A benefits-based management approach will enable outdoor adventure therapy programs for male adolescent offenders to be built around desired outcomes such as building connections to community, enhancing self-esteem, and establishing intergenerational relationships. Outdoor programs must maintain informal environments, involve participants in…

A brief training manual was developed to teach child-care workers to contingency contract with delinquent youths living in residential care facilities. Results from analogue training simulations and generalization tests indicated that workers became more proficient in contract negotiation and writing behaviors and were able to apply the skills.…

Until juvenile records are uniformly shared among professional educators, law enforcers, and social workers, youths will continue to beat (and get beat by) the system. Discussed is the mission, target population, and method of the Juvenile Information Exchange Project approved by the Indianapolis Public School Board. (SI)

Describes studies of two rural programs for diverting status offenders from court system to alternative community programs. Examines communities and programs, suggests rural offender characteristics are similar to urban ones. Recommends development of community-based alternatives to child welfare and juvenile justice systems. (TES)

Habits and entrenched behavior patterns are difficult to change, particularly for problem children and adolescents. Youth programs in the Netherlands have had success with this population using outdoor adventure experiences. A model of facilitation of behavior change consists of assessment of basic needs, basic rules, experiential environment, the…

Offers four judges' perspectives on the various changes in the juvenile court system focusing on the increased violence among juveniles as having the greatest effect on the courts; includes issues such as juveniles being tried in adult courts, the need to improve juvenile courts, and the role of public interest. (CMK)

This study evaluated a multiple-family group-intervention program (MFGI) for first-time juvenile offenders. The recidivism rate for subjects who completed the MFGI (the Family Solutions Program) was compared to recidivism rates of two other groups of first-time juvenile offenders. Using logistic regression analysis predicting who will recidivate,…

Actuarial risk assessment instruments are used increasingly in juvenile justice to classify youths according to their risk of recidivism. The purpose of this article is to describe the results of two studies of one instrument: the North Carolina Assessment of Risk (NCAR). In the first study, the inter-rater reliability of the risk assessment…

This article highlights the importance for the youth justice movement to come to terms with a critical reality: The struggle for justice on a societal level cannot be separated from the work of nurturing, healing, and developing young people. Ruben S. Austria, Juvenile Justice Coalition steering committee member and founding director of…

Crowded juvenile correctional centers, escalating costs of confinement, and high rates of recidivism have renewed interest in bringing innovative ideas to juvenile aftercare philosophy, practice, and programming. This program summary details an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention initiative designed to assist public and private…

This digest briefly summarizes the parallel development of outdoor education and outdoor therapeutic programs for troubled and adjudicated youth, describes the rationale supporting outdoor approaches, and reports related research and evaluation findings. First attempts to use the outdoors as a healing environment were "tent therapy"…

The Indiana juvenile justice system is charged with intervening on behalf of youthful offenders for the purposes of providing care, treatment, protection, or rehabilitation. This report provides an overview of the state's juvenile justice system, which has fallen under widespread criticism for many years. The following issues are identified: data…

A staff needs assessment found an overwhelming number of staff (n=55) felt the need for additional training in working with juvenile sexual offenders in their care. This practicum was designed to assist them in meeting the needs of children with sexual victimization and/or sexual offense issues in an effective and appropriate manner. Training…

This paper defines "adventure-based intervention,""young people," and "trouble and risk" in light of the therapeutic work done at Bryn Melyn Community (Bala, Wales), a therapeutic treatment center. Bryn Melyn provides intensive individualized therapy to young people, aged 15-18, who are in the care of social services…

A cooperative community-school district counseling program to reduce truancy and juvenile delinquency in Inglewood, California is described. Material, in the form of official memos, is divided into four sections. Section 1 describes project funding and target students. Section 2 contains statistics related to the numbers of students served, put on…