is not meeting standards. Tliat is not
allowed under the JTPA amendments.

The case of Wackenhut was, as you showed, a television report.
So we went and checked it out. I nave three tests, Madam Chair-
man, and then I will tell you exactly what we did. No. 1 is was the
report on television — since I could not verify it one way or another,
directly — was it part of a pattern of difficulty on that center? Ana
the answer to that was yes; they had been struggling with poor
performance reports for some period.

Second, when I confronted tnem with what they were going to do
about that, they were not able to provide an answer that I think
I could have come before you or anybody else and convincingly said,
"Keep this contract in place."

And third, I have to ask the question, if there were an extended
member of my family — much the way the gentleman talked about
the people he was placing here — given what I had known — I read
all the incident reports — ^would I be comfortable sending that mem-
ber of my family to that center? The answer was no.

Wackenhut, the contractor, was given 10 days to show cause why
we should not terminate their contract. We were not persuaded.
They said, look, let us just do it voluntarily. We are willing to just
work out an agreement with you so there is no litigation or any-
thing; we will just terminate it, and you can turn it over to another
contractor.

We agreed. Another contractor should be selected by early Feb-
ruary, and the trsmsition will occur at the end of March.

The Chairman. Was Wackenhut penalized or sanctioned in any
way? Do they have other centers that they still operate?

Mr. Ross. They have two other centers that they operate. The re-
sults of this and the performance here, if they choose to compete
to continue any of those centers, will be part of the record. You are
judged on your performance not only at the center you are bidding
for, but other centers you have operated elsewhere.

The Chairman. My time is up, and I thank you.

Senator Kennedy?

Senator Kennedy. Thank you very much, Mr. Ross. We appre-
ciate your presence here.

At the outset, I will say that I am a strong believer in this whole
effort to try to really give these young people a second chance. As
you point out in your testimony, 80 percent are high school drop-
outs; 40 percent come from families on public assistance; 70 per-
cent have never had a full-time job; most come from neighborhoods
plagued by high rates of unemployment, crime, welfare and illit-
eracy. Ana it is very easy for us to sit up here and sharpshoot and
flyspeck this program. And if you read that outline 20 years ago,
it would be a different kind of kid who falls into this program. We
are mindful of that.

Having said that, however, I think we have to really ask our-
selves whether you are getting the full information about what is

141

really happening out there. I have been impressed with many
things that Sarge Shriver did, but one of the things he did in the
Peace Corps when they set it up was to have five investigative re-
porters go around in the Peace Corps and find out where the prob-
lems were before the press found out about them, so they were able
to make some changes.

And I would just suggest to you that you develop within that pro-
-am of yours the kind of tough-minded review of these kinds of
issues that we have heard today, as well as others. You have heard
it, and you can evaluate it. We listen to it, and some of this makes
some sense, but you have to look at it against the total review. And
you ought to be able to rely not just on the IG, and not just on the
proclamations or issuing the recommendations, or asking for this
kind of assessment or that kind of review, but really finding out
what is going on out there, because I think you can get the feeling
that this whole program is targeted now, and those who believe
and understand that this is an important effort to try to reach out
to these young people must be able to respond to these kinds of
questions that have been raised.

One of the things that this committee is looking at is how you
are going to tie together various kinds of training programs. You
have very similar kinds of kids in JTPA II-C, very similar in terms
of disadvantaged kids — a somewhat different profile, but not great-
ly different. In the School-to-Work program, some of those efforts
that were passed last year were to reach out to the kids who have
dropped out of school, maybe recently dropped out, both to get
them into the School-to-Work program and to help them to be able
to go on. You have Tech Prep, and other kinds of programs out
there, and I think what we are really looking at now is how to find
ways that we can have some coordination, working closely together
ana maximizing these local kinds of neighborhood initiatives,
which I think are taking place; I know they are in many of the
communities in my State, with Mayor Manino's strong emphasis on
neighborhoods, where you are working with local businesses, with
local educators, and with local law enforcement people to really do
something.

So we need your recommendations. This program cannot live, I
think, just in and of itself. It has to be linked in some kind of rela-
tionship with these others, and how that is going to work is really
what we are looking for in this committee.

You talk about defunding some of these programs. How many
have you defunded because of the violence element?

Mr. Ross. First of all, since we established this policy in June,
a North Carolina center run by the U.S. Park Service was not
meeting stamdards, and we could not defund them, but we cut off
students, and we said, "Until we are satisfied, you get no more stu-
dents." Wackenhut, we cut off, because they were not able to main-
tain the environment. The Cleveland center — we went out and
dropped in on 28 centers, not quite as deftly as Sargeant Shriver
did it — and we had a meeting with him some time ago, and I know
he really did it very well, and that is a good model, by the way,
I happen to believe — ^we dropped in on 28 centers, and at Cleve-
land, we were not comfortable, and we terminated their contract.
We told the Park Service — ^they are running four centers — that in

142

terms of behavior among our 20 worst ones, we asked them to show
cause why we should not take those centers and give them over to
some other part of the Government.

Senator Kennedy. OK, We have got a vote, but I was trying to
take the IG report and also your response to this. I would have
liked to have seen it be more responsive to what the IG has talked
about, and the changes that are being made and what is really
happening out there.

We heard some criticism just in terms of the privatization, and
the financial pressures of keeping kids on; you heard those today.
I do not know how much weight to give that, and I would like to
hear you talk about some of those kinds of difficulties.

I think what we really want to see is a tough hands-on policy.
I know that that is your background, being very, very successful in
the private sector and involved in public policy. And I also want to
pay tribute to Mr. Rell, who has spent a lifetime in commitment
to this.

So I think that now is really the time that people are going to
be looking for this kind of accountability, and just having the lists
and the statistics, we do not know, obviously, whether that in and
of itself is responding to the kinds of things that are really happen-
ing out there, and we need your guidance, your help, your oversight
and your tough-mindedness in trying to make this the kind of pro-
gram that will have support.

Mr. Ross. I know you have to go vote. I just want to say that
the last thing I want to do is come before you in any defensive
fashion. I care desperately, as do the Secretary and the rest of us,
that this really work. It is not a question of trying to put out statis-
tics. We do think a lot of good results are being achieved. We are
very open and are trying to be very bold and imaginative in terms
of ways to take it a quantum leap forward. Nothing is sacred in
this. We are willing to change what needs to be changed.

I think the key thing is, ultimately, the human beings; is this
really a chance to turn your life around? That is what needs to
drive it, Eind your comments are extremely well-taken.

Senator Kennedy. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Chair.

The Chairman. Senator Simon, do you want to try to ask some-
thing now, or shall we go and vote and come back?

Senator Simon. I think maybe we ought to vote, and I hate to
ask them to wait.

Mr. Ross. We would be happy to wait. This is very important.

The Chairman. If you do not mind waiting, we will come back.

The committee stands in recess for 15 minutes.

[Recess.]

The Chairman. The hearing will resume.

Senator Simon?

Senator Simon. Thank you, and I thank the witnesses for stay-
ing. We have little control over when the votes are cast and that
sort of thing.

Let me just summarize some impressions that I have from wit-
nesses yesterday and today — and unfortunately, I was tied up the
day before and was not able to be here. One is that generally
speaking, the Grovernment-run programs operate pretty well. Those

143

that are contracted out, some do very well, as we heard from St.
Paul, MN yesterday, and some do not do well. Generally, the small-
er programs are more successful than the large programs, and
where you can have a residential program that is in a different set-
ting from where people live, that generally is better.

I would add that I get a little concerned when I hear questions
of you and responses from you geared only to job placement. When
you have 41 percent iob placement, it does not mean that the Job
Corps is unsuccessful for the other 59 percent. You are giving a
spark of hope to a lot of people who have just given up in our soci-
ety, and we have too many people who have given up.

What I do not want to see happen is — we had the CETA pro-
gram, and there were some deficiencies in that program; then we
shifted to JTPA, and we were so anxious to provide measurable
success stories that there was a "creaming" — where they had a
choice of getting a high school graduate or a high school dropout,
they took the high school graduate into the JTPA program because
you could show better results at the end.

I think Senator Kassebaum's suggestion for follow-up is good,
and I would like to see follow-up not just a month later or 6
months later; I would like to see it a year later, and on two ele-
ments. One is jobs or education, and the second is what is the rate
of incarceration, because there will be some of these young people
who will be in prison at that point. What kind of comparison is it
for those who went into this program and a similar kind of group
outside?

We are dealing with what one police officer yesterday called "bor-
derline" young people — good kids, potentially, but who for a variety
of reasons have had problems.

I was just talking with Karen Anderson, from St. Paul, who was
a witness yesterday, a great witness. She says there are manv
more success stories than there are failures in Job Corps. I think
that that is something to keep in mind as we focus, understand-
ably, on how we can improve the program.

The one question that I am concerned about is when you have
a private contractor who takes over a program in Kansas or Illinois
or anywhere, we heard yesterday people saying, "We do not want
to get rid of students, because there is a profit in keeping them
there." Is that the case? Should it be restructured so that what we
are interested in is not so many bodies, but really doing the job?
Are we getting the right impression or the wrong impression here?

Mr. Ross. That is a good question. Senator. The reality is there
is no' sort of "bodies for bucks" incentive or provision in any of this.
I believe you have a center operator from one of the better centers
on your next panel, and I believe she can explain that.

Senator SiMON. Can you explain how you contract? Let us say I
am going to sign a contract with you. How am I paid?

Mr. Ross. OK. Why don't you explain the payment process, and
then let me explain why it does not create an incentive simply to
hold onto people who ought to be gotten rid of, that there is no
profit in that.

Mr. Rell. Senator, the contracts are cost reimbursement con-
tracts where the contractor is reimbursed for the actual expenses
of operating the center. There is also a profit. It is called a "fixed

144

fee," and it is fixed. The amount of profit, Senator, does not vary
depending on how many people are on-center or whether there are
400 or 380 or any of those things. "Bodies for bucks" is not the
method of payment.

Mr. Ross. So what it means is you get this contract. The number
of people on site does not affect the profitability of the site. The key
for a contractor is to be able, after 2 years of getting the contract,
to get renewals for up to 3 additional years and then in bidding to
keep it and to be able to win that competition. And that is deter-
mined primarily by output measures such as the percentage who
get jobs, the percentage who go on to further education on a full-
time basis, those who get a GED, those who realize reading and
math gains.

So holding someone who is disrupting everybody else and keep-
ing them from learning tmd advancing works against your ability.
There is no finsincial incentive to keep around disruptive young
people, period.

Mr. Rell. May I add one thing. Senator?

Senator Simon. Yes.

Mr. Rell. There are nine performance standards for Job Corps
centers. Mr. Ross enumerated about seven of them. There are two
additional ones. One is the average length of stay, which has been
the subject of some discussion. Senator. That is the only process
measure in there, and the reason why it is there is because every
piece of research that has ever been done says that there is a direct
correlation between the achievements in academics, in placement,
in the levels of jobs that you get and the wages that you earn, and
how long you stay.

You have to stay in the center in order to learn. That is the one
standard that is a process standard. If that is confusing or trouble-
some to someone, we can draft that standard, because if you ask
any of the center directors — and I think you have one on the next
panel — I am sure they will tell you that in order to achieve those
learning gains, get that GED, complete the vocational training and
obtain a job, kids have to stay there long enough to learn, and they
know how to do that.

Senator Simon. And when you say there are nine criteria, is av-
erage length of stay weighed more heavily than the other eight cri-
teria?

Mr. Rell. No, sir. It is one of nine criteria.

Senator Simon. All right. You also mentioned that you give 2-
year contracts. Someone who has never done this before — does that
person or corporation or whatever it is get a 2-year contract the
first time, or do you give them a one-year contract the first time,
just to see whether they can perform?

Mr. Ross. The basic process is that you compete, and you com-
pete with others, and if you win, you get a contract for a 2-year
time. We are also now moving to put in place a provision which al-
lows us to terminate even within that 2 years, if there is a rea-
son— we have been doing that, but this will allow us to do it even
more quickly — and then, after the 2 years, there are 3 option years
at the discretion of Job Corps. If we do not think you have done
a good enough job, or have done a mediocre job, we will then say

145

no option years; let us put the operation of this center back out for
bidding.

Senator Simon. And in that first year — and I know my time is
up, Madam Chairman — but in that first year, is there a particu-
larly intensive look at the kind of job that someone is doing?

Mr. Rell. Yes, Senator. We conduct annual onsite reviews of the
Job Corps centers with teams of experienced people — depending on
the size of the center, anywhere from five to ten people — for a week
at a time, including in the evening and on weekends and so on.
Those reviews are carefully timed so that you can have the results
of those reviews when it is time to make a decision about contract-
ing.

On a 2-year contract, you have to make that decision about 14
months into it, because until somebody completely reinvents the
procurement regulations, it takes about 8 months to conduct a com-
petitive procurement.

Senator Simon. Thank you, Madam Chairman, and I thank both
of you.

The Chairman. Senator DeWine?

Senator DeWine. Thank you, Madam Chairman.

I would like to get some basic facts on the record, but not just
on the record, so I can understand. Is it my understanding, Mr.
Ross, that the last longitudinal study was done in 1982?

Mr. Ross. The last longitudinal study was completed in 1982;
that is correct, sir.

Senator DeWine. Is my understanding correct that there is a
current study ongoing that you would say would be a longitudinal
study — and Dy that, I mean simply that I know what percentage
in 6 months or in 12 months actually have jobs and where they
are.

Mr. Ross. Actually, it follows young people for 4 years against
a control group of similar young people who did not have a Job
Corps experience.

Senator DeWine. And when would we expect the completion of
that, and when would we expect the preliminary report?

Mr, Ross. The completion, I believe, will be around 1997 because
of the tracking. That is my understanding.

Mr. Rell. I believe that is correct. Senator.

Senator DeWine. Will we get interim numbers, though?

Mr. Ross. I do not think so, not to my knowledge. What was in-
teresting is

Senator DeWine. That is a long time to wait — and I understand
it is good to have a long time; please do not misunderstand me.

Mr. Ross. OK. Pete may correct me on that.

Senator DeWine. My point is that I think it would be very help-
ful for a program that is costing over $1 billion a year to have these
figures after a year, after a year and a half, 2 years.

Mr. Ross. Why don't you answer that, Pete, and then let me ex-
plain other things that we are doing so that we do not have to wait
until we have that fully.

Mr. Rell. Senator, the follow-up period — that the independent
evaluation firm is conducting — the follow-up period is 12 months,
30 months, and 48 months. We will have some interim reports, ob-
viously, from the contractor as they gather and analyze that data.

146

I would suggest, however, that the 12-month follow-up point does
not tell you a whole lot, but it is better than nothing.

Senator DeWine. Mr. Rell, it tells me a whole lot more than I
have had for 12 years. This program has been operating now, and
we have not had any longitudinal study since 1982, so in all fair-
ness, it is going to tell us a whole lot more than we have right now.

Mr. Rell. There will be those interim reports at those follow-up
points.

Senator DeWine. And when would we expect that first one, then,
because I do not know when the study started.

Mr. Rell. The study started in November of last year.

Senator DeWine. November of 1994; is that right?

Mr. Rell. Yes, sir.

Senator DeWine. So we could expect something toward the close
of this year.

Mr. Rell. Early 1996, 1 would suspect.

The Chairman. Senator, would you yield?

Senator DeWine. I will.

The Chairman. I believe I am correct that this study is $13 mil-
lion?

Mr. Rell. I believe that is correct.

Mr. Ross. That is the reason we do not do them more frequently.
But what we are attempting to do now

Senator DeWine. Oh, I understand.

The Chairman. That was my point, Mr. Ross.

Mr. Ross [continuing]. That does not require waiting, because
the information you are asking for is critical.

Senator DeWine. Yes, I understand. Also, Mr. Ross, it would
seem to me there is some interim between $13 million and doing
nothing for 12 years. One of the difficulties I have is when I talk
to directors, they can tell me how many were placed at one point
in time, they can tell me how many were placed in a job that is
specific to their training, but if I ask, well, where are they in 6
weeks, or where are they in 6 months, or where are they in 12
months, I get nothing. And I do not think that that is their fault.
I think it is the fault of how the program is being run, that no one
is asking them to supply those statistics.

Mr. Ross. We are asking them now.

Senator DeWine. OK. Tell me how we are going to get that.

Mr. Ross. In two ways. First, we have been piloting in New Eng-
land, and will ultimately now spread to the full country, an auto-
matic follow-up of 13 weeks, of checking where that individual is
13 weeks later, and continuing to make counseling available to
them over a 6-month period after they have gotten their initial
placement. Second, we are going to be asking the committee and
Congress for legislative authority to get more direct access to wage
record data and Social Security data, so as an ongoing matter, we
can check after 1 year or after 2 years.

Now, that will only tell us what is happening to these young peo-
ple, which is critically important. It still will not answer the ques-
tion as to what is the impact relative to young people who have not
been through the program. For that, you are left with the kind of
random selection, Mathematica studies. But the other kind, we are

147

going to be able to begin providing for you in the months imme-
diately ahead.

Senator DeWine. Let me turn to another question that has come
out in the testimony, and that is what I would characterize as a
disconnect between the recruitment for an individual, then the
training, the education, then the job placement. It seems to me we
are talking about three different components.

For example, in Dayton, OH, it is my understanding that when
individuals are recruited, they are recruited by a national group,
and there is no concerted effort in the Dayton community to target
people from Dayton who might qualify; there is some, but there is
not a concerted effort. There is a national group that runs that, a
national contractor. Then, when the person comes out, or is getting
ready to try to find a job, they are dealing again with the national
group.

So I would like you to address that. It seems to me, as a person
who is really just looking at this based on the testimony in the last
few days and the information I have been able to obtain, that that
is a disconnect, and it seems a strange way to run the operation.

Mr. Ross. Senator, when I first saw it — because coming here less
than 2 years ago, I was fairly new to Job Corps — ^it looked a bit
strange to me. The way it works is this. Many States only have a
single center. Some States have no center at all. So let us take
Dayton. Dayton, in order to be used appropriately, requires the at-
tracting of young people from all over, not just Dayton. Well, if the
Dayton center has to hire people in Cleveland, in Columbus, in
Cincinnati as well as Dayton, not to mention rural areas and other
parts of the Midwest, there are no scale economies. For every, sin-
gle center to have a major recruitment system of its own becomes
prohibitively expensive.

It is the same with placement. Let us say I am from Cleveland,
and I come to your Dayton center. I get a terrific opportunity, and
I use it. I want to go oack to Cleveland now; that is where I am
from. I need someone connected to the Cleveland labor market who
can hook me up.

But you are right — the question then is that the people doing the
training and the people doing the placement do not seem to nave
a shared responsibility. So what we have now done and have put
in place — it has been for some time now — ^is both the center opera-
tor in Dayton and the placement resource in Cleveland are both
held accountable for the placement of that young person, so they
both have a terrific incentive to work together and cooperate to
make sure it is effective.

So we are talking about how you make a national system effi-
cient, because kids come from all over. In many cases, maybe they
will say, 'The last place I want to go back to is Cleveland. I came
from gangs, I have got family problems there. I need a new start.
Dayton was a new start. Get me into a different place. Send me
down South. Send me out West." With the current setup, we can
do that.

Senator DeWine. I see my time is up. Thank you.

The Chairman. Thank you.

Mr. Rell, you have been Job Corps director since 1984.

Mr. Rell. I believe it has been since 1983, Senator.

148

The Chairman. Excuse me — 1983. So you have seen a lot of
changes take place, and there are a couple of things I would like
to ask about and then just a final comment.

One, in the contracting, placement and/or recruitment, isn't it
true that Job Corps contracts separate for recruitment and place-
ment? It is not the center contract that does that. You contract
under another contract; is that correct?

Mr. Rell. That is correct. Senator. The contracts for operating
the Job Corps centers are indeed different from the contracts for
outreach screening and placement. The outreach screening and
placement contracts are organized by geographic area, whereas the
centers are not evenly spread in all of the States, so the match is
not exact.

For example, there are six Job Corps centers in Kentucky. There
is one placement contract for the entire State of Kentucky.

The Chairman. Pardon me. Why should there be six in Ken-
tucky?

Mr. Ross. You do not have to answer that question. I will protect
him as a civil servant. [Laughter.] I think it could have been the
political configuration of the Congress at some time in the past. Is
that a fair statement?

Senator Kennedy. It is called Carl Perkins.

Mr. Ross. Yes. Thank you, Senator. [Laughter.]

Mr. Rell. I am sorry. I wandered into that one.

The Chairman. Sorry; I should have known before I asked.

Let me just ask you, then, doesn't that set up, however, some —
it goes along with what Senator DeWine was asking, to a certain
extent. We get a disconnect between recruitment and — we have
been hearing that where you have smaller centers, where you have
a community that is involved, those tend to be centers that are
working better. Why have something where you have to go outside
in order to get numoers to bring into the center? And I think there
is a certain percentage paid in your contract to those who are con-
tracting for recruitment as well as who receive a contract for place-
ment. Is that not correct?

Mr. Rell. That is correct. Senator. The recruitment and place-
ment contracts are currently fixed-unit price contracts. That is, you
get paid one price per arrival. That is to cover all of the outreach
and all of the screening for however msiny people you need to con-
tact and screen in order to have that one arrival.

And you are right about the disconnect. We have taken steps to
link the two organizations better. Because of the geography, it is
not always possible to have the Job Corps center itself be its own
recruiter and placer, because of geographic coverages.

But our challenge is to link the Job Corps centers more closely
with the outreach screening and placement agencies. We have
taken a number of steps in that direction. One of the primary ones
is that the incentives and the standards need to be the same. Right
now, the performance standards for placement agencies are iden-
tical to the performance standards for the Job Corps centers — the
very same standards, the same kind, and the like.

Administrative arrangements to make a better connection, to
work together and transfer information have also been put into
place.

149

One of the criticisms that the inspector general levied — and it is
a correct one, Senator — was that we lost track of 25 percent of the
students who left the Job Corps centers in 1990. That was a dis-
connect between the centers and the placement contractors. That
problem has been, if not fully solved, I believe, addressed. This
year, 12 percent are missing. We have been unable to locate 12 per-
cent after they left the center and went back to their home commu-
nities or wherever. I hope to get that percentage down into the sin-
gle digits by the end of this progpram year.

The Chairman. Mr. Rell, one other thing that I find troubling
is — we have talked about zero tolerance, and this is a policy that
now, all of a sudden, you are initiating with some vengeance, evi-
dently.

I worry — and I think we are going to have to work together,
again, on exactly what it is we hope to do with Job Corps, because
if we are trying to serve disadvantaged youth, disadvantaged youth
today are coming with different problems than they came with
when the program started 30 years ago. And I would really hate
to see us get into "creaming,"

I think to say that a student should come drug-free is one thing.
I think they should take the responsibility to tryr to get there, but
I also feel even more strongly that it is up to tne management of
the center to make sure drugs are not sold at the center.

Mr. Rell. Absolutely,

The Chairman, So if we somehow start to take youth and sav
they have to be drug-free, we are not living up to our responsibil-
ity, or those who are managing the centers, to make sure an atmos-
phere is being provided that allows them to begin to turn their
lives around. And as we have heard more and more, why go from
the street, where it has been unsafe, to a center that provides
somewhat the same environment?

I really do not want to see just the figures show that somehow
we have zero tolerance. That does not really matter to me. What
matters to me is strong discipline that provides the kind of envi-
ronment in which we can turn lives around,

Mr, Rell. I could not agree with you more. Senator. And the in-
tent of the zero tolerance policy is to create and enforce that kind
of environment. And it has not done so in terms of statistics. Sta-
tistics are not the issue. The zero tolerance policy is intended to en-
sure that all center staff" address all acts of violence and deal with
them appropriately.

The way to have a safe center is to make sure that both the staff"
and the students buy into that, that they understand that that is
the expectation cmd that there are consequences for not abiding by
that. The consequences for the students are that if they do not
want to buy into it, they will lose their opportunity for being at
that center, and the consequences for the center operator are that
they will no longer be operating the center.

The Chairman. Was that in place at the McKinney center?

Mr. Rell. Our zero tolerance policy was announced in June. Our
review at the McKinney center showed that it was not well-imple-
mented. We have done follow-up and review of 28 centers, as Mr.
Ross mentioned earlier, and we will be following up on the rest of
them by March, Out of those 28 centers, we were dissatisfied with

150

eight, and two of those, very dissatisfied, as Mr. Ross mentioned,
McKinney and one in Cleveland, where we changed center opera-
tors.

The Chairman. And the center operator who was at McKinney
also operates the Guthrie center in Guthrie, OK, which has had a
number of violations, and I assume that that one is under review
as well?

Mr. Rell, It is. Senator. The Guthrie center has been reviewed,
and it was not satisfactory; it was one of the eight that I mentioned
that was not satisfactory, and there are specific steps that have
been required and are being taken, and my staff are on-center on
a regular basis. Senator, at Guthrie to ensure that they are fol-
lowed through.

The Chairman. Well, I welcome — and I think the whole panel
does — the opportunity to work together, because I feel that it is a
responsibility we all have to make this successful. I appreciate your
testimony this morning. I think we have a lot ahead of us to do

Mr. Ross. We do.

The Chairman [continuing]. And I look forward to working to-
gether. And I would just suggest not a State of denial that there
are problems, but help us — ^help us in a realistic fashion; be honest
about what is out there and what we can do.

Mr. Ross. If I could — I am speaking here for Secretary Reich as
well — we would very much like over the next 6 months, based both
on the things that we have worked out in agreement with the IG,
but also to sit down with your staffs and yourselves to get further
ideas, to see if we cannot be very comfortable that by July 1, we
have in fact dealt to our mutual satisfaction with areas that we
think are very much in need of improvement. We would look for-
ward to that very much. Madam Chair.

The Chairman. Well, I appreciate it, because we have tried, you
know, and like some of the testimony we heard earlier, we have not
always had as much success being heard as we would like; and per-
haps this hearing will help clear the air for everyone.

Senator Kennedy?

Senator Kennedy. If you would perhaps respond to some of the
items that have been raised as part of the record; I think you ought
to be given a chance to react. Some of those things might have
been cleared up and steps taken. I think it would be valuable just
to have a complete record.

Mr. Ross. Yes.

Senator Kennedy. And I think there were some suggestions
made by other panelists, and we would like to have your reaction
to those as well. I think the point is that we all want to try to have
the opportunity of working together. I think that that is very clear
across the line here, and your willingness and the administration's
willingness to involve itself in an intense kind of way I think is
very positive and very good news.

Thank you. Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. Senator DeWine had another question.

Senator DEWnsfE. Thank you.

Mr. Ross, let me follow up on the issue of the placement of the
individuals as they come out of the program. How is that handled

151

as far as the money for the contractor? Is that per individual
placed? Mr. Rell?

Mr. Rell. Yes, sir.

Senator DeWine. And how much is that?

Mr. ^LL. It varies. They are competitive contracts, Senator, so
it would vary by individual contract competition.

Senator DeWine. What would the range be?

Mr. Rell. It would average around $400.

Senator DeWine. Around $400. And to get that $400 as the con-
tracting agency, what do I have to do? What is the result that I
have to show?

Mr. Rell. You have to verify that an individual has either en-
rolled full-time in school or has entered onto a job, and you need
to check at least 1 week after he has actually been there.

Senator DeWine. So my incentive is to help that person either
continue his or her education or get a job — and that can be any job,
is that right?

Mr. Rell. That is correct, Senator.

Senator DeWine. OK. That can be any job that lasts at least a
week. In other words, all I have to show is that it did in fact last
a week.

Mr. Rell. Yes. This is entered employment; it is not follow-up at
all. The only significance of the week is that you have to verify that
it actually happened, that the individual actually entered onto the
job, so that it is not prospective, that he tells you he has got a job.

Senator DeWine. Has there ever been any thought given to cre-
ating possibly a dual system, where the contract agency gets so
much if that person gets the job, which we all know is very impor-
tant— getting them into the labor market — ^but then gets so much
more as a bonus if they can verify that that person has a job in
3 months, or that the employment has continued?

I do not know how you would design that — and I can understand
the incentive for getting in the door, having a job. It is very, very
important. Statistics clearly show that if a person gets a job, then
many times, he is on his way. It seems to me, though, it is also
important to give that contract agency some incentive to get a job
that possibly matches the training the person has and/or also a job
that that person may be able to keep for a while or that that per-
son will continue to work for a while.

It seems to me that our whole emphasis is on any job, and it
seems to me maybe it should be a modified version of tnat.

Mr. Ross. I think you are right, and I think particularly now
that we are beginning to introduce follow-up over time, that con-
tracts ought to reflect that, that there ought to be incentives for the
type of job and the duration. I think that makes great sense, and
that is something I think we ought to be working on.

Senator DeWine. Thank you.

The Chairman. Senator Simon had a follow-up.

Senator Simon. Yes. I would just like to enter into the record
some letters in support of Job Corps from Wilma Mankiller, the
chief of the Cherokee Nation, and some others, and then just one
quick question.

[Letters referred to may be found in the appendix.]

152

Senator Simon. Senator Kassebaum mentioned the idea of re-
cruiting people only from the community. My impression is that
one of the pluses is if you can sometimes take young people away
from their communities, there is a real plus; they sever the ties
from a gang or from family problems and other things.

Would you like to comment on that?

Mr, Ross. I would first of all say that whenever people can stay
in a community and have those ties, and they are beneficial, that
is wonderful; I agree with the chairman. In other cases, people are
looking to get out of the environment, and in fact, success means
going away.

I guess the best analogy is almost a major State university. It
draws mainly from the State but really relies on high schools all
over the State to help brin^ people to it and usually, in order to
put it all together ana keep itself interesting, has some out-of-State
residents as well.

In a sense, the Job Corps works something like that. And for a
lot of young people — some of my own kids; I am a father of three —
getting away from home was in fact a major step in development
and growing up; it was a good thing to do. Sometimes kids say, "I
am not ready yet. I would like to stay closer to home." Hopemlly,
we have enough flexibility in this system to allow both.

Senator Simon. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Chairman.

The Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Rell, Assistant Secretary Ross. We appreciate
your being here.

Mr. Ross. Thank you. Madam Chairman. Thank you all.

Mr. Rell. Thank you.

The Chairman. It is a pleasure to welcome the third panel, and
we appreciate very much your patience in waiting until after one
o'clock.

I would like first to introduce Representative Ronald Coleman,
from the 16th District of Texas. We appreciate very much your
coming over. Congressman Coleman, to give a special introduction.
It is a pleasure to welcome you here because you represent the dis-
trict of El Paso and have been a lifelong resident there and know
well, I think, the work of the center there, which has set a good
record for Job Corps centers. So thank you for coming over.

STATEMENT OF HON. RONALD COLEMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE
IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS

Mr. Coleman. Thank you. Senator.

I appreciate very much the opportunity to be here.

Senator DeWine, it is good to see you again. Welcome back to
Washington.

Let me say to you that I am here, really, just to introduce Mary
Young, the director of the David Carrasco Job Corps Center in El
Paso. I am a strong supporter of the Job Corps centers. As I know
Senator DeWine remembers, back in the mid-eighties, we went
through a process that called for a good deal of slashing and cut-
ting of programs. We know we are in a similar situation today, and
I would just say to you that I can tell you that I am a supporter
and continue to be because of the excellent results that we have

153

seen in El Paso as a result of having a quality, class act with a
Job Corps center that is supported dv my business community,
small and large, and that is supported by the citizens of my dis-
trict.

Under Ms. Young's leadership, this Job Corps center has made
a difference in the lives of literally thousands of young people. To
have them in our community and stay in our community is some-
thing we endeavor to do. It is not our intention for them to leave;
we want them to stay and work within our community.

I would tell you that I think the Job Corps center in El Paso is
a true model for excellence. I attend twice a year a regular meeting
at which they ask me for a congressional rundown of what is going
on in Washington, DC. I think it is an excellent part of their pro-
gpram, and I am always happy to oblige.

During its 24 years of operation, as you may know, the Job Corps
center in El Paso has been honored with the highest commenda-
tions. I will not go through all of them; I have submitted my state-
ment for the record. I wiU only tell you that I happen to know that
Mary Young was especially proud of the 1990 Secretary of Labor,
Elizabeth Dole's, recognition of the center for having maintained a
number one ranking for 12 consecutive years.

Mary will present to you her viewpoint on how we think other
Job Corps can learn from our experience. I represent the fifth-poor-
est district in the United States, so it is not as though I come to
you with the understanding that this is a model with no problems.
We certainly do have young people with great difficulties, and
many minorities attend our Job Corps center.

I will just tell you that it is also my view that it would be impru-
dent for anyone to try to paint a picture of the Job Corps system
itself in a negative light, because all centers certainly do not fall
into any one mold.

Ms. Yoimg has been associated with the El Paso center since
1970 and has been the center director since 1990. Really and truly,
her continuing legacy to El Paso and our Nation is truly wonderful
for us to see, because she has been extremely successful in creating
a number of graduates from our center and their placement in jobs,
which has made a true difference in my town.

Thank you. Senator, for permitting me to introduce her.

The Chairman. Thank you very much. Congressman Coleman.
We appreciate your coming over.

The Chairman. May I now introduce the rest of the panel.
Jamison Grorby is a student at the Red Rock Job Corps Center in
Lopez, PA. Curtis Gadsden is director of worldwide marketing for
High-End Storage Devices with IBM Corporation.

f would like to ask if it would be all right if Mr. Gadsden could
go first with his testimony. He has a 2 o'clock flight to catch, which
is going to push it a little close.

Does anybody else have a transportation problem?

Ms. Young. No.

Mr. GoRBY. No.

The Chairman. Well, thank you. Mr. Gadsden, would you please
proceed? I would just like to say that Senator Jeffords is going to
be taking over for me in a few moments. I have to be away from
the committee for a time.

154

Thank you very much, all of you, for being here.
Mr. Gadsden?

STATEMENTS OF CURTIS GADSDEN, DIRECTOR OF WORLD-
WIDE MARKETING FOR HIGH-END STORAGE DEVICES, IBM
CORP., MAHWAH, NJ; MARY S. YOUNG, DIRECTOR, CARRASCO
JOB CORPS CENTER, EL PASO, TX; AND JAMISON GORBY,
RED ROCK JOB CORPS CENTER, LOPEZ, PA

Mr. Gadsden. Madam Chairman, thank you very much, Senator
Kennedy and the other Senators, and also thanks to the panel for
allowing me to go first. I will probably miss the flight, but I will
give it my best snot.

My name is Curtis Gadsden. I am 47 years old. My wife and
stepson and myself reside in Mahwah, NJ. I am currently, as
Madam Chairman said, director for IBM of Worldwide Storage
Marketing.

I graduated from Job Corps in December 1967. I was a very
young lad, who had left rural America, in search of bettering my
life. My brother and sisters £md I attended segregated school in
South Carolina. I left after ^aduating from high school and started
working in a laundry in Union City, NJ. Then I read about the Job
Corps center.

I enrolled in 1967. There was a screening process which, in my
opinion, was a very good process. From tnere, they sent me to
Clearfield, UT, where I studied accounting.

I would like to point out one of the benefits of community in-
volvement. I heard Madam Chairman ask someone on the first
panel should there be community involvement. In my personal
opinion, I think that it is very beneficial, because having left Jersey
City, going to Clearfield, UT, some 3,000 miles away from home,
not knowing anyone, not knowing that environment, and never
having been on an airplane — that was in 1967, the first time ever —
not knowing the western part of the country, what they did at that
center was they invited in people from the community, who met
with us and embraced us. We established trust and confidence, and
we established rapport with the residents in Clearfield, UT. From
time to time, they would invite us on weekends and for Thanks-
giving dinner.

So Dack to her question about should people in the community
be involved in these programs, my answer would be yes, as well as
the private sector.

We also toured Theikold Chemical Corp. which, in my opinion,
gave us some insight into things that one can excel to become later
on in life — engineering, science, etc. So I thought that that was
very, very helpful.

However, at the Clearfield center, I really wanted to get involved
in computers. They transferred me from the Clearfield center to the
New Bedford center in Massachusetts, where I studied computers.

And although it is not in my statement, I might add that during
that time, I recall a visit to the New Bedford center by Senator
Kennedy and staff" in 1967. And I have heard a lot of testimony
this morning that is very disturbing to me, but I can tell you that
at that center, there was a lot of pride. When we heard the Senator
was coming, we competed to see what dorm would be the best, be-

155

cause there were awards. We had on a weekly basis the "dorm of
the month," There were incentives at the centers to motivate and
inspire young Americans.

Also, there was a "student of the month" club, which I am
pleased to tell you that in 1967, in the month of July, I was named
student of the month.

So there were many incentives to motivate young Americans dur-
ing the 1967 time frame. I just wanted to share that with you.

Needless to say, I furthered my education, but Job Corps gave
me the foundation to build upon, and I am pleased to tell this com-
mittee today that this foundation that I have established, through
the help of the Federal Government, is as solid as the Twin Towers
in New York City. Nothing can shake my foundation, because I am
very comfortable with the time the Grovemment spent investing in
me, so that today, I can return thousands and thousands of tax dol-
lars to the Federal (government. And in addition to that, my church
record will show that I also donate a fair amount of money to my
church, to help feed the hungry in Newark, NJ, Every year, I do-
nate one paycheck out of my monthly salary to the United Way. So
I am a self-sufficient American, with a wife and one son, and
thanks to God, the Job Corps put me on that platform, and I never
have to look back; I always look ahead, to a better future in Amer-
ica.

Thank you very much.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Gadsden may be found in the ap-
pendix.]

Senator Jeffords [presiding]. Thank you, Curtis, and I will devi-
ate from the normal system of hearing n^om the entire panel before
questions; I know how long it takes to race to the airport so I want
to help you in that regard.

I will ask you, have you had occasion to visit other Job Corps
centers since your time there? Have you had the opportunity to do
that?

Mr. Gadsden. Yes, sir. I visited the one in Jersey City. I do not
know if it is still there. This one was located on Montgomery Ave-
nue in Jersey City. I visited that one in the mid-1970's.

Senator Jeffords. And do you still follow up with some of your
peers that you graduated with?

Mr. Gadsden. A couple of them, yes. One gentlemam was my
roommate, Ray Espayanas out of Carlsbad, NM. I have chatted
with him a few times, and I have also chatted with Theodore
Hoehne, out of Vineland, NJ.

Senator Jeffords. Are they also paying their share in terms of
taxes, the way you are?

Mr. Gadsden. Yes, sir.

Senator, if I may, can I just leave a couple of recommendations
with you?

Senator Jeffords. Of course. I want to give you that oppor-
tunity.

Mr. Gadsden. Thank you, sir.

I believe that this committee should seriously take a look at com-
munity and private involvement. I believe that that is the key. I
have heard testimony about how kids are reacting today, and that
is unfortunately the society in which you and I live today.

156

When I went to Clearfield, UT, white Americans embraced a
black American fi'om Jersey City, and that was asking a lot on
their part, and I really appreciated that. So I believe you really
need to take a look at corporate and community support.

The second point is I think you should revisit the screening proc-
ess. I heard about the kinds of students in the program. The pro-
gram itself is great, but I really think you should teke a look and
say these are the students we are looking for — students from poor
families, students who would like to excel, students who are look-
ing for a second chance in life. I really suggest you take a look at
that.

I am not an expert here; I can only tell you what we do in the
private sector to motivate people. Maybe we need to try to get the
contractors to place students so they will stay with the job; maybe
you would want to take a look at an incentives program. Senator
DeWine asked about an achievement bonus. Maybe you would
want to take a look at the $400 and consider giving them $200 at
placement and 9 or 12 months later down the road, give them an-
other $500 or $600 or $700. That is a motivational type of incentive
that will help the contractors as well as the employers to keep
these people employed.

Also, I think there were some things that worked extremely well
when I was there. Why not take a look at incenting these students?
Do a "student of the month," do a "dormitory of the month." We
have to change the way we do things today. We cannot stay the
course that we used yesterday, because we are in a different world
today.

Thank you.

Senator Jeffords. Thank you for very excellent testimony.

Senator DeWine?

Senator DeWine. I am going to vote for you getting to the air-
port, Mr. Gadsden.

Mr. Gadsden. I am fine. If I miss the flight, I can catch another
one. This is important.

Senator DeWeste. Well, I appreciate your testimony, and I think
your recommendations are very interesting, and your testimony
was very compelling. I appreciate it.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator Jeffords. Thank you very much, Curtis.

Senator Jeffords. Mary, would vou proceed, please?

Ms. Young. Distinguished members of the committee, my name
is Mary S. Young. I am the director of the David L. Carrasco Job
Corps Center in El Paso, TX.

The center in El Paso has been operated since its inception by
the Texas Educational Foundation, Incorporated, which is a non-
profit foundation formed to improve the lives of young people
through the operation of Job Corps centers.

The Texas Educational Foundation also has continuously oper-
ated the Gary Job Corps Center in San Marcos, TX since March 2,
1965. This 2,200-student center was the second Job Corps center
to be opened in the Nation.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to share information with
you about the Carrasco Center in El Paso which, as I tell new stu-

157

dents each week in orientation, is truly a place filled with oppor-
tunity for them to change and improve their lives.

Our center is named in honor of our founding director of 20
years, Davis L. Carrasco, who established the philosophy which
continues to serve as the basis for our program operation, and I
also believe as the basis for the success of our center and its grad-
uates. This philosophy is based on the firm belief that young people
with very bleak fiitures can be empowered to drastically change the
direction of their lives through a transformation which occurs as
they progress through the Job Corps education and training pro-
gram.

Our center has been recognized as the flagship of Job Corps for
many years. The Texas Educational Foundation's large center in
San Marcos also has been recognized throughout its nearly 30
years of operation as a center with consistently sound performance.

We have an inherent advantage at the Carrasco Center in that
all of our students are enrolled from the local community of El
Paso. This enables us to involve parents and guardians strongly in
the progress or lack of progress of their sons and daughters.

However, I believe that the most significant strength in our pro-
gram lies in the dedication and commitment of our staff. We enjoy
tremendous longevity in our staff group, a dedicated group of peo-
ple who have made the Job Corps their lives' work. Their goal, in
keeping with our basic philosophy, is one of quality and high per-
formance.

Our standards are high and are emulated to our students bv our
staff, who are firmly conscious that they must be role models for
those whose lives have been entrusted to us.

The dedication of our staff projects a positive and motivating
image to our students. We set high standards for ourselves and for
our students and expect these to be met by all individuals in both
groups.

Our approach is preventive, educational, and if need be, correc-
tive.

Another key concept in our philosophy and daily operations is
one of firm discipline. I have heard a lot of talk today about zero
tolerance for violence, and actually this is somewhat of a new term
to us. But our 25-year philosophy has always been an absolute in-
tolerance for violence of^one person against another.

At the same time, our commitment is to serve the individual
needs of each student at all costs until these needs bring or have
the potential to bring harm to another individual or to the student
and staff group as a whole.

Many of our students come to us with a history of gang affili-
ation. One of our innovative approaches in combating this influence
has been to develop an ongoing working relationship with the El
Paso police department. Officers come to the center on a regular
basis, counsel with students, have lunch with them in the cafeteria,
and develop individual relationships which help our students to
sever their past gang affiliations and move toward and new and
more productive way of life. The police officer becomes a real per-
son to know and respect, rather than someone to fear.

Another innovative aspect of our program is an extension of sup-
port to students once they have graduated and entered the work

158

world. Through the use of follow-up questionnaires to employers,
we obtain information about the success of our graduates in their
employment, or difficulties or problems that they are encountering.
When the latter is reported, instructors and counselors continue to
work with graduates in order to improve their job performance.

Our students and generations of their families before them have
been on welfare. However, they do not want to continue to remain
in this circumstance. A classic example of this fact is a graduate
of our center who works as a switchboard operator. When she re-
ceived her first paycheck, she presented it to me proudly and said,
"Mrs. Young, because of this check, I no longer have to take wel-
fare, and I am the first person in my family who has not had to
live on welfare." She continues at her same job, 15 years later. She
is not a Ph.D., although we have those, but she has supported her
children as a single parent, and they have not lived on welfare.

Although I have spoken about our uniqueness and a number of
our program innovations, I do not want it to appear that our center
is so different that it is not a part of the Job Corps program. We
are only an example of the very effective national Job Corps pro-
gram which has provided the guidance and direction, monitoring
and supervision, that has enabled us to develop innovative en-
hancements to the basic Job Corps program.

I strongly believe that it is imperative that the Job Corps remain
structured as a national program so that the program quality that
the David L. Carrasco Center has developed can continue to flour-
ish.

I am here to testify today to the fact that our students complete
the Job Corps program and go on to iobs, military service, and
higher education, and off the welfare rolls. I firmly believe that the
national Job Corps program is a viable one, a successful program
that should not be dismantled or reconfigured, nor should its fund-
ing be cut, for to do so would severely harm our most vulnerable,
and potentially our most valuable resource — our youth, who I know
can be developed into trained, skilled workers to advance our econ-
omy rather than be a burden on it.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to provide information
to you today as you seek to evaluate the effectiveness of the Job
Corps program.

Senator Jeffords. Thank you very much.

Senator Jeffords. Our next and last witness is Mr. Jamison
Grorby, who is a student in Lopez, PA. I am sure this is the first
time you have testified before a Senate committee. I remember my
first time before a Senate committee. I was an attorney general at
the time, and I was very nervous; I do not know about you.

First of all, let me ask you, where is Lopez?

Mr. GoRBY. It is about 30 miles northeast of Harrisburg. It is a
nice place. It is out in the country, kind of.

Senator Jeffords. Where is your home?

Mr. GrORBY. My home is Cochranton, which is just south of Erie,
PA.

Senator Jeffords. How far is that from Lopez?

Mr. GoRBY. Well, it is a 6-hour drive.

Senator Jeffords. That is some distance; so you are not in your
community.

159

Mr. CjORBY. No.

Senator Jeffords. Well, go ahead with your statement, and take
your time. Do not worry about the lights.

Mr. GoRBY. I am a student at Red Rock Job Corps. I have been
there for about 5 months. I will tell you a little bit about my back-
ground, where I am from and a couple of places I have been.

When I was 4, my parents got divorced. I grew up in Cochran ton,
and the year that I turned 12, my stepfather and my mother and
myself moved to California. Growing up in a small town out in the
country and then moving to a large city was pretty unique; it was
a lot to handle. I weinted to be back in Pennsylvania, and I decided,
after numerous arguments with both my mother and my stepdad,
that I was going to do my own thing.

I went out on the streets, and for approximately 2 years, I lived
on the streets in California, and I made my living out there on the
streets by "signing." What that is — I am sure you have seen people
standing on street corners, holding signs that say "Will work for
food or wages."

Among the places I stayed were old, condemned houses. At that
time, I was too young to hold a iob, so there was not a lot for me
to be able to do. I diaa lot of odd jobs like mowing lawns and stuff
like that, to keep myself alive.

From there, a gentleman picked me up 1 day, fed me, gave me
a place to stay and offered me a job witn him at his towing com-
pany. After about a year living with him, we got to be pretty good
friends, and he contacted my mother, and she came to me with a
plane ticket and told me I could either come back to live with her,
or go back to Pennsylvania and stay with my dad. So I went back
to Pennsylvania and moved in with my father.

We had our problems. Growing up, I never really got to know my
real dad, £ind so we had our problems adjusting to each other, and
things did not work out there. Sp I spent a lot of time in and out
of group homes and foster homes.

My dad gave custody of me to my uncle, who lives in Erie, and
I went up and stayed with him. In my time with him, I worked at
different jobs, like the country fair and stuff like that.

What I wanted from life at that time was to make something of
myself because I had been through a lot; I had been down at the
bottom. Some friends of mine knew about Job Corps and had
signed up for Job Corps, and I learned about the program from
them. I thought there was a golden opportunity to make up what
I had lost over the last several years.

So I went in and talked to my screener and signed up and went
into Job Corps, and I am proud to say that that has been a big
milestone in my life. It has been a great privilege to be able to be
there and put forth effort to better myself so that I can help my
community and other communities later in life.

While I was there, I got mv GED, and I was named academic
student of the month. Red Rock is more of a challenge. I get to deal
with new people. You learn how to live with different types of peo-
ple with different backgrounds, from different areas.

One thing about Job Corps that I can really appreciate is that
it is structured, but it is not so structured that you cannot be who
you are and achieve your goals.

160

Having been in and out of group homes, they are very, very
structured; you do not have your own freedom.

Red Rock has given me an opportunity to succeed. I have total
support from all the staff members there. They all make you feel
really good. Having support from the staff members makes me
want to push myself even more. I have been to enough places and
been through enough that I know it is time to settle down; it is
time to make something out of life.

I still keep in contact with all my family and all my friends.
When I presented my GED to my father, he got a little tear in his
eye, and he said, "See — we always knew you could do it. You just
had to put forth the effort."

I thank Grod and Job Corps that I did it, because without them,
I would never have had the chance.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Gorby may be found in the ap-
pendix.]

Senator Jeffords. Where are you now, Jamison, in your life's
plan? You are still at the school.

Mr. Gorby. Yes, I am still at the school.

Senator Jeffords. But you have your GED.

Mr. Gorby. I have my GED.

Senator Jeffords. And what are you doing now? Are you in skill
training?

Mr. Gorby. Yes; I am taking brick masonry as my skills train-
ing. I have got 11 more TARs to complete the shop and become a
graduate. I plan to take the advanced course in brick and leave
with my advanced degree.

Senator Jeffords. Let me ask both of you some questions. I
think one of the areas that Senator Kassebaum and I are inter-
ested in is community. In your case, you are not near your commu-
nity, and in some respects, because of your family life, it would ap-
pear that perhaps it was better to be away from the community
that you were then living in — or would you have rather been near
to where one of your parents was?

Mr. Gorby. Being where I am has helped because it has kept me
far enough away from my old friends and so on so I do not have
an urge to go back and do a lot of the things that I used to do,
but I am close enough that I can still stay in contact with every-
body back there. The community there, and the communities
around Red Rock, are very, very supportive.

I would have to say that I feel I owe the community a lot because
without them, we would not have the opportunity to go up there
and succeed and make something out of our lives.

Senator Jeffords. Mary, I am sort of halfway in a dilemma. I
know in our Job Corps, we were all community for a while in Ver-
mont, or at least in northern New England. Now, the assignment
method is first come, first served, so we are finding that our Ver-
monters are going down to urban centers, and young people from
urban environments are coming to Vermont, and that has created
some problems with the mixture of culture and style. So I am sort
of in the middle — I can understand Jamison's situation eind others,
where it is best to get out of an environment, perhaps.

161

So at least it seems to me that the individual ought to have a
choice rather than be assigned arbitrarily as they are now. I would
appreciate your comments on that.

Ms. Young. Well, the students do have a choice. When students
approach recruiting offices, they do have a choice to request a cen-
ter. Some students from El Paso do choose to go elsewhere. How-
ever, it is also a residential program, so that even in our setting
there are some students who will not choose to go on the weekends;
they will remain at the center all the time. But the support of the
family members, whatever that family structure is, the support of
it, unless there is none whatsoever, is beneficial to the success of
the program, I believe.

Senator Jeffords. How do you measure educational success? We
have a serious problem in this country, as you well know, to say
nothing of Job Corps. Statistics show that about one-third of our
young people who graduate from high school now are functionally
illiterate and that half who ^aduate do not have what we would
consider an acceptable education.

Are you required to, or have you yourselves established what
must be accomplished toward an education in order to be consid-
ered to have successfully graduated?

Ms. Young. Yes. The goal is to advance reading ability and math
gains by 2 years, and our length of stay is approximately 1 year,
so this is an auspicious goal to advance at least double tne enroll-
ment time, and it is measured by a nationally normed test, the test
of adult basic education.

Senator Jeffords. Now, is it a requirement to have that test?

Ms. Young. Yes. That is a national requirement to administer
that test.

Senator Jeffords. Senator DeWine?

Senator DeWdje. I have no questions. I appreciate the testimony
very much.

Senator Jeffords. Thank you both very much, and Jamison, we
wish you well and look forward to watching your career. I have a
lot of brick work that needs to be done at my house. [Laughter.]

I thank both witnesses, and I thank everyone out there m the
audience for coming. This is an extremely interesting and critical
and necessary subject of job training that we have been investigat-
ing, and Senator Kassebaum has done an extraordinarily excellent
job in bringing witnesses and being involved, and hopefully, we can
derive some policy changes here to better utilize the training re-
sources that we have.

As I brought out before, we have an incredible need for training,
and our resources are very, very limited. We only have enough
money to take care of about 10 percent of the imiverse right now
of those who need training, and each year we are graduating some
800,000 young people who are in need of training when they grad-
uate. If we were to adequately train all of them, it would cost us
about $8 billion a year, and these people are out there, looking for
further training. So this is a very, very serious problem that Sen-
ator Kassebaum and I are looking at to see how we can better uti-
lize those resources that we have and at the same time, how we
can improve our basic education so that the need for remedial
training, which is costing our businesses billions of dollars a year,

162

can be eradicated and made unnecessary so that we can be com-
petitive in a very competitive world, and so that all of us can have
a higher standard of living and live better lives. And all of that,
we have got to do with less resources. But hopefully, we will be
able to find the resources by reordering our priorities.
[The appendix follows.]

163

APPENDIX

Prepared Statement of John Deering

Chairman Kassebaum, Senator Kennedy, members of the Committee. My name
is John P. Deering. Tm from Wisconsin and I'm employed as a Job Corps Admis-
sions Counselor for Region Five, which covers eleven job corps centers in six states.

As an admissions counselor for Job Corps, I strongly oelieve in the positive
changes that take place in the voung people we serve: the Job Corps graduates that
return home and find meaningml employment.

But I also believe that Job Corps could be changed to increase graduation rates
and improve service. In my opinion, there are three inherent problems with the way
the program is currently managed.

First, the Job Corps Centers (JCC) are contracted agents of the Department of
Labor (DOL) and are paid per head for each individual on center and each student
that graduates. I believe this policy forces the Job Corps center operator into keep-
ing students who exhibit inappropriate behavior, i.e., those with criminal records,
drug dealers and gang members.

Several of the Job Corps campuses in the repon I represent do not even appear
safe for the young in and women that I recruit. I toured a lai^e center in November
and was told by several youth that they did not feel safe there. I was also told that
gang activity was rampant on that center, which included riots and incidents of
arson.

I have a hard time sending young men and women to centers that are unsafe or
have a history of gang activity or violence. I have had young people return home
prematurely because they did not feel safe. The stories of violence from these young
pwple are enough to scare any ADULT.

To allow rural youth from Wisconsin to travel to large, dangerous centers is to
invite failure for these young people and for Job Corps. It is very hard to overcome
the persuasion of a disgruntlea youth returning home and telling friends and family
that Job Corps is unsafe.

Second, the screening agencies are also contracted agents. This poses the same
problems as above. Admission counselors often recruit young people whose past be-
havior is inappropriate for the program, in order to keep their numbers up so they
do not lose their jobs.

Third, the DOL regional office has too much control over when and if students
arrive on center. All potential student files are screened throudi DOL which may
take weeks or months to determine eligibility. There is very little continuity be-
tween the screeners, DOL and the various job corps centers.

I believe the above problems could be easily overcome with only a few changes:

1. Make the Job Corps Center operator responsible for recruitment in their region/
state. This would make the screener accountable to the Job Corps center director
and help to prevent the admission of ineligible students. It would then be the re-
sponsibility of the individual Job Corps center to ensure that the students on center
were appropriate. This would offer clear responsibility for who is to blame when stu-
dents with inappropriate behavior are admitted to the center (as in Minnesota) and
create problems.

2. Allow the Job Corps Center to make the determination of eligibility of students
instead of the Department of Labor. This would speed the process and open commu-
nication between the center and the screener. Again, this makes the center operator
directly responsible for the safety of students.

3. Make the Department of Labor responsible for oversight of the functions de-
scribed above and for providing technical advice to screeners and job corps centers.

Thank you.

Prepared Statement of Robert Belfon

Chairman Kassebaum, Senator Kennedy, Members of the Committee:

I wish to thank you for inviting me to testify. My name is Robert Belfon, I am
a Pediatric Dental Specialist with practices in Piscataway and Plainfield, New Jer-
sey.

I W81S a contracted medical services provider at The Edison Job Corps facility from
the period of April 1991— June 1993, in Edison, New Jersey, which was adminis-
tered for the Department of Labor by ITT.

In early February 1991, I was contacted by the medical staff of Edison Job Corps
which requested that I see a few of the resident Corps members in my office for
the purpose of providing dental treatment. The arrangement suited us and I agreed.

164

Subsequently, Mrs. Jacqueline Tchir, the then Health Services Manager inquired
if I might be interested in joining them as a contracted dental services provider. She
went on to explain the philosophy of Job Corps, and how it serves underorivUeged
and possibly misdirected youths, many of them from the inner city, and many of
them from minority groups. She also explained the many training programs that
were set up for young people, and how for many of them, it was the first time out
of the ghetto ana a drug ridden environment.

Well, I must admit that I found the proposition challenging. As a 46 year old
black male, who was raised in a South West Bronx Housing Project, and a former

fang member, I know that I could have never survived my teenage years in the tur-
ulent drug-crazed sixties without the many guardian angels that helped shape me
to be what I am today. Indeed many, if not most of the young men who were my
contemporaries in that housing proiect, never made it to their twenty-fifth birthday,
let alone out of the ghetto. So, neeoless to say, I jumped at the chance to give some-
thing back, and mavbe make a difference in some kid's life. I guess I even saw my-
self as a role model, as I assumed the other staff members and administrators un-
doubtedly were.

Well, 1 certainly was wrong in my assumptions. I soon found that what we had
in Edison was the Edison Job Corps Center Ghetto Dumping Ground. By this state-
ment, I mean that these young people were taken from a negative environment of
many inner cities, the tri-state area, only to be placed in another negative environ-
ment in Edison, New Jersey, to be victims of another system that had no concern
for the human being but just the slot that he or she occupied. If all the slots were
filled, then all was right with the world and Job Corps. It was nothing more than
a numbers game.

The Center Director's mandate wtis to preserve the census, so that the govern-
ment checks kept coming in. To keep the census up, HTV tests were misdated, posi-
tive drug screening tests were ignored, medical problems not noted in charts, etc.
Many thmgs were done to keep tne residents in, to facilitate and keep the numbers
up. There were in fact several times that as per the Job Corps handbook I was obli-
gated to terminate certain residents for medical reasons, and/or noncompliance of
medical treatment. However, when I discussed this with the Medical Director and
noted it in the charts I was advised by the Center Director that her interpretations
of my instructions were different, and she refused to allow terminations to go
through. Afterward I discussed this matter with the Regional Director who advised
me that the Center Director should not have overridden my medical recommenda-
tions.

Some of the other measures that were taken to keep the residents happy and com-
pliant were to allow them to conduct their social activities (including sexual) any
place they saw fit, under our windows, in the bushes, behind buUdings, etc. In the
spring and summer the Medical Department had an unusual high Incidence of poi-
son ivy cases. To allow them not to go to class, and hang out in staircases, hallways,
and even in the infirmary. Those residents that were assigned to the Medical De-
partment to help out were allowed to sleep side-by-side in the beds next to the resi-
dents that were housed in the infirmary for various illnesses; this was standard pro-
cedure throughout the entire time that I was there. The Job Corps members were
the only losers. They were not being prepared for a job or lives outside the Center,
nor were they being tau^t basic skUls need to find, keep, and function in a job.

As a matter of fact, a common complaint among the residents was that many of
the job training programs that they were advised they could participate in before
they joined were either no longer offered or had never been offered.

Drug use and trafficking of the same were also "overlooked." It was common
knowledge around the Center that certain residents sold drugs in and out of Job
Corps. In one particular case, there was a resident who drove a thirty thousand dol-
lar customizea BMW, and would periodically be AWOL for weeks at a time, only
to return and reenter the program to continue his business deals, yet nothing was
ever done by the Center Director about it.

Violent behavior was allowed. The Dental Department reported incidents of nega-
tive and violent attitudes and behaviors, such as threats of a physical nature, etc.
These incident reports were never even acknowledged. It was common knowledge
among members of the staff that incident reports were not worth the ink they were
written with. Alot of these violent residents went on to injure other staff members
and/or residents.

This type of behavior was disruptive and detrimental to those reaidents who
wanted to make proper use of the programs and opportunities. Instead of establish-
ing deterrents for this negative benavior by enforcing the rules, they were allowed
to continually disrupt others and exhibit antisocial behavior, without any fear of
consequences.

165

These young people were falling victims to the same negativity that presumably
they had come to Job Corps to avoid or overeome.

I must tell you that as a taxpayer, I condemn this misuse and abuse of moneys,
and as a black man, I resented the For Profit Ghetto created by DOL and ITT, that
only benefited the people who were running the programs.

Tliroughout mv stewardship of the Dental Department, I wrote and forwarded
manv letters and other correspondence to both DOL and ITT in reference to these
incidents and irregularities, but they were all ignored.

I hope my input serves to clarify some of the issues and concerns in these matters.
I stand ready to assist you and your Committee with any help that you may need.

Once again, I thank you for this opportunity to appear before you and to allow
me to voice my concerns about this very serious issue.

Prepared Statement John C. McKay

Chairman Kassebaum, Senator Kennedy, members of the committee, my name is
John C. McKay. I am honored to be here today. I feel I may be able to assist in
helping Job Corps, a program I believe is worth saving.

I entered the Job Corps program in 1965, shortly after its inception, as a deputy
director and then a director of a civilian conservation center with the Bureau of In-
dian Affairs. I later served as a national training director with the Office of Eco-
nomic Affairs and as a project manager with the old Office of Economic Opportunity.
In 1971, I was assigned to the Dallas regional office of Job Corps as a project man-
ager where I served until my retirement last year.

In the interest of time, I will briefly state my opinion of problems in the Job
Corps. They are essentially the result oi a policy that seems intended to reward cen-
ter contractors, but places the welfare and achievement of students far down the
ladder of objectives. There is mismanagement in the program from Washington
down to the regional offices. Speaking as someone who has seen the program trom
the inside, I can honestly say that it is not worth the billion dollars that is being
spent on it.

Some examples:

VIOLENCE ON CENTERS

1. In August 1992, I reviewed a complaint from U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers re-
garding the Little Rock Job Corps Center. The complaint identified drug problems,
physical abuse of students, disciplinary problems, and students with weapons on
center. The complaints were substantiated with incident and monitoring reports.

2. As a member of the 1992 regional office review team of Guthrie (Oklahoma)
Center, it was reported to me that students had beaten two security staff members
so badly that they were hospitalized. The security director stated to me that he had
resigned his position because the center administration would take no action against
the students.

The review team leader and the regional director refused to include my reouest
to make this a part of the review report. It is, however, a matter of record of the
hospitalization.

3. A vocational staff member at the Quachita Civilian Conservation Center was
beaten by a student and was hospitalized. As a result, he was off work for a period
of three months. Here again, the center took no action to discipline the student. The
regional director refiised to include this act in the regional office annual review of
the center.

4. The district attorney of Chavez County, New Mexico, considered criminal
charges against the Roswell Center administration who failed to report a complaint
of rape of a seventeen-year-old student by a twenty-year-old student. The center had
allowed the twenty-year-old to terminate and leave the state.

5. Serious incident reports in the Dallas regional office clearly show that during
1992-1993, drug and gang-related incidents have increased discipline problems on
the centers. Concerned staff have stated to me that these problems were out of hand
and that if it were known that they had said this, they would lose their jobs.

PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM (PMS)

Job Corps's Performance Measurement System was established to measure the ef-
fectiveness of centers and the regional offices. While the intent was good, it simply
is not an effective system to accurately me«isure effectiveness.

1. On the many center reviews in which I have participated, I have never found
a center to accurately report all categories of Performance Measurement System.

166

2. Vocational instructors do not have a total understanding of the requirements
to certify students as a vocational completer. During reviews of centers and also
during monitoring trips, I would review the individual student's training and
achievement record. Instructors were not sure of the requirements for vocational
completer certification.

3. Reading and math gains could not be supported with test results, as the test
results were not maintained in accordance with Job Corps requirements.

4. Contractors have stated that not meeting Performance Measurement System
would cause them to lose their contracts, and center staff felt they would lose their
jobs if they did not go along with inaccurate reporting.

5. Recently, in a center directors' meeting, the regional director stated to the cen-
ter directors that all centers could be "me^um" or "high." He then said, "You know
what I mean." They knew.

JOB CORPS POUCY

Job Corps developed a policy and procedures handbook which caused many prob-
lems for tne basic Job Corps mission. The most serious problems I experienced in
reviewing and monitoring centers were:

1. A serious policy change in the input of students. The statute which governs the
eligibility of students for Job Corps precluded input of students with serious crimi-
nal or drug problems. In an effort to keep the centers full, the Job Corps administra-
tion changed this policy, and in effect, changed the Job Corps mission from basic
education and vocational training to one of remediation, which is in direct conflict
with the original Job Corps mission.

2. New programs, such as the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) program,
created conflicts with established discipline policies.

3. Center and Job Corps administration frequently ignores policy.

PROGRAM MISMANAGEMENT

I have witnessed the following problems of mismanagement, ethics and possible
illegal activities in my tenure with Job Corps over the past decade and more. I
would be pleased to provide the committee with further information regarding many
of these problems.

1. High level Job Corps ofllcials have had improper relations/interactions with
contractors, including providing confidential information regarding bids on Job
Corps centers to incumbent or favored contractors. This is identified in the Federal
Acquisitions Regulations as an illegal act.

2. There has been collusion by contractors when bidding on center contracts. It
involves the practice of not bidding against each other.

3. Awarding Job Corps support contracts in excess of $2,500 without competitive
bids. This is also a violation of F-A.R. (Federal Acquisition Regulations).

4. Contracts awarded to retiring, high level Job Corps officials upon their retire-
ment by Job Corps national office to secure their silence and loyalty regarding their
knowledge of illegal or improper activities by the National Office.

5. The use of contractors to pay federal vouchers in an attempt to circumvent fed-
eral procurement regulations.

6. Musical chairs used in awarding Job Corps center contreicts, especially when
both contractors have had serious operational problems resulting in the loss of other
center contracts.

7. High cost settlements made to protect corporate and possible high level federal
staff, paid for with appropriated fiinds, and then sealed to protect the facts of the
complaints.

8. The lack of any oversight by congressional committees during the past ten
years.

9. Job Corps policy is selectively enforced.

I would like to offer the committee some recommendations for improving this pro-
gram, but in the interest of time, I will end my testimor here and ask that tney
be submitted for the record. I would be happy to respond to any questions the sen-
ators might have about any of the information I have mentioned.

Thank you.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Prior to funding the Job Corps program for year 1996, audit the general and
administrative expenses of at least five contractors.

2. Abolish the existing thirty-year-old procedure of awarding contracts.

167

3. Consider federally-funded Job Corps Centers by states which would provide for
local oversight, similar to local school boards. Provide training for local input and
the opportunity for students to make weekend home visits.

4. Ke-establish a mandatory discipline program to protect youth who want and
need this program.

Prepared Statement of Curtis Gadsden

My name is Curtis Gadsden. I am a 47-year-old married man with one step son.
I live in Mahwah, New Jersey. I just completed my 27th year with IBM. I am cur-
rently Director of Worldwide Marketing for High End Storage Devices. In 1967, I
was a 17-year-old black youth and I was trapped in a world of little opportunity.
In 1968, I graduated from Job Corps. Job corps gave me not only job training and
a basic education, but the motivation and courage to make more of my Ufe.

I was just 18 years old in 1968 when I reaa about Job Corps in the newspaper
and decided to enroll. I grew up in Stestephen, S.C., then a rural area with virtually
no job prospects for young high school graduates. My father, a farmer and elec-
trician, did the best he could to support our family. My seven brothers and sisters
and I attended segregated schools.

We studied by tne light of kerosene lamps until the family could afford electricity
in the mid 19608. My mother measured every meal prior to cooking it. There were
never seconds. We didn't get indoor plumbing until my senior year in high school.

So you see I simply coiild not ask my parents for money to go to college or job
training. My own lack of skills and racial discrimination completely obstructed my
future.

After graduating from high school, I traveled to Jersey City, N J. in search of op-

f)ortunity. I lived with my older sister and worked at a minimum wage job in a
aundry. That's when I decided to enroll in Job Corps.

Within a few months, I traveled to the Clearfield Job Corps Center in Utah. I saw
immediately that Job Corps was a place that would help me understand the dif-
ferent nationalities of Americans. We all lived together on the center. I had a room-
mate from New Mexico, and I learned so much about his cultural background. In
a way. Job Corps brought the whole country together.

At the Clearfield center, I trained in bookkeeping and accounting and I developed
an interest in computers that would last a lifetime. I accepted the rules and the dis-
cipline of center life because I was grateful to enhance my lifestyle. We were all se-
verely poor and we lacked education.

Then I switched to the Rodman center in Massachusetts to train in basic machine
operations and wiring. At the time, the center was operated by IBM and offered the
most up-to-date technological training.

I will always remember that Job Corps tauj^t me a foundation of skills I could
use in the maricetplace. Job Corps staff helped increase my self-confidence by telling
me I could succeea.

Not long after graduating from Job Corps, I started working for IBM pushing a
mail cart in the stock room. But I new I wouldn't be there for long. Because Job
Corps had given me a vision that Fd be doing more. Sure enough, IBM management
saw my potential and promoted me to a computer operator trainee. Then I became
a senior computer operator, a systems engineer, and finally a marketing manager.
I earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Rutgers University — all this
because I have never lost the desire to succeed that Job Corps gave me.

We need Job Corps to breathe new life into our young people. At this point, we
have a choice — we can either make America a prison or a globally competitive na-
tion. If we invest in Job Corps, we're making the right choice.

When I think about Job Corps, I see it as a federal investment in myself — one
that Fve been returning for nearly a lifetime. I am living proof that Job Corps
works. I'm doing very well. I'm self-sufficient. I certainly pay a lot of taxes, and I'm
a very hard-working American. I give thousands of dollars each year to various
charities and to my church. I can afford it today because this country invested in
me through Job Corps. I give it back every day.

I hope that more young people who were like me find their way through Job
Corps. I don't know where else will they go. There are more Americans out there
who benefited from Job Corps than you can imagine. They might not talk about it,
but they are working, supporting their families and living their lives free from pov-
erty.

Let me close by saying to this committee: Thanks to God for giving us Job Corps
because it helped me and it's still helping kids who need it. Investing in Job Corps
will reap the benefits tomorrow.

168

Management & Training Corp.,

Ogden, Utah 84409,

January 19. 1995.

Hon. Nancy L. Kassebaum,
U.S. Senate.
Washington. DC 20510.

Dear Senator Kassebaum: I am submitting this letter for the record of the Labor
Committee's oversite hearing on Job Corps. Management & Training Corp. is the
laiTgest operator of Job Corps centers and also the operator of the Flint Hills Job
Corps Center. MTC appreciates your effort to make these hearings a success, and
welcomes the positive dianges which they are already bringing about.

Since this round of hearings began some months ago, we have seen a clarification
of expectations for center operators; a rethinking of which students are most appro-
priate for Job Corps; and improved partnerships between the Department of Labor,
center operators, and recruitment and placement contractors. We view the changes
outlined in the Assistant Secretary's testimony as being beneficial to the program.

On the whole, the hearings presented an accurate picture of Job Corps, its suc-
cesses and its weaknesses. We felt some of the testimony was not accurate and did
not present a fair picture. The circumstances under which some of the witnesses
(students and stafi) left the program were not explained and may have provided the
committee with some insist regarding motive. However, I believe most of what all
the witnesses said contained some truth.

We are very interested in seeing improvements being made to the Job Corps pro-
gram and can ofTer some suggestions ourselves. It was unfortunate that the commit-
tee was left with the conclusion that the simple answer to improving center per-
formance was to get tough with the center operators. Turning over center operators
is necessary in some cases. However, it is not a panacea and there are plenty of
examples in which changing contractors did not improve the performance of a low-
performing center.

The success of a Job Corps center depends on open and honest partnerships be-
tween all the players working for the benefit of the students: Congress, the center
operator, the national office of Job Corps, the regional office of Job Corps, the orga-
nization with the recruitment contract, the organization with the placement con-
tract, the contractors or unions with the contract to operate the vocations on center,
and the organization with the architectural services contract. Businesses have found
great success implementing concepts of Total Quality Management which stress
teamwork and partnerships. Strict accountability, high standards, and consequences
for poor performance are also part of TQM, but strict accountability alone wUl not
provide the foundation that can dramatically improve the process and the outcomes.

We welcome your eflbrts to open this dialogue to mutually explore methods for
substantial improvements in performance as well as greater efficiencies, and we
want to be part of the debate.

Finally, I propose that you consider appointing a blue ribbon commission, outside
the Department of Labor, to look into ways to strengthen the program. A former
Secretary of Labor could chair the commission and a representative group of experts
from within the Job Corps system and from without could explore new approaches.
I know that if you open the door, you will find that there are all sorts of meaningful
suggestions that people are eager to make.

I believe Bob Stokes' approach to covert investigations, in which disgruntled
former employees and students are heavily relied on, will not lead to solutions as
good as those that would result from an open dialogue in which all are represented.

You are already having a favorable impact on the program. You have the oppor-
tunity to make a historic improvement in Job Corps. We want to help.
Sincerely,

Scott Marquardt,

President.

169

Ogden City Police Deft,,

Ogden, Utah 84401,

January 20, 1995.
Hon. Nancy Kassebaum,
U.S. Senate.
Washington, DC 20510.

Dear Senator Kassebaum: Northern Utah is fortunate to be the home of
Clearfield Job Corps. Over the past two decades, I have had the opportunity to wit-
ness the positive impact of this job training progn-am. Students come away irom the
program with not only vocational skiUs but with the social skills necessary to be-
come productive members of society.

Whfle serving as a member of the community relations council for Clearfield Job
Corps, I have been impressed with the quality of their training programs, social
skills workshops and leadership opportunities. They train and provide job placement
for a high percentage of the youth who enter the program.

As federal job training programs are scrutinized, I would like to ask your support
of Job Corps. I have witnessed firsthand the contribution Job Corps makes to North-
em Utfih.

Sincerely,

Michael D. Empey,

Chief of Police.
cc:

Senator Bennett

Senator Hatch

Layton City Police Dept.,

Layton, Utah 84041,

January 18, 1995.
Hon. Robert F. Bennett,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC 20510.

Dear Senator Robert F. Bennett: Weber and Davis Counties have become in-
creasingly grateful for the Clearfield Job Corps Center and all it does for our young
people.

Seventy-seven percent of the students who left Clearfield Job Corps Center last
year became employed within six months aft«r leaving the program. They now can
care for their families, pay taxes and contribute to our community both profes-
sionally and socially. I attend community relations council meetings at the
Clearfield Job Corps Center, and I am continually impressed with the quality of Job
Corps' curricula, training programs, social skills workshops, and leadership opportu-
nities for students. There is no doubt that Job Corps is helping youth obtam employ-
ment and become viable members of our community.

As you and your colleagues scrutinize federal job training programs, I know you
will find that Job Corps, with fiscal integrity, trains and places a high percentage
of youth. In fact, why not enhance and expand Job Corps through the Job Corps
50-50 Plan, a plan to enrich existing centers and gradually build 50 new centers
by the end of the decade? Since 95 percent of the plan supports existing centers,
we can be assured of continued quality services for youth. With the remainmg 5 per-
cent, we can build new centers to help thousands more people become productive
citizens.

Senator Bennett, Job Corps deserves your support. Weber and Davis Counties
have seen time and time agam how it gives back to all of us.
Sincerely,

Doyle E. Talbot,

Chief of Police.

Prepared Statement of Suzanne Smtth

I was in attendance at the hearings on January 18 and 19 when testimony was
given by individuals concerning their exp>eriences with the Job Corps program. In
some cases, their recommendations for corrective action were sought.

Accompanying me at the hearings was the Executive Director of the Appalachian
Council, Anthony Stellar, who has been involved with Job Corps since 1967. I have
worked with Job Corps contracts for Appalachian Council since 1978.

170

Appalachian Council has operated Job Corps contracts for recruitment and place-
ment since 1967. The operations have included states in seven of the ten regions
of the Department of Labor. The Council also operates a national contract for ad-
vanced placement for Job Corps students, the Industry Work Experience Program
(IWEP), and the vocational tredning components of the Job Corps centers at Pitts-
burgh and at Batesville, Mississippi.

Qur collective experience has allowed a comprehensive perspective of the various
components and functions of the Job Corps program. We have seen its successes,
experienced first hand its growth, dealt with the youth who confirm its essential ra-
tionale, and finally, we have watched with dismay as the quality of the program has
been diminished by the statistical game-playing and cutthroat contracting methods
which have taken place over the last eight or ten years.

Many of the things brought out in the hearings we know to be true, and we have
railed against to no avail.

AFL-CIO Appaladiian Council began recruiting for Job Corps in 1967 at the re-

2uest of GEO to recruit and screen rural youth in Appalachia for training in Job
!orps. The premise behind the policy of the residential requirement for most of Job
Corps is a valid one for the most part. Many youth need to leave an impoverished
or aangerous environment to break out of a destructive mode of behavior. Recruit-
ment agencies serve a valuable purpose in reaching populations not in proximity to
a Job Corps center in screening youth, not for just a particular center, but in focus-
ing on the needs of the individual youth for the type of training desired and the
location preference relative to particular circumstances.

Unlike some of the participants giving testimony, we believe there is definite ben-
efit in keeping the functions of recruitment agencies and centers separate, thou^
they are, and should be, distinct compwnents oi a team which should have a common
goal — to train at-risk youth so that they may become fiill participants in a produc-
tive, fulfilling life which contributes to society in a meaningful way. Unfortunately,
the Performance Measurement Standards in place for Job Corps contractors work
against this team concept, and place centers and recruitment agencies at odds for
survival.

Outreach, Screening, and Placement contracts are fixed unit price, indefinite qual-
ity contracts. They are competitively bid and are awarded for one year plus two op-
tion years. The contractor gets paid per arrival for recruitment and per placement
for placement contracts. Some regions contract for recruitment and placement in one
operation. Others have separate contractors conducting recruitment and placement
operations in the contract area.

Center contracts are cost plus fixed fee tjrpe. They are let for two years plus three
option years. They are also competitively bid, except, of course, for the conservation
centers which are operated by the government.

Centers face the problems of meeting the statistical standards set by the National
Office, regarding On Board Strength (OBS), Weekly Termination Rate (WTR), and
other stats indicating educational accomplishments of students, etc. Youth who ar-
rive on center and stay one day or ten days (as did Rhonda Wheeler who testified)
are a liability to the statistical performance of the center. It is customary for the
center then to blame the recruiting agency for screening "bad" kids.

Screening agencies must abide by the regulations set down in the Policy Require-
ments Handbook for determining eligibility. Youth who have health or behavior-re-
lated problems (mental/emotional or court jurisdiction) must have applications re-
viewed by the Department of Labor Regional Office. All relevant information from
professionals dealing with the youth's case are gathered by the screening agent and
submitted with the application to the Department of Labor. "Clean" applicants are
those who meet eligibility criteria and are without other mitigating circumstances
in the background. Much in the recruitment process is dependent upon qualified
staff who are capable of exercising good judgment. Even when those characteristics
are present some youth will get into the program who perhaps should not be there.
Yet, the essence of the program is to deal with youth at-risk, those who come out
of environments where tnev have already experienced failure and where the systems
have failed them. None of these young people who apply for Job Corps appear sis
candidates for Princeton. Though many are talented and intelligent, their cir-
cumstances have certainly not fostered or rewarded efforts for pursuing excellence.

Thus, even when all ehgibility criteria are met, many youth who go into the pro-
-am need much in the area of guidanoe,counseling, supervision, psychological help,
in addition to training and education. Are the Job Corps centers equipped to supply
what this disadvantaged group needs? Are the salaries being ofTered staff suflicient
to attract the highly qualified people necessary to work with this target group? Are
the Performance Measurement Standards forcing contractors to address numbers
over the needs of the "customer" — the disadvantaged youth?

171

Screening agencies are being pressured to screen for "suitability" in addition to
eligibility. Is the youth dressea as though he were part of a gang? Is he/she commit-
ted to remaining in program? Screening contracts now are penalizing the fixed price
contractor by deducting a percentage oi the unit price from the payment for a youth
who does not remain on center for at least 30 days.

Obviously youth who admit to or even flaunt gang membership are not "suitable."
But those who wish to hide it, can. Should the screener then deem the young person
ineligible based on the manner of dressing or any other appearance? Some youth
who seem enthusiastic and committed drop out after a weeK. Others who appear
to be lukewarm about the program stay for a year and learn welding or carpentry.

The Job Corps mission should be restated. Thai mission should determine policy,
and policy should be the basis for procedures.

Numbers-driven performance measurement misses the boat when assessing cjual-
ity. While Regional Directors are screaming for quality and suitability in recruited
youth, they are awarding contracts to recruitment agencies who win contracts with
a low bid, and then pay screeners "incentive" commission based on numbers of ar-
rivals. Again, numbers get in the way of quality.

Procurement methods for contracting for Job Corps are a travesty, and in no way
do they reflect the philosophy stated by Secretary Reich in his efforts to "reinvent"
the Department of Labor. Fixed price contractors must bid on Job Corps services
for which numbers to be recruited are inflated to assure the Region of the youth
needed to fill the centers. Yet, the guarantee is for only 80% of the number in the
solicitation, and the maximum provision is up to 200% of the number requested. To
bid realistically and competitively while staying solvent is virtually impossible.

Appalachian Council pays competitive salaries and fiill benefits ana so has mini-
mal turnover in employees. Staff tenure averages over 12 years, some have 20 years
experience in dealing with Job Corps youth. The Council, while performingat near
100% of goal, has lost four contracts this year which we held for 28 years. The win-
ner underbid considerably, pays on commission basis, and offers minimal benefits
to employees. Their current performance in two of the contract areas is much below
quota.

Such contracting practice is a small example of evaluation procedures which,
under the guise oi cost saving have instead cost the government lOO's of thousand
of dollars, and have cost the real customer, the youth, the benefit of a quality man-
aged program where outcomes are valued over output.

The mission of Job Corps is noble and essential. It is a dual one, in our view.
There should be specialized centers to deal with the court referred youth, and to
address the different needs of the under 18-year-old.

Training matched placement is not as relevant a measure of success as is the fact
that the youth is now employable when he/she might have been in jail or worse.
Many young people are saved because of Job Corps. I have personally spoken with
a number oi young people whose lives were changed dramatically.

Job Corps is expensive but less so than the cost of not addressing the issues that
are its intrinsic mission. The Demming-style of quality management which is the
basis for some of the reinvention policies of government tells us to go for quabty
not quotas, and the bottom line will show a plus. If Job Corps dollars are spent
wisely, the program could save the government money and save the society the bur-
den of dealing with the residual of damaged lives.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead

Nation,
Pablo, Montana 59855,

January 20, 1995.
Hon. Nancy Landon Kassebaum,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC 20510.

Dear Senator Kassebaum: The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes re-
spectfully submit this letter for the Congressional Record as an expression of our
support for Job Corps Programs. Since 1968, the Tribes have successfully operated
the Kicking Horse Job Corps Center on the Flathead Indian Reservation. In 1972,
we converted the Kicking Horse campus into an All-Indian Campus actively recruit-
ing Indian students from throughout the United States. It is our position with 27
years of experience, that Job Corps is a proven viable alternative for addressing the
needs of disadvantaged youth.

Nationally, Indian Reservations have the highest rates of poverty, unemployment,
infant mortality, substance abuse, suicide and dropout rates to name a few of the

172

problems. As a result, Indian vouth endure intensified social degradation while at-
tempting to assimilate into a dominant culture without any means of support. With
limited resources, Tribal governments cannot fully address the socioeconomic needs
of their reservations however, Job Corps Programs aid Indian communities in ad-
dressing these problems. Since its inception, the Kicking Horse Job Corps Center
has provided a safe environment for our students to excel academically and to ac-
quire a competitive edge to compete in todays job market. We specifically provide
quality services to the student population which contributes to raising the standard
of living on most Indian Reservations by producing a better educated and trained
workforce.

The Department of Labor reports that Kicking Horse excels in placements, aca-
demic standards with an above average GED attainment rate and the completion
rate of the Vocational Program is consistently high. Most of our students could not
have realized these successes without the residential campus and the support serv-
ices we offer. Additionally, the Center has recently eamea the distinction of receiv-
ing an Exemplary Status Certificate from the Montana State and Advisory Commit-
tee for the Northwest Association of Schools Colleges and the Northwest Accredita-
tion Team. This certificate demonstrates that we have gone "above and beyond the
standards of accreditation" by instituting new and exemplary programs.

Senator Kassebaum, we appreciate your efforts in conducting oversight hearings
on the Job Corps Program. Please keep in mind that the Kicking Job Corps Program
is truly a unique experience that provides employment opportunities and life skills
for at risk youth. We urge you to review all oi the evidence such as the IG audits,
GAO reports and performance statistics to determine the true cost-effectiveness of
educating disadvantaged youth in America.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes firmly believe that the advancement
of American society dejjends on Job Corps programs which provide essential services
to disadvantaged youth. Job Corps brings hope, opportunity and empowerment to
the millions of young people who are looking for a cnance to prove themselves. Ev-
eryone benefits when at-risk youth are removed from unemployment and welfare
rolls, kept off the streets and diverted from the lives of crime and violence. It be-
hooves us all to support the 50/50 Plan for the continued expansion of Job Corps
programs. Senator Kassebaum, Kicking Horse Job Corps students are living proof
that Job Corps works.

We appreciate the opportunity to share our enthusiasm for the continued success
of Job Corps and look lorward to working with you on expanding programs for at-
risk youth.

Sincerely,

Michael T. (Mickey) Pablo.
Chairman of the Tribal Council.
c: Chrcno

The Honorable Pat Williams.

The Honorable Max Baucus.

The Honorable Conrad Bums.

Crisco Stahl,
RONAN, MT 59864,

January 7, 1995.

Hon. Max Baucus,

U.S. Senate,

Washington, DC 20510.

Dear Senator Baucus: Please include this letter as testimony in the Job Corps
hearing next week. As a Business Instructor at Kicking Horse Job Corps in Ronan,
Montana, I believe that the educational, vocational, 'and residential living programs
can benefit young disadvantaged youth all over the United States. I have observed
students that have taken advantage of this opportunity to develop self-esteem and
improve their educational backgrounds during the six years I have been teaching.

The video tapes of the CBS report appeared to be media sensationalism to me.
The rebuttal by Director Boswell explams the behavior problems of the particular
students taped. More importantly, if employees were doing the secret video taping;
these employees set poor examples of what they were hired to do. In the Job Corps
program, it is mandated that in appropriate behavior be addressed by all employees
in order to provide a safe, secure environment for the students at any Job Corps
Center. Concern should have been given to the behavior of the employees not con-
fronting any inappropriate behavior they saw while observing students.

173

As far as the examples used in the tape, these negative scenes could be construed
on any private or public school ground. We do not shut down schools when inappro-

{)riate behavior is observed, the students are addressed regarding the behavior prob-
em. It may be true that some students manage to enroll in Job Corps under false
information provided during the application process. Certainly, it is difficult to docu-
ment all activities of students particularly wnen they come from other states. Direc-
tor Boswell has done a good job of reporting that some of these students were not
contributing to a positive living environment and do not belong in the Job Corps
program.

Job Corps enrolls students who do not succeed in the public sector. Job Corps has
provided education programs to address social behavior as well as educational train-
ing, G.E.D.'s, and vocational training for industrial jobs. Documentation can be pro-
vided regarding the success rates of employment or further educational training of
the students enrolled at Job corps. Of course, there are students who are not moti-
vated to succeed and do not provide a positive environment for others. Where in the
world is this not a true statement. It is easy to expound upon negative experiences,
but please allow the many successful Centers, employees, and students to inform
you about the positive results of the Job Corps program. I am proud to say that
I woric at such a place.

Please give Job Corps the opportunity to continue its motivational, positive pro-
gram for the young people who need to continue their education and training. Job
Corps is not a waste of taxpayer money and should be allowed to continue its work
with disadvantaged youth.

Respectfully submitted,

Crisco Stahl.

January 9, 1995.
Hon. Max Baucus,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Baucus: Please include this letter as testimony in the upcoming
Senate Hearings on the Job Corps Program.

The Job Corps program has a center in Ronan, Montana, near to my home. I have
personal knowledge of this center and how it is administered. Many friends of mine
are employed at the center and the public is often invited to the center for art exhib-
its, pow wows and business activities.

It is my understanding that Kicking Horse Job Corps Center has a zero tolerance
policy with regards to drugs and alcohol as well as violence. Students are sent to
review board and terminated from the program if they cannot comply with these
policies.

The staff, faculty and administration at Kicking Horse Job Corps are caring pro-
fessionals who do an excellent job educating and training disadvantaged youth who
enroll. Many students have woriced for busmesses in the surrounding communities
and have always exhibited good work habits and a good understanding of their
trade.

Please consider carefully the overall achievements of the Job Corps Program. It
is essential to have this program to train youth who have "fallen through the
cracks" yet desire to better themselves by succeeding in the work force of this great
country.

Sincerely,

Ayleen Bain.
Thomas P. Bain.

Mary L. Tevebaugh,

Pablo, MT 59855,

January 6. 1995.
Hon. Max Baucus,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC 20510.

Dear Senator Baucus: I am writing to ask that you have this letter included
as testimony in the Job Corps Hearing.

As an instructor for Sash Kootenai College I teach afternoon classes at the Kick-
ing Horse Job Corps Center. In this position I have had first hand experience at
seeing the benefits of the program.

174

I understand that the video tapes on the CBS report on the McKinney Job Corps
Center will be part of the evidence used at the hearing. I would like to request that
careful consideration to the rebuttal by Director Boswell be carefully considered.

Even if the newscast were not misleading, I would like the committee to consider
that it is highly probable that similar evidence could be found at any high school
with the same number of students. We do not consider closing the doors on a public
school if there are drugs, teacher molesting children or inappropriate behavior. We
take steps to correct the problems.

The Job Corps success rate is based on students that the public schools have
failed to educate.

Before closing the doors on the Job Corps I would Uke the committee to consider
giving true test. Perhaps do an unbiased study comparing an equal number of stu-
dents in the public schools and in Job Corps over a set period of time. Including
beginning and ending pictures, documentation of behavior changes and employ-
ability.

I feel confident that if the committee could see the changes in students that I
have seen at Kicking Horse Job Corps they would not feel that it is a waste of tax
payers dollars.
Sincerely,

Maky L. Tevebaugh.

John McKay,
Irving, TX 75061,
January 26, 1995.

Hon. Nancy Landon Kassebaum,

U.S. Senate.

Washington. DC 20510.

Dear Senator Kassebaum: Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the
Job Corps hearings by your committee on January 19, 1995. I believed my com-
ments would assist in saving the Job Corps program. I left the hearing with serious
concerns which I wish to call to your attention.

After the hearings concluded, a Job Corps contractor stated to me, *Well, Pete
Rell stonewalled his way through another one." He then added, "It'll be business as
usual next week." I further felt that Doug Ross simply was not aware of the serious
problems that Job Corps was experiencing the past several years.

The statistics Rell refers to are, at best, inaccurate and possibly fraudulent. There
is a Job Corps National Office Review that reported to ReU that fraudulent records
were reported by a contractor. Maryetta Cunningham of the Dallas Regional Office
participated in this review and is willing to give sworn testimony to this statement.
Maryetta has since retired and lives in Denton, Texas.

During the hearing. Senator Kennedy offered a suggestion which referenced inves-
tigators from Serjeant Schriver's office as head of the Office of Economic Oppor-
tunity. Their mission was to investigate program problems and let him know of
these immediately. If your committee, along with Doug Ross's office, selected a high-
ly qualified. Job Corp-experienced, small group rf consultants which would inves-
tigate all aspects of Job Corps problems prior to further funding, you would have
creditable, updated information which your committee could use to make valuable
and informed decisions. I do not believe that the 13 million dollar review of 30 cen-
ters is a reliable vehicle for your committee.

I have another suggestion if further hearings are held. Review all contracts made
by the regional offices as well as by the National Office. Personnel actions taken
by Rell should be reviewed, i.e., the action in Region 6 when Rell bypassed Levell
Johnson, a black man with 28 years plus of successful Job Corps experience, for a
person of no federal service and questionable performance at the center level. Many
other personnel actions taken by Rell should be reviewed for Office of Personnel
Management compliance.

Senator Kassebaum, I wish to restate my support of the mission and the intent
of the original Job Corps program. I believe a new approach through a federal-state
administration, local oversight and input, and placement designed to meet the real
need of disadvantaged youth without serious drug and/or criminal backgrounds
should be supported with federal funds.
Sincerely,

John McKay.

175

U.S. Senate,

WASfflNGTON, DC 20510,

January 23, 1995.
Hon. Nancy Kassebaum,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC 20510.

Dear Nancy: I am writing to inform you of the successes of the Northlands Job
Corps Center in Vergennes, Vermont. I beUeve that you may find it useful when
reviewing testimony from the Labor Committee's Job Corps hearing of January 19,
1995.

The Northlands Job Corps Center has been a success in Vermont and is commit-
ted to providing Vermont's disadvantaged youths with the educational, vocational
and social skills necessary to contribute in the community. Last year, over 38 per-
cent of the students eligible for the GED program receive their GED before leaving
the program, and 82 percent of the students were placed in jobs or signed up for
additional educational programs. Of those students participating in the vocational
program, 70 percent found employment directly related to tne training they received
at the Job Cons Center.

The Northlands Job Corps Center has helped Vermont's disadvantaged youths.
Whether it is a safe haven from a troubled home or as a place where a child can
learn and gain self-confidence, the Northlands Job Corps Center enhances the lives
of its students.

I appreciate you keeping these thoughts in mind when reviewing the Job Corps'
value. Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions about the
Northlands Job Corps Center.
Sincerely,

Patrick Leahy,

U.S. Senator.

Prepared Statement of Larry King

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chairperson Kassenbaum. Senator Kenned\' and the
other distinguished members of this committee for the opportunity to tesufy before vou toda%. M\-
name is Larry King, Pm a 12-year employee of the USDA - Forest Service at the Pine Knot
Civilian Conservation Center, located in Pine Knot, Kentuclo,'. I also serve as the President of the
National Federation of Federal Employees, Forest Service Council that represents 1 8 Centers and
approximately 650 federal employees from across the nation.

First and foremost, I would like to state that the Job Corps program is a much needed program. Vt'e
serve kids whom everyone else has given up on. We provide opportuiuty to those who have no
opportunity-. We arc truly a program of last resort. I would also like to go on record in saying that
our Forest Service Chilian Conservation Centers are the best managed and most productive
Centers in the program.

However, for the past five years, 1 have lobbied for change in our program. 1 have raised concerns
regarding the way the program has been managed by the Dcpartmait of Labor. As protection from
the many attempts to cut the program in the past, the Department of Labor has developed elaborate
systems of statistics to justify the program's existence. While we felt sure that this was a necessary
evil at the time, this has become part of the problem with our program. Center Directors are
currently engaged m obtaining successful statistics at any cost, lliey are forced to do this; if not,
tliey risk tlic chance of their Center bcuig closed by D.O.L due to low statistics.

The single most disruptive factor is called A.L.O.S., or average length of slay. This single factor
weighs heavily on how a Center is ranked by D.O.L. More often than not Centers keep gmdents
who are disruptive, violent, and who are failing to progress, solely for the purpose of obtaining a
high A.L.O.S. statistic While A.L.O.S. tends to be the key standard in ratmg a Center, other
factors such as education, social adja<ament skills, and vocation are treated as side is.<<ues. We now
have a program which has been developed to produce nimibers, not to tram highly motivated young
men and women, who are socially well adjusted and competitive in today's work force. I It is our
feeling that A.L.O.S. was created primarily to justify the Contract Centers existence.")

In recent years, the program has come under attack due to numerous negative incidents that have
occurred on both Federal and Contract Centers, and the cost associated with the program. Most of
the Job Corps population is obtained from inner cities throughout the nation. The program accepts
those youth who are not fijnctiomng in our society for any one of a number of reasons. Therefore.

176

it is understandable thai the Centers are experiencing the some problems that have been oocumng
in our inner cities. The A.L.O.S. statistic is a detriment to controlling the violence. 'V^■hile most
students can be "turned around", it must be recognized tliat evcrv- yoiitli tiiat comes into the
program will not be siiccessfiil. Some students do not benefit from the program and conimue to
exhibit violent behavior. Because of the A.L.O.S. requirements, these students are oommonlv
retamed long after it has been determined they should be removed.

While our student population has become more aggressive and violent, the Job Corps program
itself still functions under a "60's" mentality. We function under what is conceived bv the rank and
file as the "poor baby" concept. Centers arc not allowed to enforce discipline or maintain a
productive atmosphere in which social development can occur. D.O.L. policy, in regard to
discipline, reflect standards under which the students do not have to be responsible for their actions.
Instead, centers operate under the concept that the student's background is justification for whatever
actions the student takes. In other words, our students are not responsible for their pxjor behavior,
society is.

Program .Administration Charge:

We currently have a D.O.L administration which highly favors the use of Contract Centers. It
should be noted that when Contract Ccnleis were established they were run by major corporations
to tram prospective employees. This is not the case today. Currently, anyone can establish a
Contract Center. A Contractor's pmnary objeaive is to make mone\'. not train students.
Contractor's provide the minimal training environment needs for students, with profit dictating
choices. In comparison. Federal Centers are set up to provide quality training, not to make a profit.
The cost differences between the two types of Centers is not that great The quality of irdining,
education, and social environments found at the two types of Centers, however, is strikingly'
different Federally operated Centers have, bv far. the best managed and most productive training
environments. The additional cost of the Federal Centers is offset by the value of the projects the
students produce dunng training. Specifically, students at Contract Centers are taught by building
"mock ups" or simulated construction projects. Federal Centers teach students skiLs by actual
construction of public facilities, such as Ranger Stations. Visitor Centers, and Job Corps Centers
themselves. Many communities around Federal Centers have benefited greatly from projects
completed by Job Corps students.

We believe that tlie current D.O.L. Job Corps administration must change before any real progress
can take place. In fact, we suggest a complete flush of the current D.O.L. Job Corps
adimnistration, from the Washington level through the Regional offices. If the current
administration and the philosophy is not changed, the program will never become a vehicle to
effectively serve those who need it most the students and taxpayers of the country.

This committee should know that this program is a good program — a needed program A
program that serves kids whom no one else wants to deal with. A program that changes many
potential dependents of the government into tay paying citizens We do make a difference in the
lives of these kids. The public does benefit fixim our program in many ways. However, we
recognize that we can and should improve. Recently, the Forest Service reorganized our national
and regional Job Corps structure to cut overhead costs and streamiinc the organization. We the
employees, and tlic N.F.F.E. Forest Service Council stand ready and willing to work with anyone,
at any time, to improve the program so that h will truly be the best m the Nation.

If eluninatmg Job Corps program in on the committee's mind today. 1 ask that you reconsider and
help us put one of the best programs m the Nauon back on track. Ihe kids need it and the
taxpayers deserve it Elimmating the program is not the cure, fixing it is. We need a program
based on accountability, not acoountmg.

Prepared Statement of Doug Ross

Chairman Kassebatim, Senator Kennedy and Members of the
Comni't'ttte , I an pleased to have the opportunity to testify before
you on Job Corps — a 30 year bipartisan initiative that is
Anttrica's oldest, largest, and most conprehensive residential
training and education program for unemployed and under-educated

177

youth- Designed for Amerioa's meet severely disadvantaged young
people, the program breaks the cycle of poverty and dopondence —
often multi-generational — by giving young men and women an
opportunity to take responsibility for turning their lives
around. It does so by providing a structured environment in
which these youth can learn the self-discipline as well as the
academic, vocational and social skills that are needed to become
productive members of our society.

Last year, Madam Chairman, you declared that it was time to
review the Job Corps and ensure that it was using federal
resources efficiently and effectively. Secretary Reich and I
agree with you. And I am delighted to be here today to review
the program's performance and discuss how we can make a good
program even better.

Job Corps has been a long-term bipartisan test of two
critical propositions:

• can a structured, disciplined residential environment that
focuses on individual responsibility and preparation for a

job empower large niimbers of young people from poverty

backgrounds to turn their lives around and become productive

citizens?

• Does privatization work as an effective way to implement a
comprehensive training program requiring carefully
coordinated delivery of services to a severely disadvantaged
group of young Americans?

Based on rigorous evidence as well as the stories of hundreds of
thousands of young Americans, we believe the answer to both
propositions is a resounding "yes".
Perfom"'"^'* 'Overview

In terms of its mission to provide opportunities for
severely disadvantaged young Americans to take responsibility for
their lives. Job Corps works. At any one time, the Corps serves
over 40,000 young men and women, ages 16-24, all of whom are
economically disadvantaged. Minority group members represent 70%
of Job Corps students; 80% are high school dropouts; over 40%
come from families on public assistance; and more than 7 0% have

178

never held a full-time job. Most come from neighborhoods plagued
by high rates of unemployment, crime, welfare, illiteracy,
illegitimacy and drug abuse.

Since 1966, Job Corps has served approximately 1.7 million
young Americans. Over this period of time. Job corp-^data^
indicates that 1.1 million or 65% have found a job or gone on to
further education after their Job Corps experience. Last year,
in PY 1993, 70% of all students leaving Job Corps were
eucceesfully placed, and data for the first half of PY 1994
suggests an even higher placement rate this year. We are proud
of this record of success. But we taow that Job Corps can and
must continue to improve if it is to earn the maximum rerurn for
the American taxpayer. Indeed we believe that Job Corps will
benefit from significant reform that I will spell out later in
this testimony.

It has been the policy of Job Corps to enroll the most
disadvantaged young people — to deliberately take on the hard
cases. These young women and men receive a wide variety of
opportunities from the chance to attain a high school education
to access to job skills in demand and a job. But the most
important element of the students' experience is the Job Corps
expectation that they can succeed and the demand that they
exercise the discipline that will lead to success in life.

Fortunately, Job Corps has been extensively assessed. As a
result, we have a clear understanding of the program's strengths
and weaJaiesses, as well as its impact on participants and the
benefits to society as a whole.

Office of the. iBSpeetor General Audits aqd ABsessments

The Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor has

regularly audited the Job Corps and assessed its effectiveness.

The OIG's reports have consiBtently reflected the view that Job

Corps, overall, is a positive program that works. At a hearing

last week before the Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, the
Inspector General testified that "this program can be an

important tool in helping disadvantaged young men and women to

turn their lives around and increase their economic earning

power . "

179

The OIG also has regularly offered recommendations for ways
to improve Job Corps. As Secretary Reich mentioned in his
appearance before this Committee last October, Job Corps has
previously undertaken significant improvements in response to
earlier OIG audit reports, and other improvements and changes are
underway in response to more recent audit reports. These
improvements, which started during the Bush Administratioh,
include tenr.ination of specific center contracts when poor
performance remained uncorrected, several revisions of
performance standards, revision of eligibility documentation
requirements, introductic.-. of a comprehensive student
accountability system, introduction of vocational competency
testing, implementation of performance standards for placement
contractors, and consolidation of student allowance payment and
data systems.

We have recently developed a joint action plan with the OIG
for continued program improvements. I will return to this later
in my testimony.

Job Corps Impact Evaluations

While audits such as those of the Department's Inspector
General are important for effective program management and
maintaining the financial integrity of the program, they do not
attempt to determine the return on investment or impact of the
program. The Department wants to know — as does this Committee
and the American public — if the total positive impacts
resulting from the program outweigh the costs.

We have turned to impact studies for this information. To
examine the effectiveness of the Corps, a longitudinal study of
over 5,000 youth was completed in 1982. This study was conducted
by Mathematica Policy Research, an independent consulting agency,
and analyzed a random sample of participants. The earnings,
educational achievement, criminal records, and welfare dependency
of Jab Corps enrollees were compared to the records of a
demographically similar comparison group who had not enrolled in
the Job Corps. These experiences were tracked for a period of
four full years after graduation.

180

The evaluation found that Job Corps participation
significantly increased earnings and educational attainment,
while reducing welfare dependency and the incidence of serious
crime among graduates. The study determined that there was a
return to society of $1.46 for every $1.00 spent, including
increased economic output of Job Corps students and lower public
expenditures from reductions in welfare dependency and
involvement in serious criminal activity. This return on
investment is among the highest in federal job training programs
— and for other domestic programs.

Referring to this study, Professor Richard Nathan of the
State University of New York, a former high-ranking official
during the Reagan administration, recently wrote:

"Although this study [by Mathematical was completed some
time ago, we have solid evidence that Job Corps benefits are
still overwhelmingly positive. The basic performance
measures of the program — job placement, educational
improvement, etc. — have all been stable or rising since
the program was evaluated. Furthermore, program costs have
not increased since the evaluation, indicating the program
is still cost effective. Finally, the income and employment
of disadvantaged youth who do not participate in Job Corps
have been steadily declining over the past decade. Thus,
the assistance of Job Corps is more needed than ever. "
The Job Corps program has undergone changes and improvements
since the original Mathematica study was completed in 1982. The
curriculum and services provided have changed based on the
additional decade of experience working with disadvantaged youth
and employer involvement. We believe these changes have improved
the program's effectiveness.

Last year, the Department of Labor launched a new multi-year
scientific evaluation of Job corps using random assignment.
Although we cannot predict precisely the results of this
evaluation, we believe that the result of the study will
demonstrate public returns on investment at least as large as
those found in the previous evaluation since Job Corps data on

181

student accomplishments and outcomes have been consistent or

better since 1982.

Bipartiaan support for Jcb corps

Because of its consistently solid performance. Job Corps has
enjoyed strong bipartisan support throughout its history. The
Clinton Administration has pursued a 50/50 strategy — an effort to
expand the capacity of the Corps by 50% by increasing the number
of Centers by 50 in a graduated manner over the next decade. At
the Corps' 30th anniversary last year Majority Leader Robert Dole
declared, "It [Job Corps] gives young people opportunities they
never dreamed of and makes them successful workers. They get
back in the workforce, they do good things, they are on the tax
rolls, the payrolls all across America. And I think this is one
program. . .we ought to take a look at when we talk about
expansion."

During the last Congress, a bipartisan coalition recognized
the history of Job Corps ' success in designing the new federal
program of boot camps. It drew on Job Corps as a model for the
boot camp education and training component as a way to give
youth who have committed crimes a last chance.
Job Corps '■ A Privatiaed Program

Privatization of Job Corps has turned out to be an effective
way to ensure continuous improvement and to offer a means of
dealing with low-performing sites. Currently, Job Corps has a
network of 111 centers, with at least one center in all but four
states. Thirty of these centers are operated by the Federal
Departments of Interior and Agriculture. With only a few
exceptions, the other 81 are operated by private for-profit and
non-profit contractors selected on the basis of competitive bide.

These private center operators range from companies such as
the Teledyne and Vinnell corporations, (which have lajrge Defense
operations) , to Management Training Corporation, (which is Job
Corps' largest contractor and whose primary business is Job Corps
training) to the YWCA. Job Corps also depends on strong employer
association and union involvement to run specialized vocational
training programs. Indeed, Job Corps training is provided

182

through long-standing and effective partnerships between the
business community, the labor movement, the for-profit and
nonprofit sector and governmental agencies at all levels.

Good contractor performance on key performance indicators is
a condition for continuation of the competitive center contracts.
Privatization has made it possibla to get rid of ineffective
center management. Indeed, over the past 2 years alone, 21
contracts have been terminated prior to the end of their maximiun
5-year duration, primarily for reasons of poor performance.

Job Corps ' history has been one of continuously expanding
private contractors and reducing government-operated centers. In
1976 slightly more than 50% of all centers were privately
operated. Today 72% of the system is privately operated and
competitively bid. We believe the privatization of Job Corps
should be continued and expanded.

Republican administrations have managed Job Corps for 20 of
the program's 31 years and have led the program in a positive
direction. The Clinton Administration is now seeking to build on
that legacy and develop ways to further improve the program.
Areas in Weed of Reform

Despite Job Corps' overall successes, the Chairman has
eloquently and correctly pointed out that some areas of the
program need to be improved. Last October, Madam Chairman, you
reminded us that an oversight hearing on Job Corps was last held
by the Senate Labor and Human Resource Committee more than 10
years ago and that there is a need for a thorough evaluation of
the program. You also expressed concern that the Department of
Labor's Inspector General had identified different aspects of the
Job Corps program that warranted attention and corrective action.

Secretary Reich and I agree.

Many of your concerns and those of other Committee members
were triggered by audit reports from the Department's Inspector
General. These audits were based on a review of Job Corps data
to measure performance of various components of the program.

The Inspector General testified at the October 4 hearing on
its audit of Program Vear 1990 concerning Job Corps and reported

183

a number of areas that needed to be reviewed and assessed by the
Departnent. These included:

Failure of some students to obtain measurable learning

or job placement gains.

Failure to determine the post-program placement status

of all Job Corps terminees.

• A low percentage of training-related job placements by
graduates and terminees — even though nearly 70% of

all students did obtain jobs or go on to further
education.

• The fact that certain centers consistently performed
below the national average and continued to operate
with no signifioant improvement.

Job corps corrective Action

At the direction of the Secretary, plans have been completed
and actions have been taken or are underway to deal with each of
these deficiencies. Indeed, practical corrective measures on
most of the OIG concerns have been underway for some months.
These measures included revisions in the Job Corps performance
measurement system for PY 1994 as well as issuance of our zero
tolerance policy against violence at Job Corps centers in June
1994.

We think it is especially important to note that the
Department has moved forcefully to address problems at Job Corps
centers where poor performance has been especially severe or
persistent. In September 1994, after following up on complaints
received by parents of students, we suspended new student
enrollment at the Oconaluftee (NC) Job Corps center until
improvements are made in the center environment. In December
1994, after an in-depth review triggered by disturbing TV reports
about the McKinnoy Job Corps Canter in Texas, we took action to
terminate the existing contractor and install a new one.

Also in December of 1994, we undertook a series of special
onsite reviews to determine how effectively our zero tolerance

184

policies were being inpleinented. The first wave of revi«ve was
coinpl«t«d at 28 centers before the holidays, including all
centers where the potential for violence related problems was
thought to be highest. All remaining centers will be reviewed by
no later than mid-March 1995.

This first wave of "zero tolerance" reviews resulted in: 1)
formal notification to the current Cleveland (OH) Job Corps
center contractor that, based on persistent performance problems
and an assessment that the living and learning environment is not
safe enough, the contract will be terminated and a new contractor
installed; 2) transmittal of a letter to the National Park
Service, citing chronically poor performance at all four of their
Job Corps centers, asking them to "show cause" promptly why the
interagency agreement for operation of these centers should not
be terminated; and 3) temporary suspension of operations at the
Joliet (IL) and Cassadaga (NY) Job corps centers to implement
corrective action before the students returned from the winter
break.

We have also developed a joint OIG-ETA action plan to
methodically address and remedy problems at our poorest
performing centers. This plan will be implemented in the early
months of 1995 and inoludes: 1) stronger emphasis on past
performance when competitive contracting decisions are made; 2)
conduct of an in-depth analysis of the poorest performing centers
by OIG teams to identify common factors contributing to poor
performance; 3) development of a technical assistance guide that

will help center contractors and managers make more effective use
of data reports to identify and remediate performance problems;
4) provision of special training to key management staff at 10 of
the poorest performing centers; 5) intensive onsite technical
assistance at least 3 of the poorest performing centers; 6)
establishment of procedures that will allow for accelerated
termination and replacement of poor performing center
contractors; and 7) development of a legislative proposal to
permit oontraoting out the management and operation of the 30
federally administered Civilian Conservation Centers to private

185

contractors where the agency has failed to perform adequately.
In assessing performance, success in program outcomes, the levels
of violence, and cost-related factors, consistent with the
recommendations of the National Performance Review, would be
considered .

ETA also is ready to embark on a set of far-reaching policy
and programmatic initiatives that will strengthen Job Corps
student outcomes and Improve the cost effectiveness of the
program. These measures include:

1) Establishing an initial 30-day probationary or trial
enrollment period for new enrollees during which a
student would be expected to demonstrate a personal
commitment to succeeding in Job Corps , and the labor
meirket or leave the program. Corps participants would
be expected to sign a written pledge to that effect.
Job Corps provides students with an opportunity to
change their lives- It is up to each student to take
advantage of the opportunity Job Corps provides.

2) Adopting a new requirement that new students be drug-
free as a condition for enrollment in Job Corps. This
is based on the premise that a student ' s commitment to
succeed at Job Corps is an empty promise unless the
student is drug free upon arrival at the Job Corps
center .

3) Restricting enrollment of younger students. In our
discussions with the OIG, it was agreed that Job Corps
should be viewed primarily as an avenue for
disadvantaged young adults to move successfully into
the leODor market. It was further agreed that, with
high school age youth (17 year olds and particularly 16
year olds) , it was more difficult to obtain a realistic
commitment for labor market entry upon completion of
the program. Therefore, ETA proposes to eliminate
enrollment of 16 year olds altogether and to impose a
15% cap on the enrollment of 17 year olds.

186

4) Reallocating existing resources to strengthen job
placement and follow-up services. Currently services
terminate with a student's initial job placement (which
is defined as employment obtained within 6 months after
leaving the Job Corps) . We plan to conduct follow up
in the 13th week after the initial placement and to
provide any additional placement services and support
needed up to the maximum period of 6 months. We intend
to make sure that the entrance into the labor market
for Job Corps grads is permanent.

5) Seeking legislative authority to ease access to social
security and unemployment insurance data to improve our
ability to evaluate longer term results of program
participation. This will aid our ability to measure
the Job Corps return on taxpayer investment without
relying exclusively on impact evaluations.

summary

America has always defined itself as a country in which
everyone must have the opportunity to take charge of their lives
to pursue the American Dream -- especially the young. Job Corps
is one of few ways we have created to make that opportunity real
for the children of the poor.

Unlike too many social service programs, Job Corps rejects
victimization and demands responsibility. It deplores dependence
and offers independence and self-reliance. And for those
willing to work hard, it opens the doors out of a world of
poverty, crime, and substance abuse into the American mainstream
of work, family and citizenship. Boot camps offer a responsible
last chance to young convicted criminals. It would be ironic if
similar opportunities were not available to those from the same
barrios, ghettos, and areas of rural poverty who were law
abiding .

The Job Corps mission of providing a "second chance" to high
schools dropouts is more important than ever. The decline in the
fortunes of Job Corps' target population over th« period since
the Mathematica study was completed ie distressing. From the

187

later 1970b to 1992, the employment rate among recent high school
dropouts has plummeted from 50% to 36%. And those who are
employed earn less. The real earnings of young high school
dropouts who are employed full-time have dropped almost 25% since
the late 1970s. And crime rates — especially violent crime
rates — have increased among young people.

The bottom line, Madam Chairman, is that Job Corps works to
provide at-risk young people with a chance to take personal
responsibility for their lives. It is not perfect. It needs
further significant improvement as we have outlined today. But
it works.

In close collaboration with you and the other members of the
Congress, the Administration is convinced we can make it even
better .

iFhank you.

JanuaP)' 06. 1995

The Honorable Paul Simon
462 Dirksen
Senate Office Building
Washington D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Simon:

I restate the need for continuation of liic Job Corps program as expressed in previous
correspondence. Though the line viabiliiy of Job Corps is often overlooked, the need for this
service is at an all time high not only to our country and state but also to Indian tribes.

As Congress begins to evaluate Job training programs I wish to make known the significance of
Job Corps to at-risk youth. I am certain you know of the staggering statistics facing young
people today. hi)wever, national ligurcs aru increased and even doubled for Indian people. We
consider Job Corps an effective solution to the problems of our area as we strive to become
independent and lo shape our youth into solvent adults

We extend our appreciation to you and your colleagues lor this review and express a desire that
Job Corps continue lor the lie!:'.-fu ot Ih'; "-.lulh ol' our nation.

Thank you for your attention and support

Sincerely.

'ilma I
Prmcipal Chie

188

International Brotherhood of

igaintcrs and Slllicd HCradcB

Coniijrcijr of

Heu«*. SiCA. PteconttL Seciuc. M«ehtn«ry ^nd Trantporution P4int«rs: Pap«rn«nf«r«. H*rd Wood F\xUab«n. Crainvn. V«nu»h«n.

En«m«l«rft. and CUdcn; AW Workers m Class Utad (or Architactural and D*cor«Uva Purpoaas: All Woritar* £ngac*d m

Prapannc. Manulac^urmg and Handling o( Laad. Color. OIL Lacquar. Varmah. a/id Pamt, Ail Workers Enfagad

m Applying Linoleums and Carpet tor Decorative or Acousucal Purposes, ind AUiad WorKcra.

if ess of Wrxur 615 West Genesee Street

on No..^_ll__S^^=» p^ Syracuse. New York 13204

The Honorable Paul Simon January 17. .qOs

Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee
462 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Simon:

I am writing this letter to express my strong support of the Job Corps Program.
I believe in Job Corps because for the last 30 years it has helped 1.5 million formerly
disadvantaged young people prepare and prove themselves in the working world.

The Job Corps program has helped thousands of at-nsk youth to break the cycle of
poverty and welfare dependence by providing the vocational training and job placement young
people need to become tax-paymg citizens.

In terms of employment and economic development, 1 consider Job Corps one of the
Federal Government's most effective programs. Constdenng the population it serves, it is
amazing to note that a majority of ail Job Corps partiaoants get jobs, join the military or go on
to further education.

This modest investment in our nation's youth results in a return that is far more valuable
than the dollars spent on the program. For 30 years. Job Corps has helped young people
between the ages of 16 and 24 gain marketable skills, self confidence and good jobs. These
young people are poised to support themselves and their families and to contribute to the
overall productivity of our nation.

Senator, I request that you take an objective look at all of the data, not just
concentrating on anecdotal presentations. After examining more than 200 IG Audits, countless
GAO reports, and the perfomiance statistics tracked by the Department of Labor, you will find
that Job Corps works.

Sincerely,

1993

The Honorable I'aul Simon
IJiiilcd Slalcs Sciialc
462 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington. D. C. 20510

Dear Senator Simon:

On January 18 and 19. Senator Kasscbaimi uill bo liokliii'; hearings on the ,iob Corp.s. Before you make
any considerations. I would ask you lo lour a eenier to see lor yourself why .lob Corps is the best
residential training program m the world

189

Yes. the costs arc high - $21,000, but an orplianaiic is Sld.OOO a year, lail is $25.000 a year and m jail
nothini! is done lo rchahilitale Ihc person lob Corps is a harnain (or Ihc taxpayers; and, if the states get a
hold ol' tl. Job Corps will jusl turn into another higli school lor the kids lo drop out ol.

I would urge you to consult with Senators I latch and nennett and let them tell you about the success
stories of the Clearfield and Weber Basin .lob Corps Centers in Utah. I believe you will be pleasantly
surprised

Best wishes to vou and vours in 1995.

Dear Senator Simon,

I understand that you and your committee will be holding hearings
on Federal Job Training Programs in the near future. 1 would
appreciate your consideration in leaving the Job Corp Program as is
because of the following:

1 . A Job Corp Center is located in my neighborhood and they are
Great neighbors to me and my subdivison. It would take much more
than a few lines to express to you the countless, positive things they
have accomplished.

2 The Turner Job Corp Center, Albany, GA, has 1030 students
from all over the US They teach these students Academic, and
Vocational Training, along with how to become a Positive,
Productive, Taxpaying Citizen'" (we both know how important that is)
3. As a war veteran, taxpayer, neighbor and entrepreneur, allowing
the Turner Job Corp Center Program to remain a productive, cost -
effective government training program would be most beneficial to all
concerned

*lt is cheaper to Educate than to Incarcerate!!'
Incarceration pnce per year per person $ 28,000.00
Job Corp price per year per person $18,000.00

Thank You for Your time and Concern Please come to South
Georgia (Albany) and see for yourself

Best Personal Regards,
Sincerely,

W Lamar Houston,
Owner

Dear Senator Simon:

I am writing to share some insight with you concerning my support
of the Job Corps program and my views as a police officer
concerning the David L. Carrasco Job Corps Center in El Paso,
Texas.

During the Kennedy- Johnson Administration, the Job Corps was
created to provide a vehicle for under-privileged youth to find
hope and success through education and training. This program
was an alternative to the formal educational system in each

190

community and El Paso, Texas, was fortunate to be the recipient
of a Job Corps Center. This program provided our youth a great
opportunity away from the negative influences in their community,
helping them avoid the potential of engaging in criminal behavior
or possible incarceration. I've seen the results of falling into
a pit of despair by dealing with the criminal element on a daily
basis.

The Job Corps Center, in El Paso, is the vehicle envisioned by its
creators. It provides the avenues for hope and success for the
youth of our community. This vision was also shared by the late
David L. Carrasco when he opened the center in 1970. The
community did not relish the idea. During its inception, many
problems arose between police and Job Corps students. However,
these problems were minor compared to the opportunity this great
program has brought our community. This community understands and
supports the impact Job Corps has made on thousands of young
people, their families, and this community.

Since 1971, I have been involved with our Job Corps Center being a
police officer with the El Paso Police Department and more
recently, as the Director of Public Safety for the El Paso
Community College. Our community recognizes the need for this
federally funded program. This enables the entire Center staff
to energize its efforts towards student success rather than
constantly seeking operational funds from local or state entities.

Therefore, I urge you to examine your options. If necessary,

cut the non-productive centers; but, leave the doors open to the

future of millions of youth across the United States. I am

confident your hearings will find Job Corps programs can be

as effective as the David L. Carrasco Job Corps Center with

effective leadership and great community support. Let the vision

live!

Respectfully ,

Luis R. Mier

Director

Department of Public Safety

El Paso Community College

919 Hunter Dr.

El Paso, Tx. 79915

Dear Senator Simon:

In view of your recent concern of the effectiveness of job training
programs and knowing the great contribution that our David L.
Carrasco Job Corps Center has made in our own El Paso community we
write this letter.

Through personal experience we know the benefits that our Job Corps
Center training programs have brought to thousands of young people
who were on a collision course to failure. The program offered
corps members a second chance to becoming productive and
contributing adults. The center not only assisted them with
attaining job skills but offered a nurturing and caring family of
staff members to support them through it all. As employees of the
El Paso Community College we are partners in this endeavor of
service to students. By the way, one of the Job Corps strongest
aspects is the extraordinary support they receive from the
community through active participation in the Community Relations
Council .

191

Through this Council participation Armida Navarrete our program
secretary and I have personally interviewed hundreds of these corps
members over the past 10 years, getting to know them before and
after their Job Corps experience. The effectiveness of any program
is evident in its product, and the evidence are the placements.
You may already know the Job Corps program here in El Paso is tops
in the nation.

We ask that you to please look at our track record and successful
placement of graduates and plead that you continue supporting our
disadvantaged youth the Authors of El Paso's and our Country's
Future by maintaining federal funding for the David L. Carrasco Job
Corps Center.

With kind regards, we thank you for any consideration you can give
this request.

Respectfully .

Mary K. Yartez ^ Armida Navarrete

Senior Adult Program, Coordinator Secretary

Dear Senator Simon

The NcNs ^ ciii bungs a big cliallciigc Ui llic loiili (. oiigicss loi cliaiigcs aiui icronii I
believe that reform is very much needed However, you have to be careful how the reform
is going to take place

I am writing to you about the Job Corps I believe that the centers should be evaluated
individually and find out whether they arc producing or not W||ather they are
accomplishing their goals or not Weather they have the support of the community
Wlfcither the students learn and arc |)lace in jobs 1 don't believe all centers should be
penalized because some do not produce or meet then goals

The David L Carrasco Job Corp Center in El Paso is one of the best in the nation The
center has been recognized for a number of years 1 don't believe that this center should
have its funding decrease or eliminated If they were not doing the job I would certainly
favor cutting their funding

Check with the Labor Department and find oui aboiil the center in El Paso 1 hope that
you consider this suggestions

Hoping to hear IVoni you, 1 remain

Sincerely

■Jbset Aguiiar
3707 Cumberland
El Paso, Texas 79903

L^^'.-<^-'^'^

Prepared Statement of Jamison Gorby

Hello, my name is Jamison Gorby. I am a student at the Red Rock Job Corps
Center. I've been there for five months. Lei me tell you about my
background and how Job Corps has helped me.

192

I guess my worst problems began when I was 1 1 years old. I grew up in a
small town called Cochranton. It's just south of Erie, Peimsylvama. This was
way out in the country. When I was 4, my parents divorced. I was living
with my mother, and she remarried and moved to California when I was 12.
I just could never adjust to mj' life out there because of the envirorunent and
because I couldn't really accept my parent's divorce.

I couldn't live at home. I couldn't take it So I hved on the streets. For 2
years in California, I made my living by signmg. In case you don't know
what signing means, it's when you stand on the street comers and hold up a
sign that says "will work for food or wages." I hved under bridges and inside
of abandoned houses. I had no permanent address. 1 mowed lawns and
painted fences. Because at the time 1 was too young to get a job. Today, I
still think that many people have misperceptions about homeless people and
think that they are out there because they don't try to better themselves and
that they can't be trusted.

It wasn't as dangerous on the streets as you might think. I had friends at the
time, other people on the street who would watch out for me. We all had
nicknames. Mine was Indy or Taz One day a man picked me up, fed me,
and gave me a job working with him at a towing company. I stayed with him
for approximately a year, and then he called my mother to come and get me.
I was ready for a secure place to call home. She gave me a plane ticket to get
to my father's hotise back in Cochranton, Pennsylvania. I was 15 years old.

I really didn't know my father or his wife. It was a hard adjustment,
especially with my stepmother. One night we had a fight and I left to stay
overnight at the neighbors. The next day, a foster care social worker got me.
After my foster home experience, I was moved to a group home called
Bethesda, in MeadviUe, Pennsylvania, a town near Cochrantoa I was not
used to such a strucmred environment and I still was unemployed. Then ray
dad gave sole custody to my uncle. I moved once again, and tried to live
with my uncle in Erie, Peimsylvania. He was a former pastor and history
teacher and we could never seem to relate well. I worked temporarily at the
country fair, and then I was off to another group home. Most of the time, I
just felt terribly angry, but gradually I realized that I wanted to do something

193

more with my life. A friend told me about Job Corps. I really wanted a new
start. I wanted something to turn me around, and help me wipe the slate
clean. I wanted to get educated and do something with ray life — and get it
right for once!

Making the decision to enter Job Corps was a big step for me.

I've been at Job Corps for five months. In that time I've earned my GED and
I've been chosen as Academic Student of the Month. When I compare Job
Corps to the other places I've been, I see that it is more of a challenge. I get
to deal witli new people, and I have learned to live with different people. 1

don't find Job Corps too stmctured — unlike a group home where we didn't
seem to have any freedom or rights at all. I can still be who I am at Job
Corps. I have the opporttmity to succeed because I have total support from
everyone.

This kind of support makes me feel good. I've never had that in my life. It
makes me want to push myself even more. I plan to complete brick masonry
as a trade, and I want to get my advanced training in brick too. Then I'm
going to get a job. I adjust better now. I've been to enough places and I
know it's time to settle down. I plan to get a job in Pennsylvania. It's my
home and it's in my blood.

I still keep in touch with my parents, my uncle and some of my friends. They
are all so pleased with my progress. When I eamed my GED, I handed it to
my dad, and he had tears in his eyes. He said, "See, we knew you could do
it, with a little help." And thanks to God and Job Corps, I did it.

Out of aU the places I've been, Job Corps has been the only place to make
such a difference in my Ufe and give me direction I've never had. Even
though I am young, I feel like 1 am speaking from years of experience
because I have lived on the streets. I've lived in foster homes, with relatives,
with friends. But Job Corps is the first place I've felt in control of my life.
Without Job Corps, I would have to pick up my sign agam. 1 hate to think of
that.

194

December 30, 1994

Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum
SR-302 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-1602

Attn: Ted Verheggen

Chief Labor Counsel

Dear Senator Kassebaum:

My name is Harvey L. Arrowood. I have been involved with the Job
Corps Program since 1979. I am currently the Regional Director for
the AFL-CIO Appalachian Council Job Corps Project in Region V.

On May 23, 1994 I sent Congressman David Obey and Senators
Herb Kohl and Russell Feingold a plan that I believe, if
implemented, would redefine Job Corps' objectives and make Job
Corps a model program for generations to come. I am enclosing a
copy of that letter and plan for your assessment.

I would like to go on record as saying that I support the Job Corps
program with every fiber of my body and believe it to be one of the
finest programs of its kind ever developed by the U.S. government.
I have dedicated the rest of my working life to helping Job Corps
attain the goals set down for it at its inception. However, in
recent years I have witnessed a steady decline in the effectiveness
and end product of the program.

Job Corps is currently mired in a statistical chasm that will
necessitate rudimental changes if we are to improve Job Corps'
outcome. These changes must take place throughout the entire
spectrum that governs the program.

I believe if left unchecked Job Corps will continue on its present
path to self-destruction, having been placed, intentionally or
unintentionally, in an environment in which no program, no matter
how well conceived, could function.

I am most encouraged by the recent national attention focused on
Job Corps and applaud your efforts in making Job Corps a more
efficient and responsible program.

I would like to offer my assistance in this endeavor. I would
appreciate an opportunity to testify at the upcoming sub-committee
hearings regarding the Job Corps. I believe my 15 years experience
and having worked in the program through four different
administrations would provide invaluable testimony.

I will avail myself to your requests.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Harvey L. Arrowood
R 19901 Konkel Road
Hatley, WI 54440

195

May 23, 1994

The Honorable David Obey
Congress of the United States
24 62 Rayburn House
Washington, D.C. 20515-4907

Attn: Kathleen Sykes

Legislative Assistant

Dear Congressman Obey:

Please allow me a brief introduction:

My name is Harvey L. Arrowood. I am currently the Regional
Director for the AFL-CIO Appalachian Council Job Corps Project. I
began my career as a Field Staff Representative responsible for
screening and placement in northern Wisconsin. I held that
position for 9 years. I was then promoted to Field Staff Liaison.
In this position I was responsible for all communications between
staff, management, and the U.S. Department of Labor. I held that
position for 4 years. I have held my current position for the last
2 years . I have a total of 15 years experience with the Job Corps
program.

Over the last 15 years, I have witnessed many changes in the Job
Corps program. I am most concerned with the direction in which Job
Corps seems to be moving. I feel the Job Corps has evolved into a
program of statistics rather than a program of job training. The
current emphasis seems to be geared toward placement. I think the
emphasis should be directed toward keeping the students at the
center long enough to complete their trade and/or obtain a G.E.D.
certificate. Far too many youth are leaving the centers without
training and/or G.E.D. certificates. I believe if we are
successful in keeping the students at the centers longer, the job
placement after training will take care of itself. I feel the time
is right for a re -inventing of the Job Corps.

I am submitting a plan that, if adopted, would move Job Corps

successfully into the 21st Century. This plan is very cost

efficient and can be implemented with a minimum disruption of

services. My plan is as follows:

An orientation center would be established in each region. In
regions where large populations are present, there may be a need
for more than one orientation center. These orientation centers
could be one of the proposed new centers, or they could be an
existing center. All newly incoming students would arrive at this
center where they would be tested; counseled; receive a physical
exam, psychological exam (if needed) , background check, suitability
for the program, and possible G.E.D. testing. The student would

remain at this center for 2 to 4 weeks. These orientation centers
must be operated by an agency of the U.S. Government. I do not
believe they could be successful if they were operated by a for
profit company.

The orientation centers will be the key to the success of this
plan. Incoming youth will have an opportunity to feel the Job
Corps experience; and, Job Corps will have the opportunity to
screen out any youth who would not benefit from the program before
enrollment at a training center. After completion of orientation
center requirements, students would be sent to one of the Job Corps
training centers in the region. These training centers must be
specialized.

I believe one of the most serious problems facing the Job Corps at
present is the alarming number of students leaving the program each

196

week, or the WTR (Weekly Termination Rate) . The WTR seems to be at
a much higher rate for younger students than it is for older
students. Under the current structure, centers must try to meet
the needs of all students. I believe this to be an improbable
task. I feel the centers would be much more productive and obtain
better results if they were able to specialize and be responsible
for only a select group.

I am enclosing an outline showing the proposed orientation center,
trades at centers, and center restrictions. This is merely a rough
draft. It is intended to visually depict an idea.

If you feel these proposed changes warrant consideration, I would
appreciate an opportunity to meet with you in person to further
discuss this plan.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Sincerely,

Cf . C^^M<C*fc »■<">"

Harvey L . Arrowood
R 19901 Konkel Road
Hatley, WI 54440

197

U.S. Department of Labor Assisiani secreia-^. fo^

EmDioymeni and T-aming
Was-iinato'^ D C :021C

January 27, 1995

The Honorable Nancy L. Kassebaum
Chairman, Committee on Labor

and Human Resources
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Madam Chairman:

This is in response to your letter of January 24 requesting
additional information to be submitted for the record of the Job
Corps Oversight Hearings. Our responses to your questions are
enclosed.

I spoke with Ted Verheggen of your staff and am eager to meet
with you next week to set out next steps. We look forward to
working with you to strengthen the Job Corps program.

RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS ON JOB CORPS

Job Corps' Zero Tolerance Policy on Violence on Centers

a. What is the precise definition of this policy?

A copy of the policy which was issued in June 1994 is
attached. Based on the results of the on-site
assessments underway, the policy will be supplemented
with additional requirements as well as technical
assistance material to share best practices in
implementation .

b. Is it mandatory for all centers?

Implementation of a zero tolerance for violence policy
is mandatory for all centers.

c. What type of behavior is considered grounds for
disciplinary termination?

A student is issued an immediate disciplinary
termination when convicted of a serious crime (felony),
is confined under sentence for more than 60 consecutive
days; or under judicial sentence, is banished from the
municipality, county or State where the individual's
center is located.

Each center operator is required to establish rules and
regulations for students and provide a role for student
government in the establishment of the center's
discipline system. In addition to the mandatory
terminations noted above, disciplinary terminations may
be issued for persistent disobedience of center rules
or serious disruptive behavior that interferes with the
interests and rights of students and staff, gang-

198

related activities, violations of safety standards or
rules, coercive or assaultive behavior, and other
instances of misconduct as set forth in the center's
rules. Students who test positive for drugs and are
required to participate in the Alcohol and Other Drugs
of Abuse (AODA) program may be terminated for failure
to comply with their behavioral contract. Due process
for students in such cases includes a Center Reviev;
Board, a formal decision by the Center Director for
termination, and an opportunity to appeal an adverse
action to the Regional Office.

d. What is the policy regarding termination for violating
the Zero Tolerance Policy on violence? Is it "one
strike and you're out" or a more gradual approach?

As noted above, it is currently the responsibility of
each center operator to develop specific rules of
conduct and sanctions for misconduct for that center.
We are developing additional requirements designed to
ensure that center disciplinary systems consistently
address violent acts without imposing detailed
procedural requirements from the Federal level.

e. If Job Corps' Zero Tolerance Policy was implemented in
June 1994, why did the director wait until December 7,
1994, to order immediate on-site inspections of 28
problem centers?

The Zero Tolerance policy was announced in June. On-
site reviews were initiated six months after the
issuance of the policy to ensure that centers had full
opportunity to operationalize the policy and to enable
full assessment of center implementation of the policy.
The on-site assessments for high risk centers (16) were
scheduled to be conducted right before the holiday
break so that any serious concerns with the ability of
center management to ensure the safety and security of
students could be addressed during the break, before
students returned in January. Additional centers were
assessed prior to the holiday break; assessments
continue and will be completed for all 111 centers in
March 1995.

2 . Job Corps Performance Measurement Svstem

Several witnesses testified that these statistics have been
manipulated by individual centers directors to give them
more favorable ratings in terms of average length of stay
(ALOS) , student terminations, GED, and vocational trade
completion.

The Job Corps Student Pay, Allotment and Management
Information System (SPAMIS) was designed to ensure that
centers are accountable for data entered into the
database. The Job Corps Policy and Requirements
Handbook contains specific rules governing inputting,
changing and deleting data, especially those elements
that may impact PMS (performance measurement system)
reporting. These rules and required audit trails make
abuse difficult. Specific information is provided
below.

199

a. Is the system vulnerable to abuse?

The system is difficult to abuse because of the system
design that requires auditability of database data back
to source documents, enforced by reviews conducted by
regional Job Corps staff and audits by OIG staff.
Other specific controls are in place as described
below.

b. Explain the Job Corps policies for ensuring that center
statistics are protected from intentional manipulation
or distortion.

The Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook (PRH) is
very specific in defining procedures for areas and
functions that may be vulnerable to compromise. In the
functional area of student pay (enrollments, status
changes, terminations, conducting pay, reporting non-
pay statuses, etc) , the PRH specifically mandates the
separation of functions and duties, ensuring that staff
that enter information that generates pay are
prohibited from distributing that pay. As for data
integrity, the Job Corps has identified specific data
elements that, if manipulated, could have PMS reporting
implications. The PRH mandates that changes made to
these data elements be authorized and documented by
supervisory staff and that the center director, or an
alternate designated in writing, sign the transaction
print-out identifying the change. This document is
retained on center and is a review item on regional
office conducted reviews.

c. What has Job Corps done in terms of oversight to
improve the accuracy of these center statistics and to
prevent would-be abuse.

The Job Corps conducts reviews of center operations
which includes audits of database data back to source
documents. The SPAMIS system prohibits the changing of
data after a specified period of time after
termination, and since PMS reports are cumulative, any
temporary changes made to influence short term PMS
results would be correctly reported in the cumulative
reports. We have recently began designing and
developing software modules that will scan data to
identify possible violations of policy as regards
status change and termination requirements in specific
cases. The results of our testing thus far do not
indicate abuse in these areas.

3 . Center Contractor Evaluation

a. What are the most important criteria for judging a
center contractor's performance?

Performance against standards for reading and math
gains, GED attainment, vocational completion, placement
of all terminees, placement of vocational completers in
training related jobs, average wage rate, average
length of stay, and quality (including a safe learning
and living environment) and compliance rating are the
major criteria. In Program Year 1995, a student survey
will be used to initiate a measure for customer
satisfaction.

200

b. Do the criteria include A.L.O.S. and Weekly Termination
Rate?

Average Length of Stay is one of nine formal
performance standards. Weekly Termination Rate was
eliminated as a performance standard for PY 1994
because it was being misinterpreted by some center
directors in a way that was not in the best interest of
students. Consideration will be given to eliminating
the ALOS standard as well for PY 1995.

c. If a center operator permits the actual number of
students to fall consistently below the contractual on-
board strength (OBS) number, can the operator be
disciplined? Can the operator's contract be canceled
if the OBS is not met on a consistent basis?

Job Corps outreach/ screening contractors, not center
operators, are responsible for recruiting a sufficient
number of students to keep centers at capacity. An
operator's contract would not be canceled because the
center was not at capacity. Center contracts are Cost
Reimbursement Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) , which means that
the amount of profit (fee) the contractor receives is
not dependent on the number of students enrolled.

4 . Center Operator Performance Impact

a. What role does a center operator's past performance
play in the consideration of that operator's bid on a
center?

Past performance is one of the criteria used in the
evaluation of proposals for center operations; this
criterion is worth 15 points out of 100.

Offerors submitting proposals for operation of a center
must submit information on what their performance has
been at other centers or, if not a current center
operator, what their experience has been in related
areas. Regional Directors solicit input from all other
regions regarding an offeror's past performance and
check references for offerors which have no previous
Job Corps performance record. In looking at past
performance, proposal reviewers evaluate this
information as well as performance data of all centers
operated by the offeror over the past 3 years, audit
information, and center quality and compliance
assessments .

b. If a center operator loses a contractor for poor
performance, does Job Corps have a policy to conduct a
review of all other centers operated by that
contractor?

No. Each center, and each contract, is considered on
its own merits. However, past performance is an
important criteria in procurement evaluations. Poor
performance in any of the other centers operated by
that contractor would be identified in their annual
review.

c. The Department of Labor announced in early January that
the Vinnell Corporation was awarded the contract to run
the McKinney Job Corps Center in Texas. Please explain
the rationale for that decision. What was Vinnell 's
performance record when it ran the Gainesville JCC?
Why were they replaced by a different operator? Has
Vinnell ever lost any Job Corps center contracts due to
poor performance? If so, which ones and when?

201

Vinnell was selected to operate the McKinney Job Corps
Center because the corporation operates the top
performing center in the Dallas region (the Laredo Job
Corps Center) ; they are familiar with the student
population, regional economy, etc.; and they have the
staff capability and resources to move in and take over
operation of the center on short notice. The Job Corps
Regional Director has confidence that the application
of the successful approaches used at the Laredo, Texas
center will address the problems identified at
McKinney.

Vinnell took over the operation of the Gainesville Job
Corps Center in December 1989. The option year which
would have become effective December 1993 was not
awarded for performance reasons. The contract was
extended for 120 days, until March 1, 1994, to allow
time for a competitive procurement to be conducted.
Vinnell lost the contract for operation of the center
through this competitive procurement process which
resulted in the selection of another operator.

5 . Job Corps Admission Policy Change

To be enrolled in Job Corps, the statute requires that a student
"...be free of medical or behavioral problems so serious that the
individual could not adjust to the standards of conduct,
discipline, work, and training which the Job Corps involves..."

a. Has Job Corps or the Department of Labor changed its
policies so that students with behavioral and medical
problems are admitted to the program?

There has been no policy change. The files of any
applicants who have a history of behavioral problems
must be reviewed by the Job Corps regional office for
final eligibility determination. The files of
applicants who have medical problems must be reviewed
by the Job Corps regional office in consultation with
regional health consultants for final eligibility
determination. These reviews are required to determine
whether or not an applicant's problems are "so serious
that the individual could not adjust..."

b. If so, what was the date of the policy change?
As indicated, there was no policy change.

c. On whose authority was this made?
N/A

6. Sexual Discrimination Lawsuit Against Center Operator

One witness at the hearings testified that a sexual
discrimination lawsuit was filed in 1992-1993 against the center
operator of the Laredo JCC. The lawsuit was reportedly settled
out of court, and the plaintiff received a cash settlement of
$165,000.

a. Who was the center operator of the Laredo JCC at the
time of the lawsuit?

Vinnell was the operator at the time of the lawsuit.

b. Who paid the cash settlement? The center operator or
the Job Corps regional office in Dallas? Were public
funds used to pay this lawsuit settlement?

202

An out of court settlement was paid from funds in the
Vinnell center operations contract. When we questioned
the appropriateness of such charges to the contract, we

discovered that direct charges to the contract for
legal and settlement costs were approved by the
cognizant audit agency for this contractor, the Defense
Contract Audit Agency. We are conducting research to
determine if it is legally possible to include special
provisions in Job Corps contracts which would make such
charges as direct costs to the contract unallowable.

Are center operators penalized for these kinds of
discrimination lawsuits by Job Corps if the complaints
are to be accurate?

A center operator's performance in all areas is
evaluated during center reviews and is considered as
part of past performance in procurements. Any pattern
of inappropriate personnel practices would influence
past performance evaluations negatively.

June 16, 1994

MEMORANDUM FOR:

ALL JOB CORPS REGIONAL DIRECTORS
ALL JOB CORPS CENTER DIRECTORS
ALL JOB CORPS CENTER OPERATORS

ALL NATIONAL TRAINING AND SUPPORT CONTRACTORS
ALL OUTREACH, SCREENING AND PLACEMENT
CONTRACTORS

FROM:

PETER E. RELL
National Director
Job Corps

SUBJECT:

Job Corps' Zero Tolerance for Violence Policy

As I stated in my remarks to the Job Corps Policy Forum on March
9, the top priorities for the Job Corps for this year are; (1)
Placement, and, (2) effectively dealing with violence on our
centers.

I believe these two priorities are directly related. If students
feel threatened or unsafe at any center, they "vote with their
feet" and leave before gaining any real benefit from the program.

The evidence strongly suggests that the greatest single factor
causing students to leave our prograim early is violence.
Obviously, students who leave before completing their vocational
training or, in some cases, their academic program, has a direct
and very negative impact on our placement effort.

Most of our centers have done an excellent job controlling
negative behavior and provide a safe and secure environment
for their students.

However, given the rising tide of adolescent violence in many of
the communities from which our students are recruited, we believe
now is the time for our program to initiate a new Job Corps-wide
effort to ensure that a safe and secure environment is the norm
at all of our centers for all of our students.

During the past several months we have had a number of
discussions with Regional Directors, center operators, center
staff and others who are involved with our program on the subject
of how best to address the issue of violent behavior (including
the threat of violence) in the Job Corps. In the course of these

203

discussions, the term "Zero Tolerance for Violence" has emerged
as the most accurate "label" for the environment that we wish
to achieve and maintain at all of our centers.

While no one has objected to the concept of a "Zero Tolerance for
Violence", there have been questions about how we define Zero
Tolerance and what are the specific implications for changes in
policies and procedures relating to center operations.

At this point, I propose that we attempt to "define" Zero
Tolerance in broad terms so as to allow operators the freedom
to decide for themselves exactly how to implement this policy
at their centers. Again, at this point, I propose that we not
attempt to mandate for each operator specific rules or guidelines
for implementation of this policy on their centers.

However, to establish some parameters, I would suggest the
following required procedures for all operators:

o All acts of violence or threats of violence will be
aggressively and promptly addressed by center staff.
No violent act or threat of violent act will be ignored
or disregarded.

o The Social Skills Training (SST) curriculum will be
fully and consistently implemented at every center.

o All applicants to Job Corps will be required to sign a
pledge or statement at the application stage promising
not to engage in violent behavior or threatening
violent behavior while they are enrolled in our
program.

o The Zero Tolerance for Violence policy will be

addressed early during the center's Orientation program
and reenforced throughout the students' tenure in the
program.

o Regional Office Annual Reviews of centers will closely
examine the actions the center has taken to address the
violence question. This would include, but not be
limited to, specific questions on: student surveys
addressing their perceptions of violence or the threat
of violence; the role of the center's security staff
and how effective they appear to be in ensuring the
safety and security of the students; and, in general,
what procedures the center has implemented to comply
with the Zero Tolerance Policy.

I recognize that some Regions, operators and centers have already
implemented this policy and that interpretations of what the
policy actually means ranges from "one strike and you're out"
to intensive counseling for first-time violent offenders with a
disciplinary discharge occurring only after the second or third
offense.

For the present, I am willing to allow for this diversity
in interpretation if the alternative is to formulate a
comprehensive, all-inclusive, detailed set of rules for the
implementation of this policy which may not meet the needs of
each and every center or even be sensible for the individual
situations at each center.

I look forward to working with you in the implementation of this
Zero Tolerance for Violence Policy.

204

TO: Madame Chairman, Nancy Kassebaum
SUBJECT: Curlew Job Corps, Wauconda, Washington
DATE: 01/26/95

AFFIDAVIT OF CHRISTIE MILLER

STATE OF WASHINGTON )

) ss .
County of Pierce )

THE UNDERSIGNED, being first duly sworn on oath, states:

This is my account of rape, attempted rapes, assaults, knife

attacks, burglary, attempted burglary, drug dealing, drug abuse and

theft at the Curlew Job Corps center at Wauconda, Washington.

INCIDENTS

Incidents that I either witnessed or had first hand knowledge
of during and after my employment with the Job Corps Center. To
the best of my knowledge no punitive action was ever taken by the
responsible supervisors, Wayne Tapp and John Davis, regarding the
incidents described below. In fact, the responsible supervisors
have consistently attempted to cover up these heinous crimes,
exposing both students and Job Corps staff to extreme acts of
violence and danger.

After the responsible supervisors, Wayne Tapp and John Davis,
failed to take action, I was personally the victim of an attempted
gang rape, the target of a knif e-throwi.ig student, the victim of a
severe beating, and the target of a burglar who was practically
naked. In each case Wayne Tapp and John Davis refused to either
investigate or punish the students thereby encouraging future acts
of violence. I was told by Wayne Tapp and John Davis that as a

RAPE

federal employee I did not have the same legal rights as a civilian
employee. Furthermore, they intimidated me by threatening to
terminate me and soil my employment record. I was single, and

205

solely responsible for the care of my infirm grandmother, who was
wholly dependent upon my income for her survival.

As a result of the physical and eniotional attacks upon me, I
began to suffer excruciating bouts of anxiety, fear, and
depression. Ultimately, the stress caused me to seek medical and
psychological treatment.

My treating physicians have diagnosed my symptoms as acute
clinical depression, bulimia, and post traumatic stress syndrome.
Since my receipt of medical disability compensation, my former
supervisors, Wayne Tapp, John Davis, Robert Lynn Scott and Ed
Schultz, have waged a war of retaliation, attempting to discredit
my testimony and veracity.

I am terribly afraid of further retaliation as a result of my
testifying on the public record. Howe/er, I cannot allow what I
have seen to go unrecorded. The Job Corps as it is managed now is
neither a safe haven for needy youth nor a safe place for
employees .

DATE OF INCIDENT: On or about 10/27/86

PLACE OF INCIDENT: Curlew Job Corps, Wauconda, Washington

CENTER DIRECTOR: Wayne Tapp

NAME OF VICTIM: Lawrence Clair Arial / Corpsmember

NAMES OF ALLEGED PERPETRATORS: Corpsmembers : Robert McNeeley,

Charles Spiker, Jim Wayne
Muldoon, Lonnie S. Young,
Edward Rudat .

On 10/27/86 Lawrence C. Arial was sexually tortured, beaten
and raped for over two (2) hours. The intercom security system
which by Job Corps policy was supposed to be activated was not
turned on. Furthermore, contrary to Job Corps policy, there were
no Corps personnel in the vicinity. The attack included forced
sex, masturbatory ejaculations on Arial 's face and head, beatings,
verbal harassments, ridicule, and future threats of violence to
ensure that the attack would not be revealed.

The residual effects of the attack devastated Arial ' s life.
Contrary to Job Corps policies, no medical attention was given to

206

Arial . The Job Corps Center's physician was never called, although
John Davis and Wayne Tapp were immediately notified of the
incident. Arial was not taken to a hospital, nor did the Corps
provide any services for recovery.

Lawrence C. Arial was left to fend for his own physical,
mental and emotional well-being. Despite the severity of the
experience that Lawrence C. Arial had been subjected to, Wayne Tapp
planned to put this young victim on a bus to Tacoma, Washington
alone. Because Arial was one of my culinary arts students and I
was his instructor, I personally drove him to his parents' home.

Contrary to Job Corps policy, Lawrence C. Arial was never
given a CA-1 Injury Report to fill out. However, records of the

attack should be part of the public record at the Ferry County
Courthouse in Republic, Washington.

It is my understanding that Lawrence C. Arial retained counsel
from the law firm of Rush, Hannula and Harkins in Tacoma,
Washington, and that a lawsuit was settled in his favor for an
undisclosed amount. It is my further understanding that
Lawrence C. Arial is still suffering greatly from the sexual attack
and torture he endured while a Corps member at the Curlew Job Corps
Center directed by Wayne Tapp.

The leader of the attackers was Charles Spiker who had a long-
known history of violence, and had previously nearly killed a
Corpsman with a hammer. As the oldest student, he was a primary
instigator of physical and sexual attacks. Many employees had
attempted to have Charles Spiker dismissed from the Job Corps. I
believe that the only reason he was not dismissed was to keep the
enrollment numbers high to insure future Job Corps funding. In
fact, I discovered that the Curlew Job Corps was deliberately
keeping Corps members on the books long after they had left the
center, or were terminated or were AWOL. Others who were ready to
leave the program were discouraged from doing so.

I questioned John Davis, Work Programs Officer, about this
record keeping. Specifically, I wanted to know why those students

207

who had been terminated were still on the record. John Davis told
me if tried to talk to anyone about this, he would "nail me to the
wall . "

RAPE

In January, 1988 I was alone in ray office in the dining hall.
Five (5) student Corps members came into my office. There was only
one exit. One of the students stood by the door as a look-out
while the others held me down and attempted to have oral sex with
me. There was a lot of noise upstairs and no one could hear me
screaming. I was punched repeatedly in the face, neck and chest.
They attempted to grab my ankles, and tore my shirt off. They tore
my pants down and attempted to have intercourse with me. I fought
the best I could for nearly twenty (20) minutes and eventually
succeeded in freeing myself.

The memories of the incident have never left me. I
immediately reported the incident to Wayne Tapp's wife, Nancy Tapp,
who was a good friend of mine. Soon after, I reported the incident
to one of the Corps counselors. The director, Wayne Tapp, was
notified by both the counselor and his wife that I had been
attacked and yet I was forced to continue to teach with the same
students and I was provided with no further protection.
Furthermore, no follow-up investigation was made nor were the
students punished.

KNIFE ATTACK
A student Corps member by the name of Shawn Matkin, who had a
known history of drug abuse and violence, attacked me in the
kitchen with a knife. This was witnessed by Jim Windsor, Job Corps
staff member. According to Job Corps policy, I immediately filled
out an incident report and according to procedure, filed it with my
supervisor, Al Reddicks. To the best of my knowledge, no measures
were ever taken. I was provided with no additional security. The

208

student Corpraans was never punished and I was forced to continue to
work in this dangerous environment.

ATTEMPTED RAPE /BURGLARY

Late one evening while I was alone in my trailer, a drunken
student Corps member dressed only in his underwear attempted to
break into three (3) different houses, trying to find me. He first
broke into the cook's supervisor's house. He then attempted to
break into Wayne Tapp ' s house and then Jerry and Alice Mitchell's
house. Wayne Tapp's wife, Nancy, was terrified by this incident.
When the Corpsman was caught a short time later by Wayne Tapp, he
confessed that he was trying to find my home.

To the best of my knowledge, no criminal charges were ever
brought against the Corps member. Furthermore, contrary to Job
Corps policy, no Incident Reports were ever filed by either Wayne
Tapp or John Davis.

BEATING
Another assault that I suffered in the dining hall was by
student Corps member Dean Troyer. Dean Troyer had started a fight
in the dining room, and as a supervisor it was my responsibility to
defuse the altercation. I instructed the other student Corps
members to break up the fight. Dean Troyer came into my office,
grabbed my arm, punched me in the face and chest, grabbed my arm
again and slammed me into the door. There were over seven (7)
witnesses to this incident. According to the Job Corps policy, I
filed an Incident Report with my supervisor, Al Reddicks. Al

Reddicks was so angry with me that he demanded I produce the
original Incident Report which I kept in my files. I implored my
supervisor to remove Dean Troyer from the dining hall. His
response was to become angry with me for reporting the incident.
Not only was Dean Troyer not removed from the dining hall, but he
was also never punished. Later, he attacked another employee named
Jan Clark. In spite of the fact that Dean Troyer had a long
history of violence at the Job Corps Center, he was retained.

209

SEXUAL DEVIANCY
As I was going down stairs to the kitchen in the Job Center's
dining hall, a Corpsman named Wes Burchard started masturbating in
front of me. I immediately filed an Incident Report with John
Davis. Davis laughed and told me it was normal. To my knowledge,
no action was taken at that time. Later, Wes Burchard was caught
masturbating in front of another young Jtudent Corps member in the
showers. It was only after this and other intimidating incidents
that he was sent to a mental hospital for evaluation. I was
informed shortly after that he had raped a patient at that
hospital. It is my understanding that the Job Corps knew that Wes
Burchard had a violent history and a criminal record. It is my
belief that none of my Incident Reports of this individual was ever
filed.

ARSON

Two (2) female cousins who were open members of the Tacoma

Crips were allowed to enter the Job Corps. One of them was

enrolled in the culinary arts program under my direction. There

were many incidents to describe. However, the most dangerous

involved one of the cousins setting fire to a mattress in her
dormitory. To my knowledge, no formal charges were ever filed
against this student Corpsman. As a result of this incident of
arson and the failure of the director to take any criminal actions,
I feared for my life.

DRUG DEALING
In the Fall of 1987, I was sent to northern California with
approximately twelve (12) or more Job Corps members as part of a
cooking crew to help fight the Seiad fire. We were stationed on
the site for approximately six (6) weeks. As a supervisor of these
Corps members, I discovered several individuals abusing and dealing
marijuana, cocaine and alcohol. According to Job Corps policy, I
filed Incident Reports on several individuals and called the Curlew

210

Job Corps Center and notified them of the violations. All of the
Corps members admitted to abusing the drugs and alcohol and signed
their respective reports. However, when the Corps members returned
to the Center, Wayne Tapp refused to file these Incident Reports,
contrary to Job Corps policy.

When I returned to the Curlew Job Center from California, I
was called into Wayne Tapp's office. At that time Wayne Tapp
demanded to know whether I had ever drunk alcohol on the job. I
denied the accusation and to my shock I was told to "forget about
the drug bust. "

Wayne Tapp's decision to ignore the drug bust had a serious
impact on my safety and standing at the Center. This sent a tacit
signal to the student Corp members that their behavior would go

unpunished. This put me in grave dange* and soon after was when I
suffered the above-mentioned rape.

HEALTH AND HYGIENE VIOLATIONS
In spite of the fact that I filed multiple Incident Reports,
I was forced to work on shift with a student Corps member named
Brian Yaeger, who wore his pants halfway down his buttocks.
However, most offensive was Mr. Yaeger 's hygiene. Often Mr. Yaeger
had defecated in his pants and continued to wear them throughout
his shift. Although I continued to file Incident Reports regarding
these ongoing health, sanitary and hygiene violations, to my
knowledge my supervisor never filed them. In another incident a
student Corps member under my supervision complained of sickness.
I sent him to the Job Corps Center's sickhall. The nurse denied
treatment and directed the student Corpsman to return to work. We
later discovered that the Corpsman suffered from hepatitis. As a
result of this, over two hundred (200) people in the Job Corps had
to receive hepatitis shots. To the best of my knowledge, the nurse
directed Al Reddicks to have all students work whether they were
sick or not.

211

MY SUFFERING
When I applied for the Job Corps Center's position of Cook
Instructor, the job description stated that I would be working with
"disadvantaged youths". However, the application interview failed
to warn me that the disadvantaged youths with whom I would work
alone and at night had long criminal histories of rape, assault and
even murder. Furthermore, I was never warned that rape, beatings,

burglary, theft, arson, drug use and abuse, alcohol use, drug
dealing, sexual harassment and discrimination, and the fraudulent
reporting of retention records and other documents would be a part
of my Job Corps experience. These were daily realities of the
Curlew Job Corps in Wauconda, Washington.

I was never warned that by accepting this position I would be
put in harm's way. I have never encountered such terrifying and
horrific realities within a workplace. The blatant ongoing
disrespect for human dignity which I witnessed in the Job Corps
infrastructure has scarred me.

Since the night of my first attack, I have suffered horrible
nightmares, which continue to this day. The emotional and
psychological damage I suffered as a result of the incidents at the
Job Corps Center have disabled me. I have suffered from bulimia,
nightmares, headaches, clinical depression, fear, and acute
anxiety.

Eventually, I was unable to meet my duties at the Job Corps,
and as I began to break-down psychologically, my treating physician
prescribed one (1) month of sick leave. I requested advance sick
leave from Wayne Tapp. I was told by John Davis before I left that
I could not discuss any of the problems that I had experienced at
the Job Corps Center with anyone, especially Dee Wedell who was at
the time in charge of the Job Corps Department of Labor in Seattle.
John Davis warned me that if I told anyone he would make sure that
it would backfire on me. Wayne Tapp also told me that I could not
talk to anyone in the Union.

212

RETALIATION

Contrary to Job Corps policy, John Davis altered my timeslip
on one pay period that I know of. I was determined to file a
grievance and expressed my concerns to an employee of the Job Corps
named Sandy Evans. Unbeknownst to me, Sandy Evans was having an
affair with Wayne Tapp, to whom she is now married. Sandy Evans
warned me that if I filed a grievance, that Wayne Tapp and John
Davis would fabricate false information and do anything to hurt me.

When Wayne Tapp learned that I was filing for Worker's
Compensation, he told me that if I applied for Worker's
Compensation, it would "hurt my work record" and he "would not
under any circumstances ever pay for someone not to work." During
this last meeting with Wayne Tapp and John Davis, I was also told
that I should, "quit my job and go on food stamps." Once again I
was warned not to apply for Worker's Compensation. Contrary to Job
Corps policy and federal law, Wayne Tapp refused to file my
Worker's Compensation claim. It was not until William Howard of
the Office of Worker's Compensation (OWCP) in Seattle warned Wayne
Tapp at least twice of the legal ramifications for not filing a
claim, was the claim filed, after two and one half months.

Almost immediately after I was gone on sick leave, Wayne Tapp
and John Davis broke into my locked file cabinet and stole my
personal files, and confidential records, including medical
records. Furthermore, many copies of my Incident Reports were
taken as well. When I confronted John Davis on the telephone about
his breaking into my personal files, he told me, "I can break into
anything I want at any time." They did not know that I had copies
of my daily notes, including several of the Incident Reports and

records which disappeared from my personal file. Those records
have never been returned, despite reperted requests to John Davis
and Wayne Tapp.

213

CONCLUSION

The Job Corps knowingly and willingly receives gang members,
criminals, sociopaths and sexual deviants within their program.
However, the Job Corps fails to inform their employees that these
individuals are anything other than "disadvantaged youths." The
Job Corps knowingly and willingly continues to alter and inflate
student roster lists. Students who have exhibited continued acts
of violence remain undisciplined, uninvestigated and unrecorded so
that the Job Corps may maintain their inflated rosters.

I continue to suffer as the result of the experiences at the
Job Corps Center. At this time, I continue to be the subject of
continued harassment and retaliation by members of the Job Corps
Center and the U.S. Forest Service. It is my understanding that my
confidential personnel files and medical records including the
progress notes of my psychological therapy have been disseminated
to these institutions without my permission or knowledge. After
nearly seven (7) years from the date of these incidents I continue
to suffer from the attacks and retaliation of Job Corps
representatives who at this time have begun to wage a new war to
deny me Worker's Compensation benefits. Their preposterous
contention is that my testimony is a complete fabrication. Should
this investigation request further information, I am prepared to
provide complete documentation including names, addresses, social
security numbers and dates of birth of perpetrators, and names of

214

witnesses to all of the aforementioned incidents, including some
copies of the Incident Reports which disappeared from the stolen
files in my office.

nn ^^

Respectfully submitted this o/ ' day of January, 1995.

O/iAxmr^VcCi^

CHRTSTIE MILLER

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this rO 77^ day of
, 1995.

NCy^RY PUBLIC in and for the State o
Washington residing at g^ h/cwUre^n

My Commission Expires: //- ^l - 9-5^

'^Vxxxv'-"'

Senator Jeffords. So I thank everyone for coming, and with
that, I will declare the hearing closed, leaving the record open for
such additional material as may be appropriate.

[Whereupon, at 1:45 p.m., the committee was adjourned,]

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Full text of "Job Corps oversight : hearings before the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Fourth Congress, first session, on examining performance, accountability, and the incidence of violence at job Corps sites, January 18 and 19, 1995"

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