Custodial Relationships Of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren:Results of a home-based intervention study

The phenomenon of grandparents raising grandchildren has increased significantly over the past two decades. The literature documents that health, financial, and legal worries top the list of concerns for grandparents who raise grandchildren. The authors describe the results of a multidisciplinary study that provides home visitation with social, nursing, legal, and educational support to grandparents raising grandchildren in parent absent households. This article examines the custodial relationships of one hundred and sixty-three children being raised in sixty-eight families headed by grandparents in an urban population in the South. The data showed that of the 163 children, 70 were in the guardianship of their grandparents, 40 of the children had no legal relationship with their grandparents, 28 were in the custody of the State Department of Family and Children's Services, 21 were in the temporary custody of their grandparents, and four were adopted by their grandparents. Recommendations from this study include educating service providers and grandparents raising grandchildren regarding the potential financial benefits under Title IVE adoption assistance and supporting legislative reform to increase the stability of intergenerational kinship care. This project demonstrates an innovative approach of combining university-based research with multidisciplinary education while providing cost-effective support services through a partnership with the community.     

A Comparison of the Dispositions of Juvenile Offenders Certified as Adults with Juvenile Offenders Not Certified

Abstract In recent years, the transfer of juveniles to adult courts has been seen as one way of “getting tough” on juvenile crime. This study examined juvenile cases transferred to adult court, and compared them with a random sample of delinquents adjudicated in juvenile court for conduct that would constitute felonies if committed by an adult. The results indicated that juvenile cases transferred to adult court were far more likely to be pending and unresolved, as compared to the sample from the juvenile justice system. Furthermore, the results did not support the proposition that juveniles transferred to adult court would receive greater punishment than they could expect in juvenile court. Except for a small number of offenders, the prospect of transfer did not appear to provide a deterrent to crime.     

FROM CHILDREN'S SHOES TO CHILDREN'S VOICES

This article considers the sudden rush of enthusiam to hear children's voices in divorce proceedings in countries such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and elsewhere and points to the problems that are likely to occur if the family law system really does mean to treat children seriously. It argues that children give complex accounts that may not fit neatly into either adult or legal agendas. Notwithstanding the difficulties that flow from this development, it is argued that it is essential to include children's understandings in the formulation of future policy and practice.     

Correlates of moral development in juvenile delinquents

Moral reasoning and development have been the focus of considerable research in the past two decades, stimulated primarily by Kohlberg’s formulation of the stages of moral development. Studies of juvenile delinquents have indicated that youthful offenders are at lower developmental stages of moral reasoning than their nondeliquent counterparts. Some research has also examined patterns among juvenile delinquents with respect to moral judgments, as it is recognized that they are heterogeneous as a group. In order to further examine correlates of moral judgments among juvenile delinquents, a sample of 411 adolescent offenders was obtained. The sample consisted of all adjudicated male delinquents aged twelve to fifteen admitted to a state training school over a sixteen month period of time. Data was obtained on a measure of moral judgment, the Morality-Immorality Scale (Baker, Stewart, Kaiser, Brown & Barclay, 1979), along with a variety of measures of personality, behavioral, social, intellectual and educational skills. The adolescents were divided into three groups based on their scores on the MIS. The highest scoring group on MIS had better scores on a variety of behavioral, intellectual and personality indicators, while the lowest scoring group had the worst scores on such measures. Moral-religious emphasis in the home was not associated with the scores on the Morality-Immorality Scale, but a measure of family pathology was negatively related to these scores. Implications of the findings for research and for the development of moral education programs for delinquents is discussed.     

College Women and Sexual Assault: The Role of Sex-related Alcohol Expectancies

This study examined the relationship between alcohol, sex-related alcohol expectancies, and sexual assaults among women college students. Participants completed measures of sexual behaviors, sexual victimization experiences, sex related alcohol expectancies, and drinking habits. Based on participants’ responses women were categorized as having experienced no assault, unwanted sexual contact, sexual coercion, attempted rape, and rape. It was observed across groups that relative to controls, women reporting attempted rape and rape consumed higher levels of alcohol. Within group comparisons revealed that relative to controls, victimized women endorsed higher levels of sex-related alcohol expectancies. In the prediction of severity of sexual victimization, regression analyses revealed an interaction between alcohol consumption and expectancy of vulnerability to sexual coercion. At higher levels of alcohol consumption women endorsing high vulnerability to sexual coercion experienced more severe victimatization. Implications of the findings are discussed. This work was conducted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree by the first author under the direction of the third author.     

The case of two trials: Father-son incest

Although efforts for investigating and prosecuting child abuse cases have increased little attention has been paid to juror response to child testimony. This paper, developed as part of a pilot study to test a questionnaire for polling jurors' opinions in child sexual abuse cases, analyzes a case in which there was a reversal of outcome at retrial. Poll results of the jurors' opinions suggest the need for testimony from law enforcement and child sexual abuse experts to explain children's perception, memory, and recall of a reported experience.     

The relationship between physical and sexual abuse and drug use in a sample of juvenile detainees in Florida and a sample of committed youthful offenders in Colorado

The relationships between child physical and sexual abuse and illicit drug use are little understood and underinvestigated. Data gathered from a study of youths located in two different institutions for detained (Florida) and committed (Colorado) youthful offenders permitted an examination of this issue. The results indicate the youths' physical and sexual abuse experiences are significantly and positively related to their use of illicit drugs. The implications of these findings for further research are drawn.     

Improving evaluation of anti-crime programs: Summary of a National Research Council report★

This article summarizes a report of the National Research Council: Improving Evaluation of Anti-crime Programs. It is based on a workshop, held in September 2003, in which participants presented and discussed examples of evaluation-related studies that represent the methods and challenges associated with research at three levels: interventions directed toward individuals; interventions in neighborhoods, schools, prisons, or communities; and interventions at a broad policy level. The article, and the report on which it is based, is organized around five questions that require thoughtful analysis in the development of any evaluation plan: What questions should the evaluation address? When is it appropriate to conduct an impact evaluation? How should an impact evaluation be designed? How should the evaluation be implemented? What organizational infrastructure and procedures support high quality evaluation? The authors highlight major considerations in developing and implementing evaluation plans for criminal justice programs and make recommendations for improvement of government funded evaluation studies.