Juvenile Justice Settings Research Articles

Empowering change: A review of educational leadership dynamics in juvenile detention centers

The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of education in juvenile detention centers (JDCs) while providing valuable insights for educational leaders to enhance education. Understanding the key barriers, including the lack of administrative support and the challenge of limited resource availability, underlines the significant role of educational leaders in overcoming these challenges for better results for the detained teens. Therefore, the primary focus of this article is to highlight the lack of administrative support as a major barrier to providing quality education in JDCs and offer insights for building an effective leadership capacity. Educational administrators in juvenile justice settings face unique problems that call for innovative and functional strategies to avert being ineffective leaders. The article will also bring to the forefront evidence based practices from two case studies representing successful educational programs in juvenile justice settings. This thorough review of the literature examines the critical levers that may enhance education in JDCs. Two fundamental questions guide this literature review: 1) What is the current state of education in juvenile facilities, and what challenges and best practices are evident? 2) How can educational leaders improve the academic and behavioral outcomes of the youth in JDCs?

Contextual determinants of family-driven care implementation in juvenile justice settings

IntroductionEngaging families in behavioral health services is a high priority for juvenile justice (JJ) systems and family advocacy groups. Family-driven care (FDC) enhances family engagement and decision-making power in youth behavioral health services, ultimately, improving youth and family mental health and substance abuse outcomes. Despite the benefits, there is limited guidance on how to integrate FDC into behavioral health care within the JJ system. Therefore, the goal of this study is to understand factors that promoted adoption of FDC the JJ context.MethodsJJ staff and leadership across the state of Georgia participated in surveys and interviews to understand contextual implementation determinants related to the adoption of FDC. Between November 2021- July 2022, 140 JJ staff participated in the survey from 61 unique JJ organizations. In addition, 16 staff participated in follow-up key informant interviews to explain quantitative findings.ResultsBased on a mixed methods analysis, JJ agencies were more likely to implement FDC if they had the following characteristics: (1) presence of site leaders that were strongly committed to family engagement, (2) a shared understanding that family engagement was a top priority, (3) staff training related to family engagement, (4) external partnerships with organizations that serve families, (5) a workplace culture that was supportive of innovation, and (6) presence of family engagement programs that were easier (or more feasible) for staff to implement.DiscussionThis mixed methods study underscores the importance of strengthening these 6 inner and outer setting implementation determinants when preparing to integrate FDC into JJ systems. Findings are used to promote the adoption and delivery of this high priority intervention in a state-level JJ system.

Mandated Parent Education: Applications, Impacts, and Future Directions

Mandated participation in parent education programs is a common practice across the United States for families who are undergoing divorce or who are involved in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems. Mandates to participate in parenting programs create substantial challenges for families, service providers, and service systems. Furthermore, the type and quality of the parenting services accessed vary widely, and their impacts need to be better understood. To address this need, an overview of the current state of the empirical literature on the impacts and outcomes of mandated parenting interventions for divorce and in child welfare and juvenile justice settings is provided, and suggestions to the field are offered to refine research related to mandated parenting programs. Given the challenges that mandated parenting programs pose, an alternative approach that views parenting through a public health lens is highlighted to build on the growing body of research on the impacts of population-wide applications of parenting support programs, and as a possible way to decrease the number of parents who are required to attend parenting programs. Opportunities to advance universal parenting support within a range of community settings, including primary care, early childhood education, and community mental health systems are offered. Gaps in knowledge regarding mechanisms of action of universal supports and impacts on the number of parents mandated to treatment are highlighted, and future directions for research in this area are suggested.

Adaptation of a trauma-informed intervention to prevent opioid use among youth in the legal system

IntroductionYouth in the legal system are at high risk for opioid and other substance use problems and exhibit high rates of trauma exposure. Trauma-focused therapeutic approaches to prevent substance use show promise, but few evidence-based interventions are designed with justice-involved youth in mind. Consequently, implementing trauma-informed, evidence-based interventions within juvenile justice systems is challenging. The current paper describes the systematic adaptation of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) as a family-centered substance use prevention program for youth transitioning from secure residential facilities. MethodsThe study utilized the ADAPT-ITT methodological framework to adapt TBRI Caregiver Training, an evidence-based, trauma-informed intervention designed to help caregivers support children and youth with histories of trauma. Phases of adaptation included (1) Assessment, (2) Decision, (3) Prototype Development, and (4) Testing and Integration. The adaptation process explored contextual factors (e.g., systems, facilities, and staff) and the needs of the new target population (i.e., youth in the legal system and their caregivers). Adaptations were made to both content (e.g., terminology and activities) and structure (e.g., session duration and delivery setting) with input from participants from the target population, key stakeholders, and content experts. ResultsThe systematic adaptation of the intervention model resulted in a two-phase, four-component intervention package that can be implemented in juvenile justice settings as part of youth reentry services. The primary intervention, delivered while youth are in residential facilities, includes the TBRI Caregiver Curriculum, TBRI Youth & Young Adult Curriculum, and TBRI Nurture Groups. The secondary intervention, delivered after youth transition home, includes the TBRI Family Coaching Curriculum. ConclusionsUtilizing a systematic methodological framework to guide adaptation has implications for developing accessible, culturally relevant, and contextually appropriate interventions. Accounting for contextual factors and population needs can improve the fit of evidence-based interventions for youth in the legal system, facilitating uptake and ultimately improving outcomes for youth at risk for substance use problems. Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04678960.

Competencies for Training Juvenile Services on Justice-Involved Youth with Traumatic Brain Injury

Research indicates young individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in juvenile justice settings lack essential support, mainly due to staff members' insufficient knowledge and skills in TBI-related areas stemming from a lack of relevant professional development. This study aimed to improve services for justice-involved youths with TBI in juvenile correction facilities by establishing empirically validated core competencies tailored to their needs. Through a Delphi study involving experts in juvenile services, juvenile corrections, TBI, transition services, and professional development, we identified and refined a set of 44 competencies distributed across six domains: knowledge (12 competencies), screening (6 competencies), eligibility (3 competencies), assessment (4 competencies), intervention (10 competencies), and community reentry (9 competencies).

Self-Regulated Strategy Development: Connecting Persuasive Writing to Self-Determination for Youth in Juvenile Justice Facilities

Youth with and at risk for disabilities served in alternative education settings frequently struggle with the writing process, which impedes their ability to communicate ideas and opinions with others. Providing explicit teaching of a writing strategy is necessary for this population of youth. This study examined the effects of self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) with self-determination skills on self-advocacy-focused writing probes (e.g., persuasive) for adolescent female youth in a juvenile justice setting. Emphasis was placed on teaching youth how to use persuasive writing as a tool to self-advocate for things they want or need. The SRSD instructional approach was investigated using a multiple-probe-across-participants design to evaluate the effects. Visual analyses indicated a functional relation between SRSD with self-determination instruction and youth’s writing skills. All youth demonstrated an increase in organizational quality and self-advocacy in writing from baseline to independent practice. Limitations to the current study and future directions are discussed.

Juvenile probation staff perceptions of engaging families in substance use services.

Study objectives were to (a) understand juvenile justice staff members' experiences with engaging families in youth substance use services and (b) identify staff-perceived barriers to family engagement across steps of substance use service provision. Lack of family involvement in juvenile justice system substance use (SU) services is a key barrier to successful treatment of justice-involved youth. From June through November 2015, 33 focus groups were conducted at juvenile justice system probation sites across seven states. There were 263 participants, which included juvenile justice probation and behavioral health staff. Strategies to engage families in services were highly variable across the 33 juvenile justice sites. Juvenile justice staff members identified barriers to family engagement in SU services including family discomfort, distrust of juvenile justice staff, lack of family service compliance, difficulties accessing SU services, lack of transportation, insurance and cost barriers, low perceived need for treatment, lack of SU education, and SU treatment stigma. Barriers to family engagement directly impact the success of SU service provision in juvenile justice settings. Implementation of strategies to engage families of justice-involved youth (e.g., providing tangible, informational, and emotional support to families, and involving families in juvenile justice policy and care decisions) are critical to improving SU outcomes among this vulnerable population.

Using Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports to Reduce Acuity and Enhance Skill Acquisition in School, Residential, Juvenile Justice, and ASD Settings

Using Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports to Reduce Acuity and Enhance Skill Acquisition in School, Residential, Juvenile Justice, and ASD Settings

Prosocial attributes relate to lower recidivism in justice-involved youth: preliminary evidence using a novel measure of prosocial functioning

PurposeThough prosocial attributes are linked to positive outcomes among justice-involved adolescents and are a mainstay of numerous interventions, few measures have been specifically designed to evaluate prosocial functioning within this population. Although multiple instruments measuring aspects of prosocial behavior exist, these instruments were not designed to measure prosocial behaviors among youth in juvenile justice settings. This study aims to provide a preliminary validation of a new measure of prosocial attributes (the Prosocial Status Inventory – PSI), which was designed to comprehensively evaluate in greater depth the prosocial functioning of urban, justice-involved youth.Design/methodology/approachYouth (n = 51) were recruited as part of a larger study and were participants in a community-based mentoring program in a large, urban county in the Southern USA. Youth completed the PSI at baseline prior to their participation in the community-based mentoring program. The authors obtained follow-up data on recidivism from the county juvenile justice department.FindingsPSI scores were positively related to a lower rate of recidivism and a decrease in offending frequency over a 12-month follow-up period.Originality/valueThe current findings complement previous work, suggesting that prosocial attributes are measurable and related to important outcomes among justice-involved youth and support the utility of strengths-based treatment approaches. Moreover, it provides preliminary evidence of the utility of a new self-report measure to assess these traits within a juvenile justice population.

Implementation of Substance Use Services to Justice-Involved Youth: Examining Barriers, Facilitators, and Best Practices.

Justice-involved youth are known to be at elevated risk of substance use disorder (SUD). This review examines literature published over a 10-year period and summarizes evidence-based practices for screening, treatment, and linkage to care for justice-involved youth as well as barriers and facilitators that may arise during implementation. Strategies to incorporate a health equity lens and trauma-informed approaches are discussed. Despite high prevalence of substance use and research showing that treatment reduces recidivism, few juvenile justice systems universally screen and treat youth with SUD. There is limited developmentally appropriate guidance available for those seeking to better address substance use in juvenile justice settings. This review highlights gaps in the literature, which must be addressed to increase access to treatment and improve outcomes for this vulnerable youth population.

Living apart after adoption or guardianship: Perspectives of adoptive parents and guardians

BackgroundFor children who are not reunified with their biological family members, the child welfare system promotes legal permanence through adoption or guardianship. The intent of adoption and guardianship is a safe home where children develop familial relationships that last a lifetime. However, issues may arise that result in children or youth living apart (LA) from their families after adoption or guardianship. In this study, LA is defined as a youth living outside the home after adoption or guardianship for two weeks or longer because the youth was receiving treatment in a residential or hospital setting, in a juvenile justice setting, or became homeless or ran away from home. ObjectiveUsing caregiver survey data, this study examined the following questions: (1) What is the prevalence of LA? (2) What are the risk and protective factors at child and family levels that are associated with LA? (3) What is the nature of the relationships between family members among those who have experienced LA? Participants and SettingThis study re-purposed data from surveys of adoptive parents and guardians of children formerly in foster care in four states (n = 2473). MethodsData were collected concurrently, and analyzed through an explanatory sequential mixed methods design began with determining prevalence rates and logistic regression to explore risk and protective factors for LA. This was followed by an examination of survey responses from a subsample of children who experienced LA to provide a deeper understanding of family relationships. Results8% of respondents experienced LA. Regression findings: kinship (OR = 0.57), higher family income (OR = 0.89), and engagement in extracurricular activities (OR = 0.37) served as protective factors for LA. Two elements of relationships were identified: Reciprocal, nurturing connections, which enhanced familial relationships and unfulfilled, unsupported connections that strained familial relationships. ConclusionsThis study expands our understanding of the challenges faced by adoptive and guardianship families. Key findings include the importance of extracurricular school-related involvement, biological family support, and adoption or guardianship specific services.

The feasibility and utility of trauma screening for children involved in the juvenile justice system.

Childhood exposure to potentially traumatic events and adversity is highly prevalent and linked to adverse outcomes. Many children suffering from symptoms related to traumatic stress are not identified or do not receive appropriate trauma-focused treatment, including evidence-based treatments. Trauma screening is a promising strategy to improve identification, but many child-serving staff members have concerns about asking youth and caregivers about trauma. This study aimed to describe staff perceptions about the feasibility, utility, and potential for distress associated with trauma screening. Between 2014 and 2019, the Child Trauma Screen was used in 1,272 trauma screenings completed by juvenile probation officers or mental health clinicians as part of routine practice with youth in the juvenile justice system. Further, 1,190 caregiver reports about youth trauma were completed for youth in the juvenile justice system. Staff completed a brief postscreening survey about the feasibility and utility of the screening and the perceived level of child or caregiver distress. Across staff roles, trauma screening was deemed to be feasible and worthwhile to practice, with very few staff members reporting that children or caregivers appeared very uncomfortable as a result of screening, although some differences in feasibility and utility by staff role did occur. Trauma screening measures appear to be useful and practical in juvenile justice settings when appropriate support is provided, including when administered by nonclinical staff. Nonclinical staff may benefit from additional training, consultation, or support with trauma screening.

Assessment and Treatment Programs for addressing the Mental Health Needs of Justice Involved Children in Nairobi County, Kenya


 
 
 
 Mental health screening, assessment and subsequent treatment is increasingly becoming necessary and fundamental in juvenile justice settings. Recent systematic reviews have reported an increase in the population of children with mental disorders (Beandry et al., 2021). Conversely, many children pass through the justice system without being assessed and end up being subjected to treatment interventions that do not match their mental health needs (Snehil & Sagar, 2020). The aim of this study was to explore the landscape of assessment and treatment of justice involved children with a focus on available tools and procedures for screening and assessment and to find out if there existed any evidence- based programs for addressing the mental health needs of children. This was a mixed methods study involving 193 child justice practitioners in Nairobi County sampled from courts, police, prosecution probation, prisons and children services. The study found that only one risk/need assessment tool (YLS/CMI) was being used by probation and children services and only with children committed to statutory institutions. Counseling and some forms of cognitive behavioral therapy were the only mental health interventions. Respondents cited various barriers to assessment and treatment and these included; lack of training, feeling incompetent, language barriers, high caseloads, non-prioritization of child clients, and limited resources. The findings of this study can be used by all agencies and child justice policy-making bodies to streamline assessment and treatment so as to ensure access to justice and mental health service for children.
 
 
 

The Structured Trauma-Related Experiences and Symptoms Screener (STRESS): Assessing factor structure and clinical utility in a juvenile justice sample.

High prevalence of traumatic event exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among justice-involved adolescents has necessitated the use of trauma screening in juvenile justice settings. The present study explored the psychometric properties, factor structure, and construct validity of a trauma screen, the Structured Trauma-Related Experiences and Symptoms Screener (STRESS), in a detained adolescent sample. Prior to the current study, psychometric characteristics of the STRESS were evaluated only in a child welfare sample (Grasso et al., 2015). The sample consisted of 132 adolescents in secure detention facilities in a southeastern state. Participants were included in the study if they engaged in the mental health screening process at intake and a follow-up assessment process with facility staff psychologists. Data consisted of de-identified, archival records. The STRESS total symptom and 4 criterion symptom count scores demonstrated high internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the STRESS had excellent fit with the DSM-5 four-factor PTSD model. Equally strong evidence was found for a higher order PTSD model, thus reinforcing the use of both STRESS PTSD total and criterion symptom count scores with justice-involved adolescents. Additionally, preliminary evidence of convergent and discriminant validity was supported. Findings support the STRESS as a reliable and valid trauma screen for use with detained adolescents. Results suggest that both STRESS total symptom and criterion symptom count scores have clinical utility for intake-level mental health decisions in juvenile detention settings. Implications for expanding use of the STRESS to inform appropriate interventions for justice-involved adolescents are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

"No Excuses Anymore": Substance Use Screening and Treatment for Justice-involved Youth.

The aim of this study was to present best practices for substance use disorder (SUD) screening and treatment in the juvenile justice setting. Semistructured qualitative interviews, informed by the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behavior Model, were conducted with medical and behavioral health providers with experience caring for justice-involved youth. Interviews were analyzed using thematic and content analysis to elucidate best practices and identify facilitators and barriers affecting implementation of evidence-based substance use screening and treatment. We interviewed 14 participants from 12 unique institutions and 9 states. All participants described the populations in their facilities as predominately male and minoritized, with substance use being an exceedingly common problem. Eight main themes emerged from analysis of the barriers and facilitators discussed by participants. These included the importance of (1) ensuring substance use-specific training for all team members, (2) integrating medical and behavioral health care, (3) addressing staff reticence and stigma, (4) building an institutional culture that supports screening and treatment, (5) dedicating adequate resources with respect to time, staffing, and funding, (6) formalizing and standardizing screening and treatment protocols, (7) engaging youth using trauma-informed approaches that emphasize youth strengths and autonomy, and (8) collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and community partners to maximize linkage to follow-up care after release. Our findings highlight an urgent need for improved implementation of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate substance use treatment for justice-involved youth. Although the majority of participants screen youth, they described variable implementation of behavioral health interventions and limited provision of on-site withdrawal management and treatment using medications for SUD.

Wellbeing and mental health interventions for Indigenous children and youth: A systematic scoping review

IntroductionKey policy directives from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and the United States (CANNZUS countries) highlight the importance of addressing the unique and complex wellbeing and mental health needs of Indigenous school-aged children and youth. This systematic scoping review of the peer reviewed and grey literature identifies the extant evidence about the conditions, strategies and impacts of wellbeing and mental health screening, management and referral pathways for Indigenous children and youth in CANNZUS countries. MethodsA search for peer reviewed and grey literature was conducted of 17 electronic databases and 13 clearinghouses and websites in each of the included countries. Search results were imported into Endnote X9 with titles and abstracts screened against inclusion criteria. The full texts of selected publications were screened by at least two blinded reviewers. Data extracted from the full texts included: authorship, year and publication type; country, target group, sample size and intervention setting, intervention type and study design, outcome measures and reported outcomes. ResultsThe searches produced 3223 peer reviewed and 278 grey literature publications (after duplicates were removed) giving a total of 3501 references. Screening resulted in 15 papers arising from 14 intervention studies in primary health care services, education, juvenile justice and community settings. Only 9 of the 15 publications evaluated an intervention; 6 were program descriptions. The review identified four key approaches to improve wellbeing and mental health care for Indigenous children and youth – cross-service collaboration, professional education, intervention quality and appropriateness, and enhancing direct service provision pathways. Intervention outcomes included acceptability, appropriateness and effectiveness. Discussion/conclusionThe small number of studies found suggests that this research niche area is still in development, with few evaluations of interventions. Identification of interventions within the four broad strategy areas is useful, and the review has some value in guiding the tailored development of interventions in other sites. Further Indigenous-led investigations of wellbeing are needed to identify what works to improve wellbeing and mental healthcare for Indigenous children and youth.

Quality of Relationships Between Residential Staff and Youth: A Systematic Review

AbstractRegardless of the type of residential care context, entering in care is an impactful event that involves the separation of young people from their relatives, as well as the need to adapt to a new context. This adaptation might be facilitated by the quality of relationships with professionals in these settings, which in turn may positively impact young people’s psychological adjustment.Purpose: The current systematic review aims to identify the factors that might be associated with quality relationships in residential homes (i.e., generalist care, therapeutic care, juvenile justice settings) at different ecological levels.Method: A systematic electronic search was conducted in eight databases: Academic Search Complete, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycINFO, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, ERIC, MEDLINE, Web of Science and Scopus, using a combination of words related with quality relationship, residential care, children, and adolescent. Based on the PRISMA statement, 919 manuscripts were yielded, and thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria.Results: Child (e.g., gender or age), professionals (e.g., professionals’ characteristics, behaviors, and skills), organizational (e.g., Ratios of children to professionals on staff) and cross-cutting factors (e.g., time spent together, length of relationship) were found to be associated with quality relationships between professionals and young people in care.Discussion: The residential care settings should be able to provide appropriate resources and services which address young people’s complex needs. Practical implications are discussed.

Barriers to School Reentry: Perceptions of School Reentry Among Detained and Committed Youth

Juvenile justice-involved youth, despite their history of poor academic performance, have high educational aspirations for their post-release life. However, few expect to meet their educational aspirations. Barriers in the transition from the juvenile justice setting to the community contribute to the disconnect between youths’ educational aspirations and expectations. However, to date, few studies have included the perspectives of incarcerated youth in assessing barriers to educational attainment. This study addresses the gap in the literature using data from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement to examine self-reported barriers to meeting the educational aspiration of attending at least some college. Results indicate a lack of interest in school among juvenile justice-involved youth to be the most prevalent and significant barrier to higher educational expectations, despite self-reported high aspirations. We discuss policy implications to improve the reentry process and increase school attachment.

Police behaviors and procedural justice: Testing predictors of police-initiated post-traumatic stress symptoms

Research consistently demonstrates that youth involved with the juvenile justice system experience higher levels of trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder. Though prior research suggests that youths’ interactions with the police can be a traumatic experience, relatively little research attempts to study post-traumatic stress symptoms within the context of police-youth relationships. Further, research testing the relationship between procedural justice behaviors and police-initiated post-traumatic stress symptomatology PI-PTSS among youth is limited. We test procedural justice behaviors as a protective factor as it relates to PI-PTSS. The results suggest that officers’ verbal behaviors play a critical role in influencing PI-PTSS among a sample of youth, but procedural justice buffer youth from the potentially negative effects of interactions with the police. Findings highlight the importance of trauma informed care and procedural justice in juvenile justice settings including police-youth interactions, and underscore the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations between social workers and criminal justice professionals.

Reducing staff burnout and turnover intentions in juvenile justice residential commitment programs: The promise of trauma-informed care

PurposeThis study investigates the relationship between perceptions of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), burnout, and turnover intentions among juvenile justice staff members in residential commitment programs. MethodsDrawing data from a sample of Florida juvenile justice staff, a series of two-level mixed-effects linear regression models nesting staff survey responses (N = 1281) within residential program components (N = 58) regressed burnout and turnover intentions on five domains of organizational TIC—TIC Training, Trauma Screening and Procedures, Staff Safety, Attitudes Towards TIC, and TIC Complications and Barriers—and other confounding influences. Additional regression models utilizing the Karlson-Holm-Breen method consider the direct and indirect effects of TIC. ResultsThe results indicated that staff perceptions of key TIC domains, namely TIC Training and Trauma Screening and Procedures, and Staff Safety were predictive of burnout; however, the relationship between TIC measures and burnout was mediated by perceptions of Staff Safety. Additionally, staff turnover intentions were largely a function of staff perceptions of safety and burnout, with these factors again mediating the effect of TIC. ConclusionsTIC represents a popular service model for human service agencies working with trauma-exposed clients. This study is the first to assess how staff perceptions of organizational TIC impact burnout and turnover intentions in a juvenile justice setting. It suggests that aspects of organizational TIC have the potential to reduce burnout and increase employee retention by improving workplace physical and emotional safety.