Secure Juvenile Facilities Research Articles

FW-PBIS Framework Implementation and Facility Climate Perspectives Through the Lens of Youth in Secure Juvenile Facilities: A Pilot Study

A shift from reactive and punitive practices in secure juvenile facilities has prompted facilities in the United States to adopt multitiered systems of support such as facility-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (FW-PBIS) to address climate and culture concerns. To date, most implementation efforts have focused on defining adult behaviors and systems. There is limited understanding of the role of youth voice related to adoption and implementation of the advocated practices. This pilot study sought to understand youth perspectives of FW-PBIS implementation as viewed through the lens of facility/organizational climate assessment. We piloted a facility climate survey for use in juvenile facilities and conducted focus group sessions to capture youth voice. Facilitator and barrier themes related to facility climate with FW-PBIS implementation were identified. Implications for practice, as well as limitations and future directions for research, are discussed.

Implementing Facility-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports in Secure Juvenile Correction Settings: Results of an Evaluation Study

In this study, we assessed the feasibility and social validity of an adapted approach to positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) implementation in secure juvenile facilities. The authors developed a comprehensive model of facility-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (FW-PBIS) for use in secure juvenile correctional facilities, both detention and long term, as well as state and privately run. FW-PBIS leadership team members that included all major facility roles (education, corrections, mental health, medical, recreation) participated in staff development activities and implemented the advocated approaches over the course of the study. We assessed the fidelity, feasibility, and social validity of FW-PBIS in a repeated-measures evaluation study across 50 secure juvenile facilities. We collected intervention fidelity data using a version of the School-Wide Evaluation Tool modified to reflect the unique features of secure juvenile facilities. We also gathered behavioral incident data from the facilities, but it was not possible to combine these data across sites due to the vast differences in data collection, definitions/classifications, and storage systems from state to state. Results indicated that all participating facilities were able to achieve acceptable FW-PBIS implementation fidelity. Staff rated the intervention as acceptable, feasible, and were willing to implement FW-PBIS practices. Staff members also reported gains in sense of efficacy in their roles. Results are discussed in terms of limitations of the current study, future research, and practice needs.

Sexual abuse disclosure among incarcerated female adolescents and young adults

BackgroundChildhood sexual abuse (CSA) is over-represented among incarcerated girls and women. In order to inform effective methods of response, they represent a critical group for better understanding disclosure processes. ObjectiveThe purpose of the current study was to assess the CSA and CSA disclosure experiences of incarcerated female adolescents and young adults. Participants and SettingParticipants were 94 serious female offenders, ages 15–24 (M = 18.72, SD = 1.94), incarcerated in a secure juvenile facility. MethodIn one-on-one interviews, participants answered questions about abuse characteristics, whether they had previously disclosed, to whom they had disclosed and after how long, and reasons for prior disclosure or nondisclosure. ResultsOver half of the sample (51.8%,n = 44) reported experiencing CSA. Most individuals who reported a CSA history had previously disclosed (79.5%, n = 35), with approximately equal proportions claiming to disclose within one week (40%) and after a year or years (45.8%). However, 20.5% (n = 9) claimed that our study interview was their first disclosure. Several reasons for their disclosure patterns were endorsed: Most commonly feelings of shame or embarrassment prevented disclosure (56%) and no longer wanting to keep the abuse a secret motivated disclosure (44%). ConclusionsAlthough many incarcerated girls and women share a history of CSA, our results indicate that the abuse and disclosure experiences of incarcerated females are diverse. Understanding their disclosure patterns can inform mental health services, rehabilitation, and professional interviewing strategies that may facilitate disclosure (e.g., forensic interviews, facility intake interviews).

Heterogeneity in Male Adolescents With Illegal Sexual Behavior: A Latent Profile Approach to Classification.

Current research has established that male adolescents with illegal sexual behavior (AISB) are a heterogeneous population. We aimed to explore this within-group heterogeneity to derive clinically relevant groups of AISB using the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI). We then compared these groups on selected covariates (age at intake, minority status, and child maltreatment history) and distal outcomes (general, nonviolent, violent, drug, and sexual recidivism 5 years after release) to identify any differences. The sample consisted of 698 male AISB (age = 11-20 years) referred to a secure juvenile facility for assessment and treatment. A latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted using the clinical and personality scales of the MACI to identify AISB groups and examine group differences. Four unique AISB groups emerged: Anxious, Depressed/Anxious, Dysthymic/Disorganized, and Antisocial. Groups differed on age at intake and child maltreatment history, but not minority status. At 5-year follow up, groups differed in their rates of general, nonsexual, and violent recidivism but not in their rates of sexual or drug recidivism. Clinically relevant AISB groups can be identified using personality and psychopathology indicators from the MACI. Implications for the assessment and treatment of AISB, as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Importance of Leadership and Employee Engagement in Trauma-Informed Organizational Change at a Girls’ Juvenile Justice Facility

ABSTRACTJuvenile justice facilities have historically struggled with creating and maintaining safe, therapeutic environments. The need to maintain order has often led to practices that diminish and traumatize residents rather than enable healing and development. Efforts to create change in institutional settings face a range of implementation challenges and constraints that include lack of leadership, lack of follow through, and entrenched staff practices and attitudes (Aarons, 2006). Using descriptive information gathered at a secure juvenile justice facility for girls in Pennsylvania that implemented a trauma informed organizational change model, the Sanctuary Model®, this study seeks to understand what changed in the facility during and immediately after the implementation of the model. We also seek to understand what factors, other than the model itself, were perceived as critical to model implementation and positive change.

Locked Up: Fear, Racism, Prison Economics, and the Incarceration of Native Youth

Native youth are disproportionately incarcerated, often for relatively minor offenses. One potential solution is to move more Native youth out of federal and state courts and invest in tribal juvenile justice systems. Tribal systems are assumed to be less punitive than nontribal ones, so greater tribal control should mean less incarceration. Little is known, however, about the role of incarceration in tribally run systems. This article examines available information on Native youth in tribal juvenile justice systems from 1998 to 2013. At least sixteen new secure juvenile facilities were built to house youth under tribal court jurisdiction, with federal investment in incarceration far outpacing investment in alternative programs. The total number of juveniles housed in these facilities remained constant or declined, suggesting that new construction was not driven by a need for more bed space. Of the juveniles incarcerated in these facilities, a minority had committed violent offenses, suggesting that incarceration was used by tribes as a tool to address drug, alcohol, property, and other nonviolent offenses. By critically examining the central role played by incarceration in tribal juvenile systems and situating it against the backdrop of the national trend toward mass incarceration, this article seeks to help tribes avoid replicating mistakes made by other jurisdictions.

Youth Voice Matters: Perceptions of Facility-Wide PBIS Implementation in Secure Residential Juvenile Facilities

The implementation of the positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) framework within secure juvenile facilities is on the rise; however, there is minimal research regarding stakeholder views of PBIS, especially from the youth perspective, within these facilities. This article provides a summary of focus groups conducted across eight secure juvenile facilities in which PBIS was implemented and youth perspective was assessed. Focus groups were conducted with 3–5 youth from each facility using a standard set of questions to determine youth views of PBIS. The authors present themes identified using the constant comparative method in relation to facilitators and barriers to PBIS implementation. In addition, findings are discussed in relation to high-, mid-, and low-performing facilities in relation to fidelity of implementation; as well as youth suggestions for improving PBIS. Limitations as well as future directions are discussed.

Victims behind bars: A preliminary study of abuse during juvenile incarceration and post-release social and emotional functioning.

Knowledge of preincarceration experiences of abuse among youth in the juvenile justice system continues to grow, however we know very little about their experience of abuse during incarceration. Empirical evidence on abuse during incarceration is needed for policymakers to advocate on behalf of the safety of incarcerated youth. This preliminary study evaluated the prevalence of abuse during incarceration in secure juvenile facilities and examined how abuse during incarceration is associated with postrelease adjustment among a sample of formerly incarcerated young adults (n 62; male 75.8%). Nearly all youth experienced some type of abuse (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, denial of food, and excessive stays in solitary confinement) during incarceration (96.8%). The more frequent a youth was exposed to abuse during incarceration, the more likely they were to report posttraumatic stress reactions, depressive symptoms, and continued criminal involvement postrelease. This association was significant even after controlling for preincarceration child maltreatment. We discuss policy implications to improve the safety of youth during incarceration.

Tried as an adult, housed as a juvenile: A tale of youth from two courts incarcerated together.

Research has questioned the wisdom of housing juveniles who are convicted in criminal court in facilities with adult offenders. It is argued that minors transferred to criminal court should not be incarcerated with adults, due to a greater likelihood of developing criminal skills, being victimized, and attempting suicide. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the other option, housing these youth with minors who have committed less serious crimes and who are therefore adjudicated in juvenile courts, might have unintended consequences for juvenile court youth. The present study utilizes a sample of youth incarcerated in one secure juvenile facility, with some offenders processed in juvenile court (n = 261) and others processed in adult court (n = 103). We investigate whether youth transferred to adult court engage in more institutional offending (in particular, violence) and experience less victimization than their juvenile court counterparts. Results indicate that although adult court youth had a greater likelihood of being convicted of violent commitment offenses than juvenile court youth, the former engaged in less offending during incarceration than the latter. In addition, no significant differences in victimization were observed. These findings suggest that the concern about the need for separate housing for adult court youth is unfounded; when incarcerated together, those tried in adult court do not engage in more institutional violence than juvenile court youth.

Treating Incarcerated Juvenile Methamphetamine Abusers

Methamphetamine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant. The typical user begins in their late teens or early 20s. However, those who begin using at a much younger age present particularly difficult treatment challenges. Such youth often have troubled social and substance abuse histories and may not respond well to short-term outpatient treatment. This is a report on the novel application of an evidence-based treatment model to incarcerated methamphetamine abusing youth. The program provides six months of intensive individualized treatment in a secure juvenile facility followed by six months of monitoring and support services in the community.

Youth Outcomes Following Implementation of Universal SW-PBIS Strategies in a Texas Secure Juvenile Facility

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SW-PBIS) is a framework for creating safe and effective learning environments and cultivating a positive educational climate. Researchers show that SW-PBIS can improve behavioral outcomes, while demonstrations of a causal relationship between improvements in students' academic achievement and implementation of SW-PBIS remain equivocal. We provide evidence of reductions in behavioral incident reports, improvements in school attendance, and increases in career and technical industry certifications following SW-PBIS implementation in one Texas secure male juvenile correction facility. We argue that these improvements could only be due to SW-PBIS implementation and not alternative explanations (e.g., agency policy/procedure changes, changes in facility or agency leadership, other treatment/rehabilitation programs, validity of measures). We also offer an explanation for these improved gains based on the academic characteristics of incarcerated youth.

Measuring Inappropriate Responses of Adolescents to Problematic Social Situations in Secure Institutional and Correctional Youth Care

The present study examined the construct, concurrent and divergent validity, and reliability of the "Taxonomy of Problematic Social Situations-Adolescent self-report version" (TOPS-A) in a sample of 128 adolescents placed in Dutch secure juvenile facilities. The instrument measures inappropriate responses of adolescents to problematic social situations at the living group. Confirmatory factor analysis of a four-factor model (inappropriate responses to situations of disadvantage, competition, accepting/giving help, and accepting authority) with a second-order factor (inappropriate responses to problematic social situations) showed an exact fit to the data, indicating construct validity of the TOPS-A. Evidence for concurrent validity was found in associations with aggression and living group climate. Divergent validity could not be reliably assessed. Cronbach's α reliability coefficients were satisfactory. The TOPS-A is a parsimonious instrument that can be used to assess and target inappropriate responses to problematic social situations in (delinquent) adolescents in secure institutional and correctional youth care.

Measuring Treatment Motivation in Secure Juvenile Facilities

The present study examined the validity and reliability of the Adolescent Treatment Motivation Questionnaire (ATMQ) in a sample of 264 adolescents in Dutch secure juvenile facilities. Confirmatory factor analysis of a single-factor model of "treatment motivation" showed a close fit to the data, indicating construct validity of the ATMQ. Concurrent validity was supported by significant relations between treatment motivation and living group climate. Internal consistency reliability in terms of Cronbach's alpha was good (.84). The ATMQ proved to be insensitive to the tendency to provide socially acceptable or desirable answers, which supports discriminant validity, and was unrelated to sex, age, and self-reported aggression of the adolescents. The ATMQ is a parsimonious instrument (11 items) enabling future research on treatment motivation in secure juvenile facilities.

The effects of visitation on incarcerated juvenile offenders: How contact with the outside impacts adjustment on the inside.

The present study investigates how visitation from parents impacts youths' mental health in the first two months of incarceration in a secure juvenile facility. A diverse sample of 276 male, newly incarcerated serious adolescent offenders (14-17years) was interviewed over a 60-day period. Results indicate that youth who receive visits from parents report more rapid declines in depressive symptoms over time compared to youth who do not receive parental visits. Moreover, these effects are cumulative, such that the greater number of visits from parents, the greater the decrease in depressive symptoms. Importantly, the protective effect of receiving parental visits during incarceration exists regardless of the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. Policy changes that facilitate visitation may be key for easing adjustment during the initial period of incarceration.

Latinas in US Juvenile Detention: Turning Adversity to Advantage

Latinas in the US juvenile legal system face unique challenges due to their specific location in gender and cultural hierarchies within societies that privilege males and White ethnic European Americans. In addition to growing up in urban communities besieged by poverty, patriarchy, and racism, often originating from nations hindered by war and lack of infrastructure, Latina girls in the juvenile court system contend with two other challenges: language barriers and difficulties with acculturation. However, noticing young women's interactions in detention allowed a more nuanced understanding of these factors. Even as they faced difficulties specific to being Latina, young women displayed strengths arising from being bilingual and transcultural. Drawing from qualitative research with 41 Latina teenagers in secure juvenile facilities, this article details how young Latina women's interactions while in lock-up turn so-called adversities into advantages, even as they were adjudicated delinquent in US juvenile correctional facilities.

A Multimodal Approach to Controlling Inpatient Assaultiveness Among Incarcerated Juveniles

ABSTRACT A greater proportion of the adolescents being treated in secure juvenile facilities have a history of violent behavior. The present study shows how a multimodal treatment approach that utilizes a broad range of behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, and psychological skills training methods can eliminate the incidence of assaultive behavior among incarcerated juvenile offenders. This study found significant differences in other violent and disruptive behaviors between the two study groups. In each of the problem areas under review those youths who received the multimodal treatment interventions showed significant or at least considerably better levels of behavior.

The Influence of “Changing Directions” on the Self‐Esteem of a Delinquent Population in a Correctional Setting

AbstractThere is increasing evidence that low self‐esteem is a possible basis for risk‐taking behaviors such as substance abuse, sexual promiscuity, and juvenile delinquency. Thus, it has been hypothesized that by enhancing an adolescent̂s self‐image, a decrease in the incidence of such behaviors can be realized. The present study examines the effect of one secure juvenile facility's treatment program on adolescent self‐esteem. The findings reflect the program's effectiveness with regard to self‐esteem elevation. A follow‐up study, to determine whether this heightened self‐esteem is maintained and/or results in decreased delinquency is forthcoming.