Youth Pathways to Placement: The Influence of Gender, Mental Health Need and Trauma on Confinement in the Juvenile Justice System

Although the juvenile crime rate has generally declined, the involvement of girls in the juvenile justice system has been increasing. Possible explanations for this gender difference include the impact of exposure to trauma and mental health needs on developmental pathways and the resulting influence of youth’s involvement in the justice system. This study examined the influence of gender, mental health needs and trauma on the risk of out-of-home placement for juvenile offenders. The sample included youth referred to three urban juvenile probation departments in Texas between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2008 and who received state-mandated mental health screening (N = 34,222; 30.1 % female). The analysis revealed that, for both genders, elevated scores on the seven factor-analytically derived subscales of a mental health screening instrument (Alcohol and Drug Use, Depressed-Anxious, Somatic Complaints, Suicidal Ideation, Thought Disturbance, and Traumatic Experiences), especially related to past traumatic experiences, influenced how deeply juveniles penetrated the system. The findings suggest that additional research is needed to determine the effectiveness of trauma interventions and the implementation of trauma informed systems for youth involved with the juvenile justice system.     

In Brief

Margaret Cavendish, The Convent of Pleasure and Other Plays, edited by Anne Shaver (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins UP, 1999).

Rising Star: Dandyism, Gender, and Performance in the Fin de Siècle, by Rhonda Garelick (Princeton: Princeton U P, 1998).

Television, History, and American Culture: Feminist Critical Essays, edited by Mary Beth Haralovich, and Lauren Rabinovitz (Durham and London: Duke UP, 1999).

Soft Canons: American Women Writers and Masculine Traditions, edited by Karen L. Kilcup (Iowa City: U of Iowa P, 1999).

The Suppression of Salt of the Earth: How Hollywood, Big Labor, and Politicians Blacklisted A Movie in Cold War America, by James J. Lorence (Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 1999).

Working Hard and Making Do: Surviving in Small Town America, by Margaret K. Nelson, and Joan Smith (Berkeley: U of California P, 1999).

Women's Reading in Britain: A Dangerous Recreation, by Jacqueline. Pearson (Cambridge: Cambridge U P, 1999).

Regine Pernoud, and Marie‐Veronique Clin, Joan of Arc: Her Story, revised and trans, by Jeremy duQuesnay Adams (New York: St. Martin's P, 1999).

Design and Feminism: Re‐Visioning Spaces, Places, and Everyday Things, edited by Joan Rothschild (New Brunswick: Rutgers U P, 1999).

Feminism and Cultural Studies, edited by Morag Schiach (Oxford: Oxford U P, 1999).

Southern Mothers: Fact and Fictions in Southern Women's Writing, edited by Nagueyalti Warren, and Sally Wolff (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1999).     

Chilling Journalism: Can Newsgathering be Harassment or Stalking?

Newsgathering often requires journalists to ask uncomfortable questions or make multiple attempts to talk to unwilling sources. Some journalists have been accused of harassment, even when the plain language of state laws would not classify their actions as criminal conduct. In the rare instances that journalists actually were charged with harassment or subject to protective orders for stalking, district attorneys or judges typically did not allow them to be punished. This study, however, found nine statutes that might be applied to punish newsgathering activities that are neither hounding nor harassing. It also identifies language from statutes that clearly could not be applied to punish newsgathering communications by journalists. The article recommends that prosecutors and judges continue to prevent the application of criminal harassment and stalking laws to newsgathering activities.     

Asphyxia by tracheobronchial thrombus

Asphyxia secondary to airway obstruction has numerous underlying causes, both acute and chronic. Causes of chronic airway obstruction, such as neoplasms and tracheal scarring, are often clinically apparent well prior to asphyxia. Causes of acute airway obstruction may not be as obvious to clinicians or investigators. These include infections, anaphylactic reactions, status asthmaticus, inhalational injuries, and aspirations, which may result in acute obstruction and sudden death.We report the deaths of 2 individuals, a 43-year-old female and a 78-year-old female, both with adenocarcinoma. The 43-year-old was hospitalized with a stage III, poorly differentiated infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast metastatic to the lymph nodes. She was intubated to treat poor respiratory function and acidosis. A bronchoalveolar lavage was consistent with alveolar hemorrhage; no organisms were identified. Blood and "clot" were in her endotracheal tube, so the endotracheal tube was replaced. She became comatose and life support was withdrawn. At autopsy, a large red-gray thrombus obstructed the trachea and extended into the right bronchus. Microscopically, the entire clot was composed of fibrin, red blood cells, and some mucus. Findings of acute respiratory distress syndrome with hyaline membranes were identified. The cause of death was listed as acute respiratory distress syndrome with tracheobronchial thrombus. Experiencing a decline in mental status, the 78-year-old had metastatic adenocarcinoma of unknown primary. She developed sudden respiratory distress and an airway obstruction was discovered. After failure to relieve the obstruction, she decompensated and died. At autopsy, a large, red-gray thrombus obstructed the distal trachea and both bronchi. Microscopically, the thrombus was composed of fibrin, platelets, and red blood cells. The cause of death was asphyxia secondary to airway obstruction by thrombus. We present these 2 unusual cases of asphyxia and review of the literature focusing on asphyxia and the etiology of airway thrombi.     

Intent to Destroy: The Genocidal Impact of Forced Migration in Darfur, Sudan

The conflict in Darfur is now nearly three years old. Hundredsof thousands of civilians have been killed and millions moreremain unable to return to their homes, living the barest ofexistences in remote and often under-stocked and under-protectedcamps. Displaced populations are subject to malnutrition, diseaseand ongoing violence. Rape and other forms of sexual violenceremain a tool for instilling fear and controlling the civilianpopulation. Yet international will to protect and assist thevictims of the conflict remains weak, with governments and worldbodies bogged down debating the definition of genocide and theproper venues for eventual tribunals. This paper will examinewhether or not the conflict in Darfur does indeed amount togenocide, including a discussion of the role of forced displacementin reaching such a determination. It then looks at the 2005findings of the United Nations-sponsored International Commissionof Inquiry and discusses some of the reasons behind the internationalreluctance to reach a determination of genocide in the region.Lastly, it addresses the constructiveness of the genocide labelin the context of Darfur, and presents options for moving forwardwith a protection agenda regardless of what the conflict iscalled.