Objective: This study describes the development of an engagement scale for use with youth in residential treatment centers. Engagement includes attitude about treatment, bond with providers, and participation in treatment activities. Method: Interview data were collected at the midpoint in residence of 130 youth in two centers. Items were selected…

This guide is designed to assist programs in developing, expanding, or improving restitution activities for juvenile offenders. The guide is divided into five major sections. Part I focuses on the most fundamental decisions for restitution programs: program philosophy and goals, organizational structure, location within the juvenile justice…

Study (a) investigated differences in demographic variables, previous delinquent/criminal behavior variables, family system variables, juvenile court system variables, and subsequent delinquent behavior variables between court-involved juvenile delinquent youth who did and did not receive services; and (b) created a predictive model that would…

This paper defines and discusses Guindon's reeducation theory as a treatment orientation for delinquent rehabilitation. (SJL)

This short report provides a brief description of a research project presenting an alternative approach to delinquency treatment. Achievement Place is a family-sized residential treatment home for predelinquent and delinquent youngsters. Six to eight boys, aged 12-16, live in a renovated house located in their own community. A specially trained…

Presents issues and research concerning the assessment and education of incarcerated juvenile offenders. Summarizes the special needs and problems of this population, examines programs and offender characteristics, and suggests an evaluation outline. Proposes an evaluation model for use in juvenile educational programming and offers suggestions…

Presents a framework and principles for counseling belligerent counselees, integrating moral reasoning and behavior contracting. Counselees move from the punishment stage to a trade-off and socially responsive stages through contracting aimed at improved behavior, recognizing that behavior causes consequences, inducing positive behavior through…

Videotaped models and role playing were investigated for their effects on delinquents' interpersonal behavior at school and their group home. Experimental subjects improved more than controls during the group home videotapes period, but was not maintained. No effect of the school videotapes was found, possibly due to a ceiling effect. (NG)

The report presents a description of a volunteer probation counselor program involving the use of volunteer citizens in counseling relationships with youthful misdemeanant offenders. The program was conducted by the Lincoln-Lancaster, Nebraska, Municipal Court. The report contains a description of the essential features of the program including…

The paper describes the methodology used in an ongoing, independent evaluation of the teaching family model, also known as "Achievement Place," a community-based group home treatment program for predelinquent and delinquent adolescents aged 12-16. Youths referred by courts and other agencies live with surrogate parents, in groups of eight, for…

A role theory model of consultation in adolescent group homes is explored. An appropriate degree of role distancing and an interactional focus of (a) resident relationships, (b) staff relationships, and (c) staff/resident relationships are explained. (Author)

The demand for effective approaches to prevent juvenile delinquency is growing. This bulletin provides information on the Westminster's (CA) Strategic Home Intervention and Early Leadership Development (SHIELD) Program, a promising and effective approach to delinquency prevention. By improving coordination among law enforcement; school systems;…

Data from two juvenile correctional facilities indicate that the deprivation model is a better predictor of adaptation to confinement for males than is the importation model. For females, variables from both deprivation and importation models have a significant impact. (Author)

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…

This issue of "The Link" newsletter contains the following articles: (1) Evidence-Based Practice: Developing a New Business Model from the Inside Out (Jeremy Kohomban, Paul Schiller, and Patricia O'Gorman); (2) The School to Prison Pipeline and Criminalizing Youth: Costs, Consequences, and Alternatives (Marsha Weissman); (3) Group Homes Appear…