Over the last 30 years, the juvenile justice system and juvenile correctional ideology shifted to become more punitive in nature. However, studies examining this shift are lacking in the literature. The present study will attempt to assess what correctional ideology, rehabilitative or punitive, is dominant within juvenile corrections by conducting a national survey to juvenile facility directors. This study will be based on prior literature, most of which has focused upon line staff in an adult correctional setting. From this prior literature, more specifically from the work of Cullen et al. (1989), scales will be created to determine the correctional orientation of the key administrators in juvenile facilities. This will allow us to assess whether the correctional ideology driving the juvenile system has in fact become punitive. The findings from this study have the opportunity to alter the current status quo in juvenile corrections.

Cette thèse se situe dans un cadre théorique à la croisée de la sociologie du contrôle social de la délinquance juvénile et de celle du genre. Elle a pour objectif d’identifier les réponses des institutions publiques apportées à la délinquance des filles mineures. La méthode de recherche a consisté en une enquête de terrain dans l’agglomération de Grenoble, notamment à l’hôtel de police, au palais de justice, à l’unité éducative de milieu ouvert (UEMO) Nord et à l’établissement de placement éducatif et d’insertion (EPEI) de Corenc de la Protection judiciaire de la jeunesse (PJJ) de l’Isère. Nous avons effectué des observations et conduit des entretiens auprès de divers professionnels du système pénal des mineurs (policiers, éducateurs et juge des enfants). Nos résultats montrent la surprotection des filles ; en effet, elles sont présélectionnées comme « mineures en danger » par la justice civile et, dans le circuit pénal, elles sont maintenues en situation de placement. Les résultats font également état de l’existence de représentations de genre de la délinquance des filles circulant dans le milieu pénal des mineurs. Leurs délits, leurs personnalités et également les modalités de leur prise en charge sont lus au prisme du genre. En définitive, la trame de la sélection pénale des filles mineures apparait genrée et renforce les figures judiciaires de la fille fragile à protéger et du garçon dangereux à « recadrer ». / The theoretical framework of this dissertation is at the crossroads of the sociology of juvenile delinquency, social control and gender. Its aim is to identify public institutions’ responses to the delinquency of minor girls. The research method consisted in a field study in the urban area of Grenoble, including police station, courthouse, educative and judiciary services (UEMO Nord and EPEI Corenc of PJJ). Observations and interviews have been made with various professionals within the juvenile criminal justice system (police officers, youth workers and juvenile court judges). Results show an overprotection process of girls. Indeed, they are selected upstream as "minors at risk" by the civil justice (child protection proceedings) and, in the criminal system, they are maintained in institutional homes. Gender-based representations stem out of our investigations, spreading throughout the juvenile criminal justice system. Hence the general background of the criminal selection of juvenile girls appears as "gendered" and reinforces the figures of fragile girls to be protected and dangerous boys requiring correctional action.

A presente dissertação ocupa-se do estudo da teoria criminológica da rotulação social e do sistema de justiça juvenil visando, ao final, a aproximar essas duas esferas de conhecimento e verificar a assertividade das lições emanadas da mencionada teorização no tocante à aplicação e a execução das medidas socioeducativas. O caminho criminológico percorrido inicia-se com o surgimento da Criminologia chegando até a teoria crítica, sucessora da rotulação social. No que se refere à Justiça Juvenil são apresentados todos os paradigmas que direcionaram seu entendimento, atendo-se ao estudo das medidas socioeducativas e suas finalidades, destacando-se a sanção mais gravosa, a internação. A junção dos conhecimentos ocorre com o estudo dos efeitos da internação e sua ligação com a possibilitação de uma carreira criminosa. / The present dissertation occupies itself of the study of the labelling approach criminological theory and of the juvenile justice system intending to, in the end, approach those two spheres of knowledge and verify the certainty of the lessons emanated of the aforementioned theory regarding the application and the execution of the socialeducational measures. The criminological path passed through begins with the emergence of Criminology reaching the critical theory, successor of the labelling approach. Regarding the Juvenile Justice, are presented all of the paradigms that directed its understanding, focusing in the study of social-educational measures and its purposes, especially the most severe penalty, the admission. The intersection of the knowledge takes place with the study of the effects of the admission and its connection with the making-possible of a criminal career.

Problem gambling currently affects between 5-7% of youth ages 12-18 (Hardooon & Derevensky, 2002); however, rates of problem gambling among youth who are involved with the Juvenile Justice System are more than twice that of school sample rates (Lieberman & Cuadrado, 2002). Furthermore, disordered gambling often co-occurs with substance use and criminal activity (Huang & Boyer, 2007), issues that are compounded in the Juvenile Justice population. The current study assessed gambling behaviors and risk factors of 145 youth involved in juvenile, juvenile drug, and family courts. Results indicated that nearly 13% of these youth are currently problem gamblers, and that males and African-Americans had higher problem gambling rates than female and Caucasian youth. Furthermore, gambling-related crime, substance use, scope of gambling activities, and time in detention facilities were all predictive of problem gambling severity, while suicidal ideation, urban environment, and lottery sales per capita were not. Finally, having a parent with a gambling problem also emerged as a risk factor;however, the risk was greater for males than for females. These results present a distinct need for youth to be screened for gambling problems upon entering and exiting the Juvenile Justice System, and for prevention and intervention services to be offered within juvenile and family court settings. Furthermore, communities need to take an active role in preventing youth gambling problems through increasing public awareness and insuring that appropriate and accurate messages reflecting gambling opportunities and outcomes are presented.

A presente dissertação ocupa-se do estudo da teoria criminológica da rotulação social e do sistema de justiça juvenil visando, ao final, a aproximar essas duas esferas de conhecimento e verificar a assertividade das lições emanadas da mencionada teorização no tocante à aplicação e a execução das medidas socioeducativas. O caminho criminológico percorrido inicia-se com o surgimento da Criminologia chegando até a teoria crítica, sucessora da rotulação social. No que se refere à Justiça Juvenil são apresentados todos os paradigmas que direcionaram seu entendimento, atendo-se ao estudo das medidas socioeducativas e suas finalidades, destacando-se a sanção mais gravosa, a internação. A junção dos conhecimentos ocorre com o estudo dos efeitos da internação e sua ligação com a possibilitação de uma carreira criminosa. / The present dissertation occupies itself of the study of the labelling approach criminological theory and of the juvenile justice system intending to, in the end, approach those two spheres of knowledge and verify the certainty of the lessons emanated of the aforementioned theory regarding the application and the execution of the socialeducational measures. The criminological path passed through begins with the emergence of Criminology reaching the critical theory, successor of the labelling approach. Regarding the Juvenile Justice, are presented all of the paradigms that directed its understanding, focusing in the study of social-educational measures and its purposes, especially the most severe penalty, the admission. The intersection of the knowledge takes place with the study of the effects of the admission and its connection with the making-possible of a criminal career.

Adolescent suicide has been described as a major public health problem calling for the aid of researchers willing to better identify factors related to suicide risk. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds. Despite the fact incarcerated adolescents act in self-destructive ways, minimal research has focused on suicide behavior among incarcerated adolescents. Existing data indicates that suicide among adolescent males is especially prevalent in the juvenile justice system. Several variables have been identified as risk factors for suicidal behavior, including interpersonal relationship dysfunction, substance abuse, and psychological variables such as depression and dichotomous thinking. Incarcerated males have been shown to be more prone to these risks than the general population. There is a need to highlight these risks in context of this population, identifying behavior patterns over the life span. Addressing the need to identify behavior patterns within the incarcerated male youth population, this study focuses on one adolescent male involved with Utah's juvenile justice system who subsequently completed suicide. The identified youth suffered from substance abuse; its effects were devastating to himself and those around him. Furthermore, his hypersensitivity to disappointing others permeated his lifelong traits and behavior patterns. Interviewees reported that such hypersensitivity began early in life, prominently influencing his subsequent self-inflicted guilt in adolescence when drug use, the decision to drop-out of school, and incarceration became traumatic. As this case study exemplified, counselors, teachers, school psychologists, family, and friends need to be aware of the increased potential for suicide in incarcerated adolescents, particularly those who struggle with substance abuse and a comorbid disorder.

While a number of studies have indicated disparities in mental health services use among African-Americans, specific factors that account for within-group disparities have not been thoroughly addressed. Research shows that African-American adolescent males generally are less likely to utilize mental health services and this is especially true among those involved with the juvenile justice system (Hazen, Hough, Landsverk, & Wood, 2004). Previous research indicates that culture is a viable and necessary factor to consider regarding African-Americans' pattern of mental health help-seeking (Cauce et al., 2002). This study utilized a qualitative research design and the Network-Episode Model (NEM) (Pescosolido & Boyer, 1999) as the theoretical framework to examine the influence of culture on the attitudes of African American adolescent males released from juvenile detention facilities to understand their mental health help-seeking. Criterion sampling procedures were utilized to recruit for the study, two groups of African-American adolescent males (n = 54) who initially received services at John Hope Family Renewal Center following their release from juvenile detention. In-depth interviews with participants were conducted and participants' case records were reviewed. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts produced four overarching themes: (1) beliefs about causes of mental health problems, (2) other beliefs about mental health, (3) social barriers - isolation/exclusion, and (4) social network influence on service utilization. Comparisons were made between those youth who used services and those who discontinued service use. Findings revealed that: 1) participants' beliefs about the root causes of mental health problems prevented some from utilizing mental health services, 2) cultural factors partially influenced participants' attitudes and negatively shaped their behaviors towards use of mental health services. Findings also revealed that mental health stigma, ineffective treatment, fear and shame from peers, negative community reaction, and mistrust of mental health providers were important barriers to service utilization. Implications for social work practice, policy, and future research are discussed.

No description available.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é explicar os mecanismos sociais das decisões judiciais. Em particular, a investigação centra-se no processo de tomadas de decisões de operadores do Direito no sistema de justiça juvenil em São Paulo. Busca-se, assim, verificar quais são os fatores determinantes da aplicação da medida socioeducativa de internação para adolescentes acusados de cometimento de ato infracional e o modo pelo qual se dá esse processo decisório. Desde a promulgação do Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente, em 1990, o sistema de justiça juvenil brasileiro passou a operar em um novo registro: as medidas socioeducativas passaram a se restringir a autores de infrações penais; e a medida de internação, em particular, a crimes cometidos com violência e/ou grave ameaça à pessoa. Mas a gravidade do ato infracional é de fato o principal preditor das decisões judiciais na justiça juvenil? Ou haveria outros fatores explicativos, como aqueles relacionados às características sociais dos adolescentes, às relações de poder inscritas nas interações sociais ou mesmo à estrutura organizacional dos tribunais? Na busca pela explicação dos mecanismos sociais dessas decisões judiciais, esta pesquisa propôs um desenho multimetodológico, integrando técnicas quantitativas e qualitativas para investigar os mecanismos das decisões e verificar os determinantes da aplicação da medida socioeducativa de internação em São Paulo. Assim, em um primeiro momento, as hipóteses citadas foram testadas por meio de modelos logísticos binomiais tendo a decisão sobre a internação como variável dependente em um cenário multivariado. Os resultados encontrados indicam um alto grau de proporcionalidade entre crime e pena, tendo os atos infracionais considerados mais graves os mais significativos efeitos sobre a probabilidade de internação; mas indicam, também, a reprodução de relações de poder - adolescentes usuários de drogas e que não trabalham nem estudam, mantidas as outras dimensões constantes, também têm maior chance de receber a medida socioeducativa de internação. Em seguida, a fim de explicar os mecanismos dos efeitos do tratamento estimados anteriormente, foram acompanhadas semanalmente as audiências de apresentação e de continuação e as oitivas informais no Fórum Brás, em São Paulo. Ao mesmo tempo em que se concluiu que as oitivas informais, centrais no processo decisório, ocorrem cerimonialmente e que as decisões são tomadas via documentos, o que explica o mecanismo de proporcionalidade encontrado anteriormente, pôde-se concluir que eventualmente os Promotores de Justiça \"voltam atrás\" de suas decisões quando há um rompimento na definição da situação, o que explica o mecanismo dos efeitos das características individuais dos adolescentes. / This research aims at investigating the social mechanisms of judicial decisions. It particularly focuses on the decision-making process of legal actors in the juvenile justice system in São Paulo. Thus, the research aims at verifying the determinants of the confinement disposition for juveniles who have been accused of a crime and the way which this decision is made by. Since the Child and Adolescent Statute was promulgated in 1990, the Brazilian juvenile justice system started working under new guidelines: dispositions are now restricted to offenders; and the confinement disposition is restricted to offenses committed with violence and/or with a threat to a person. But is the seriousness of the crime indeed the best predictor of judicial decisions? Or are there other explanatory factors, such as the ones related to the individual characteristics of the teenagers, to the power relations within social interactions, or even to the court organizational structure? Aiming at a mechanism-based explanation of these judicial decisions, this research has proposed a mixed-methods research design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative techniques to investigate mechanisms of the decision-making process and to verify the determinants of the confinement disposition in São Paulo. Thus, at first, the aforementioned hypotheses were tested with binary logistic models, presenting the decision concerning the confinement disposition as the dependent variable on a multivariable scenario. Results indicate a high degree of proportionality between crime and punishment, with the seriousness of the offenses having significant effects on the probability of confinement; but the results also indicate some reproduction of power relations - drug user youth and those who neither work nor study increase their odds of being more severely punished. After that, aiming at explaining the mechanisms of the treatment effects estimated beforehand, both judicial and informal hearings (at the State\'s Attorney office) were weekly observed at the juvenile court in São Paulo. While it was possible to conclude that the informal hearings are central to the decision-making process and occur ceremonially, with decisions being made by documents-consulting (which explains the proportionality mechanism), the research also found that the Attorneys often regret their decisions when there is a rupture of the definition of the situation. This explains the mechanism of the individual characteristics effects on juvenile sentencing.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é explicar os mecanismos sociais das decisões judiciais. Em particular, a investigação centra-se no processo de tomadas de decisões de operadores do Direito no sistema de justiça juvenil em São Paulo. Busca-se, assim, verificar quais são os fatores determinantes da aplicação da medida socioeducativa de internação para adolescentes acusados de cometimento de ato infracional e o modo pelo qual se dá esse processo decisório. Desde a promulgação do Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente, em 1990, o sistema de justiça juvenil brasileiro passou a operar em um novo registro: as medidas socioeducativas passaram a se restringir a autores de infrações penais; e a medida de internação, em particular, a crimes cometidos com violência e/ou grave ameaça à pessoa. Mas a gravidade do ato infracional é de fato o principal preditor das decisões judiciais na justiça juvenil? Ou haveria outros fatores explicativos, como aqueles relacionados às características sociais dos adolescentes, às relações de poder inscritas nas interações sociais ou mesmo à estrutura organizacional dos tribunais? Na busca pela explicação dos mecanismos sociais dessas decisões judiciais, esta pesquisa propôs um desenho multimetodológico, integrando técnicas quantitativas e qualitativas para investigar os mecanismos das decisões e verificar os determinantes da aplicação da medida socioeducativa de internação em São Paulo. Assim, em um primeiro momento, as hipóteses citadas foram testadas por meio de modelos logísticos binomiais tendo a decisão sobre a internação como variável dependente em um cenário multivariado. Os resultados encontrados indicam um alto grau de proporcionalidade entre crime e pena, tendo os atos infracionais considerados mais graves os mais significativos efeitos sobre a probabilidade de internação; mas indicam, também, a reprodução de relações de poder - adolescentes usuários de drogas e que não trabalham nem estudam, mantidas as outras dimensões constantes, também têm maior chance de receber a medida socioeducativa de internação. Em seguida, a fim de explicar os mecanismos dos efeitos do tratamento estimados anteriormente, foram acompanhadas semanalmente as audiências de apresentação e de continuação e as oitivas informais no Fórum Brás, em São Paulo. Ao mesmo tempo em que se concluiu que as oitivas informais, centrais no processo decisório, ocorrem cerimonialmente e que as decisões são tomadas via documentos, o que explica o mecanismo de proporcionalidade encontrado anteriormente, pôde-se concluir que eventualmente os Promotores de Justiça \"voltam atrás\" de suas decisões quando há um rompimento na definição da situação, o que explica o mecanismo dos efeitos das características individuais dos adolescentes. / This research aims at investigating the social mechanisms of judicial decisions. It particularly focuses on the decision-making process of legal actors in the juvenile justice system in São Paulo. Thus, the research aims at verifying the determinants of the confinement disposition for juveniles who have been accused of a crime and the way which this decision is made by. Since the Child and Adolescent Statute was promulgated in 1990, the Brazilian juvenile justice system started working under new guidelines: dispositions are now restricted to offenders; and the confinement disposition is restricted to offenses committed with violence and/or with a threat to a person. But is the seriousness of the crime indeed the best predictor of judicial decisions? Or are there other explanatory factors, such as the ones related to the individual characteristics of the teenagers, to the power relations within social interactions, or even to the court organizational structure? Aiming at a mechanism-based explanation of these judicial decisions, this research has proposed a mixed-methods research design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative techniques to investigate mechanisms of the decision-making process and to verify the determinants of the confinement disposition in São Paulo. Thus, at first, the aforementioned hypotheses were tested with binary logistic models, presenting the decision concerning the confinement disposition as the dependent variable on a multivariable scenario. Results indicate a high degree of proportionality between crime and punishment, with the seriousness of the offenses having significant effects on the probability of confinement; but the results also indicate some reproduction of power relations - drug user youth and those who neither work nor study increase their odds of being more severely punished. After that, aiming at explaining the mechanisms of the treatment effects estimated beforehand, both judicial and informal hearings (at the State\'s Attorney office) were weekly observed at the juvenile court in São Paulo. While it was possible to conclude that the informal hearings are central to the decision-making process and occur ceremonially, with decisions being made by documents-consulting (which explains the proportionality mechanism), the research also found that the Attorneys often regret their decisions when there is a rupture of the definition of the situation. This explains the mechanism of the individual characteristics effects on juvenile sentencing.