bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Definition and Measurement of ‘Gang Status’: Policy Implications for Juvenile Justice
Authors: Winfree L. Thomas , Fuller Kathy , Vigil Teresa , Mays G. Larry 
Published: July 2009

AbstractIn this article, we examine gang membership and gang activity in Dona Ana County, New Mexico. We collected the data through a self‐administered questionnaire completed by 373 randomly selected 9th and 11th grade students attending two high schools and two junior high schools. By the self‐report method, 56 indicated they were currently active in a gang; another 45 had been members of gangs but were no longer involved; and, “wannabes,” or students who at some time had considered joining a gang but did not or could not, totaled 68. The 169 students who indicated some interest in or involvement with gangs represented 45% of the total sample. A more restrictive definition of actual gang membership (i.e., the group must have initiation rites and employ some external symbols of membership, such as “colors,” tattoos, or handsigns) results in a different trichotomization. We employ both the self‐definition and restrictive definition of gang membership in our analysis of their personal biographical characteristics and criminal behavior. Our findings suggest that self‐definition demonstrates clearer ties to self‐reported gang‐related activities than does the more restrictive one. We discuss the policy implications of this finding in the article.
Recommending Juvenile Offenders for Pretrial Release
Authors: Metchik Eric 
Published: July 2009

AbstractCourthistories of 501 juvenile offenders prosecuted in adult court were followed as part of an effort to develop a point scale recommendation system for a large pretrial services agency. The point scale and two variations used criteria that predicted a warrant (failure to appear for one or more scheduled appearances) more accurately than when other traditional criteria used for adults were applied to this population. The juvenile offenders, although facing trial on charges of high severity, had lower warrant and recidivism rates during court processing than comparable samples of 16‐year‐old adult defendants. Implications are discussed for the efficacy of prosecuting juveniles in the adult system and the feasibility of separate pretrial recommendation systems to enable a higher proportion of reliable defendants to secure release pending trial.
Youth Gangs: A 1990s Perspective
Authors: Cromwell Paul , Taylor Dorothy , Palacios Wilson 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe juvenile gang in the 1990s differs in many significant ways from the gangs described in the “classical” gang studies of the 1950s and 1960s. Juvenile justice professionals should be aware of the changes in the nature, organization, motivation, and activities of gangs and plan intervention strategies accordingly. One important issue in gang research—one which has great implications for public policy—is defining “gang” and “gang‐related crime.” The existence of a “gang problem” in a community may be more related to the definition of “gang” and “gang‐related” than to the objective issue of whether, or not, a gang problem exists. Further issues relating to the gang of the 1990s involve changing age and sex distribution of gang members, increasing violence by gangs, and deeper involvement with drug distribution. Implications for public policy are discussed.
Racial Bias in the Criminal Justice System: Shifting the Focus from Outcome to Underlying Causes
Authors: Towberman Donna B. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract Over‐representation of minority offenders in all phases of the criminal justice system has been recognized as a problem in the United States. Much controversy surrounds the question of whether the criminal justice system is “racist.” This inquiry goes beyond the traditional emphasis on the symptoms of racial disparity within the system, and asks whether differences exist between racial groups in their exposure to psychosocial factors that are found to relate to delinquency. The purpose of the study was to expose possible personal, familial, and societal causes of racial over‐representation rather than merely place blame on the criminal justice system.The study examined institutionalized delinquent offenders. Among the findings are ones that indicate that blacks report significantly less access to intermediary treatment resources such as psychiatric and drug treatment facilities, community treatment referrals, and placement in foster homes. Blacks were over‐represented in the more serious offense levels for both current and prior offenses. Whites were over‐represented in mental dysfunction measures of chronic alcohol and drug abuse, suicide attempts, institutionalization in psychiatric or drug treatment facilities, and running away from home. The difference in racial representation raises some critical questions of possible inequality in exposure to environmental factors related to criminal behavior and unequal access and referral to intermediate treatment services prior to incarceration.
Sharing Data and Information in Juvenile Justice: Legal, Ethical, and Practical Considerations
Authors: Etten Tamryn J. , Petrone Robert F. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractDecision‐makers in juvenile justice systems often complain they can not get information they need from other juvenile justice agencies to make decisions. This can lead to resentment between juvenile justice agency workers, duplication of data collections efforts, and a breakdown in communication and functioning of the juvenile justice system. This paper reviews the legal, ethical, and practical barriers to information sharing among juvenile justice agencies and suggests practical steps to overcome these barriers. This report reviews documents by private and/or public organizations with an interest in information sharing, state and federal Supreme Court decisions, state and federal statutes, government documents, and law review and journal articles.The report indicates there are few legal barriers to information sharing between parties with “legitimate interests,” there are ethical issues to both sharing and withholding information, and that practical constraints are the primary reasons why agencies within many jurisdictions don't share information. Namely, information territorialism most often is rooted in habit and long‐standing practice, and/or a lack of established policies and procedures regarding information sharing. The article concludes with a 20 step prescription which could assist a jurisdiction in developing an integrated information system built on information sharing.
Predicting Outcomes with Juvenile Court Case Histories
Authors: Williams James D. , Rogers Joseph R. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThis report supplements a prior article in this journal (Rogers and Williams, 1994). Utilizing Ted Palmer's 1991 formulation, we identified a set of indicators relevant to juvenile court decision‐making and to policy formulation. Here, through a more stringent statistical technique, we provide additional evidence of the potential that juvenile court histories possess for both theory and practice.We explore case materials gained and maintained by juvenile probation officers as a way of generating outcome predictors for whether youth receive probation or institutionalization. Using discriminant function analysis, we obtain relatively good prediction. Delinquency history and social psychological variables are found to enhance prediction of case outcomes.Contrary to some scholars, we believe the juvenile court is here to stay. Thus, the fundamental issue becomes one of making it a more efficient, effective instrument for reintegrating youths it must serve. As this institution approaches its centennial in 1999, we believe the court must become a focal point of research. This article is intended to further that task. After identifying the three strongest predictive variables (offense after first hearing, alienation, and denial of blame), we employ our seven key indicators as a guide for illustrating their everyday application for juvenile probation officers working with their youthful clientele.
At‐Risk Youth and Locus of Control: Do They Really See A Choice?
Authors: Kelley Thomas M. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractCognitive learning theory of delinquency proposes mat as a result of early negative conditioning, particularly in the family and school settings, at‐risk youth are more apt to develop an insecure, alienated belief system which increases the likelihood that they will perceive the world as a hostile place where their fate is in the hands of outside circumstances. According to the cognitive perspective, as the at‐risk level of youth increases, their world view or locus of control will tend to become more external. The present study tests this proposition by investigating the relationship of at‐risk level to locus of control for a sample of 196 juvenile shoplifters. The study utilizes an at‐risk scale developed by the author and the Nowicki‐Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children. Results generally confirm the hypothesis that level of risk is positively related to an external locus of control. Ways to reverse the cumulative process of learned insecurity and perceived alienation are discussed.
Cornerstones of a Civilized Society: Law, Morality, Faith and Spirituality
Authors: Maples Mary Finn 
Published: July 2009

The linkages among law, morality, faith and spirituality are historically accepted. Yet, the separation between law and morality/faith/ spirituality have also been accepted and expected in order to preserve the traditional separation of church and state.Nevertheless, application, infusion and adoption of legal, moral, faith and spiritual principles have been the cornerstones of the building of this country for almost three centuries. Recently, and increasingly, those cornerstones are being chipped away. Stated more succinctly by Selleck and Josephson (1995). “There is a hole in the moral ozone and we've got to fix it” (p. 53).This paper explores and revisits the unique contributions of each and the connectedness among law, morality, faith and spirituality as partners in refurbishing the cornerstones that can support this nation securely into the next millennium. While examined separately, it is clear that these four components of lifespan development are not mutually exclusive and overlap considerably, both historically and in modern society. Included are models of morality, faith development and spirituality which may provide the reader with concrete touchstones for reflective thought.
Court improvement of foster care and adoption projects:Ncjfcj Survey Report
Authors: Gray Ernestine S. , Lewis J. Dean , Mentaberry Mary , Bailey Christine 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTOfficials from 48 states and the District of Columbia in 1994 accepted federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help improve courts' handling of cases involving child abuse, neglect, foster care and adoption. Through a survey of participating states, members of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges have been analyzing common themes found in state Court Improvement of Foster Care and Adoption Projects. This article examines key survey results.
The interstate compact on the placement of children:Reduction In Delays
Authors: Barthel Frank D. , Ashdown Samuel G. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTJuvenile and family courts have witnessed a sharp increase in the number and complexity of dependency cases involving the interstate placement of abused or neglected children. A new provision of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is designed to speed interstate placement decisions and case processing. The authors review the history, present status, and efforts to improve the ICPC to better serve children and their families.
Custodial Relationships Of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren:Results of a home‐based intervention study
Authors: Yorker Beatrice , Kelley Susan , Whitley Deborah , Lewis Andrew , Magis Jennifer , Bergeron Amy , Napier Carol 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe phenomenon of grandparents raising grandchildren has increased significantly over the past two decades. The literature documents that health, financial, and legal worries top the list of concerns for grandparents who raise grandchildren. The authors describe the results of a multidisciplinary study that provides home visitation with social, nursing, legal, and educational support to grandparents raising grandchildren in parent absent households. This article examines the custodial relationships of one hundred and sixty‐three children being raised in sixty‐eight families headed by grandparents in an urban population in the South. The data showed that of the 163 children, 70 were in the guardianship of their grandparents, 40 of the children had no legal relationship with their grandparents, 28 were in the custody of the State Department of Family and Children's Services, 21 were in the temporary custody of their grandparents, and four were adopted by their grandparents. Recommendations from this study include educating service providers and grandparents raising grandchildren regarding the potential financial benefits under Title IVE adoption assistance and supporting legislative reform to increase the stability of intergenerational kinship care. This project demonstrates an innovative approach of combining university‐based research with multidisciplinary education while providing cost‐effective support services through a partnership with the community.
A comparison of mediated and non‐mediated juvenile offender cases in California
Authors: Shichor David , Sechrest Dale K. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTJuvenile delinquency is a major public concern in the United States, and increasingly in many other industrialized countries. The last few years have seen a decline in officially recorded juvenile delinquency (Snyder, 1997). However, projections are that with the anticipated increase of the U.S. teenage population because of the echo baby boom generation, serious juvenile crime will substantially increase in the next few years (see Fox, 1996).
Juvenile Justice Processing:The entangled effects of race and urban poverty
Authors: Wu Bohsiu , Fuentes Angel Ilarraza 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThis study addresses the issue of how race and urban poverty affect minority overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system, using data from 2,003 court cases referred to 13 urban Ohio juvenile courts in 1989. Results of logistic regression analyses show that: 1) minority offenders are more likely to be detained than whites; 2) detention status augments juveniles' chances of being adjudicated and confined; 3) minority juveniles who are from welfare families are more likely to be confined than their self‐sustaining counterparts. A cultural stereotype based on juveniles' race and class constitutes the basis of differential treatment.
Predicting Juvenile Recidivism:Using the Indiana Department of Correction's Risk Assessment Instrument
Authors: Lemmon Robin A. , Calhoon Sharon K. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe Indiana Department of Correction uses a Risk Assessment Instrument (RAI) to determine juvenile offenders' risk of recidivism and their placement in an IDOC facility. Although it is used to make important decisions, the RAI has not been well‐validated. This article describes a study of convicted male juvenile offenders to determine how well the IDOC instrument, which is similar to that used in several states, predicted recidivism. We found that the RAI did not predict recidivism in our sample.
Treatment Profiles of Troubled Female Adolescents: Implications for Judicial Disposition
Authors: ELLIS RODNEY A. , O'HARA MAGGI , SOWERS KAREN 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTIncreasing numbers of girls are entering the juvenile justice system. This growing number of females creates a dilemma for judges concerned with appropriate disposition to treatment and diversion: since current intervention methodologies were developed primarily for males, how effective are they for females? The current paper describes a research process that addressed this issue. A sample of troubled adolescents was selected from a residential treatment facility. Data were collected from 137 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 (65 female [47%] and 72 male [52%]) regarding variables related to twenty‐three behavioral and psychosocial problems. These data were then subjected to a cluster analysis. Two distinct treatment profiles were formed, each differing in composition by gender. Based on the results of the cluster analysis, the researchers conducted a literature review to determine the implications of those profiles for successful disposition and treatment.
Determinants of Public Opinion Toward Juvenile Waiver Decisions
Authors: WU BOHSIU 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThis study examines the determinants of public opinion toward three types of juvenile crimes deemed suitable for trial in criminal court. The public overwhelmingly supports juvenile waivers, especially for juveniles charged with violent crimes. However, such an overall consensus in public opinion can be a result of an inadequate survey design. The public needs to be given more contextual information regarding juvenile offenses and possible consequences resulting from transferring juveniles to the adult system.
Forensic Methods and Procedures Applied to Child Custody Evaluations: What Judges Need to Know in Determining a Competent Forensic Work Product
Authors: GOULD JONATHAN W. , BELL JUDGE LISA C. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTJudges are seeing an increase in the number of forensic reports in the area of child custody. This increase in forensic mental health involvement suggests that judges need to better understand the application of current forensic mental health methodology to assist them in determining a competent forensic work product. Recent literature has argued that child custody evaluators need to craft their reports consistent with scientific methods and procedures as well as legal standards governing admissibility of scientific evidence. This paper provides a framework for judges to assist in determining whether a child custody evaluation has been crafted consistent with current behavioral science literature pertaining to use of forensic mental health methods and procedures.
Developing Court‐Connected Parent Divorce Education Programs: Guidelines For Communities
Authors: CAMBRON MARY LOU , YANKEELOV PAMELA A. , BROWN JOE H. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThis article answers a myriad of questions that program providers and communities might consider when developing a divorce education program for parents. Questions and answers are considered for the following areas: a) purpose and objectives; b) needs assessment; c) curriculum development; d) program support; e) personnel matters; f) money matters; g) program participants and participation; h) special needs; and i) evaluation. Communities that build consensus around these issues are more likely to develop successful programs.
The Use of Citizen Review Boards with Juvenile Offender Cases: An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Pilot Program
Authors: LITZELFELNER PAT 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThis study evaluates a Citizen Review Board (CRB) program designed to review juvenile offender cases. The sample includes 157 juvenile offenders that were first‐time adjudicated offenders. The youth were randomly assigned by the juvenile judge either to receive review by the CRB or go through the regular court process. Sixty‐eight of the youth were reviewed by the CRB and 89 made up the control group. Data were collected on both groups for more than three years. Program outcomes examined for the study included court processing time, placement and treatment facility changes, and re‐offense rates.Findings suggest that the youth served by the CRB program had statistically fewer out‐of‐home placements in treatment programs during the course of the study and more time had elapsed between the date of the original offense and the re‐offense for youth reviewed by the CRB. The rise in the number of juvenile offenders going through the nation's court systems, as well as a rise in the number of citizen review boards, indicate a need for further examination about how CRBs can best serve the juvenile court system and the youth served by that system.
Ten Ways to Reduce Detention Population
Authors: ARTHUR JUDGE LINDSAY G. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACT“Juvenile detention is regularly overlooked, maligned, and misunderstood. Its embattled condition is best described as severely abused and neglected. It is underfunded, understaffed, crowded and largely ignored.”1“Detention caseloads increased 38 percent between 1987 and 1996. The increase in the number of delinquency cases handled by the courts has driven the growth in the number of juveniles in the detention system. In 1987, 1.2 million delinquency cases were disposed of in juvenile courts. By 1996, this number had risen 49 percent, to almost 1.8 million. This increase in the volume of juveniles in the justice system resulted in a 38 percent increase in the number of delinquency cases that involved the use of detention. The number of juvenile delinquency cases detained in 1996 was 89,000 more than in 1987. This has resulted in increased demand for juvenile detention bed space across the country.”2“Changes in statutes allowing more detainable offenses have significantly increased the number of youths admitted to regional detention centers.”3“Although minority youth constituted about 32 percent of the youth population in the country in 1995, they represented 68 percent of the juvenile population in secure detention…4
An Evaluation of Teen Court as a Juvenile Crime Diversion Program
Authors: LOGALBO ANTHONY P. , CALLAHAN CHARLENE M. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTTheories of procedural justice support the American legal system's search for a fair and effective means of diverting offenders from the juvenile court system. Teen Court programs, in which juvenile offenders are tried and sentenced by a jury of peers, are one of the latest developments in attempts to positively influence offenders and direct them free of crime. The present research found that participation in Teen Court increased offenders' legal knowledge and enhanced their attitudes toward some authority figures (i.e., the judge) and themselves to a greater extent than non‐offending juveniles. In addition, only 12.6 percent of juvenile offenders re‐offended within five months of their initial Teen Court involvement. Improved attitudes toward authority and self were associated with a lower incidence of recidivism. Overall, these results contribute to the growing literature indicating that Teen Court can be an effective juvenile crime diversion program. This article also discusses methodological issues for future program evaluations.
An Evaluation of a Delaware Teen Court
Authors: GARRISON ARTHUR H. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe Kent County Teen Court Program (teen court) provides sanctions for juvenile delinquency from a panel of a juvenile's peers rather than from a Family Court Judge. Part of the concept behind teen peer courts is that the sanction from one's peers carries more weight than sanctions from adults. The Delaware Criminal Justice Council (CJC) awarded a grant to Delaware ‐ Teen Courts, Inc. to support the operation of the Kent County Teen Court Program. The teen court program was designed to provide participants with hands‐on education in the judicial process, to create a sanction pro‐ gram that will not create a permanent record for a juvenile, and to foster, a sense of community responsibility in the program participants. The teen court program is an adult model teen court in which all of the judicial actors are juveniles with the exception of the judge. This article reflects the results of an evaluation on the Kent County Teen Court program's first two years of operation (Garrison, 2001).