Aftercare seeks to address challenges juveniles face when re-entering the community after residential placement. This study compares changes in recidivism in five Pennsylvania counties that piloted aftercare reforms in 2005 to 2010 as part of Models for Change to recidivism in counties that did not. The sample includes 3,107 referrals to court in…

This study experimentally tested risk behavior outcomes of "Connecting," a low-cost, self-directed, family-based prevention program for families with youth placed in their care by state child welfare agencies. Families caring for youth aged 11 to 15 years from across Washington State were recruited and randomly assigned to either the…

Juvenile delinquency has been a great issue in the United States and there have been a multitude of efforts to reduce these offenses along with reducing recidivism rates. A 2015 report from Council of State Government Justice Center reported that there is a 76% probability that juvenile offenders will reoffend within three years and an 84%…

This study utilized latent profile analysis to categorize youth served by a public mental health setting into homogenous classes. Then, associations between class membership and meeting clinical criteria by the latest assessment were examined. Caregiver responses to the Ohio Scales, Short Form, Problem Severity Scale for 1090 youth completed at…

Racial disparities in violence exposure and criminal justice contact are a subject of growing policy and public concern. We conduct a large-scale, randomized controlled trial of a six-month behavioral health intervention combining intensive mentoring and group therapy designed to reduce criminal justice and violence involvement among Black and…

This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The proposed systematic review question is: What is the effectiveness of arts interventions for at-risk and offending children and young people (8-25 years)? There are three objectives: (1) To evaluate evidence on the effectiveness and impact of arts interventions on keeping children safe from…

The purpose of this study was to listen to what youth with special needs in juvenile justice (JJ) settings say they need to be successful during reentry. The three instruments used to gain an understanding of their perspectives on reentry and their perceptions of barriers include (a) intake interviews, (b) focus groups, and (c) semi-structured…

Mentoring-based interventions for adolescent offenders are promising strategies for reducing the likelihood of academic underachievement, truancy, and school dropout. Program effectiveness, however, varies widely. Investigation into factors that strengthen the impact of mentoring on academic-related outcomes is warranted. One factor might be…

PACE Center for Girls is a Florida-based nonprofit organization that serves girls of middle school and high school age who are at risk of involvement with the justice system. PACE aims to get these girls back on track by taking a gender-responsive approach, providing a blend of academic and social services that are shaped by an awareness of girls'…

The CUT Juvenile Justice Diversion Program serves youth at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system. Targeted students are enrolled at five HISD secondary campuses in Fifth Ward, Texas. During the 2019--2020 academic year, the first year of the program, 60 students and their families were engaged in community support services guided by…

In order to define her educational philosophy, the author created the following action research project. Through it, she became aware of how all interactions and experiences each one has, no matter at what stage in life, impacts the way one thinks, feels, and acts differently. She challenged herself to create an environment for the children to…

Involvement in the juvenile justice system has tremendous costs for the individuals within it, as well as for society. Such involvement may damage a child's relationships with friends and family, negatively affect mental health, and interrupt the academic progress and work experience that should accumulate during adolescence. On the societal…

Mental health disorders are prevalent among youths in the juvenile justice system. This literature review focuses on the scope of mental health problems of at-risk and justice-involved youths; the impact of mental health on justice involvement as well as the impact of justice involvement on mental health; disparities in mental health treatment in…

How and why do many serious adolescent offenders stop offending while others continue to commit crimes? The Pathways to Desistance study, a multidisciplinary investigation that attempts to answer this question, followed more than 1,300 serious juvenile offenders for 7 years after their conviction. In this bulletin, the authors investigate the link…

Out of 38.9 million Americans who fall into the 16-24 age range, approximately 6.7 million are Opportunity Youth--youth neither in school nor working--who face more pronounced barriers to success. This report shows how programs and policies in two states, Connecticut and Michigan, are responding to the need for postsecondary pathways, especially…