Reports psychological benefits of participation in caving, rock climbing, ropes, and teams course of 30-day adventure program by 56 delinquent youth (ages 11-18). Concludes rope course satisfied independence, rewards, and variety more than caving; rock climbing satisfied independence and rewards more than caving; caving less beneficial than other…

Taught social problem-solving skills and self-evaluation to institutionalized delinquent adolescents as part of a cognitive-behavioral therapy program. Demonstrated improvement in problem-solving on the hypothetical dilemmas, however the self-evaluation procedure had little effect on performance. Follow-up data suggest maintenance of treatment…

Discussion of Juvenile Court Schools in San Diego County focuses on institutional schools that provide academic instruction in an incarceration setting and community schools that bridge institutional and public schools and provide education, vocational and career guidance, familiarization with community organizations, and increased self-esteem…

State juvenile codes and census records in the United States in the 19th century are analyzed. The establishment of reformatories was a necessary precondition for changes in the legal status of children. Groups demanded a specialized legal arena for children which stressed prevention and rehabilitation. (Author/KC)

Tested the degree of association between probation officers' sent and received roles and role behavior in four juvenile courts. Found the role communicated to probation officers by their superiors was predictive of the role the probation officers perceived but not of the role as enacted with juveniles. (Author)

Found that states prohibiting institutionalization of status offenders and juvenile delinquents were no more likely to provide high levels of child foster care and protective services under Title XX than states not prohibiting institutionalization. (Author)

Reviews the types of treatment facilities being utilized by youth facilities nationwide and their practices regarding self-mutilating residents. Results indicate varied frequencies of self-harming behavior. Findings suggest that departments that chose to take responsibility for stabilizing mutilating adolescents as a distinct group express greater…

An application of the "Standards for Evaluations of Educational Programs, Projects, and Materials" to a private institution caring for emotionally disturbed and delinquent children--the Starr Commonwealth Schools--is discussed. Topics include the organizational context, evaluation initiation, implementation, external benefits, and…

Research and numerous model programs suggest that sports play an important social role. Particularly among youth, sports and professional athlete role models help deter juvenile delinquency. Several athlete organizations have been established to aid youth. (SI)

Discusses conceptual clarification of dimensions in the treatment environment of a residential unit for young offenders. Examines ideas of structure, control, contemporaneous, and developmental matching from the Conceptual Level Matching Model. Describes specification of types, quality, and settings of staff-youth interactions. Addresses the…

An 11-day English back-packing expedition in the Sierra Nevada mountains (Spain) included 4 staff members and 7 youth offenders. The program discouraged criminal behavior and increased the self-esteem of the youth offenders through development of teamwork and a sense of responsibility and commitment to the expedition. (LP)

Considers the wilderness environment as "sacred space," a place pervaded by a sense of power, mystery, and awesomeness that when visited with "full respect and a clean spirit" can lead to positive empowerment. Suggests that a key objective for outdoor programs should be teaching about nature and conservation. Describes positive…

Asocial behaviors were significantly reduced among 36 adjudicated adolescents who participated in a 30-day therapeutic wilderness program focusing on interpersonal problem solving and peer group dynamics. Behavior change was related to instructor experience and expectations and to participant interpersonal problem-solving skills. Contains 19…

Describes group therapy approach used by team of school psychologists to treat delinquent behavior of adolescents (n=82). Notes cooperative arrangement with the juvenile court made it possible for adjudicated delinquent youth to be referred directly to after-school sessions. Results from one-year follow-up study found no further arrests for 59.8…

Examined the effectiveness of a cooperative-learning group structure and direct instruction in promoting social communication of 14 delinquent female adolescents. Participants were assigned to one of three cooperative-learning groups to receive 12 30-minute social-communication training sessions. Systematic increases in communication skills were…