Juvenile Detention Research Articles

Nigerian and Ghanaian Young People's Experiences of Care for Common Mental Disorders in Inner London: Protocol for a Multimethod Investigation.

The Care Quality Commission published a review in 2018 in England titled "Are We Listening," which revealed that child and adolescent mental health services are not responsive to the specific needs of young Black people and other ethnic minorities even in areas with ethnically diverse populations. It found that commissioners and service planners failed to engage with these young people and their families to understand their needs and expectations. The purpose of this study is to engage Nigerian and Ghanaian young people (NAGYP) with experiences of care for common mental disorders (CMDs) in London, to increase understanding of their needs, and to give voice to their views and preferences. Their parents', caregivers', and practitioners' views will also be sought for service improvement. Three combined contemporary complementary methodologies-thematic analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), and intersectionality-based policy analysis (IBPA)-will be used across 3 comprehensive phases. First, a scoping review where relevant themes will be critically analyzed will inform further phases of this study. Detailed mapping of community and mental health care services in 13 inner London boroughs to investigate what professionals actually do rather than what they say they do. Second, IBPA will be used to scrutinize improving access to psychological therapies and other legislations and policies relevant to NAGYP to undertake an intersectional multileveled analysis of power, models, and constraints. Third, IPA will "give voice" and "make sense" of NAGYP lived experiences of CMDs via a representative sample of NAGYP participants' (n=30) aged 16-25 years, parents or caregivers' (n=20), and practitioners' (n=20) perspectives will be captured. The study has been approved by the UCL Institute of Education Research Ethics Committee (Z6364106/2022/02/28; health research) and University College London (Z6364106/2022/10/24; social research). Recruitment has begun in 13 inner boroughs of London. Data collection through observation, semistructured interviews, and focus groups are expected to be finalized by early 2024, and the study will be published by early 2025. Combining multiple qualitative methodologies and methods will enable rigorous investigation into NAGYP's lived experiences of care received for CMDs in London. Findings from this study should enable a reduction in the negative connotations and harmful superstitions associated with mental health-related issues in this group, inform evidence-based interventions, and facilitate preventive or early access to interventions. There may also be an indirect impact on problems resulting from mental illness such as school dropout, antisocial behaviors, knife crimes, juvenile detention centers, and even death. PRR1-10.2196/42575.

Parental attachment and emotional intelligence mediates the effect of childhood maltreatment on callous-unemotional traits among incarcerated male adolescents.

This study aimed to examine the impact of childhood maltreatment on callous-unemotional (CU) traits among incarcerated male adolescents, focusing primarily on the roles of parental attachment and emotional intelligence. A total of 454 male incarcerated adolescents from two juvenile correctional facilities, ranging in age from 14 to 18years, completed a set of questionnaires consisting of a childhood trauma questionnaire, parent-attachment scale, emotional intelligence scale, and the Inventory of CU traits. The results revealed that childhood maltreatment, parental attachment, and emotional intelligence were all correlated with CU traits. Structural equation modeling analysis and the bootstrap test indicated that parental attachment and emotional intelligence mediated, in part, the effect of childhood maltreatment on CU traits. These findings expand the outcomes of previous research and shed light on how childhood maltreatment is related to CU traits.

Using an objective computer task (QbTest) to aid the identification of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the Children and Young People Secure Estate (CYPSE): a feasibility randomised controlled trial

ObjectivesQbTest has been shown to improve time to decision/diagnosis for young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim was to assess the feasibility of QbTest for young people...

Mental Health Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Incarcerated in Juvenile Corrections.

This study examined differences by sexual and gender minority (SGM) and incarceration statuses in mental health indicators among youth. Population-based, cross-sectional data are from the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey (N = 72 324) and includes public school students (Mage = 15.49) and youth incarcerated in juvenile correctional facilities (Mage = 15.48). We categorized youth into 4 groups: (1) non-SGM youth in public schools, (2) non-SGM youth in correctional facilities, (3) SGM youth in public schools, and (4) SGM youth in correctional facilities. Multivariable regression models assessed associations among SGM and incarceration statuses and mental health indicators after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and exposure to adverse childhood experiences. More youth in juvenile correctional facilities identified as SGM (28.8%) compared with youth in public schools (20.4%, P = .002). SGM youth in correctional facilities reported a higher prevalence of suicidal ideation (42.2%), suicide attempt (37.5%), and self-harm (57.8%) compared with all other groups. Depressive symptom severity was similarly elevated among SGM youth in correctional facilities and SGM youth in public schools. SGM youth in correctional facilities, compared with non-SGM youth in public schools, demonstrated elevated odds of suicide ideation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.2, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.3-3.9), suicide attempt (aOR = 6.3, 95% CI = 3.6-10.9), and self-harm (aOR = 3.6, 95% CI = 2.1-6.3). Incarcerated SGM youth disproportionately experience negative mental health indicators. Findings suggest that tailored, intersectional, and responsive mental health interventions are needed to support incarcerated SGM youth.

Exploring physical activity trends and lesson context of incarcerated youth in a sport-leadership program.

Incarcerated youth are one subset of the population in dire need of physical activity interventions. As inactivity within incarcerated populations has become a mounting public health concern, several sport-based physical activity and fitness programs within prisons have emerged. The purpose of this study is to explore physical activity levels and lesson context of a sport-leadership program in one juvenile detention center. Participants in this study were 27 incarcerated males (Mage = 19.3), imprisoned in one juvenile detention center. Participants participated in 20, 40-min sport-leadership lessons over the course of 3 months. Each lesson was live coded using the System for Observing Instructional Time (SOFIT) to examine physical activity levels and lesson context. Over the course of 20 lessons, participants engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 61% of lesson time (24.5 min). Further, over 23% of lesson time was spent vigorously (9.5 min). Specific to lesson context, 18% of total lesson time (7.5 min) was spent in management whereas 7.96% (3.1 min) was consumed by knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, a vast majority of each session (70%) was spent in gameplay (28.04 min). This study is the first to adopt the SOFIT systematic observation instrument to evaluate and quantify MVPA and lesson context during a sport-leadership program within a juvenile detention center. Results from this study indicate incarcerated youth who participated in this program engaged in MVPA for more than 60% of lesson time. It was reported that overall MVPA of participants within programming slightly decreased across the 20 total lessons.

Methodological reflections on artistically illustrating ethnographic text from a study of sport pedagogy in youth detention: Ethics, affect, and description

While there is a burgeoning body of literature on visual methods in ethnography, including drawing and illustration as method for collecting and exploring data, little has been written about how artistic illustrations can be used as a representational method for finished ethnographic texts. Based on an illustrated ethnography-a PhD thesis on sport pedagogy in youth detention-this paper explores what artistic illustrations can do for representations of ethnographic texts. An important starting point of the paper is that artistic illustrations are purpose-full-they can be used strategically to highlight some details over others, thus making it possible for researchers to selectively accomplish several aims when it comes to representation. Particularly, we focus on ethical, affective, and descriptive purposes for using artistic illustrations when publishing research on sport in total institutions. We present selected illustrations from the thesis together with analytical and procedural commentary to shed light on some strategic thinking behind the production of the illustrations. Finally, we conclude with some reflections on the methodology and discuss some further considerations for illustrating ethnographic texts in terms of benefits, risks, and possibilities.

Toward a Better Understanding of Gender Differences in Psychopathology in Detained Adolescents: The Role of Maladaptive Personality Traits

ABSTRACT The present study investigates the often observed higher scores on psychopathology in detained girls compared to boys from a maladaptive trait perspective, as conceived by age-specific criterion B assessment of the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders. Participants were detained youth (N = 237; 122 boys; 115 girls, mean age = 15.8 years) from two youth detention centers in Belgium, who completed self-reports on maladaptive traits and psychopathology. Results confirm that the higher rates of psychopathology in incarcerated girls extend to the maladaptive trait level, with particularly higher levels of Emotional Instability and Oddity. In addition, a stronger co-occurrence of psychopathology with maladaptive traits was found for girls, especially for anxious-depressed, angry-irritable, and post-traumatic symptoms. These findings suggest that mental health problems in detained girls appear to be much more related to personality difficulties compared to detained boys, and advocate the inclusion of comprehensive maladaptive trait assessment and gender-sensitive intervention programs for mental health problems in detained youth.

Body stuffing during apprehension resulting in distal esophageal impaction: a case report and review of the literature

BackgroundBody stuffing and body packing are two methods of concealing illicit drugs. Body stuffing is defined as the oral ingestion of illicit drugs, typically to avoid law enforcement detection or other consequences of possession, and may present a serious medical emergency in patients. Most commonly, body stuffers ingest possibly large or unknown quantities of illicit substances to avoid detection of the drugs during apprehension. This ingestion is typically hasty or impulsive, and therefore the substances ingested are rarely packaged in a way that would be considered safe for ingestion.Case presentationThis case highlights a series of rare complications of impacted esophageal foreign body including esophageal edema, pericarditis, and hydro-pneumothorax for a 16-year-old Hispanic male who was booked into a county juvenile detention and rehabilitation facility. He complained of persistent intractable epigastric pain, along with pleuritic chest pain with multiple episodes of vomiting over the previous 4 days. He denied swallowing any foreign body. He underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and a plastic bag with content suspicious for marijuana was discovered in the distal esophagus and removed.ConclusionsFailure to consider body stuffing and foreign body impaction in individuals during medical evaluation in detention centers with complaints of chest pain, abdominal pain, dysphagia, and/or certain toxidromes can delay diagnosis and lead to a variety of medical complications.

Developing and Defining Staff -Youth Relationships within a Juvenile Correctional Facility

This study uses in-depth interviews to explore the relationships between staff and juveniles residing and working in a private juvenile correctional facility in the Midwest. Because staff play a key role in shaping the experience of incarceration and can influence the degree of rehabilitation or punishment carried out within the facility, this is a crucial dynamic to analyze for an understanding of juvenile corrections. Findings from the interviews demonstrate the importance of building trust as a basis for positive, rehabilitative relationships with staff. Most staff expressed the shared goal of rehabilitation for the youth; however, they differed regarding the best approach for achieving this. While previous research notes the value of a mentoring relationship between staff and juveniles for rehabilitative efforts; staff at this facility varied in their perspectives of the role they played and the correctional response they found most appropriate. Gender and age of the staff influenced these views.

Effectiveness of social-therapeutic treatment for serious offenders in juvenile detention: A quasi-experimental study of recidivism.

Due to legislative changes in Germany, there has been an increasing expansion of social-therapeutic facilities for juvenile offenders over the past 15 years. Social therapy comprises an eclectic mix of psychotherapeutic, educational, vocational, and recreational measures in a milieu-therapeutic setting to reduce recidivism of high-risk violent and sexual offenders. This study examined the effectiveness of social-therapeutic treatment on post-release recidivism among juvenile offenders. The sample included male offenders (n = 111) of the juvenile detention center in Berlin, Germany, aged 14-22 years, who were convicted of a violent (94%) or sexual offense (6%). Seventy-three subjects admitted to the social-therapeutic unit were compared to an offense-parallelized control group (n = 38) from the regular units using a propensity score based matching procedure. Initially, the groups did not differ with respect to risk (i.e., Level of Service Inventory - Revised) or risk-related characteristics (e.g., age). Subsequent Cox regression analyses revealed no average treatment effect on recidivism. Since the results indicated that the control group was not untreated, differential treatment effects were examined in a second step. School and vocational trainings had an effect on recidivism. The findings are discussed in light of the challenges in evaluating legally mandated offender treatment.

Comparison of Audiovisual and Paper-Based Materials for 1-Time Informed Consent for Research in Prison

Few studies are available on informed consent (IC) among detained persons, even with ethics being a critical aspect of prison research. In IC research, audiovisual material seems to improve understanding and satisfaction compared with conventional paper-based material, but findings remain unclear. To compare audiovisual and paper-based materials for 1-time general IC for research in prisons. This cross-sectional randomized clinical trial was conducted in 2 corrections facilities in Switzerland (an adult prison and a juvenile detention center). The study was conducted from December 14, 2019, to December 2, 2020, in the adult prison and from January 15, 2020, to September 9, 2021, in the juvenile detention center. In the adult prison, study participation was offered to detained persons visiting the medical unit (response rate, 84.7%). In the juvenile detention center, all newly incarcerated adolescents were invited to participate (response rate, 98.0%). Participants were randomized to receive paper-based conventional material or to watch a 4-minute video. Materials included the same legal information, as required by the Swiss Federal Act on Research Involving Human Beings. The main outcome was acceptance to sign the IC form. Secondary outcomes included understanding, evaluation, and time to read or watch the IC material. The study included 190 adults (mean [SD] age, 35.0 [11.8] years; 190 [100%] male) and 100 adolescents (mean [SD] age, 16.0 [1.1] years; 83 [83.0%] male). In the adult prison, no significant differences were found between groups in acceptance to sign the IC form (77 [81.1%] for paper-based material and 81 [85.3%] for audiovisual material; P = .39) and to evaluate it (mean [SD] correct responses, 5.09 [1.13] for paper-based material and 5.01 [1.07] for audiovisual material; P = .81). Understanding was significantly higher in the audiovisual material group (mean [SD] correct responses, 5.09 [1.84]) compared with the paper-based material group (mean [SD] correct responses, 4.61 [1.70]; P = .04). In the juvenile detention center, individuals in the audiovisual material group were more likely to sign the IC form (44 [89.8%]) than the paper-based material group (35 [68.6%], P = .006). No significant difference was found between groups for understanding and evaluation. Adults took a mean (SD) of 5 (2) minutes to read the paper material, and adolescents took 7 (3) minutes. Given the small benefit of audiovisual material, these findings suggest that giving detained adults and prison health care staff a choice regarding IC material is best. For adolescents, audiovisual material should be provided. Future studies should focus on increasing understanding of the IC process. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05505058.

청소년 교정시설에서의 관용체험은 청년의 삶에 어떠한 의미를 지니는가에 대한 현상학 연구

This is a study to explore what factors influence young people who have experienced tolerance in juvenile correctional facilities to adapt to society. Through this study, we try to understand them and suggest directions for improving the quality of life. A phenomenological research method was used as a research method to derive this purpose. Data collection was conducted through one-on-one in-depth interview by recruiting 5 study participants. In-depth interviews were conducted 1-2 times and 60 to 90 minutes, respectively. As a result of analyzing the data, three essential themes and 10 revealed topics were derived: 'absence of appropriate care', 'two-sidedness in the life of correctional facilities', and 'trying to live properly'. Based on these research results, first, followings are proposed: first, care at the social welfare level, second, compulsory counseling to students in all schools, third, introducing a tolerance program to calm anger, and fourth, proposing employment policies considering the future educational level for them. This study is meaningful in providing a suggestion that the quality of life can be improved in a reality where empirical research on juvenile crime is insufficient.

Juvenile incarceration in an adult correctional facility as a risk factor for adolescent childrearing?

Recent trends in reproductive rights have contributed to lasting concerns about adolescent childrearing in American society. Beyond being generally unprepared when raising a child, having a child during adolescence is associated with a variety of environmental, social, and psychological consequences for both the parents and the child. It is important to understand the factors contributing to adolescent childrearing. Although research has identified many factors that contribute to adolescent childrearing, a notable gap remains when considering the role of the correctional system and, in particular, the age-specific effects of confining adolescents in adult correctional facilities. The current study examined the age-specific effects of time spent in adult correctional facilities from 13 to 34 years of age on childrearing between 14 and 35 years of age using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-1997 (NLSY97). The NLSY97 is a nationally representative sample of Males (51%) and Females (49%) born in the United States. Respondents of the NLSY97 were interviewed about life events beginning at age 7 and continued to participate in the study as recently as 2021. The results of the lagged growth curve models suggest that the time spent incarcerated between 13 and 17 years of age heightens the risk of childrearing between 14 and 18 years of age, an effect that is not observed during adulthood. Overall, the results suggest that the conditions adolescents are exposed to during incarceration in an adult correctional facility could contribute to a heightened likelihood of adolescent childrearing.

1.23 Gender Differences in Responsiveness to DBT Intervention for Youth in a Juvenile Correctional Facility

Youth in juvenile correctional centers commonly present with significant behavioral health needs. Girls in custody have a higher prevalence of mental health disorders and internalizing behaviors compared to boys in custody, who have higher rates of violent and externalizing behaviors. DBT focuses on building skills to manage emotions and has been adapted for adolescent forensic populations. This study investigated gender differences in changes in mental health after DBT intervention among youth in a correctional facility.

The Links Between Disability, Incarceration, And Social Exclusion.

Disabled people are disproportionately incarcerated and segregated from society through a variety of institutions. Still, the links between disability and incarceration are underexplored, limiting understanding of how carceral institutions punish and contribute to the social exclusion of disabled people. Using data from the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates, we estimated disability prevalence in state and federal prisons, assessing disparities by race, ethnicity, and sex, and we examined inequities in previous residence in other "punitive" and "therapeutic" institutions. Sixty-six percent of incarcerated people self-reported a disability, with Black, Hispanic, and multiracial disabled men especially overrepresented in prisons. Compared with nondisabled incarcerated people, disabled incarcerated people were more likely to have previously resided in other institutions, such as juvenile detention facilities and psychiatric hospitals. Together, our findings advance the understanding of disability in carceral institutions, highlighting the need for policy interventions redressing the mechanisms contributing to the high incarceration risks of disabled people and the disabling nature of prisons and other carceral institutions.

In This Issue

American history has witnessed many points of transition and transformation. Among the most remarkable moments of change in the nation's modern past is that time known as the Progressive Era: those years from the late nineteenth century until the 1910s when Americans faced their brawling, industrializing nation with a clutch of laws and reforms meant to safeguard children, workers, or women; when professionalization came to a host of occupations and group activities flourished; when women became increasingly present in the public sphere. And in this issue of Utah Historical Quarterly—with its emphasis on twentieth-century professional associations, child-centered advocacy, and labor rights—we see the saplings of the Progressive Era bearing fruit.Susan Rugh opens the issue with an analysis of three Utah men who tapped into the growing prosperity of postwar America by founding lodging chains. As she explains, the creation of these little empires was not simply a matter of building motels along the West's new highways, but rather a story of how the investment of capital and labor—especially family labor—combined with the development of business groups to lay the framework “for an extensive western hospitality network.” The organizations the Utah moteliers nurtured “were a crucial step in the metamorphosis of the lodging industry from small, family-owned motels to the later dominance of the nationwide motel chains like Holiday Inn.”Our second article steps back to the charged and difficult years of the Great Depression. In it, Linda Zabriskie examines the role of Senator Elbert Thomas on the La Follette Civil Liberties Committee, which investigated the illegal use of spies, weapons, and more to discourage laborers from unionizing. Thomas's experiences years earlier, as a major in the Utah National Guard, prepared him for his role as the committee's co-chair, and his kindly, cerebral performance in the hearings elevated his national stature. In this year of 2022, when Americans from Amazon employees to Starbucks baristas have begun to unionize, the work of Thomas and the La Follette committee is entirely relevant.Next, Sarah Langsdon pieces together a history at once heartbreaking and hopeful, with her telling of how a murder case involving a young boy galvanized women's clubs in Ogden to fight for a better juvenile justice system. Difficult family dynamics underlay fourteen-year-old Ray Clough's murder of his father in 1920; those same dynamics meant the teen had no place to stay but the local jail, with adult criminals, while he awaited trial. Well-heeled women who had already taken on the role of “child savers” responded by advocating for Clough and crusading for the establishment of an appropriate juvenile detention center. The effort took decades but succeeded in the end.Like the women who advocated for Ray Clough, Claire Haines navigated a public world that was not entirely accepting of women. Like the men who established motel chains in the mountain West, Haines knew the importance of business clubs and associations. In 1923, Hannah Claire Haines became the first female certified public accountant in Utah. As David Hales and Alison McNeal relate, her path was one of professional success, marked by more than a little gender-based discrimination. Haines's career stretched from the 1910s to the 1970s, and despite her difficulties, she gathered a tidy personal fortune and dedicated it to furthering the cause of education—especially for women.Christine Cooper-Rompato closes this issue with her account of a woman who bridged the private and public worlds of the late nineteenth century with remarkable skill: Kate Barron Buck, musician, mother, fabric artist, and dentist, seemingly all at once.

Juvenile Justice and Women's Clubs: Ogden as a Case Study

Juvenile Justice and Women's Clubs: Ogden as a Case Study

60.1 Locked Up: A Perspective on the Experience of Youth in Juvenile Detention

The United States incarcerates more youth than all other countries. With a focus on the New York City system, this presentation will review historical, legal, structural, and often racist factors that underlie the juvenile detention system. We will consider how the system as it exists to improve the lives of children and families, when executed by a strained and underfunded legal system, can end up stuck in a vicious incarceration cycle. We will consider the emotional and mental health consequences of this for children and families that seek reunification.

The Long-Term Effects of Universal Preschool in Boston

AbstractWe use admissions lotteries to estimate the effects of large-scale public preschool in Boston on college-going, college preparation, standardized test scores, and behavioral outcomes. Preschool enrollment boosts college attendance as well as SAT test taking and high school graduation. Preschool also decreases high school disciplinary measures including juvenile incarceration, but has no detectable effect on state achievement test scores. An analysis of subgroups shows that effects on college enrollment, SAT-taking, and disciplinary outcomes are larger for boys than for girls. Our findings illustrate possibilities for large-scale modern, public preschool and highlight the importance of measuring long-term and non–test score outcomes in evaluating the effectiveness of education programs.

Being crime: Youth violence and criminal identities in Bahia, Brazil

In Brazil, a growing number of young citizens from the socioeconomic periphery embark on a career in crime, earning their living by armed robbery or selling drugs. Through the life stories and narratives of inmates of a juvenile prison in the state of Bahia, the article anatomizes what makes these young men take up and stick to a life in conflict with the law, despite the limited profits and substantial hardships involved. I argue that the experience of violence, both suffered and perpetrated, is central to the forging of the youths’ criminal identities, and their persistent failure to change their life trajectories.