Reexamined variables--parental status, age at first court contact, amount of pretreatment delinquency, age at admission, diagnosis, and intelligence estimates--that have been associated with recidivism of delinquent adolescents. The results provided additional support for the association of age and cognitive variables with premature treatment…

Life studies of incarcerated children are presented, along with a discussion of possibilities for reform. The children discuss medical treatment, the lack of educational facilities, the changing nature of their relationships with their parents, the shame and fright of imprisonment, and the physical and psychological effects of being in jail.…

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)

Reports on the pioneering Hammersmith Teenage Project, which attempts to offer delinquents a real alternative to residential care. (Editor)

Addresses a gap in knowledge about the characteristics of adolescents served by court diversion programs by examining randomly selected cases. Presents a characterization of adolescents, their families of origin, employment, offenses, and processing in the diversion system. Findings center on the impact of alcohol, unemployment, and the…

Utilizes a modified therapeutic community model to investigate the social climate of a juvenile training school. Results indicate few significant differences among staff members' perceptions, although significant differences are present between staff and residents. Findings show that researchers must distinguish between juvenile and adult…

Reports on the effect of pair counseling on incarcerated, juvenile, male offenders (N=28) with emotional problems. Using case studies, focused on the influence of pair counseling moral reasoning, recidivism, and interpersonal relationships. Results indicate no clear gains in principled reasoning or in reducing recidivism. However, improvement was…

Describes the educational program in a Fairfax County, Virginia, juvenile detention center. The center's approach is a combination of "tough love" philosophy, interagency cooperation between the school district and state agencies, and an educational program based on a one-room school house model. (LMI)

Describes the refined principles of Psychology of Mind and shows how their logical interaction can help explain the comparative amounts of deviant and conforming behavior of youthful offenders. The logic of these principles is used to examine the major assumptions of social bonding and control theory of delinquency focusing predominantly on the…

Based on the literature and recent research, an integrated, consistent definition of wilderness therapy is presented to differentiate it from other outdoor adventure programs and guide program design and research efforts. Trends in the outdoor industry are explored that suggest that wilderness therapy programs are searching for recognition by…

Presents a detailed overview of the Family Empowerment Intervention (FEI), a system-oriented intervention delivered in-home by well-trained nontherapists. A clinical trial of FEI targeted arrested youths and their families. Topics covered included: theoretical foundations and goals of FEI, structural intervention strategies, and phases of the…

We report the impact of case management services on drug use and self-reported delinquency for youths involved in a clinical trial of the Juvenile Arbitration program. The project evaluated an innovative intervention service providing 16 weeks of intensive case management services to youths and their families. The present study examines interview…

Recent information on the incidence and types of language and communication problems experienced by female delinquents and the relation they have to emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) indicate a contribution to the problems these girls have encountered in social and academic situations. Pragmatics (i.e., use of language in interpersonal…

Community-based programs in the juvenile justice system present a promising alternative to the disappointing results achieved by large institutional facilities. A diverse group of states has found that intensive, individualized services provided in small, family-like residential settings or in the juvenile's own home yield comparable or reduced…