The overrepresentation of youth of color in the juvenile justice system, often referred to as disproportionate minority contact (DMC) can be found at many stages of the juvenile justice continuum. Further, research has shown that overrepresentation is not necessarily related to higher rates of criminal activity and suggests that case processing disparities can contribute to DMC. Risk assessment instruments (RAI) are objective techniques used to make decisions about youth in the juvenile justice system. This study examined the effects of implementing an RAI designed to make detention decisions, in a predominantly rural parish in Louisiana. Police officers from three law enforcement agencies investigated 202 cases during the evaluation period. The measures included an objective detention risk screening instrument, a contact form which contained juvenile demographic information, a two-item questionnaire assessing law enforcement's impression of the youth's need for detention placement and risk to public safety, and an arrest coding sheet which assessed subsequent police contacts and arrests among youth over 3 and 6 months of street time (i.e., time outside of secure confinement). Results revealed that overall law enforcement was unwilling to consistently complete the tool and continued to use subjective decision making, with completion rates ranging from 61% to 97% across the participating agencies. Also, subjective decision making by law enforcement actually helped minority youth as law enforcement consistently disregarded formal overrides included in the RAI, resulting in fewer minority youth being detained than were indicated by the RAI. Further, implementation of the tool, as constructed, resulted in small but insignificant reductions in the rates of overall confinement and rates of minority confinement when compared to the rates of confinement during the same time period of the previous year. Additionally, the RAI did not significantly predict future police contact due to items that did not predict recidivism in this sample. Use of a three-item version resulted in a significant increase in the tool's predictive ability. This study demonstrates the importance of additional validity testing following the implementation of detention risk assessment instruments to ensure that these tools reduce unnecessary confinement while protecting public safety.

Objective To ascertain the neurodevelopmental characteristics of Xhosa speaking children from Buffalo City, South Africa, who are on trial. Hypothesis Delinquent children have a greater prevalence of neurodevelopmental challenges than non offenders. Design A prospective cross sectional study which uses a series of structured questionnaires in concert with clinical and neurocognitive assessments. Twenty, on trial, males and females, aged between 13 and 17 years old, their parents or guardians and educators were interviewed. The results were compared to general population norms defined by North American populations using Conners’ 2TM Rating Scales, STRANDS self reports and PEERAMID neurodevelopmental examination. The Xhosa Senior South African Individual Scale Revised was used for psychometric testing. Outcome measures Presence of one or more neurodevelopmental disorders including symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disorder and / or neurodevelopmental deficit. Results Ten percent of participants had a diagnosis of ADHD, both were males. Symptoms of ADHD were identified in 64% of males and 33% of females. Neurodevelopmental challenges were present in 94% (17/18). An incidental finding was high levels of anxiety. Conclusions The prevalence of an ADHD diagnosis was not higher than the general population, however, the presence of symptoms was high and supported findings in the literature. Neurodevelopmental challenges were present in the majority. Further research is indicated to ascertain the role of anxiety in this population. The development and validation of culturally appropriate assessment tools is a further identified need.

Les recours à l'acte violent sont étudiés essentiellement chez les adolescents, alors que les souffrances des jeunes filles sont abordées en terme de mise à mal du corps propre, à travers des manifestations psychopathologiques singulières (troubles des conduites alimentaires, attaques du corps, scarifications...). La recherche concerne la place et le rôle du féminin dans les recours à l'acte violent d'adolescentes délinquantes, avec pour corollaire plusieurs interrogations concernant le sens que revêtent ces agirs violents, en tant qu'expression d'un éventuel changement de la symptomatologie actuelle et particulière de l'adolescence. La question d'une spécificité de la violence au féminin, notamment lors du processus adolescent, processus mettant particulièrement à mal les notions de normal et de pathologique, sera posée, ainsi que celle du lien entre traumatisme, féminin, et recours à l'acte. La référence théorique est la psychopathologie psychanalytique, dans ses deux dimensions, intrapsychique et intersubjective, prenant en compte le nouage entre l'architecture psychique du sujet et sa rencontre avec le socius. La méthodologie repose sur une démarche clinique, basée sur des entretiens et la passation d'épreuves projectives, auprès d'adolescentes ayant commis des actes délictueux. La présente recherche souligne la variété des fonctionnements psychiques dans lesquels se rencontrent les agir violents, la prépondérance des identifications dans l'accès à un féminin apaisé, tempérant l'impact des traumatismes, et l'importance du contexte socioculturel dans lequel se déploient ces actes violents. / AThe use of violent acts is studied mainly in male adolescents, while the suffering of girls is discussed in terms of hurting their own body, through singular psychopathological symptoms (eating disorders, attacks to the body, scarification ...). This research considers the place and role of being female in the use of violent acts by teenage offenders, with a corresponding number of questions about the meaning of these violent acts, as an expression of a possible change in the present symptomatology of adolescence. The question of specificity of violence from young girls, especially during the adolescent process, particularly the process undermining the concepts of normal and pathological will be asked, as well as the relationship between trauma, femininity, and use of violent acts. The theoretical reference is the psychoanalytic psychopathology in both aspects, intrapsychic and intersubjective, taking into account the tie between the psychic architecture of the subject and the meeting with socius. The methodology is based on a clinical approach, based on interviews and the placing of projective tests, with adolescents who have committed illegal violent acts. This research highlights the variety of psychic functioning in which meet the violent act, the balance of identifications in access to a calm femininity, tempering the impact of trauma and the importance of the sociocultural context in which these violent acts are deployed .

Thesis advisor: Ruth G. McRoy / Thesis advisor: Thomas M. Crea / Youth involved with both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems are referred to as dually involved youth. Children involved in the child welfare system are highly vulnerable for maladaptive outcomes, and in particular, engagement in delinquent behaviors. Those youth who criminally offend are likely to shift back and forth between the two systems, potentially increasing their vulnerability for poor outcomes. The theoretical bases for this study are derived from ecological systems and attachment theories, specifically the influence of trauma on attachment. The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Youth Services (DYS) provided the data for this secondary analysis of the characteristics of dually involved youth and the factors related to offense severity for youth committed to DYS. The study explored: 1) the relationship of gender, race, and age of delinquency commitment to offense severity; 2) the influence of child welfare involvement (measured by total unique count of social workers, home removal, and out-of-home placement) to offense severity; 3) the influence of prior maltreatment to offense severity; and 4) the association of gender and race to the likelihood of dual involvement. Results indicated that while maltreatment was found to be significantly associated with more severe offenses, greater child welfare involvement was associated with less severe offenses. Additionally, the results indicated that female juvenile delinquents were significantly more likely to be dually involved. The issues of racial disproportionality within the juvenile justice and child welfare systems were examined. While results did not indicate statistical significance in determining the likelihood of dual involvement based on race, disproportionality in the juvenile justice system exists. Implications for policy changes included the following: 1) the need for gender specific programming, 2) an increased commitment to reducing disproportionality in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, 3) increased focus on multisystem services to meet the needs of youth. Strategies for using kinship placements as an avenue to maintain familial connections are discussed. Additional research is needed to explore the influence of the interaction between gender and race, mental health and environment factors (e.g., poverty, neighborhood characteristics) on likelihood of dual involvement. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Neighborhood social disorganization has been found to be related to crime and deviance. In explaining this relationship, most have focused on specific factors of informal social control and collective efficacy. Using data from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (n = 12,800), the relationship between social disorganization and delinquent outcomes was examined by looking at extra-curricular activities as intervening mechanisms with logistic regression in SPSS. While the effect of social disorganization on delinquency remained significant, results indicated some evidence of mediation when accounting for extra-curricular activity measures predicting binge drinking. Specifically, the coefficient for social disorganization was reduced and significant at a lower threshold once extra-curricular activity measures were added in the models. Also, findings indicated different patterns of relationships found among the various extra-curricular activity categories concerning delinquent outcomes. Unlike other types of extracurricular activities, increased involvement in athletic activities was related to increased participation in delinquency.

The purpose of this study was to determine what current Master of Social Worker Students in their advanced year know about adolescent gang affiliation, including statistics, predictive factors, and possible interventions. Adolescent gang involvement is a very serious issue that historically has had very problematic effects on society, as well as serious and troublesome effects on the life course of the individual. Despite the knowledge that has been gained in recent years regarding predictive factors of adolescent gang involvement, many intervention programs designed to address this issue are still rarely effective. Despite the fact that there are conflicting findings in the research on adolescent gang affiliation there is also much research that has claimed many similar predictive and preventive factors, such as relationships with family and school. This study will show if current social worker students are aware of the more common factors that lead to adolescent gang affiliation. This will help determine if social work students are just getting a little bit of education on juvenile delinquency and deviance or an abundance of education on the subject matter. The specific population that was surveyed was the Master of Social Work advanced year students at California State University, San Bernardino. Although there were few statistically significant findings in the study, the students for the most part had positive attitudes and perceptions regarding those involved with gang affiliation. The participants for the most part also agreed with factual statements regarding actual predictive factors of gang affiliation. The participants also overwhelmingly all agreed on a more rehabilitative approach when working with youth involved in gang affiliation as opposed to punitive approaches.

The purpose of this study was to determine what current Master of Social Worker Students in their advanced year know about adolescent gang affiliation, including statistics, predictive factors, and possible interventions. Adolescent gang involvement is a very serious issue that historically has had very problematic effects on society, as well as serious and troublesome effects on the life course of the individual. Despite the knowledge that has been gained in recent years regarding predictive factors of adolescent gang involvement, many intervention programs designed to address this issue are still rarely effective. Despite the fact that there are conflicting findings in the research on adolescent gang affiliation there is also much research that has claimed many similar predictive and preventive factors, such as relationships with family and school. This study will show if current social worker students are aware of the more common factors that lead to adolescent gang affiliation. This will help determine if social work students are just getting a little bit of education on juvenile delinquency and deviance or an abundance of education on the subject matter. The specific population that was surveyed was the Master of Social Work advanced year students at California State University, San Bernardino. Although there were few statistically significant findings in the study, the students for the most part had positive attitudes and perceptions regarding those involved with gang affiliation. The participants for the most part also agreed with factual statements regarding actual predictive factors of gang affiliation. The participants also overwhelmingly all agreed on a more rehabilitative approach when working with youth involved in gang affiliation as opposed to punitive approaches.

The purpose of this study was to explore, classify, and evaluate the personal experiences of juvenile offenders following release from a state training school. During a two month period beginning in the fall of 1967, a group of twenty-three releasees from the MacLaren School for Boys in Woodburn, Oregon were interviewed on a weekly basis in the Portland metropolitan area. The boys, ranging in age from thirteen to seventeen were contacted in their homes, schools, and other settings to learn of positive, negative, and critical experiences encountered in the community. Open ended questions based upon a twenty- seven item schedule were administered to the boys, focusing upon personal experiences in six major areas: school, family, peer group, community, work and authority. Responses were recorded verbatim and classified according to the boys’ judgments of positive and negative connotations. Critical experiences were also recorded to determine specific incidents which brought the boys into contact with legal authorities or otherwise seriously affected their parole status. Positive, negative, and critical experiences from this study were analyzed both descriptively and statistically. Null hypotheses were tested to determine the quality, quantity, and intensity of experiences with respect to such major variables as age of the boys, race, length of stay in the community, records of school attendance, and personality inventory characteristics. Experiences were similarly related with respect to other variables found to be present as a result of the interviewing experience. Findings yielded evidence to indicate a predominance of negative experiences in the boys’ contacts with the community following release. The highest proportion of these occurred within the boys’ families, followed by contacts with authority and school, respectively. Peer group relationships for the boys indicated the highest proportion of positive experiences when compared with other major categories.

Many adolescents with substance use disorders have ongoing problems with abuse and/or dependence throughout their lives. Little research has been conducted examining the differences among adolescents who do and do not continue to have difficulties. This study compared adolescents who recidivate versus those who do not recidivate after receiving treatment for substance abuse. Adolescents were compared on four categories of variables: (a) demographic variables, (c) delinquency /substance use history, ( c) social/educational support, and ( d) treatment history. It was found that the most powerful predictors of recidivism within these categories were criminal history severity, age at intake, and treatment completion. The implication of this finding is discussed. It may be possible in the future for treatment providers to identify adolescents most at risk for recidivism, as these teens should perhaps receive more intensive treatment, a different type of treatment, and/or more intensive monitoring during and after treatment.

No description available.