A National Survey of Juvenile Risk Assessment

Juvenile courts in the United State are using risk assessment to measure relative levels of risk posed by delinquent offenders. Risk assessment aids in decisions about restrictiveness, supervision and the type and intensity of treatment needed. The current study surveyed all states in an effort to define the current state-of-the-art in juvenile risk assessment. The results indicate most states have some semblance of risk assessment of juvenile offenders, but a minority of states have formal risk assessment instruments. The predominate risk factors measured in the 50 states include measures of offense severity, past history of offenses, age of the offender, psychological measures, use of community resources, substance abuse, prior institutionalization, family problems, peer group association and absconding. This qualitative research provides an overview of the scope and sophistication of juvenile risk assessment and may provide models for states wishing to implement risk assessment.     

Alternatives to incarceration: Commnity-based alternatives for juveniles

This research deals with the problems associated with the juvenile rehabilitative efforts in the United States today. Using the recidivism rates for juveniles, the studies by Zingraff on resocialization, and Zimbardo’s Stanford House experiment, this paper seeks to show that the present form of institutionalization and treatment is not conducive to rehabilitating the juvenile offenders. Communitybased corrections is suggested as alternatives to the failing present system. The alternatives discussed include diversion strategies such as Project Crossroads in Washington, B.C. and the Sacramento 601 Diversion Process in California. Other alternatives given include group homes such as the Highfields Project and the Silverlake Experiment, foster homes, and family homes. Correctional day care centers are also a viable alternative to incarceration. The GUIDE Program in California, and the Parkland Project in Kentucky, and the Utah Pinehills Experiment are examples of this type of Program. Halfway houses are also used to help juveniles adjust to society and to prevent them from having to submit to total incarceration. Advantages and disadvantages to each of these alternatives are provided. Although some of these experiments have failed, these efforts appear to be less costly, more effective, and less damaging than institutionalization of offenders.     

DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS*

This research investigated the effects of the closing of a juvenile correctional institution. A nonequivalent control group design was used to compare the effects of the closing on placements and criminal behavior for three groups (N = 927) whose institutionalization experiences differed. Official crime data were obtained for all, and interviews were attempted with 752 juveniles. The noninstitutionalized group's recidivism was significantly higher than that of the institutionalized groups both during and after the period of institutionalization. Consistent group differences in offending were observed for crimes against property but not for crimes involving drugs or crimes against persons. These differences were significant but not as pronounced when only the most serious crimes were considered. Implications for the design of effective juvenile correctional strategies are discussed.     

Clinical assessment and the detention, disposition, and treatment of emotionally disturbed delinquent youths

This study examines the relationship bbetween the traditional psychodiagnostic assessment-and-treatment recommendation process and the subsequent disposition, detention, and treatment of “emotionally disturbed” delinquent youths.Results revealed that a specially funded crisis unit was significantly faster than the regular clinic in completing the diagnostic-recommendation process. However, for youngsters in both groups, the mean time between the completed recommendation and final case disposition by the court was over fifty days! Compared with the regular clinic, the crisis unit made significantly more treatment recommendations favoring institutionalization and fewer recommendations for community-based treatment strategies. Contrary to the predicted outcome, however, fewer crisis unit recommendations were approved by the court. The trend was for the court to reject recommendations for institutionalization and to support requests for community-based approaches. Furthermore, and again opposite to the outcome predicted, crisis unit clients spent significantly more days in secure detention.Results of a follow-up study on the actual treatment of crisis unit clients revealed that only nineteen percent could be documented as having received part or all of recommended treatment plans. Furthermore, there was no evidence of improved client adjustment as a result of treatment efforts. It is concluded that a tremendous need exists for effective service accountability models and heuristic management strategies within our juvenile court-corrections systems lest we continue to do $5,000 worth of diagnosis for every $5.00 worth of successful treatment.     

Country Profile: A Review of the New Juvenile Offenders Status in Cambodia

This publication seeks to explore whether the position of juvenile offenders vis‐à‐vis the Cambodian criminal law has changed with the passage of the new criminal legislation and whether this change has been positive or otherwise. The quality of this change will demonstrate to the reader whether the overall process of the reform of the juvenile justice component of the Cambodian system of criminal justice, which spans the last fifteen years and has been funded by the international community, has been a success. The author limited the scope of this inquiry to a comparison between the various domestic laws applicable to juvenile offenders and did not include comparisons with international law, model laws or juvenile laws of other states. Being the first publication of its kind, this analysis limits its claim to the analysis of the relevant statutory provisions rather than ‘practice notes’ which have yet to develop.     

Juvenile Courts after 100 Years: Past and Present Orientations

Juvenile institutions were developed in the nineteenth century. In the United States, they prompted an extension of the parens patriae doctrine, which provided a basis for the creation of the juvenile court a century ago. The protective orientation of the court was intended both for juvenile delinquents and children in danger. Important changes have occurred since the 1960s. Procedural guarantees for delinquents and de-institutionalisation of children in danger have created a clear distinction between the two groups. Diversion has introduced an alternative to the court process. Policies aimed at young offenders have moved gradually in the direction of the adult criminal court model. The article presents an overview of this evolution, essentially for North America.     

A dutch perspective on some of the effects of alternative sanctions

The central theme is the developmental process of alternative sanctions in the Netherlands. Starting-point is the increasing crime rate, especially in the field of juvenile delinquency. At the same time it is clear that the traditional sanctions are not effective. That creates a need of alternative sanctions. The author developed criteria for these sanctions and besides applied these as an experiment in the field of juvenile vandalists in public transport. As a consequence of the positive evaluation the alternative sanctions were institutionalised in the Netherlands by way of the installation of HALT offices in every city.     

International water negotiations under asymmetry,Lessons from the Rhine chlorides dispute settlement (1931–2004)

Negotiations concerning the quality of international rivers are not easy, as incongruence in preferences between upstream and downstream countries generally exists. The Rhine Chlorides dispute is a clear example of this. The chloride issue has been on the international water agenda of the Netherlands and the upstream Rhine riparian states for more than 70 years. The aim of this paper is to give a historical overview of the settlement of the Rhine chlorides dispute in order to draw some lessons for negotiators who have to work under comparable conditions of asymmetrical international water pollution. The case not only shows the complexities in reaching acceptable solutions for asymmetrical transboundary pollution, but also the importance of sound argumentation, institutions, side payments, issue framing, issue linking and arbitration.     

Determining Factors of the Effectiveness of IP-based Spin-offs: Comparing the Netherlands and the US

In this paper we describe and analyse IP-based spin-offs as a relatively new phenomenon for transferring knowledge from science to industry. We argue that the effectiveness of this mechanism is subject to a complex array of institutional factors. These factors entail national, sectoral, regional and managerial institutions. Based on an indicative comparison between the Netherlands and the United States we find that is especially the combination of national and sectoral institutions that condition whether an IP-based spin-off is established in the first place, whereas regional and managerial institutions condition its subsequent chances of success. We finish by formulating some notions for public policy.     

Juvenile parole policy in the United States: Determinate versus indeterminate models

This paper presents an overview of eight approaches in juvenile parole policy for terminating, extending, and discharging youths from juvenile parole or aftercare. These types were derived from the results of a national survey of juvenile parole policy in the United States. This survey was sent to the departments of correction, youth service bureaus, and legislative service agencies for the 50 states. The survey sought comparative data on trends in substantive and procedural approaches for handling parole duration and discharge issues for juvenile offenders. These trends are evaluated in relation to movements toward formalism in corrections, recent reforms in juvenile sentencing, standards promulgated by various standard-setting groups, and recent shifts in juvenile justice philosophy in the United States.     

Student Perceptions of Juvenile Offender Accounts in Criminal Justice Education

In criminal justice programs, a major teaching objective is to expose students to the wide range of experiences and career paths available in criminal justice. Technological advances increase instructional strategies so that students may gain more realistic educational experience and correct erroneous perceptions about the criminal justice system. This paper describes one such strategy for online criminal justice students, a virtual prison tour, founded on the principles of social learning, experiential learning, and e-learning. In an upperclass course in juvenile delinquency, 43 students viewed a video of incarcerated juvenile offenders recounting their experiences of institutionalization, sentences, challenges, programming, and fears upon release. Student responses to seven quantitative questions and one qualitative question revealed that the video greatly impacted their attitudes, understanding, and perceptions of the juvenile justice system and provided pedagogical benefits. This strategy can be used to help criminal justice educators enhance student learning so that students experience a major aspect of the juvenile justice system.     

企业社会责任的制度化

面对后金融危机时代以来中国经济可持续发展的强风险导向,现代产业网络核心的企业,已经越来越难以离开与利益相关方涉及经济、环境和社会等不同要素层面的交互和嵌入。更多地承担企业社会责任,不仅成为现代企业融入产业网络的标签,而且越来越借助制度的约束力,以保证切实践行。本研究在完成专门指向"制度性要素"的国内外文献和经验整理的基础上,归纳CSR责任制度化的世界理论共识和中国难题,藉此分析中国企业社会责任制度化的现状、问题和矛盾,在此基础上,以作为中国经济发展引擎的上海地区近200家产业和信息化领域企业为调研样本,甄别和发现责任制度化的关键议题和优先顺位,进而提出当下中国企业责任制度化的多元路径实现方案。     

Presidential address: Juvenile justice at the crossroads: Presidential address to the academy of criminal justice sciences

Three interacting factors appear to significantly affect our treatment of youths and thus our juvenile justice policy: ideology, the media, and politics. As a result of these factors, although juvenile violent crime is decreasing, legislatures still advocate a harsh, punitive stance toward youthful offenders. Legislative initiatives have resulted in determinate sentencing for juveniles, more youths handled by the adult criminal court, and more youths sentenced to adult institutions. Recent evidence suggests that the public supports more prevention and early intervention strategies for youths and favors rehabilitation rather than punishment. These conflicting trends suggest that we are at a crossroads: the juvenile justice system can continue its harsh, reactive stance, or it can choose a more proactive approach. The members of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences have an opportunity to play an active role in the development of criminal justice policy.     

Disproportionate minority contact in the Dutch juvenile justice system

To examine whether disproportionate minority contact (DMC) exists in the Netherlands, the representation of minority youth was determined for all stages of the juvenile justice system. Using native Dutch youth as a reference group, the odds ratios (OR) to be registered and arrested as suspect, for alternative punishment and for incarceration, were calculated for the minority youth. In all stages of the juvenile justice system, the ORs for minority youths were considerably higher, except for alternative punishment, having lower ORs. This indicates that DMC exists in the Netherlands. DMC should be politicized and programs should be developed to eliminate this inequality.     

整体性治理制度化策略研究

整体性治理理论有望成为继传统官僚制、新公共管理后的第三代公共行政理论典型范式。本文结合我国实际是OECD国家整体性治理的实践,从五个维度对构建整体性制度化实施体系进行了探索,认为内部构建大部制,外部倡导理性的公私合作,纵向构建部省合作新型关系,横向上建设电子化无缝隙政府,动态上从价值与伦理文化角度构建主动性公务员体系是整体性治理制度化的重要途径．     

Difficulties of cultural diversity. An exploratory study into forensic psychiatric reporting on serious juvenile offenders in the Netherlands

This paper discusses psychiatrists' assessments of the personalities of ethnic minority and ethnically Dutch juvenile offenders. Psychiatric reports and recommendations help courts determine the type and duration of sanctions. Psychiatrists are involved in almost all cases of serious juvenile crime, because under Dutch law, determining criminal responsibility is a matter for psychiatrists. The courts usually follow the recommendations of forensic psychiatrists when giving judgment and sentencing juvenile offenders.Far too little research has been conducted up to now on the difficulties encountered by forensic psychiatrists when making assessments. The present study discusses the nature and extent of these difficulties. It is based on an analysis of personality reports and sentence recommendations produced by psychiatrists attached to the juvenile courts in relation to youths subsequently sentenced to Placement in a Youth Custodial Institution (PIJ sanction) in the year 2000 (N = 164). A PIJ sanction is the most rigorous response available under the Dutch criminal law for juvenile offenders.The study shows, on the basis of the psychiatric reports, that arriving at a diagnosis is often more difficult when dealing with ethnic minority boys than in the case of their ethnically Dutch peers, since ethnic minority boys more frequently present themselves in a threatening and manipulative way, and tend to conceal their real selves. The reports indicate that the psychiatric assessment of personality is often difficult because forensic psychiatrists struggle with an inadequate knowledge and understanding of minority cultures, which seems to suggest that there is a need for a broader cross-cultural approach that would make it possible to conduct comprehensive personality assessments of serious juvenile offenders.This study was made possible by a grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), and was authorised by the Ministry of Justice.     

青少年犯罪成因心理学研究新进展

青少年犯罪问题及其成因是各国普遍关注的焦点,也是犯罪成因研究的主要领域.青少年犯罪的成因相当复杂,已经广泛涉及到了生物神经科学、心理学、社会学、经济学以及政策等层面,迄今还没有令各方一致满意的定论.作为犯罪行为产生的最直接的因素--心理层面的理论研究则是青少年犯罪成因研究中非常有特色的领域.近年来,青少年犯罪成因理论研究逐渐采取了科际整合的观点,结合各领域各个学科的研究对各类青少年犯罪进行研究.青少年危险模式包括了社区、家庭和个人等因素,提供了多元化的取向.我国的学者长期囿于传统的横断研究,鲜有对青少年犯罪进行纵贯研究者,需要进行青少年犯罪纵贯研究的尝试与探索.     

Working with sex offenders: Best practice in enhancing practitioner resilience

Abstract

The systematic and widespread treatment of sex offenders is a comparatively recent innovation in the human services field. Consequently, research considering the impact of such work on providers and organisations is still in its infancy. The first swathe of international research, published throughout the 1990s, identified a range of deleterious effects for treatment providers, ranging from mild anxiety to severe psychological morbidity. More recent findings indicate a considerably more optimistic psychological future. This paper seeks to provide the reader with an overview of the relevant literature, together with its shortcomings, and introduce the Model of Dynamic Adaptation (MDA), a framework through which variables associated with both positive and negative outcomes may be grouped and managed. It is proposed that understanding and managing the MDA can support both individuals and organisations in achieving their goals in good psychological health, through the development and implementation of informed, evidence-based, best practice strategies.     

Youth In Prisons and Training Schools: Perceptions and Consequences of the Treatment-Custody Dichotomy

Transfer (or waiver) of juveniles to criminal court is one of the most extreme responses to serious youth crime. Although many states have recently revised their transfer statutes, and the number of juveniles prosecuted as adults increases each year, little research has been conducted to assess the correctional experiences of delinquent youth convicted in criminal court and sentenced to adult prison. Evaluations of such experiences are important to policymakers and juvenile justice officials who are considering juvenile transfers as a strategy for securing longer and harsher confinement for offenders. Based on interviews with 59 chronic juvenile offenders placed in state training schools, and 81 comparable youths sentenced to adult correctional facilities, this article presents a comparison of offenders' perceptions of their correctional experiences. Juveniles incarcerated in training schools give more positive evaluations of treatment and training programs, general services, and institutional personnel than do those youths in prison. Juveniles housed in institutions which emphasize security over treatment — i.e., prisons — are more often victimized during their confinement than youths in the treatment-oriented training schools. Once placed in prisons, adolescent inmates are more likely to be victims of prison violence and crime from both inmates and staff. These research results suggest some paradoxical effects of the treatment-custody distinction implicit in judicial waiver practices. The differential socialization into crime and violence for youths in adult prisons may increase the risks of having these types of behavior repeated by transferred youths once released.     

Systemic Self-Regulation: A Framework for Trauma-Informed Services in Residential Juvenile Justice Programs

Most youth detained in juvenile justice facilities have extensive histories of exposure to psychological trauma. Traumatic stress plays a key role in their mental health and behavioral problems and needs, and in their safety and rehabilitation and the security and effectiveness of detention facilities. We provide an overview of the barriers to successful provision of mental health services for youths in juvenile justice facilities, including those involving youth, parents, and juvenile justice residential facility staff and administrators. Next, we discuss the relevance and potential utility of approaching mental health needs using posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and more broadly posttraumatic dysregulation, as an organizing framework. Examples of how a posttraumatic dysregulation perspective can enhance juvenile justice residential facility milieus and services are presented, with an overview of traumatic stress intervention models that have shown promise, or potentially could be deployed, in developing and sustaining trauma-informed juvenile justice facilities.