Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-68).

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / L. Susan Williams / This study analyzes in-depth interviews with incarcerated girls and young women, as well as contributions from community actors, to assess coercive sexual environments (CSE) in non-urban areas. CSEs represent an area of limited research that spotlights spatial disadvantage and sexual exploitation of at-risk girls, generating long-lasting negative effects for young women such as sexual harassment, exploitation, and sexual violence. Little is known about how CSEs may increase risk for girls’ involvement in the criminal justice system; further, all previous CSE research has been conducted in urban areas. To address these voids, the current study takes place in a primarily rural state, representing social control mechanisms somewhat different from cityscapes. Using a multi-pronged conceptual model of gendered pathways, ecological factors, and feminist criminology, the project relies heavily on stories from incarcerated girls and women. It identifies gender-specific mechanisms that perpetuate disadvantage and violence, examining how such apparatus may create a pipeline into the justice system. Tracing participants’ community roots, the study further gathers structural and cultural characteristics of the locale, assessing social control practices as reported by local professionals. Results confirm existence of CSEs in rural areas, which may produce negative outcomes and establish direct and indirect connections between young women and the justice system. Non-urban CSEs reveal origins common to those found in cities; patriarchy is identified as accounting for emergence of CSEs regardless of populous. The maintenance of such mechanisms, however, appear to be somewhat unique in rural communities; family name, a heavily-gendered veneer of idyllic but [un]safe milieux, and an absence of (and community reluctance to seek) vital services for abused girls and women are revealed as CSE characteristics in the areas of this study. Further, the current study challenges literature proclaiming solely positive results from high levels of collective efficacy, finding that strong collective efficacy in non-urban areas gathers close insider ties, but “outsiders,” which includes girls identified in this research, are defined quickly and deeply, placing them in significant peril. Policy recommendations include trauma-informed services in rural communities, coupled with education on characteristics associated with CSEs. While this research underscores over-incarceration of girls, it also suggests stop-gap approaches that address unique needs of young women in the justice system. Finally, recommendations for future CSE studies are offered.

abstract: The dissertation examines treatment services received by youth on probation in the Maricopa County, Arizona. The project focuses on three primary issues: 1) the factors associated with receiving treatment services while on probation, 2) the factors associated with receiving treatment services through different funding streams, and 3) whether treatment services and specific characteristics of treatment services, particularly the funding source, influence recidivism outcomes of youth. To answer these questions the research used data obtained from the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department from July 2012 thru August 2014. Multivariate regression, along with statistical techniques to control for selection bias, were used to identify the factors associated with receiving treatment services, the factors associated with the funding source of treatment services, and the effect of treatment services on recidivism. The findings from the current dissertation suggest that the receipt of treatment services is not equal across groups, and particularly that minorities are less likely to receive treatment services compared to their White counterparts. Additionally, the findings reveal that certain characteristics of youth and the type of treatment service received influence the funding source, but the source of funding does not influence the effectiveness of the treatment services. Finally, using propensity score matching, the current dissertation found that treatment services were effective in reducing recidivism while under probation supervision and 6 months after probation supervision has ended. Implications for policy and research are discussed in light of these findings. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Criminology and Criminal Justice 2015

Essa dissertação trata da relação entre o saber pedagógico e o governo dos adolescen-tes infratores. A partir da filosofia de Michel Foucault se investigará em um conjunto de arti-gos acadêmicos e opinativos- e de documentos governamentais quais são as novas práticas e concepções pedagógicas que surgiram na última década. Sabe-se que nos últimos anos o sis-tema de justiça juvenil brasileiro tem passado por grandes transformações, tanto no plano prá-tico quanto no teórico. O objetivo do trabalho é saber o que se passou durante esse período de reforma da instituição de responsabilização juvenil e se esse processo tornou o atendimento aos adolescentes infratores mais eficaz do ponto de vista da gestão da criminalidade juvenil. Inicialmente expõem-se alguns debates teóricos importantes para a justiça especial dispostas no Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente. Trata-se então, da relação entre direito e poder a partir da análise dos argumentos expostos no debate acerca da redução da maioridade penal. Apresentam-se na sequência as diversas forças que habitam as instituições socioeducativas. Em seguida, vê-se como as práticas jurídicas e processuais tendem a limitar a ação governa-mental, proscrevendo-lhe regras de não intervenção. Por fim expor-se-á as práticas de atendi-mento, ressaltando terapêuticas e as práticas limitativas. Conclui-se que é o modelo de justiça penal mínima que melhor desenvolveu as aspirações educativas do ECA. Que, apesar de ter alcançado bons resultados, esse modelo concorre com muitas das forças reminiscentes do mo-delo anterior. / This essay studies the relationship between education knowledge and the juvenile justice sys-tem in Brazil. Based on the work of Michael Foucault, a selection of articles, government papers and academic publications is investigated in order to acknowledge the education prac-tices and techniques that arouse in the last decade. Brazilian juvenile justice system went through major transformations in recent years, both in the theoretical and practical fields. The goal of this research is to recognize the key transformations that took place in this period and learn if the process did or did not improve government\'s assistance towards young offenders. It starts with some theoretical debates relevant for the juvenile justice system, followed by the analysis of the relationship between law and power contained in the arguments exposed in the reduction of criminal age\'s debate. Numerous forces dwelling the country\'s juvenile justice institutions are presented. The following part analysis how legal and procedural practices tend to limit government interference, prescribing it rules of non intervention. It\'s understood that the criminal justice model of minimal intervention is the one that better developed ECA\'s ed-ucational aspirations. Despite achieving satisfactory results, this model still competes with many reminiscent forces of it\'s predecessor model.

Submitted by isabela.moljf@hotmail.com (isabela.moljf@hotmail.com) on 2017-07-04T10:48:43Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ellencristinacarmorodrigues.pdf: 792078 bytes, checksum: 55766d6aa08524de93d7f011f7d93047 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-08-08T13:28:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 ellencristinacarmorodrigues.pdf: 792078 bytes, checksum: 55766d6aa08524de93d7f011f7d93047 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-08T13:28:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ellencristinacarmorodrigues.pdf: 792078 bytes, checksum: 55766d6aa08524de93d7f011f7d93047 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-04-22 / A presente dissertação investiga a reação político, jurídica e social frente à conduta de crianças e adolescentes em conflito com a lei. O estudo analisa a vinculação do comportamento juvenil fora dos padrões normais à delinqüência, e a relação entre tais associações e a organização da Justiça Juvenil. Procurou-se investigar como este sistema de justiça foi organizado de forma diferenciada, a depender da classe social dos destinatários. Para tanto, foram estudadas as fases percorridas pela Justiça Juvenil no Brasil, relacionando-a com a experiência de outros países. Busca-se demonstrar, empiricamente, a partir do sistema sócio-educativo da comarca de Juiz de Fora (MG), no período de junho/2008 a dezembro/ 2009, as conseqüências de tais processos em relação ao cenário atual, definido pelo ECA (Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente). Após a revisão de teóricos nos campos das ciências sociais e do direito, pretende-se discutir que as questões atuais propostas, ao contrário de garantirem a proteção e ressocialização dos jovens, podem contribuir ainda mais para a punição seletiva dos adolescentes infratores oriundos das classes populares. / This dissertation investigates the political, legal and social reaction concerning the management of children and adolescents in conflict with the law. It examines the linking of youth behavior outside the normal patterns of delinquency, and the relationship between such associations and the organization of Juvenile Justice. We sought to investigate how this system of justice was organized differently, depending on the social class of recipients. For this, we studied the phases covered by the Juvenile Justice in Brazil, linking it to the experience of other countries. It also demonstrates empirically, taking into consideration the social-educational system of the district of Juiz de Fora (MG), from June/2008 to December, 2009, the consequences of such processes in relation to the current scenario, defined by the ECA ( Statute of Children and Adolescents). After examination of studies in the fields of social sciences and law, we intend to discuss the issues that current proposals, as opposed to ensuring the protection and rehabilitation of youth, may further contribute to the selective punishment of young offenders from the popular classes.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The aim of this study was to critically examined the juvenile justice system with regard to the theory of restorative justice as a better alternative to the punitive system that recognizes the rights of children as human rights is in line with the convention on the rights of the child. This research looked at punishment as a penal option, which the court imposes on a person for committing a crime. By means of a case study with regards to the One Stop Youth Justice Centre in Port Elizabeth, this study argued that the restorative method of dealing with youth offenders is a better alternative in contrast to the punitive system. / South Africa

Research suggests that there still exists a disproportionate number of Black males who have contact with juvenile justice systems across this nation (Nance, 2016). The disproportionate placement of students of color, specifically, Black American males in alternative schools, serves as the gateway to the school-to-prison-pipeline (Pelzer, 2012). This study examined the lived educational experiences of two Black American juvenile males, who enrolled in an alternative school in the Southeast. This study incorporated phenomenological and narrative methods and provides rich, descriptive analyses of the participants’ experiences while attending an alternative school. Findings from this study revealed instability among the participants’ home life and education, encounters with law enforcement and an early age, varying experiences attending an alternative school, and feelings of uncertain hope displayed by the participants regarding their future lives.

No description available.

The criminal justice system relies heavily on eliciting truthful information from suspects to solve crimes. A paramount problem with this approach involves the questioning of young suspects. Numerous studies support the conclusion that youth is a risk factor for providing false information during police questioning. The present study examined the influence of temporal discounting (the tendency for individual’s behavior to be influenced more strongly by proximal than distal factors; Berns, Laibson, & Loewenstein, 2007; Critchfield & Kollins, 2001) and other developmental factors (i.e., impulse control, future orientation, and sensation seeking) thought to underlie youths’ increased interrogative vulnerability. In line with previous research examining developmental differences in confession decisions, it was predicted that youth would be more likely than adults to provide false admissions to escape the immediate consequences of the situation. Furthermore, it was predicted that youth demonstrating lower impulse control, deficits in future orientation, and increased sensation seeking would be most likely to engage in this tendency. Using a randomized experimental design 205 adult and youth participants were questioned about their engagement in 20 criminal and unethical behaviors. Participants were told responding “yes” or “no” to these questions would have either immediate consequences (i.e., answering a series of repetitive questions) or future consequences (i.e., meeting with a police officer in a few weeks). Analyses revealed evidence of temporal discounting: Participants provided more admissions when denials, rather than admissions, were punished with immediate consequences. Contrary to hypotheses, age, impulse control, future orientation and sensation seeking did not moderate this relationship. Similarly, hypotheses regarding the relationship between age group, impulse control, and future orientation were unsupported. Compared to adults, adolescents did not exhibit less impulse control or future orientation. The current study was the first to experimentally examine factors thought to underlie youths’ increased proclivity to provide false information in interrogation. Justice system involved youth may differ from youth in the current study in key ways that help explain the lack of support for study hypotheses. Because of these differences, it is imperative that future research focuses on youth who are most at risk of encountering the justice system as suspects.