Predictors of Staff Responses to Problematic Youth Behavior in Detention and Correctional Settings

Abstract

Juvenile justice staff working with delinquent youth detained in secure settings in Alaska were surveyed via Web-based instrument. Data collected from staff included demographics, scores on several personality measures, amount and type of training experiences, and responses on a measure developed to assess the severity of consequences assigned to youth for certain problematic behaviors. The relationship between staff position, age, gender, ethnicity, locus of control scores, amount of training, and an index of hypothetical consequence severity was explored by multiple regression. Results indicate that minority staff assigned more punitive responses to problematic youth behavior, and more training experience was predictive of less punitive responses to problematic youth behavior. Follow-up analyses revealed significant differences on the consequence severity index between staff who had or had not completed training in the areas of anger management, family counseling, life skills development, and behavior modification. On average, staff trained in these areas assigned less severe consequences to youth for problematic behaviors as compared with staff not trained in these areas. Results add to the paucity of literature on the rehabilitative orientation of juvenile justice staff, and support the importance of adequate and targeted training in efforts to move institutional staff and the juvenile justice system toward a more positive youth development paradigm.