Residential Juvenile Justice Research Articles

Transforming Adolescent Sex Offender Treatment: Organization-Wide Change Process in a State Residential Juvenile Justice System

A state juvenile justice system underwent a system-wide organizational change process as a result of implementing a new empirically-based residential treatment model for adolescent sex offenders. Because of the significant differences between the new treatment model and the former, the change process required modifications in treatment philosophy and ideology, clinical practice, staff responsibilities and teamwork, and an understanding of applied research and the role of residential juvenile justice providers. A detailed description of the transformative change process is provided and is further examined through the lens of organizational change theory.

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Treating Severe Behavior in a Juvenile Justice Facility: Teaching Behavioral Self-Management via Telehealth.

Adolescents living in residential juvenile justice facilities often receive mental health services during their stay to address committed offenses, yet some display challenging behavior during moments of conflict within the facility. These challenging behaviors could result in risk of harm to self or others, or the individual may experience punishment from facility staff. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of an additive voluntary focused intervention for individuals who continued to display challenging behavior despite participation in "treatment as usual" in a juvenile justice facility. We implemented a self-management intervention, supported through interprofessional collaboration, via telehealth with four male adolescents. Using Behavior Skills Training, we taught participants to self-monitor precursors for challenging behavior and identify an alternative behavior to engage in to prevent overt challenging behavior events. Alternative behaviors were responses incompatible with the challenging behavior, or served as a rule to prompt self-management of further behavior. Results show all four participants increased their selection of alternative behaviors when presented with an evocative situation and a precursor for a severe behavior event during simulations. In addition, three participants stated they would use alternative behaviors across precursors not presented during teaching; however, two participants required booster sessions to maintain appropriate responding during simulations. Outside of simulated sessions, facility staff reported modest decreases in participants' challenging behavior during and after the intervention.

Adult criminal outcomes of juvenile justice involvement.

The juvenile justice system in the USA adjudicates over seven hundred thousand youth in the USA annually with significant behavioral offenses. This study aimed to test the effect of juvenile justice involvement on adult criminal outcomes. Analyses were based on a prospective, population-based study of 1420 children followed up to eight times during childhood (ages 9-16; 6674 observations) about juvenile justice involvement in the late 1990 and early 2000s. Participants were followed up years later to assess adult criminality, using self-report and official records. A propensity score (i.e. inverse probability) weighting approach was used that approximated an experimental design by balancing potentially confounding characteristics between children with v. without juvenile justice involvement. Between-groups differences on variables that elicit a juvenile justice referral (e.g. violence, property offenses, status offenses, and substance misuse) were attenuated after applying propensity-based inverse probability weights. Participants with a history of juvenile justice involvement were more likely to have later official and violent felony charges, and to self-report police contact and spending time in jail (ORs from 2.5 to 3.3). Residential juvenile justice involvement was associated with the highest risk of both, later official criminal records and self-reported criminality (ORs from 5.1 to 14.5). Sensitivity analyses suggest that our findings are likely robust to potential unobserved confounders. Juvenile justice involvement was associated with increased risk of adult criminality, with residential services associated with highest risk. Juvenile justice involvement may catalyze rather than deter from adult offending.

Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls: Results of a randomized controlled trial.

This study examined the efficacy of the Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls, an anger management and aggression reduction treatment designed to meet the unique needs of adolescent girls in residential juvenile justice facilities. This randomized controlled trial of JJAM compared changes in levels of anger and aggression among girls who participated in the JJAM treatment with those of girls who participated in treatment as usual (TAU) at the facilities. This study also investigated the theoretical model underlying the JJAM treatment, which proposed that reductions in hostile attribution biases, development of emotion regulation skills, and improvement in social problem solving would serve as mechanisms of action in JJAM. Participants were 70 female youth who ranged in age from 14 to 20 years (M = 17.45, SD = 1.24) and were placed at 1 of 3 participating juvenile justice facilities; 57 youth completed the study and were included in analyses. Results revealed greater reductions in anger, reactive physical aggression, and reactive relational aggression among girls in the JJAM treatment condition when compared to girls in the TAU control condition. The proposed theoretical model was partially supported via significant mediation findings; changes in hostile attribution bias were identified as a significant mechanism of action in the JJAM treatment. Results suggest that JJAM is a promising treatment to effectively reduce anger and reactive aggression among adolescent girls in juvenile justice placements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Can We Hasten Development? Effects of Treatment on Psychosocial Maturity.

Research continues to highlight factors associated with developmental immaturity, including persistent delinquency. This article examines whether aspects of developmental immaturity, psychosocial maturity, and emotion regulation are responsive to therapeutic intervention. Fifty-seven female youth in secure residential juvenile justice facilities participated in a randomized controlled trial of the Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls, an intervention that targets skills relevant to psychosocial maturity, including problem-solving, coping, and emotion regulation. Participants in JJAM showed increases in temperance, providing evidence that intervention might stimulate psychosocial development. Implications for treatment, evaluation, and measurement of psychosocial maturity are discussed.

Risk Assessment Trajectories of Youth During Juvenile Justice Residential Placement

Although the Risk–Needs–Responsivity framework has become the dominant paradigm in criminal and juvenile justice, little empirical attention has been given to the reassessment component of the model. Here, we examine dynamic risk and promotive factor trajectories of 6,442 residential commitment placements to assess differences in progression with respect to risk reduction and promotive enhancement through a buffer score rubric (buffer = promotive − risk). Results indicate that youth progress along different buffer trajectories throughout residential placement. Multinomial models also demonstrate that dynamic, changeable factors are more essential in distinguishing trajectory group membership than demographic or criminal history indicators. Finally, there were significant differences in recidivism rates across trajectories postcompletion, suggesting that improvement in (the rate of change in) buffer scores may account for some of the variation in offending behavior postrelease. Programmatic and policy implications are discussed.

Implementing Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents and Think Trauma for Traumatized Youth in Secure Juvenile Justice Settings.

We describe a multiyear pilot dissemination of a trauma-focused group treatment, Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents, coupled with a trauma-informed staff training, Think Trauma, to six residential juvenile justice (JJ) facilities. All staff members were trained in Think Trauma. Seventy-seven youth from four facilities completed the treatment groups and 69 completed all pre- and postgroup assessment measures. The aims of this study were to determine whether trauma-focused interventions (a) could be implemented in complex JJ systems, (b) would be associated with a decrease in posttraumatic symptoms and reactions in youth, and (c) might contribute to reduced Incident Reports in facilities. A related question was whether we would receive feedback that youth who participated in the trauma and/or grief narrative components of the intervention were adversely affected. Pre- and postgroup assessments indicated significant reductions in symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anger, but not in anxiety or sexual concerns. There were significantly greater reductions in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among incarcerated youth who completed all modules of the group treatment intervention relative to incarcerated youth who received an abbreviated version. Two of the facilities tracked their Incident Reports and reported reductions. No Incident Reports or therapist feedback documented that the trauma/grief processing components of the intervention were destabilizing to the youth.

Success in School for Justice-Involved Girls: Do Specific Aspects of Developmental Immaturity Matter?

Developmental immaturity (DI) may help explain some of the variability in aspects of academic achievement among girls in the juvenile justice system, a population with high rates of truancy, dropout, and school failure. This study examined the relationships among the decision making and independent functioning components of DI, verbal intelligence, and academic achievement within this population. Using data from 60 girls in residential juvenile justice facilities, multiple regression analyses indicated that verbal IQ moderated the relationship between the DI construct of decision making and academic achievement. Self-reported school attendance and number of previous arrests did not significantly mediate the relationship between DI and academic achievement. These results may indicate that the decision-making factor of DI may be particularly important, and, if results are replicated, future intervention efforts could focus more on improving this skill within this juvenile justice population. Additionally, the overall importance of the full DI construct is an important area of future study.

Innovation in Faculty Practice: A College of Nursing and Juvenile Justice Collaboration.

Residential Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) facilities are located in every state and, in general, represent an underserved and diverse adolescent population. The JJS centers present an exciting and innovative opportunity for collaboration with colleges of nursing to initiate faculty practice sites. The University of Utah College of Nursing has been serving 5 JJS centers for 14 years and recently doubled its services to incorporate 10 different JJS Centers in the state of Utah. Each center offers a unique patient population and setting providing the student with an opportunity to learn health assessment and physical examination skills not typically presented in more traditional hospital or outpatient facilities. This type of community collaboration affords an opportunity for faculty practice, education, research, and service. An interprofessional focus enriches the experience.

The Impact of Psychiatric Practice Guidelines on Medication Costs and Youth Aggression in a Juvenile Justice Residential Treatment Program.

Stakeholders have expressed concern over the appropriate use of psychiatric medications and adequacy of mental health services for youths involved with the juvenile justice system. This study assessed the impact of implementing psychiatric practice guidelines on medication costs and youth aggression in a juvenile justice facility. The study examined whether implementing psychiatric practice guidelines in a facility with an organized psychosocial treatment program would reduce psychiatric medication costs, compared with two other facilities, and whether lower psychotropic medication costs would be associated with increases in youth aggression. Administrative data from three state-run juvenile justice facilities were analyzed to determine psychiatric medication costs and rates of youth aggression. Psychiatric practice guidelines that involved screening, shared decision making, psychosocial treatments, medication prescribing, and monitoring of side effects were implemented in only one of the three facilities, with a goal of applying evidence-based psychopharmacology and benefit-risk considerations. Over the ten-year study period (2003-2012), psychiatric medication costs decreased 26% at the facility implementing the psychiatric practice guidelines, whereas costs at the two comparison facilities increased by 104% and 152%. As psychiatric medication costs decreased at the facility implementing the guidelines, youth aggression there did not increase. Implementing psychiatric practice guidelines in juvenile justice facilities can reduce psychotropic medication costs without an increase in youth aggression. Implementation of the guidelines requires an organized psychosocial treatment program to help deter an inappropriate focus on psychotropic treatments.

Artistry in Lockdown

In 2009, there were approximately 137,000 court-involved minor children in residential detention and rehabilitation facilities in the United States as a result of committing a crime. Most of these children have no opportunity to participate in music education while serving long-term sentences in residential lockdown. A program in Austin, Texas, brings classical guitar to students in a residential juvenile justice facility. This article describes a model program for music education in this setting and explores the positive changes in attitude and behavior that occur for these students as a result of music participation. Included are recommendations for starting music programs in residential juvenile detention facilities.

Systemic Self-Regulation: A Framework for Trauma-Informed Services in Residential Juvenile Justice Programs

Most youth detained in juvenile justice facilities have extensive histories of exposure to psychological trauma. Traumatic stress plays a key role in their mental health and behavioral problems and needs, and in their safety and rehabilitation and the security and effectiveness of detention facilities. We provide an overview of the barriers to successful provision of mental health services for youths in juvenile justice facilities, including those involving youth, parents, and juvenile justice residential facility staff and administrators. Next, we discuss the relevance and potential utility of approaching mental health needs using posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and more broadly posttraumatic dysregulation, as an organizing framework. Examples of how a posttraumatic dysregulation perspective can enhance juvenile justice residential facility milieus and services are presented, with an overview of traumatic stress intervention models that have shown promise, or potentially could be deployed, in developing and sustaining trauma-informed juvenile justice facilities.

Development of the Juvenile Justice Anger Management Treatment for Girls

Female juvenile offenders exhibit high levels of anger, relational aggression, and physical aggression, but the population has long been ignored in research and practice. No anger management treatments have been developed specifically for this population, and no established anger management treatments are empirically supported for use with delinquent girls. Thus, to alleviate anger and reduce the frequency and severity of aggressive behaviors in this underserved population, we developed the gender-specific, Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls. This cognitive-behavioral intervention was adapted from the Coping Power Program (Lochman & Wells, 2002), a school-based anger management treatment for younger children that has established efficacy and effectiveness findings with its target populations. This paper describes how the content of JJAM was developed to meet the unique needs of adolescent girls in residential juvenile justice placements. It also traces the process of developing a manualized treatment and the steps taken to enhance efficacy and clinical utility. An overview of the treatment, a session-by-session outline, an example session activity, and an example homework assignment are provided. A randomized controlled trial is currently being conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the JJAM Treatment for Girls.

Obstacles to Research in Residential Juvenile Justice Facilities: Recommendations for Researchers

Federal, state, and local initiatives to improve the treatment and outcomes for young people in the juvenile justice system prompt the need for additional research. Despite the call for empirical data, researchers encounter numerous obstacles when initiating and conducting studies in detention and post-adjudication facilities. These obstacles are often only briefly mentioned in publications, but they can interfere with researchers' desires and abilities to conduct studies in these settings. This paper reviews legal, ethical, and methodological challenges to successfully conducting research in detention and residential post-adjudication placements, including selecting and accessing appropriate facilities, obtaining institutional review board approval, seeking parental permission and youth assent, reporting child abuse and neglect, responding to participants' threats to harm self or others, working effectively with facilities, juvenile justice system-related attrition, and the dissemination of research findings. Recommendations are presented to help investigators anticipate obstacles when designing and executing research protocols to prevent interference and to encourage ethical responses and successful study completion.

“I Grew Up Too Fast For My Age:” Postdischarge Issues and Experiences of Male Juvenile Offenders

This study adopts a contextual approach to examine factors related to the community reentry experiences and post discharge recidivism among youth who have been placed in residential juvenile justice treatment programs for a minimum of 6 months. A total of 35 youth were interviewed: 18 youth who remained arrest free in the community after discharge from residential treatment; and 17 youth who were rearrested almost immediately after residential treatment. All subjects were interviewed with a semistructured interview, which included 71 data points and 61 qualitative responses. Findings underscore the importance of the youth's perspectives, interagency collaborations to address health and service needs, and initiatives to prevent high-risk and often traumatized youth from entering the juvenile justice system, particularly services that are family based.

Natural Experiment in Deviant Peer Exposure and Youth Recidivism

Little empirical data exist addressing potential iatrogenic effects of placing youth in juvenile justice settings. We took advantage of a natural experiment in one state where juvenile offenders are evaluated in either residential settings characterized by high-density contact with delinquent youth or community settings with naturally varying contact with delinquent peers. Higher rates of subsequent recidivism were found among first-time offenders when evaluation occurred in residential (N = 1,255) as opposed to community settings (N = 752). This finding was replicated in a subset (N = 634 per group) matched using propensity scores for five predictors of recidivism. Findings are interpreted in light of a deviancy training process occurring in residential juvenile justice settings.

Developmental Assets: Profile of Youth in a Juvenile Justice Facility

Possessing high numbers of developmental assets greatly reduces the likelihood of a young person engaging in health-risk behaviors. Since youth in the juvenile justice system seem to exhibit many high-risk behaviors, the purpose of this study was to assess the presence of external, internal, and social context areas of developmental assets in at-risk youth attending a northeast Missouri juvenile justice center. Male and female middle and high school students moved to a residential juvenile justice center voluntarily completed the Developmental Assets Profile (DAP) instrument during a regularly scheduled "intake" session. Most respondents reported lacking risk-protective factors in the internal and social context areas. Respondents noted their lack of community involvement in the social context area and their overinvolvement with negative influences in the internal context area. Specifically in the internal and external context areas, most respondents reported having trouble with substance abuse and not having positive peer or parental support. In the social context area, many noted that they wanted to do well in activities and were encouraged to do well; however, they scored service to others and involvement in religious groups or activities as low. Students who lack protective qualities, especially those who do not feel committed to their community, are more likely to be involved in substance abuse and risky behaviors. School-community partnerships may provide the targeted health protective factors that encourage more community involvement and more positive health behaviors in these youth.

A National Overview of Reproductive Health Care Services for Girls in Juvenile Justice Residential Facilities

PURPOSE/RESEARCH QUESTIONS: Adolescent girls involved in the juvenile justice system face a substantially higher risk for a host of reproductive health problems. This study is the first national overview of the extent to which Juvenile Justice Residential Facilities (JJRFs) are meeting their reproductive health needs. The primary focus is whether all girls/young women receive gynecologic services. Data are from the 2004 Juvenile Residential Facility Census, an ongoing national institution-level data collection. Respondents include facility administrators and facility health care providers. Mixed-gender and girls-only facilities are included in these analyses (n = 1,255). Full population testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases occurs in <18% of all facilities. Although about 25% of all JJRFs report housing > or =1 pregnant teens, an equal number offers no obstetric services. Most JJRFs (about 85%) report that only some girls receive care from a gynecologist, largely "as necessary" and based on self-reports of sexual activity or suspected pregnancy. Provision of gynecologic services to all girls/young women is significantly more likely in all-female, state-owned, large population, and longer stay facilities and less likely in short stay, mixed-gender, crowded, and locally and privately owned facilities. Results indicate that most facilities can garner a few necessary services. However, contrary to recommendations of national organizations, the services tend to be provided in an ad hoc manner rather than to the full population of young women. Results of multivariate models predicting facility types most likely to provide full population services should be useful as leaders in the area retarget their recommendations to address this gap in services.

Facility‐Level Characteristics Associated with Serious Suicide Attempts and Deaths from Suicide in Juvenile Justice Residential Facilities

Little is known about how facility-level characteristics affect the risk of suicide and suicide attempts in juvenile justice residential facilities. This leaves facility administrators and mental health providers without evidence-based guidance on how the facility itself affects risks. The current study uses data from two recently developed censuses of juvenile justice facilities in the United States to examine the relationship between facility-level characteristics and the likelihood of a facility reporting serious suicide attempts and deaths from suicide. Results suggest highest risks for facilities housing larger populations of Black young people and for facilities locking sleeping room doors. Lower risks are found for facilities screening all young people within 24 hours of arrival.

Mental Health Issues in Juvenile Justice Residential Placements: A Multi-Method Agency Evaluation

ABSTRACT This evaluation study uses multiple methods to examine ways mental health issues are identified in juvenile justice residential placements. The study addresses essential characteristics of young males identified with mental health problems and differences between young people identified with mental health problems and the general residential population in a large, multi-site, nonprofit agency. The evaluation found that young males identified with mental health problems had several contacts with the social service network, the juvenile justice system and the mental health system before placement in the juvenile justice residential care setting. The evaluation raises concerns about identification mechanisms used to determine if residents have mental health problems, the responsiveness of residential program models, the need for post-residential community-based support, the importance of training residential staff, and the integration of mental health professionals into the intervention team.