Juvenile Justice Centre Research Articles

From Laggard to Innovator: Barbara Fruchter and the 1970s-Era Movement to Deinstitutionalize Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice

Abstract: Using diverse archival sources and oral history interviews, this essay examines how volunteer activist women in the 1970s galvanized support to pass major legislative reforms that made Pennsylvania a model for how to implement the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974 at the state level. Horrified by conditions they witnessed on a tour of a nearby juvenile detention center, three Philadelphia area women created a broad-based coalition—centered in the Juvenile Justice Center (JJC) of Pennsylvania—to improve local conditions of confinement and spearhead novel policies to transform juvenile justice statewide. Focusing on Barbara Fruchter, JJC cofounder and de facto leader of the state’s deinstitutionalization campaign, this essay probes how a now well-accepted idea in juvenile justice—treating the great majority of delinquent youth in small community-based rather than large institutional programs—was first envisioned and introduced into American juvenile justice a half-century ago.

Public Health Measures and SARS-CoV-2 Cases in the Juvenile Justice System: Implications for Pandemic Response in the Detention Setting.

The purpose of this study was to examine severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 case positivity in juvenile justice facilities of two different states alongside institutional, local, and state public health policies during the first 6 months of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This retrospective chart review examined two large, urban juvenile justice centers in California and Texas. Positive intake or day 12 tests were considered suggestive of community-acquired severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 infection. Researchers examined state and county restrictions, closings, and openings. The study included all of the youths 10 to 18 years residing in the facilities between March and August 2020. The main outcomes measured case positivity in each facility and compared it with community positivity rates and state public health measures. In total, 530 youth were included (Texas, n = 319; California, n = 211). The Texas facility reported a higher number of positive cases (24) versus the California facility (3) (P < 0.05). Of the positive youth, 70% were asymptomatic, and none required hospitalization. Intake and day 12 tests were positive in <1% of California youth compared with a rate of 4% in Texas (P < 0.05). California and Texas instituted mask mandates in May and July 2020, respectively. California restricted indoor capacity until August, but Texas varied from 25% to 75% capacity through July. The Texas facility reported a higher percentage of community-acquired infections compared with California, coinciding with reopening measures in Texas. Texas also enacted a mask mandate later than California. These public health measures, among other factors, likely contributed to higher community rates in Texas, thereby affecting rates among the detained youth.

Pedagogy matters: A framework for critical community-engaged courses in higher education

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; This article describes specific pedagogical components of a community engagement project between students in a psychology course and youth at a juvenile justice centre (JJS). The purpose of the research was to illustrate how feminist and critical pedagogies can create reciprocal community engagement that provides a space for learning at both college and community sites. The researchers involved in this study included the professor of the Psychology of Women course, a senior college student who previously took the course, the JJS volunteer coordinator and an education professor. Together, they employed qualitative, single case study methodology in order to understand the complex social phenomena of this community-engaged course. The results demonstrate that lessons addressing social inequities are beneficial for youth in JJS and offer a way to alleviate the gap in gender-specific programming. They also create community and offer an empowerment lens. By explicitly focusing on the pedagogical choices of the partnership, this research contributes to an understanding of how critical community engagement can provide mutual benefits.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Alliances to Disseminate Addiction Prevention and Treatment (ADAPT): Assessing the Exchange of Ideas in Alliances Between Juvenile Justice and Community Mental Health Centers

Background/Hypothesis: &#x0D; In the US, over half of youth involved in the juvenile justice system meet criteria for substance use disorder (SUD). Further, SUD is a consistent predictor of recidivism. Thus, significant improvements are needed to assure that justice-involved youth who meet criteria for SUD are screened and referred to care, especially in rural settings. ADAPT, an ongoing, statewide project, employs a learning health system (LHS) model to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs) to develop and improve alliances between juvenile justice (JJ) and community mental health centers (CMHCs). We assessed collaboration, “alliance,” between these systems. &#x0D; &#x0D; Methods: &#x0D; The LHS alliance was assessed with self-report surveys distributed to personnel at 8 county sites. These included the cultural exchange inventory (CEI) measure to assess the process of exchanges in knowledge (beliefs about the process of implementing EBPs), and outcomes of those exchanges (beliefs about the outcome of interagency collaboration), to assess the alliance between JJ and CMHCs. &#x0D; &#x0D; Results: &#x0D; Pre-implementation surveys indicated a significant difference between CMHC respondents (CEI Output M=3.55, SD=1.53) compared to JJ respondents (M=2.89, SD=1.57) about the outcomes of the exchange of ideas [t(190)=2.13, p=0.03]. Both CMHC (CEI Process M=3.93, SD=1.45) and JJ participants (CEI Process M=3.84, SD=1.96) reported similar beliefs about the process of idea exchange t(119)=0.27, p=0.78). Further, participants from low rurality counties (i.e., more urban) reported less favorably to beliefs about the outcomes of collaboration (CEI Output M=3.16, SD=1.62) compared to medium rurality county participants [M=3.76, SD=1.39; t(120)=2.03, p=0.04]. Thus, we find a difference in perception of collaboration both between systems and between counties of varying rurality. &#x0D; &#x0D; Conclusion/Potential Impact: &#x0D; These findings help capture the current barriers to collaboration that exist between JJ and CMHCs before implementation of the LHS framework. Understanding these barriers between systems is essential to better cultivate interagency alliances to improve care for justice-involved youth with SUDs.

Delivering Trauma-Informed Care in the Juvenile Justice Setting

Youth taken from the home and placed in emergency shelter, secure detention, and residential set-tings are exposed to new sources of trauma and danger that may re-activate severe stress symptoms leading to re-traumatization. A juvenile justice center planned a trauma-informed, system-focused in-tervention that included recommended elements: appropriate assessments of trauma symptoms, evi-dence-based programs and treatments to build resilience skills in youth and families, staff training, community collaboration and partnerships, and a safe environment to reduce the risk of re-traumatization. The purpose of this study was to describe the implementation over two years of the trauma-informed, system-focused intervention in the juvenile justice center and associated effects on youth trauma symptoms. Current and past traumatic event exposure, change in youth participants’ emotional regulation, effects of an evidence-based, trauma-informed therapeutic intervention on youth participants’ stress symptoms, and quality of the organizational trauma-informed care plan were assessed. Although efforts to improve participant emotional regulation and post-traumatic stress symptoms did not demonstrate significant differences, efforts to screen for trauma exposure at intake provided important information about participant multiple traumas to assist with the therapeutic pro-cess. Efforts in changing organizational culture and policy did result in minor self-reported facility envi-ronmental improvements. For the practitioner, even when an intervention is well planned, results are not always positive in actual practice.

Young people's Perception of Group Climate in Juvenile Justice Centers in an Australian State, a Pilot Study.

There is ample evidence to demonstrate that a positive group climate in juvenile justice centers contributes to improvements in motivation for positive behavior and reducing incidents and even recidivism. Being provided opportunities for growth and development and being actively supported by well-trained staff creates a positive atmosphere and minimal repression. Such a pedagogical group climate is strongly related to fulfilling the basic psychological needs of the young people and is promoted by relational security. Following a series of challenging situations inside youth justice centers in Australia, we explored the opportunities for investing in staff training on awareness of basic psychological needs of these young people and introducing the concept of an open, positive group climate. This study reports the results of an explorative measurement of perceived group climate in four units of two juvenile justice centers in Victoria (Australia). The young people (N = 57) were provided with the Prison Group Climate Instrument. The results of the group climate research and a cross-cultural comparison show that there are inherent strengths but also important opportunities for improvement in the group climate experienced by young people. Recommendations to improve the group climate are discussed in this paper.

Emotional Assessment in Spanish Youths With Antisocial Behavior.

Impaired emotional capacity in antisocial populations is a well-known reality. Taking the dimensional approach to the study of emotion, emotions are perceived as a disposition to action; they emerge from arousal of the appetitive or aversive system, and result in subjective, behavioral, and physiological responses that are modulated by the dimensions of valence, arousal, and dominance. This study uses the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) to study the interaction between the type of picture presented (pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant) and group (adolescents under custody in juvenile justice centers, adolescents under non-custodial measures, and secondary school students) in the emotional assessment of these dimensions. The interaction between the study variables was statistically significant. Statistically significant differences were found between the three types of pictures presented, in the ratings of unpleasant pictures between the custody group and the group of secondary students in regular schooling in valence, and in the ratings of unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant pictures in arousal, between the custody group and all groups. Discriminant analyses of each affective dimension indicate that the unpleasant pictures with violent and/or aggressive content tend to be in the functions that most differentiate the antisocial groups.

Critical Race Theory, Wrongful Convictions and Disparate Exonerations of Minority and White Youths in the United States

Race is central to every aspect of the criminal justice system in the United States. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), in 2013, black males accounted for 37 percent of the total male prison population in the United States with white males accounting for only 32 percent followed by Hispanic males at 22 percent respectively. In the general population, however, Black males comprise only 6 percent of the total males population while White males constitute 31 percent of the total males population in the U.S. followed by Hispanic males who make up 8.4 percent of the total male population. The conviction of innocent defendants is quite disturbing regardless of race or ethnicity. Nothing is more glaring of this phenomenon than when one considers that African American males make up only 6 percent of the total males population but are reported as committing 52 percent of the murders. It is widely known that the lack of formal processes and constitutional due process in the juvenile justice system and the potential for substantial deprivations of children’s liberty through extensive periods of incarceration has been pervasive, persistent, and ongoing in this country (Juvenile Justice Center, 2020). Critical Race Theory has done nothing less than shed more light on the predictability of youth treatment landing them behind bars for lengthy prison sentences for crimes in which they frequently did not commit. Critical Race Theory falls short, however, of offering any plausible explanations for why so many minority youths are falsely imprisoned. Other theories must be considered as plausible explanations for this phenomenon of disparate treatment between the races whether it be police shooting, disparate convictions and incarceration or racial profiling. These theories include Racial Conflict Theory, Racial Threat Theory and Petit Apartheid Theory. The core idea of Critical Race Theory is that racism does not stop at the individua level, but it is systemic or system-wide and ingrained in our policies, in our legal systems and institutions. Critical Race Theory has absolutely nothing to do with “punishing kids for their skin color or making young white kids feel guilty for being white no more than critical thinking is criticizing someone for well thinking. Critical Race Theory is a dialogue for raising awareness of policies and practices that have had a disproportionately negative impact on racial minorities in particular and youth in general irrespective of race. There were 2,310 people serving life-without-parole sentences for crimes committed as juveniles (known as JLWOP) at the end of 2016. This study examines the data extracted from the national registry of exonerations in the United States on every known exoneration from 1989 to 2020. Contributing factors to such disparate convictions among young African American males such as false confessions, mistaken identity, false accusations, witness tampering, perjury or false statements under oath particularly by police officers, prosecutorial misconduct, inadequate legal defense, and mistaken witness identification are highlighted and discussed as major contributing factors to the exoneree’s eventual release. This study assumes the position that, although all lives matter, it appears that African American Male Youths are more disproportionate among the population of those exonerated for crimes that they did not commit. The study proffers policy implications and policy changes that appear to be viable solutions to this egregious and tragic abuse of humankind.

Organizational structure, climate, and collaboration between juvenile justice and community mental health centers: implications for evidence-based practice implementation for adolescent substance use disorder treatment

BackgroundSubstance use disorders are prevalent among youth involved with the criminal justice system, however, evidence-based substance use disorder treatment is often unavailable to this population. The goal of this study was to identify barriers to effective implementation of evidence-based practices among juvenile justice and community mental health organizations through the lens of an adopter-based innovation model.MethodsIn this mixed-methods study, qualitative interviews were conducted with n = 15 juvenile justice staff and n = 14 community mental health staff from two counties implementing substance use services for justice involved youth. In addition, n = 28 juvenile justice staff and n = 85 community mental health center staff also completed quantitative measures of organizational effectiveness including the implementation leadership scale (ILS), organizational readiness for change (ORIC), and the implementation climate scale (ICS).ResultsOrganizationally, staff from community mental health centers reported more “red tape” and formalized procedures around daily processes, while many juvenile justice staff reported a high degree of autonomy. Community mental health respondents also reported broad concern about their capacity for providing new interventions. Staff across the two different organizations expressed support for evidence-based practices, agreed with the importance of treating substance use disorders in this population, and were enthusiastic about implementing the interventions.ConclusionsWhile both community mental health and juvenile justice staff express commitment to implementing evidence-based practices, systems-level changes are needed to increase capacity for providing evidence-based services.

Brief report: The effectiveness of Dutch Cell Dogs: A multiple case experimental study.

Prison-based dog training programs (DTPs) aim to improve successful rehabilitation after detention. However, empirical evidence for their effectiveness is lacking. To evaluate the effectiveness of a DTP—Dutch Cell Dogs (DCD)—on externalizing behavior, stress, self-esteem, empathy, and treatment motivation, a pilot study with a Multiple Case Experimental Design in six adolescents residing in a juvenile justice center (JJC) was conducted. Results did not provide convincing evidence for DCD’s effectiveness. Further research is needed to determine whether and for whom DCD could be a useful addition to regular JJC programming.

0979 Observational Analysis Of Juvenile Justice Sleep-wake Environment

Abstract Introduction Adolescence is associated with sleep regulatory changes that prompt sleep and circadian timing to shift later (delay). Poor quality, insufficient sleep, and misaligned sleep-wake schedules increase adolescents’ risk for physical and mental health consequences. Little data exists on potential sleep health risks and sleep-wake environments of juvenile justice facilities. This descriptive study examined the sleep-wake environment and daily schedules at juvenile detention and treatment centers in a Mid-Atlantic state. Methods Using our Sleep Justice Observational Checklist, researchers recorded number of windows in sleep and non-sleep areas, and number of beds in sleeping quarters. Illuminance was measured with a light meter during the daytime (standing, sitting, etc.) and averaged. Facility-level 24-hour schedules were obtained to determine youth’s daily routines during the observation period. Results In comparison to treatment centers, detention centers have earlier lights-on (MDet = 6:07 am, SDDet =:40 vs. MTreat = 6:54 am, SDTreat =:07, p = .04) and lights-off (MDet = 8:42 pm, SDDet =:36 vs. MTreat = 9:06 pm, SDTreat =:19, N.S.) times. Treatment center illuminance levels (M = 296.60 lux, SD = 150.30) were greater (brighter) compared to detention centers (M = 124.00 lux, SD = 60.40, p = .01). Per sleep area, treatment centers had more windows (MTreat = 7.84, SDTreat = 6.70 vs. MDet = 1.73, SDDet = .77, p = .02) and more beds (MTreat = 13.30, SDTreat = 14.00 vs. MDet = 1.46, SDDet = .96, p = .03) than detention centers. Conclusion Preliminary results indicate a variation in the sleep-wake environments and daily schedules in this sample of juvenile justice centers. Early lights-on and lights-off times can impose a higher risk for circadian misalignment in adolescents, though schedule consistency may reduce this risk. Ongoing data collection will help to further understand the sleep environment of adolescents in the juvenile justice system. Support Kolvenbach Research Grant, Loyola University Maryland

The CRC comes of age: assessing progress in meeting the rights of children in custody in Northern Ireland

This article focuses on the extent to which Convention rights are complied with regarding the treatment of children in conflict with the law in Northern Ireland, and in particular the rights of incarcerated children. Relevant children’s rights instruments and principles are identified to establish the benchmarks for this discussion. There follows discussion of the particular social, economic and political context which impacts upon the lives of children in conflict with the law in Northern Ireland. The legislative context for the detention of children in custody in Northern Ireland is explored, and the regimes in the Juvenile Justice Centre (JJC) for Northern Ireland and Hydebank Wood Young Offenders Centre (YOC) are assessed for compliance with children’s rights standards. Primary research conducted by the author and her colleagues with children in custody in Northern Ireland 2 and recent inspection and research reports form the basis for the analysis of the state of children’s rights in custody in Northern Ireland in the 21st century.

Sustainable Spaces, Sustained Mass Incarceration: Environmental Protection as Racial Violence in the Design of Juvenile Incarceration

Though scholars of racial capitalism have separately analyzed mass incarceration and environmental racism as state-sanctioned racial violence, few have put these two seemingly disparate topics of study in direct conversation. Yet tracking “sustainability” in the designs of an environmentally friendly juvenile detention facility reveals that state-subsidized corporate mechanisms of environmental protection are fundamental to racialized mass incarceration in the United States. In the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center in San Leandro, California, building designers constructed a juvenile court, social services center, and jail that all met the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Standard for sustainable construction practices put forth by the US Green Building Council. In this carceral space, however, the ideals of sustainable building design obfuscate the role of racial capitalism in sustaining the punitive regulation of Black and other nonwhite youth through incarceration.

The Ins and Outs: How Principals Can Smooth Transitions Between School and Juvenile Justice Centres

Researchers note that the transitions of secondary students with disability in and out of the juvenile justice system are problematic for both the young person and leadership teams of their sending and receiving schools. Much of the literature focuses on barriers to successful transitions; however, there are some accounts of positive transition practices. In this article, we identify these positive practices and outline the steps school principals and executives involved in transitioning secondary school students with disability in and out of juvenile justice settings can take to smooth the way and improve student outcomes for this vulnerable population.

Living on the edge: Juvenile justice work as a form of edgework

This article considers how the concept of edgework can help to understand the work of staff members within juvenile justice centres – individuals who voluntarily engage in risk and negotiate boundaries to: respond to institutional routines, and/or express the institutional and cultural constraints of the emerging social order. The article describes edgework and its use in occupational settings, including criminal justice. It then presents data from an Australian study to demonstrate the stressful and sometimes dangerous conditions that staff members within juvenile justice centres experience. With reference to these data, the article argues that edgework can reveal essential paradoxes in juvenile justice work. This in turn can help to understand workers’ motivation(s) and what might be needed to recruit, support, and retain juvenile justice workers.

The Relationship Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Criminality in Juvenile Offenders.

To examine the relationship between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and criminal behavior in youth who are incarcerated or on probation in Texas. Seven juvenile justice facilities. Juvenile offenders in state or county correctional facilities or on probation. Screening for TBI was conducted among adolescents at 7 juvenile justice centers. Participants were administered the Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire, and results were linked to participants' offense history and psychiatric diagnoses. One in 4 juvenile offenders met criteria for TBI, and the majority of injuries occurred prior to the adolescents' criminal offenses. A history of TBI was related to more violent crimes, as well as more mental health diagnoses and symptoms. The high rates of TBI and levels of distress found in juvenile offenders suggest a need for preventive actions, interventions to compensate for challenges related to TBI, and programs to assist individuals' transitions into the community.

Adolescents' Perceptions of a Gardening Activity at a Juvenile Justice Center.

The purpose of this study was to elicit participants' ( N = 16) perceptions of a gardening activity at a juvenile justice center and to determine whether past exposure to gardening and farmers markets was associated with their perceptions of the gardening experience. This cross-sectional, exploratory program evaluation was conducted in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. Adolescents completing the Cadet Leadership and Education Program participated in gardening in order to provide produce to a local farmers' market. After the growing season, participants were asked to complete a nine-item questionnaire about the gardening activity during one of their usual classes at the facility. The questionnaire assessed perception of the experience and past exposure to gardening and farmers' markets. Participants reported favorably about their participation in the activity, knowledge gained from the activity, and their intent to garden in the future. Those who had previously gardened had more favorable perception of gardening than those who had never gardened. Gardening is an inexpensive means of teaching teamwork and delayed gratification and providing a sense of empowerment and may benefit at-risk adolescents during incarceration.

Evolution of Mentoring Relationships Involving Young Male Offenders Transitioning from a Juvenile Justice Centre to the Community

This qualitative longitudinal study focused on adolescent males who were being formally mentored during their transition from a juvenile justice centre to the community. Pre-release, the young men feared being exposed to negative peer influences and uncertainty about the future. In response to this anxiety, the young men valued the mentor as a guide, confidant and “watchdog”. Post-release, the concerns of the young men turned to a sense of disconnection, institutionalisation and difficulties securing employment. Here, the young men required their mentors to be reliable, build confidence and assist with educational and occupational opportunities. The findings both inform our theoretical understanding of mentoring and provide direction for supporting young offenders in the transition back into the community.

A snapshot of education behind the fence: Supporting engagement in education of incarcerated youth in Australia

Incarcerated youth often have complex needs. Past researchers have reported that these young people have high drop-out rates and early disengagement from school. This study adds to the limited research on the ways both education and juvenile justice personnel support the engagement of incarcerated youth in education ‘behind the fence’. The authors analysed the educational provisions for incarcerated youth in juvenile justice centres in New South Wales, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 employees of juvenile justice and education sectors. The interview transcriptions were analysed using an inductive content analysis. Findings suggest that the education units were employing practices that promote student engagement, and recommendations include formal self-advocacy skills development and supporting students in developing intrinsic motivation.

Experiencing Youth Justice: Process, Meaning and Legitimacy

This policy briefing paper reports on findings from a study funded by the Youth Justice Agency, which explored the transitions of young people into and beyond Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre (JJC). Using a longitudinal qualitative approach which involved baseline life-history interviews along with follow-up interviews upon release, it explored from the perspectives of young people their: life histories – including family, school, community, employment; contacts with the criminal justice system; experiences of system contact; routes into custody; experiences of custody; plans for release, and challenges of transition from custody.