To help at-risk youths get their lives on the right track, the U.S. Department of Labor established Job Corps, a residential program aimed at improving disadvantaged youths’ lives through academic, vocational, and life-skills training. Job Corps is open to eligible youths aged sixteen to twenty-four. Participants typically live full time at Job Corps centers, where they are held to strict behavioral standards. At the centers, youths attend academic and vocational classes from six months to two years, depending on the training they receive. Advocates of Job Corps claim that the program has a lasting, beneficial impact on its graduates. According to National Job Corps chair LaVera Leonard, “Nationally 70 percent of all Job Corps students get jobs or pursue further education.” In addition, 85 percent of students receive “impressive reading and math gains.” Also, Job...