bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Flashpoint: An Innovative Media Literacy Intervention For High‐Risk Adolescents
Authors: MOORE JANE , DECHILLO NEAL , NICHOLSON BARBARA , GENOVESE ANGELA , SLADEN STEPHANIE 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThis paper describes the development and formative evaluation of a media literacy, media based intervention for high‐risk adolescents. The program described, Flashpoint, was developed to (1) moderate the influence of media presentations of violence, substance abuse and prejudice on adolescents; and t (2) teach participants cognitive skills which would enable them to resist impulses to engage in behavior involving violence, substance abuse or prejudice. The evaluation described studied the pilot testing of the program with three groups of adolescents (N=33) involved in the juvenile justice system: adolescents in a diversion program (first time, nonviolent offenders); adolescents on probation; and adolescents in residential custody of the Department of Youth Services. Qualitative findings are reviewed in detail.
Linking Gender, Minority Group Status and Family Matters to Self‐Control Theory: A Multivariate Analysis of Key Self‐Control Concepts in a Youth‐Gang Context
Authors: LYNSKEY DANA PETERSON , WINFREE L. THOMAS , ESBENSEN FINN‐AAGE , CLASON DENNIS L. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe variable roles of family, gender, and race are underdeveloped in Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime, also called self control and propensity‐event theory. Using cross‐sectional data generated as part of the National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training program, we assessed the links between the self‐reported gang involvement of 5,935 eighth‐grade public school students residing in eleven widely dispersed cities and their levels of self‐control, gender, minority group status, and family context. We found that youths with low self‐control levels reported that they were more deeply involved in gangs than youths with high self‐control, as were youths who were not closely monitored by their parents. We also found differences by gender, minority group status, and family structure. This article explores the limitations and implications of these findings for gang research, theory, and juvenile justice practice.
A Coordinated Approach to Improving Outcomes for Substance‐Abusing Families in Juvenile Dependency Court
Authors: SAGATUN‐EDWARDS INGER , SAYLOR COLEEN 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThis paper describes a coordinated approach to providing enhanced services for substance‐abusing families in the juvenile dependency court. The enhanced services consisted of an interagency collaborative model including the Department of Social Services, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Public Health Nurses, and Family Support Specialists. The purpose of the intervention was to increase the likelihood of family reunification. Families were randomly assigned to either the enhanced services (N=48) or to a regular services group (N=41). Variables included social background factors, data related to court hearings and court orders, and final court outcomes regarding placement and custody. Significant factors predicting final placement of the child were completion of court ordered programs, a stable home, and mothers' cooperation and motivation. Families who received the enhanced services had significantly higher rates of reunification of children with parents.
The Juvenile Drug Court Judge and Lawyer: Four Common Mistakes in Treating Drug Court Adolescents
Authors: CLARK MICHAEL D. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThis article will present information gleaned from anecdotal experience of existing juvenile drug treatment courts regarding several common mistakes often made by those new to the drug court. The mistakes discussed include: 1) Believing the work and role responsibilities in a traditional juvenile court will not change significantly when entering a juvenile drug court; 2) Citing the elimination of drug and alcohol use as a final outcome goal when developing the mission statement for a juvenile drug court; 3) Believing that a juvenile drug court ensures accountability by keeping a close eye on participants and setting immediate consequences for any break in program rules; 4) Using vicarious learning to “teach a lesson”–making an example of an individual participant who has broken program rules in front of the large group. The goal of this article is not only to raise caution to these pitfalls, but also to help incoming judges and lawyers become aware of the changes that working in a juvenile drug court will demand.
Enhancing the Mental Health and Well‐Being of Infants, Children, and Youth in the Juvenile and Family Courts: A Judicial Challenge
Authors: BINARD JOEY 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTAt the invitation of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, judges from the 30 largest juvenile jurisdictions in the country and mental health professionals met for two days in Tampa, Florida, March 18–19, 2000. Their discussions over this two‐day period resulted in the first draft of this document. Meeting again in July in Snowbird, Utah, members of the group reviewed and revised the original document. This second revision was mailed to members of the group and to the officers and board of the National Council for their review. Comments from this second draft were incorporated into the final document as it appears in this issue of the Juvenile and Family Court Journal.The experience and expertise represented by this dedicated group of judges and mental health professionals is reflected in the contents of this paper. Each of the participants is actively engaged in the process of systemic change in the delivery of mental health services in their communities, each can recount both successes and failures in the process of creating this change, and each brings experience and insight to this forum.This position paper is intended for the use of judges, court administrators, and mental health professionals who work with youth in the juvenile courts of our country. It is intended as a basic framework for the development of community systems of care which will serve children, youth, and families experiencing mental health problems appropriately and well.
Appellate Juvenile Justice: Canadian Style
Authors: RUDDELL RICK 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTWhile appeals are relatively rare in Canada, they have significant outcomes in a juvenile justice system where dispositions are determinate and either the offender or prosecution can appeal the severity of a disposition. Examining the outcomes of ten years of appeals in one province produced two noteworthy findings. First, youths initiate most appeals in Canada, but few are successful in reducing the severity of their dispositions. Second, prosecution‐initiated appeals are comparatively rare but almost always result in substantial increases in the severity of a youth's disposition. Despite the importance of these due process protections, however, Canadian youths do not have the right to state‐funded counsel for appeals, reducing their ability to redress errors or modify unusually harsh dispositions.
Westmoreland County Youth Commissions: A Diversionary Program Based on Balanced and Restorative Justice
Authors: STURGES JUDITH E. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe Westmoreland County Youth Commission is a diversionary program based on Balanced and Restorative Justice. The purpose of the program is to reduce caseload and lower costs of the juvenile court as well as provide youths with a rehabilitation program with close supervision. This study was exploratory in nature to describe what has been happening with youths diverted to the Youth Commissions. Data was collected from the 19 Youth Commissions, and a total of 559 cases were reviewed.Outcome data reveals that young offenders were assessed individually, and sanctions were imposed to hold them accountable, cultivate competency, and have them become cognizant of their part in community protection/public safety. Overall, 91% of the youths completed the program. Thus, this program appears to be a viable alternative to juvenile court processing.
Juvenile Mental Health Court: Rationale and Protocols
Authors: ARREDONDO DAVID E. , KUMLI KURT , SOTO LARRY , COLIN ENRIQUE , ORNELLAS JILL , DAVILLA JUDGE RAYMOND J. , EDWARDS JUDGE LEONARD P. , HYMAN JUDGE EUGENE M. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTUnder the sponsorship of the judiciary, the Santa Clara County, California Juvenile Court, in partnership with the Juvenile Mental Health Department and a technical assistance agency (SOLOMON), has pioneered a Juvenile Mental Health Court for seriously mentally ill children who have become involved in the criminal justice system. The judiciary, probation department, district attorney, public defender, county counsel, and service providers have collectively embarked upon the implementation of a modern approach to mental health diagnosis, triage, and treatment services for youth and families who come in contact with the justice system as a result of the combination of serious mental illness and juvenile delinquency. This article presents the court's rationale and protocols.
Cumulative Disadvantage as an Explanation for Observed Disproportionality within the Juvenile Justice System: An Empirical Test
Authors: MCGUIRE M. DYAN 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTA number of scholars have attempted to explain disproportionality within the juvenile justice system as a function of cumulative disadvantage. This empirical test of the cumulative disadvantage hypothesis suggests that minorities tend to be most disadvantaged at stages in the process where confinement decisions are made (detention, commitment). Thus, while disadvantage does not appear to aggregate consistently and unidirectionally as the child moves through the system, there is some evidence that disadvantage does aggregate between the detention and adjudication stages, once controls from legal differences are imposed.
Participants' Attitudes in the Utah Juvenile Victim‐Offender Mediation Program
Authors: POULSON BARTON , ELTON KATHY 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThis paper describes an archival evaluation of the Juvenile Court Victim‐Offender Mediation Program (VOMP) of the Utah State Courts in Salt Lake City. From 1997 to 2000, 147 victims and 330 offenders reported their attitudes towards their experiences in VOMP. Although victims were more satisfied than offenders for some outcomes, all participants reported exceptionally high satisfaction. These promising results are consistent with other published studies on the effectiveness of VOMP and other forms of restorative justice in demonstrating the promise of mediation in criminal justice.
Statewide Recommendations for Improving Juvenile Justice: The Louisiana Experience
Authors: MOAK STACY C. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe results contained herein reflect a statewide process of bringing together practitioners and citizens from all aspects of the juvenile justice system in the State of Louisiana to identify issues and recommendations to improve the lives of Louisiana's children. The results of the process indicate that participants are more interested in prevention and early intervention than incarceration and control methods of overcoming delinquency. The four main areas of concern are: (1) a fragmented juvenile justice system; (2) education; (3) family; and (4) youth empowerment. These results were presented statewide to policy makers through conference presentations. The results of the Think Tank indicate that participants favor expanding services, better use of available resources, and focusing on prevention. Participants hope that the results of this event will serve as a catalyst for change in Louisiana.
Why Juvenile Courts Should Address Family Violence: Promising Practices to Improve Intervention Outcomes
Authors: BUEL SARAH M. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe prevalence of domestic violence in juvenile court cases justifies modifying our interventions to reflect this unfortunate reality. This article focuses primarily on juvenile victimization of parents and the model programs emerging in juvenile courts to address it. Part I examines family violence's prevalence in the juvenile court caseloads, despite its lack of consideration in most dispositions. Part II begins with a comparative analysis of the drug court trend and discusses the trend's applicability for specialized family violence applications in the Juvenile Court. The King County (Wash.) Juvenile Court's Step‐Up Program is introduced, which directly addresses family violence with intervention programs for youth perpetrators and abused parents, followed by the Santa Clara County (Calif.) Juvenile Court's Family Violence program, shown as a model worthy of replication. Part III details the process by which the Travis County (Texas) Juvenile Court is implementing a program similar to these models. Part IV concludes that juvenile courts must address family violence as an overt or underlying issue in many cases and must identify and address the danger to our troubled youths, whether offender or victim. I argue that the domestic violence community's treatment expertise must inform our juvenile courts' interventions with violent, often insular, families. In Travis County, we are committed to learning as much as possible about youth resilience–to identify and treat battered and battering teens to prevent the inter‐generational cycle from repeating itself while making our homes, communities, and schools safe.
Juvenile Court Judges' Perceptions of What Factors Affect Juvenile Offenders' Likelihood of Rehabilitation
Authors: D'ANGELO JILL MARIE 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTAn instrument was developed to measure whether judges perceive the likelihood of rehabilitation to be influenced by extra‐legal factors. A self‐administered questionnaire was sent to 1,040 juvenile court judges across the United States. Two indices‐extra‐legal and legal‐were created to measure the relationship between judges' perceptions and the factors they consider in their transfer decisions. Primary analysis used frequencies, cross‐tabulations, and measures of association.The factors that judges may consider in their transfer decisions are specified and vary according to state statutes. Extra‐legal factors are never included in the statutes as factors that may be considered. Nonetheless, the findings suggest that judges consider extra‐legal factors in determining an offender's likelihood of rehabilitation. The results suggest that both male and non‐minority judges' perceive that extra‐legal characteristics affect an offender's likelihood of rehabilitation. All judges seem to believe that family structure and prior record are almost equally important factors in determining offenders' likelihood of rehabilitation. Thus, although judges consider legal factors in determining an offender's likelihood of rehabilitation, they also include criteria not explicitly permitted by law.
Owning ASFA
Authors: SCHECHTER JUDGE SARA P. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTAs New York and many other jurisdictions struggle to comply with the timelines of the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), the experiences of the Expedited Permanency Part of the New York City Model Court under the direction of Judge Sara Schechter may provide helpful approaches for overcoming unnecessary delays and obstacles. Despite resistance to change, scarce resources, and a shortage of attorneys for indigent respondents, the New York City Model Court has been able to implement ASFA without sacrificing due process in the handling of child protective and permanency proceedings. Some of these strategies include extensive case conferencing, the use of specially trained conference facilitators, time‐certain appointments, and compliance reviews conducted by a referee. The New York City Model Court has found that integrating these new approaches has markedly improved the permanency outcomes for the children within its jurisdiction. Innovations piloted in the New York City Model Court are being replicated throughout the five boroughs of the city.
In the Best Interests of an Indian Child: The Indian Child Welfare Act
Authors: GOLDSMITH DONNA J. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTBefore passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978, state, private, and federal agencies systematically removed Indian children from their families and tribal communities, placing them with non‐Indian families with little appreciation for the detrimental impact that cultural deprivation would have on these children. State courts often ignored the sovereign authority of tribal courts with regard to their children, and were, more often than not, unwilling to acknowledge the importance of the perspective of the child's tribe and/or extended family members. With passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978, Congress imposed upon state child welfare practices substantive and procedural requirements to which state courts must adhere, most notably the mandate that state courts must now give primary consideration to the placement of Indian children within their extended families and tribal communities. In addition, federal law requires state courts to recognize tribal court authority and jurisdiction over tribal children. This article reviews the history of federal, state, and private practices that propelled Congress to pass the ICWA, the changes that have resulted from this vital legislation, and the challenges that face courts in ensuring that state courts meet these requirements.
Child Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Mediation Pilot Project
Authors: TROSCH JUDGE LOUIS A. , SANDERS LINDA THOMAS , KUGELMASS SHARON 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) established a goal of one year from removal to permanence for all children taken into protective custody. When the Family Court of Mecklenburg County (Charlotte), N.C., opened its doors in 1999, more than half of the children in the protectivecustody of the Department of Social Services had been in custody for 12 months or more. Innovative approaches were needed to provide children in Mecklenburg County with a safe and permanent home in a more timely manner. The Child Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Mediation Pilot Project was one approach selected by the Mecklenburg County Family Court to help achieve ASFA's goal of one year to permanence. This article details the court's two‐year journey to make dependency mediation a reality.
Judicial Oversight of Parental Visitation in Family Reunification Cases
Authors: EDWARDS JUDGE LEONARD P. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThis article explores the issue of visitation between a child and parents in the context of child protection proceedings, addressing the following areas: 1) the importance of visitation in the context of family reunification; 2) the results of an informal study of visitation practices in several jurisdictions; 3) the law relating to visitation in child protection proceedings; 4) some best practices that have been identified by commentators; 5) the role of the judge regarding visitation issues; and 6) some recommendations for judges and court systems regarding visitation. The article concludes that visitation between a child and her parents often occurs too infrequently; as a result, the relationship between the child and parents can be damaged, the child can suffer further trauma, and the chances for successful family reunification may be reduced. Finally, judges and social service agencies can and must improve both the quality and quantity of parent‐child visitation.
Creating Justice Through Balance: Integrating Domestic Violence Law into Family Court Practice
Authors: FARNEY ANDREA C. , VALENTE ROBERTA L. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTFreedom from domestic violence is a central right that will be realized through a transformation of culture. Law, embedded within the evolving cultural transformation, plays a necessary, though not sufficient, role in social change. This article reviews the development of family and domestic violence law. It compares and contrasts the core precepts of family and domestic violence jurisprudence with resulting practice and policy ramifications arising from the inherent substantive tensions. Finally, critical civil legal system actors, courts, and attorneys are challenged to apply and practice domestic violence law in the struggle to afford justice for all.
Disproportionate Representation: Communities of Color in the Domestic Violence, Juvenile Justice, and Child Welfare Systems
Authors: WRIGHT RICHARD , THOMAS JUDGE WADIE 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTA number of State and Federal surveys show that communities of color are involved with the domestic violence, child welfare, and juvenile justice systems at rates that are disproportionately higher than their population size. As courts are responsible for decisions that could propel families into these systems, it has become increasingly critical that judges become aware of these trends. This article will provide an overview of the current statistics on the disproportionate representation of communities of color in the domestic violence, child welfare, and juvenile justice systems. It will discuss the factors that are contributing to these trends and present preliminary recommendations for judicial leadership and decision making.
Using Reasonable Efforts Determinations to Improve Systems and Case Practice in Cases Involving Family Violence and Child Maltreatment
Authors: FITZGERALD JUDGE RICHARD , BAILEY CHRISTINE , LITTON LAUREN J. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 reinforced that the safety, permanency, and well‐being of the child should be the primary concerns when making decisions about child protection interventions, child placement, and efforts at reunification. The court's role in oversight of agency practice in individual cases through the requirement of specific judicial findings as a condition of receipt of certain funding was also maintained and strengthened by ASFA. Based on the recognition of the number of cases where there is a co‐occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment, there is a need for communities and agencies to set reasonable expectations of good practice for responding to the issues raised. As the community sets the expectations of good practice through agency policy, training, and service delivery, the judiciary, through the findings regarding “continuation in the home” or “reasonable efforts” in each individual case, provides the oversight of practice required by ASFA. This article will explore the current applications of reasonable efforts, discuss ways that courts and communities are defining the concept, and examine the need for the development of a reasonable efforts protocol.
The War on Violence: Improving the Response to Domestic Violence in the Military
Authors: MACDONALD JUDGE PETER C. , TUCKER DEBORAH D. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe Department of Defense has taken steps in recent years to improve outcomes for victims of domestic violence who reside on military installations. In 2000, the Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence was established, a military‐civilian group of experts charged with improving the military's effectiveness in addressing domestic violence in the Armed Forces in a variety of areas including offender accountability, coordination between military and civilian communities, and changing the military climate around domestic violence. This article will provide an overview of the Task Force, its work during the past three years, and its recommendations.