Hope Springs Eternal: An Exploration of Hope at a Local Jail

Prevention and intervention research has indicated the malleability of hope in a variety of populations and the positive impact on treatment outcomes in general clinical settings and substance use treatment. However, despite its prospective role in improving well-being, research on hope is not often situated behind bars. Thus, the current project intended to explore the nature of theory-driven hope discussions for women involved in justice systems. The aim was to maintain and enhance hope, activate positivity, and thereby enhance the quality of life.

Four weekly focus group sessions were conducted with women detained at a local jail (n?=?23), with discussion prompts based on Snyder’s theory of hope (goal setting, agency thinking, and pathway thinking). Using interactional delivery methods, we emphasized hope among jailed women by: (1) facilitating the development and maintenance of hopeful thinking; (2) developing concrete goals towards rehabilitation and a positive life; (3) enhancing the capacity for developing enduring, cross-sectional strategies for goal attainment; and (4) facilitating self-analysis on their overall ability to produce workable plans required to reach the goals. Weekly journaling was also included to complement the process.

Results from the qualitative analysis suggest hope for these jailed women was constructed as belief in a better future and was also often embedded within a religious worldview. Further, jailed women’s perceptions of meeting goals were heavily dependent upon outside sources that would provide structure and discipline. Implications include providing strength-based reentry programs, offering mentorship, emphasizing goal-setting strategies, and reviewing visitation policies.     

Risk and the Female Offender: An Analysis of Classification and Supervision Issues

Risk is a defining feature of punishment in the United States. This is evidenced by the profusion of actuarial risk assessment instruments, now entering their 4th generation. Although the literature on risk assessment specific to female offenders is growing, certain questions remain unresolved. In particular, it is still largely unknown how gender might influence classification and supervision for offenders under community supervision. This study reports findings from a survey of community corrections officers. The perceived level of risk, the decision to override a classification score, and the perceived importance of risk and need factors are discussed.     

Correlates of Pre-College Males' Sexual Aggression

Abstract

Current literature suggests that the causes of sexual aggression toward women lie in the fabric of a patriarchal society. The acceptance by males of negative, stereotypical and harmful myths about women, traditional sex-role stereotypes, the acceptance of interpersonal violence and the objectification of women foster an environment where sexual aggression can flourish. This paper explores several factors associated with male aggression and date rape in a sample of pre-college males entering a medium-sized Southern University. Indicators of the acceptance of rapemyths, hostility toward women, acceptance of interpersonal violence, adversarial sexual beliefs, drug and alcohol use and sexual history were examined in relation to three degrees of sexual aggression. Discriminant Analysis indicated that the four attitudinal and three behavioral variables successfully classified 56 percent of the original grouped cases.     

论我国适合未成年犯的社区矫正项目的完善——以英美法为借鉴

为了实现监督未成年犯和未成年犯再社会化的目标,我国未成年犯社区矫正项目的设置应该坚持矫正与控制并重、关注未成年犯差异和突出社区力量三个原则,通过增设相关社区矫正项目实现项目多样化、矫正有序化。     

新形势下个案矫正的创新与发展

目前首都监狱开展的个案矫正虽取得一定成效,但由于受各种因素制约,存在一些不足与缺陷,影响了个案矫正的合理开展和效果。本文从个案矫正出现的问题,分析原因,提出创新与发展的措施,以期进一步完善个案矫正工作。     

社区矫正检察监督权研究

赋予检察机关社区矫正监督权,对社区矫正开展执行监督是新形势下检察机关监所检察工作贯彻科学发展观和落实宽严相济的刑事司法政策的具体体现。检察机关应针对当前社区矫正监督工作中的突出问题和薄弱环节,通过建议完善相关立法,完善配套工作机制等方式加大社区矫正检察监督力度。     

检察机关参与社区矫正的创新方式

检察机关推进社区矫正进行是参与社会管理创新中最有现实意义和社会贡献的一项工作。具体而言,应从矫正方法、矫正策略等方面予以监督,并积极探索创新社区矫正的新模式,以促进罪犯回归社会,保障刑罚的执行。     

Impacts of Juvenile Probation Training Models on Youth Recidivism

Probation and parole case managers in 12 field offices of a state juvenile justice agency took part in a controlled experiment aimed at advancing knowledge on implementing evidence-based practices in juvenile assessment, treatment planning, and placement. Employing stratification and random assignment, case managers in four of the offices were assigned to a control/no training condition and case managers in the other eight offices took part in an initial training and two follow-up sessions on research-based supervision practices. In four of these offices, training was enhanced by the inclusion of peer coaches who provided internal support for practice implementation. Consistent with other ongoing research that shows improved organizational functioning in the enhanced training sites, logistic and Cox regression results on 1,518 youth in two follow-up cohorts tracked over 12?months indicate those supervised in the enhanced sites show a pattern of reduced recidivism compared to those in the standard and control sites.     

剖析“反矫正”心理态势 推进“个性化”社区矫正

我国社区矫正工作开展以来,出现了许多新问题、新情况,其中最突出的是社区矫正对象在矫正过程中,存在着各种不同的心理状态,需要进行认真分析,仔细解读,制订相应的工作措施并落实到位才能奏效。即在矫正工作实践中,对社区矫正对象开展个别化教育,扎实推进＂个性化＂社区矫正,才能不断提高社区矫正对象的改好率,进而使社区矫正工作取得更好的社会效果。     

Editorial

Although a growing body of research has investigated gendered pathways to crime, this study is the first to investigate whether varying levels of family support may constitute a gendered pathway to recidivism. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the effects of emotional and instrumental support on self-reported reoffending in the 3-, 3- to 9-, and 9- to 15-month postrelease periods. Interaction terms revealed that higher levels of emotional support significantly reduced recidivism for both genders but had a greater effect for females. Whereas higher levels of instrumental support reduced recidivism for females, higher levels increased the likelihood of recidivism for males in some time periods. Implications for correctional policy and practice are discussed.