Approximately 30% of adolescents in the United States have engaged in delinquent acts. Juvenile delinquency is related to the development of Conduct Disorder and other mental health disorders including: Substance Abuse, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Depression and Anxiety. Within the juvenile court system, mental health assessments are utilized in order to identify the complex treatment needs of juvenile offenders; however, implementation of the report recommendations is challenging. This project explored the implementation and adherence of psychological recommendations completed in the Second Judicial Circuit Redeploy Illinois program, a juvenile diversion program. Effectiveness of the psychological assessments conducted in the Redeploy program at reducing commitment to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice was evaluated. A process evaluation examined the sample of youth who completed assessments, determined who received reports, and evaluated recommendation adherence, barriers to treatment, and perceived effectiveness of recommendations. Information was collected via reviews of archival data and surveys distributed to legal guardians, probation officers, judges and administrators. An outcome evaluation was completed to determine whether Recommendation Adherence and Program Completion predicted reduced days in detention or commitment to IDJJ within six months following the psychological assessment. Age, ratings of parent and child relationships, and intellectual ability were explored as individual predictors of days in detention and sentencing to IDJJ. Results of the process evaluation indicated that juvenile offenders completing psychological assessments within the Redeploy Illinois program were similar to the national profile of juvenile offenders. Psychological reports were distributed to probation officers, judges and administrators appropriately; however, legal guardians received reports less frequently and indicated that reports were less effective than other stakeholders. Nevertheless, the psychological assessments were successful at completing the intended goals of the Redeploy program. Adherence to recommended interventions was very low for all youth. Barriers to recommendation adherence included lack of social support, unavailable services and feelings that recommendations were inappropriate. Recommendation adherence did not significantly predict the number of days in detention, nor commitments to IDJJ, but successful program completion was a significant predictor. Interpretations of these findings and recommendations were provided to help improve psychological assessments within the Second Judicial Circuit Redeploy Program.

Juvenile crime and recidivism continue to be significant, costly issues in American society. Employment contributes to successful reentry and lower recidivism. However, low self concept and problems with exploring careers and identifying options may interfere with juvenile offenders’ abilities to plan for employment and successfully carry out their plan. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the vocational assessment process on enhancing juvenile offender self concept by helping them learn more about themselves, career interests, and options. Participants included 61 juvenile offenders in the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice who were predominantly male (98.4%), African-American (57.4%), and 17 years of age (52.5%); half of the participants (50.8%) had not received a prior vocational assessment. The research design was quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest with data gathered using the Multidimensional Self Concept Scale (MSCS; Bracken, 1992), Self-Directed Search Form R (SDS; Holland, Powell, & Fritzsche, 1997) and focus groups. A 2x1 within-subjects repeated measures ANOVA with pairwise comparisons for pre- and post-tests demonstrated that the process did not improve participants’ global self concept (t=.000, p>.05) but did enhance competence self concept (t[60]=-2.35, p<.05). Although there were MSCS scales significantly correlated to race, it did not significantly affect the statistical outcomes as a covariate (p > .05). Focus group responses were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes, categories, and connections using a five-step procedure. Participants demonstrated overall favorable perceptions with a major theme that the process was helpful and with feelings of enjoyment and fun. Participants liked acquiring self knowledge and career information and exploration and liked least the amount of work and duration of the process. Suggested changes were less writing, making it computer-based, and addressing specific topics concerning offenders (e.g., jobs for offenders). Study limitations include generalizability, no comparison group, testing effects, length of the process, and environmental factors. The results contribute to developing vocational assessment process interventions for youth who have been adjudicated and committed to correctional facilities. Future research will focus on following-up to determine employment status, exploring demographic differences post-intervention, and replicating the study with similar juvenile offender populations. / Ph. D.

Adolescents commit between 30% and 50% of the sexual offenses against young children in the United States. Adolescents who complete specialized treatment for sexual offending, including family therapy, have lower rates of sexual recidivism. Despite the evidence that including families in adolescents' treatment may contribute to lower sexual recidivism rates, there are few descriptions of family therapy with adolescents who sexually offend. In particular, there are no conceptualizations or models of family involvement derived from parents and adolescents' perspectives on treatment. To address this need, this study examined adolescents' and their parents\' experiences of participation in family therapy when the adolescent son had been required to complete treatment for sexual offending. In addition, the study explored how parent and adolescent participation in family therapy was associated with adolescents' progress in treatment for sexual offending. Using constructivist grounded theory methodology, a conceptualization of family therapy was developed through semi-structured interviews with ten adolescent boys who have sexually offended and their parents/caregivers. In addition, a focus group of seven family therapists who specialize in the treatment of adolescents who sexually offend reviewed the findings and offered input on refining the emerging clinical conceptualization. Findings suggest that youth have more successful outcomes when therapists foster hopefulness and use parents to help motivate youth and facilitate change. Positive outcomes of family therapy for youth included expressing himself more clearly, caring about people, thinking about his future and setting goals, having more confidence, following the rules, "progressing in treatment, being accountable for his behavior, becoming more honest, developing life skills, and understanding and expressing regret for sexually offending. Positive outcomes of family therapy for families included changes in household rules, family roles, setting boundaries, and having respectful communication. Implications for how to best include families in adolescents' treatment of sexual offending are addressed. / Ph. D.

This study examined the effectiveness of a family counseling intervention program called the Parent Monitoring Program (PMP) on reducing the rate of recidivism with first-time juvenile offenders in New Orleans, Louisiana. The PMP is a multimodal treatment intervention that combines individual, family, and group, counseling services to juvenile offenders and their families. Pugh, Force, Rault, and Triche (2000) reported that with effective and innovative family and community based intervention programs, juvenile offenders can be deterred from further delinquent behaviors. There is a great need for research studies to examine effective interventions that address reducing the rate of recidivism with juvenile crime (Cullen & Grandeau, 2000). This study looked at the differences in recidivism rates for the treatment group, juvenile offenders who completed the PMP, versus the control groups those juvenile offenders who either did not complete the PMP, or who refused the PMP services. The participants (N=1144) were mainly African Americans of low SES who committed minor offenses from the years 2001-2003. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to find out the differences in recidivism rates between the treatment and control groups, as well as levels of offenses in terms of recidivism rates and gender differences. Results of the analyses indicated that those participants who completed the PMP had lower recidivism rates than those who did not complete or refused the PMP service. In addition, level of offenses was positively associated in terms of recidivism (p <.001). However, in terms of recidivism, there were no differences between males and females xiii ( p =.108). Faculty members in counselor education can use the findings from this study to pay attention to the problems that this special population faces. Counselors can become more aware of the importance of a multimodal approach with emphasis on family involvement and early intervention. The multi cultural issues and risk factors that surround this population are of relevance to the curriculum in counselor education programs. Future research should look at the impact that religious organizations have on juvenile delinquency in terms of recidivism rates and the important role that the community plays.

This study is a content analysis of news articles of school shooting incidents that occurred within the United States between 1997 and 2012. This paper was designed to (a) address the current profile of school shooting offenders and offenses, (b) assess a proposed typology of school shootings, (c) consider common case processing characteristics for offenders of school shootings incidents, and (d) address the potential for offender and offense characteristics to affect the amount of media coverage an incident receives. The database of “Major School Shootings in the United States Since 1997” by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence was used to compile a sample of 101 incidents in which a single offender committed a school shooting. To the extent possible, media accounts were used to corroborate details of each school shooting incident. Data pertaining to the offender characteristics, case processing characteristics, offense characteristics, characteristics regarding a typology, and media coverage characteristics were examined. The current profile and typology were, for the most part, upheld. Six variables proved to be significantly related to the total amount of media coverage an incident received: mental health history, school-related mass murder type, offender/victim type, total victims injured or killed, region of the U.S., and year of incident occurrence. Of these variables, three remained significant in a regression analysis: the school-related mass murder type, region of the U.S., and year of incident occurrence were predictive of the amount of media coverage an incident received. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.

Each year over half a million children are victims of childhood maltreatment. While a plethora of interdisciplinary research has evaluated the detrimental outcomes of these experiences, few studies have analyzed the effects contextual components of child abuse and neglect can have on the life-course of maltreated youth. Juvenile delinquency has been identified as a prominent outcome of maltreatment, however, a lesser portion of the empirical literature has focused on outcomes among more serious justice-involved juveniles. This study analyzed the effects of childhood maltreatment severity on the recidivism outcomes of 853 blended-sentenced juveniles in a large southern state. Previous studies demonstrated worsened outcomes associated with more severe maltreatment, thus higher recidivism rates were expected for more severely maltreated juveniles. The results indicated only sexual abuse severity impacted recidivism rates, and the direction of the relationship was negative. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

DVOŘÁKOVÁ, Kateřina. Adolescents as offenders of crime, the importance of family environment and relationships, the possibility of work with family context. Prague: The Faculty of Arts of Charles University, 2013. 82 pgs. The final thesis. This thesis deals with adolescent as offenders and their family environment and family relationships. The theoretical part of this work presents the importance of the family during adolescence as it related to specific factors which may have an impact on whether juveniles commit the offence or not. The importance of the family environment was the basis for the design, development and implementation of psychosocial program "Together". In the case of juveniles' committing crimes, the relationships between family members are even more at risk, which appears to be at risk for further development and upbringing. The aim of the program was to strengthen the juvenile's personality and relationships in their family. The purpose of the program activities, within a safe environment to allow juvenile offenders and their parents to share some important information from their life experiences to help with reflection. The aim of these activities was also to strengthen the experience of family cohesion that are needed for reciprocal respect and support. The program was...

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No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseFFSF.pdf: 3409585 bytes, checksum: 0114e0225920f225a6530c22bef28135 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-15 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / The study of juvenile offender’s interactions with mother, brother, and friend indicates which categories of social skills (assertiveness, self-control, conversation, and empathy) are established by shaping and modeling processes. Furthermore, it produces more evidences to the relationship between prosocial and antisocial behavior. This study aimed to describe a set of interlocking behavioral contingencies (IBCs) comprised by categories of social skills, which in turn contribute to legal measures outcomes. This study is made up by three independent chapters. The chapter 1. “Social skills of young offenders and at risk adolescents” discussed the social skills repertories as one of multiple factors of evaluation and intervention with adolescents. In summary, the outcomes indicated improvement on social skills categories, specially presented in home settings, the decrease of offending persistence, and lower evidences of the impact of social skills improvements on other adults and peers relationships. The chapter 2, named “Contributions of conceptual, descriptive and experimental metacontingencies studies to family interactions”, explored the metacontingency unit of analysis. Specifically, it discussed the interpersonal relationship patterns as behavioral products transmitted along family members. The last chapter, named “Identifying social skills repertoires in juvenile offenders´ interactions with relatives and friends: a metacontingencies analysis” aimed to describe IBCs that contribute to legal measures results. The participants were three families composed by a mother, a juvenile offender, and a brother without a history of delinquency. Self-reports instruments and interviews were used. The data analysis procedures were as follows: the development of IBCs coding system, establishing relationship between categories of IBCs and categories of social skills, and establishing relationship between categories of IBCs and categories of aggregate products. The results suggested that the participants, who achieved better scores on socials skills categories, also got engaged in conversation, support, negotiation, cooperation, and rules establishment interactions. Also they achieved some of the goals of legal measures (aggregate products). / O exame de interações regulares do adolescente em conflito com a lei com os seus pais, irmãos e amigos indica quais categorias de habilidades sociais (principalmente assertividade, autocontrole, conversação e empatia) são fortalecidas por processos de modelagem e modelação e traz mais indícios à discussão da relação entre comportamento social e padrão antissocial. Neste estudo foi analisado um conjunto de contingências comportamentais entrelaçadas estabelecedoras de repertórios de habilidades sociais e que estão associadas à produção de objetivos de medidas socioeducativas. Este estudo é composto por três capítulos, que de forma independente, buscam responder a questões específicas. O capítulo 1. “Habilidades sociais e adolescência: considerações sobre os adolescentes em situação de risco ou envolvidos em conduta infracional” discutiu a inclusão do repertório de habilidades sociais como uma das variáveis de avaliação e intervenção com adolescentes. Conclui-se que investimentos com a população de adolescentes em conflito com a lei têm se concentrado na avaliação e promoção de classes de HS, com indicativos de melhoras nas habilidades treinadas, enfatizando o ambiente familiar como contexto natural, associados a redução de reincidência, ainda que com pouca ênfase no impacto de inserção em outros contextos sociais com adultos e pares significativos. O capítulo 2. “Contribuições de estudos teóricos, descritivos, quase experimentais e experimentais na discussão de metacontingências em interações familiares” explorou a metacontingência como uma unidade de análise e discute-se, que padrões de relacionamento interpessoal podem ser entendidos como produtos comportamentais selecionados e transmitidos entre indivíduos de uma mesma família. Por fim, o capítulo 3. “Identificando repertórios de habilidades sociais em interações do adolescente em conflito com a lei com familiares e amigos: uma análise de metacontingências” buscou analisar contingências comportamentais entrelaçadas (CCEs), compostas por categorias de habilidades sociais, das quais adolescentes em conflito com a lei, mães, irmãos e amigos participam na relação com produtos agregados da intervenção socioeducativa. Participaram do estudo três famílias compostas por um adolescente em conflito com a lei, um adolescente sem histórico de infração e a mãe. Os dados foram coletados por meio de aplicação de instrumentos padronizados e entrevistas. Os dados foram organizados a partir das etapas: desenvolvimento de um sistema de categorização de contingências comportamentais entrelaçadas, (CCEs), estabelecimento de relações entre categorias de CCEs e categorias de habilidades sociais e estabelecimento de relações entre categorias de CCEs e categorias de produtos agregados. Os resultados sugerem que os participantes que alcançaram escores mais elevados em HS (assertividade, autocontrole, conversação e empatia) e se engajaram em interações de negociação, conversação, apoio, cooperação, estabelecimento de regras e afastamento de pares antissociais conseguiram alcançar alguns dos objetivos da medida socioeducativa (produtos agregados).

Inclusion has been embraced in many communities as a useful strategy in addressing learner diversity. Juveniles in correctional centres are usually different and have various needs. Applying inclusion in such a setup is envisaged to address the needs of diverse learners. The study focuses on how inclusion can be used as a strategy to promote social wellness of juvenile offenders in a bid to reduce recidivism and to facilitate smooth social re-integration. The aim of the study was to investigate and explore ways in which inclusion can be used to promote social wellness among juvenile offenders. The ecosystemic theoretical framework was used as a lens to explore the impact of social systems in the development of juvenile offenders. Qualitative research design was used and data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. Ten juveniles and teachers were selected in a Gauteng correctional centre on the basis of availability and willingness. Participants were informed that their participation was voluntary and all the information concerning the study was communicated to them. They were given consent forms to complete after they had agreed to participate. Findings revealed that education at the centre promotes social wellness and had resulted in positive behavioural change among most juveniles. Relationships among juveniles and with stakeholders also improved with education received at the centre. The major challenges faced were that teachers had not received adequate training in inclusion and inadequate psycho-social support was given to inmates. It was recommended that teachers be given in-service training in inclusion and how to deal with learners with behavioural challenges. More psycho- social support should be provided and family involvement to be intensified. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Inclusion has been embraced in many communities as a useful strategy in addressing learner diversity. Juveniles in correctional centres are usually different and have various needs. Applying inclusion in such a setup is envisaged to address the needs of diverse learners. The study focuses on how inclusion can be used as a strategy to promote social wellness of juvenile offenders in a bid to reduce recidivism and to facilitate smooth social re-integration. The aim of the study was to investigate and explore ways in which inclusion can be used to promote social wellness among juvenile offenders. The ecosystemic theoretical framework was used as a lens to explore the impact of social systems in the development of juvenile offenders. Qualitative research design was used and data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. Ten juveniles and teachers were selected in a Gauteng correctional centre on the basis of availability and willingness. Participants were informed that their participation was voluntary and all the information concerning the study was communicated to them. They were given consent forms to complete after they had agreed to participate. Findings revealed that education at the centre promotes social wellness and had resulted in positive behavioural change among most juveniles. Relationships among juveniles and with stakeholders also improved with education received at the centre. The major challenges faced were that teachers had not received adequate training in inclusion and inadequate psycho-social support was given to inmates. It was recommended that teachers be given in-service training in inclusion and how to deal with learners with behavioural challenges. More psycho- social support should be provided and family involvement to be intensified. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)