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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 10:47 pm
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Results for at-risk youth
209 results foundAuthor: Cunningham, Wendy Title: Supporting Youth at Risk: A Policy Toolkit for Middle Income Countries Summary: Youth at risk can be defined as individuals between the ages of 12 and 24 who face environmental, social, and family conditions that hinder their personal development and their successful integration into society as productive citizens. This toolkit was developed in response to a growing demand from its government clients and partners for advice on how to create and implement effective policies for at-risk youth. Highlighted are 22 policies (six core policies, nine promising policies, and seven general policies) that have been effective in addressing the following five key risk areas for young people around the world: 1) youth unemployment, underemployment, and lack of formal sector employments; 2) early school leaving; 3) risky sexual behavior leading to early childbearing and HIV/AIDS; 4) crime and violence; and 5) substance abuse. Details: Washington, DC: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development - The World Bank, 2008. 134p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2008 Country: International URL: Shelf Number: 118620 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionProblem Youth |
Author: Pergamit, Michael Title: Why They Run: An In-Depth Look at America's Runaway Youth Summary: This report examines the runaway problem in America and begins to fill in the gaps of what is already known and what can be done on new research. The report does the following: (1) considers existing data about the issue through a decade's worth of expert studies; (2) weighs the trend data compiled by the National Runaway Switchboard, which handles more than 100,000 calls annually - an average of 273 calls per day with runaway and at-risk youth, family members and other individuals with questions or concerns about a youth; and (3) examines the one-on-one interviews from America's youth, who are residing in shelters or living on the street, about the real and perceived issues when it comes to reaching out for help. Details: Chicago: National Runaway Switchboard, 2010. 19p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 118798 Keywords: At-risk YouthRunaway ChildrenRunaway Teenagers (U.S.) |
Author: United Nations Children's Fund Title: Assessment of Juvenile Justice Reform Achievements in Armenia Summary: Offending by juveniles appears to have increased in Armenia during the years after its independence from the USSR and those following the conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan, but began to fall in 199823 and seems to have now reached levels lower than the years before independence. Correspondingly, the number of juveniles serving sentences and the number of juveniles in pretrial detention have decreased by more than two thirds since 1998. At the time of the assessment mission, there were 18 juveniles serving sentences (including four or five over age 18) and 24 juveniles in the pretrial detention facility in the entire country. The structure of the Armenian juvenile justice system has changed little since independence. There are still a Juvenile Police Unit; two 'special schools' whose students include an unknown number of underage offenders and children at risk; one Children's Support Centre in the capital; one correctional facility for convicted juveniles and one centre for juveniles awaiting trial and sentencing; and judges appointed to handle juvenile cases, but no specialized juvenile court. Many of these institutions have undergone extensive reforms, however. The Police have entrusted management of the reception and distribution centre - renamed 'Children's Support Centre' - to an NGO that has converted it into a model centre for children at risk. The Juvenile Police participate in innovative programmes on community-based prevention and treatment, in cooperation with NGOs. Policies and programmes in the juvenile correctional facility have improved, although a coherent approach to rehabilitation is lacking. Some new programmes and institutions have been established. In cooperation with the Police of RA and the NGO Project Harmony, a successful community-based prevention and rehabilitation programme was launched, which is operational in six cities and is included in the National Plan of Action for the Protection of the Rights of the Child 2004-2015. The Public Defender's Office is providing legal services to accused juveniles and the Monitoring Groups are making valuable contributions to the transformation of juvenile justice. There is no framework law on juvenile justice; as in Soviet times, cases involving juvenile suspects and defendants, convicted juveniles and juvenile prisoners are governed by the Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Executive Criminal Code and other laws and regulations. Most of the relevant legislation has been amended, and some of the amendments bring the law into greater conformity with international standards. Juvenile suspects have a right to legal assistance as from the moment of detention, and accused juveniles from the moment charges are filed. Representation by a defence attorney is mandatory. Once a juvenile is accused of an offence, only a court may order detention. Those accused of minor offences may not be detained. Prison sentences may not be imposed for minor offences. The maximum sentence for convicted juveniles is ten years, but few receive sentences of more than five years. Training in the rights of the child has had significant positive impact on the Juvenile Police, and the courts. Although many improvements have been made, further progress is required. Some advances are urgent. Police have authority to detain juvenile suspects for 72 hours; cases of abuse and even torture have been reported; and commitment to eradicating these practices is insufficient. Renovation of the physical infrastructure of the facility for convicted juveniles is urgently needed. While physical conditions in the pretrial detention centre have improved, restrictions on activities and movement incompatible with the rights to education, recreation and humane treatment are applied. Further amendments to legislation also are required. Prison regulations still allow solitary confinement as a punishment, in violation of international standards. Legal standards on pretrial detention are too vague, and the maximum period of detention before and during trial should be reduced to comply with the recommendation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Similarly, the maximum period of police custody without a court order should be reduced to 24 hours. If one or more special schools remain open, norms governing them, which consist mainly of regulations, should be replaced by legislation compatible with international standards. Other recommendations made by the assessment team include: - The effectiveness of existing institutions and programmes for the prevention of offending and re-offending should be assessed to obtain the information needed in order to take decisions regarding the future of the Community Justice Centres, the Legal Socialization Project and the special schools. - The possibility of designating certain investigators to become specialized in criminal cases involving juveniles should be considered. - The need for a specialized children's court should be assessed, inter alia, by an evaluation of the way specialized judges carry out their duties. - Data on the impact (positive and negative) of custodial and non-custodial sentences on convicted juveniles should be collected and analysed to shed light on the effectiveness of existing sentencing policies and practice. - Consideration should be given to the adoption of a framework law specifically on juvenile justice to eliminate the gaps in existing legislation and norms applicable to both juveniles and adults that are incompatible with the rights of children. - Training should be conducted in the psychology of offenders, the prevention of offending and re-offending (rehabilitation of offenders), the treatment of child victims and the skills necessary to conduct criminological research. - Existing inter-agency coordination mechanisms should be strengthened. - A specialized child rights unit should be created by the Human Rights Defender. - Relevant indicators concerning juvenile justice should be identified and the corresponding data published annually. Details: Geneva: UNICEF, 2020. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2019 at: https://www.un.am/up/library/Juvenile%20Justice%20Reform%20Achievements_eng.pdf Year: 2020 Country: Armenia URL: Shelf Number: 119433 Keywords: At-Risk YouthJuvenile DetentionJuvenile Justice ReformJuvenile Justice SystemsJuvenile Offenders |
Author: Menard, Scott Title: Victimization and Illegal Behavior Summary: Research has shown that individuals involved in illegal behavior are more likely to be victims than are those not involved in such activities. The temporal order of the victim-offender relationship has been a focus of interest in recent years. Violent victimization has been found to be an important risk factor for subsequent violent offending. The current study furthers our understanding of this sequence by analyzing waves of the National Youth Survey. The relationship between violent victimization and offending was found to change from adolescence to adulthood. Clearly, if violent victimization is a risk factor for engaging in illegal behavior, policies and programs aimed at preventing victimization may be one of the most effective strategies for at-risk youth. Details: Huntsville, TX: Crime Victims' Institute, Sam Houston State University, 2009. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 17, 2010 at: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/VictimizationandIllegalBehaviorpress.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/VictimizationandIllegalBehaviorpress.pdf Shelf Number: 119829 Keywords: At-risk YouthIllegal BehaviorJuvenile OffendersVictimizationViolent Crime |
Author: Bauldry, Shawn Title: Positive Support: Mentoring and Depression Among High-Risk Youth Summary: Positive Support examines the potential benefits of matching high-risk youth with faith-based mentors. Drawing on surveys and interviews with young people who participated in the National Faith-Based Initiative, we found that mentored youth were less likely to show signs of depression than the youth who were not matched with a mentor. This in turn was related to a variety of other beneficial outcomes, including handling conflict better and fewer self-reported instances of arrests. The report concludes with a consideration of the challenges of implementing a mentoring program for high-risk youth and how they might be overcome. Details: New York: P/PV, Public/Private Ventures, 2006. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2012 at http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/202_publication.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/202_publication.pdf Shelf Number: 124009 Keywords: At-risk YouthCrime ReductionFaith-Based InitiativesMentoringReentry |
Author: Bauldry, Shawn Title: The Promise and Challenge of Mentoring High-Risk Youth: Findings from the National Faith-Based Initiative Summary: This report, the third derived from research out of the National Faith-Based Initiative (NFBI), examines how faith-based organizations designed and implemented mentoring programs for high-risk youth. Focusing on four NFBI sites (in the Bronx and Brooklyn, NY; Baton Rouge, LA; and Philadelphia, PA), the report takes up three key questions: How were the best practices of community-based mentoring programs adapted to address the specific needs of faith-based mentors and high-risk youth? How did the organizations draw on the faith community to recruit volunteers, and who came forward? And finally, how successful were the mentoring relationships—how long did they last and what potential did they show? Details: New York: P/PV, Public/Private Ventures, 2004. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2012 at http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/171_publication.pdf Year: 2004 Country: United States URL: http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/171_publication.pdf Shelf Number: 124012 Keywords: At-risk YouthFaith-Based InitiativesMentoring |
Author: Garringer, Michael Title: "It May Be the Missing Piece" - Exploring the Mentoring of Youth in Systems of Care Summary: As youth mentoring has grown in popularity over the past two decades, the field has consistently faced a dilemma: wanting to expand mentoring into new service areas and bring support to increasingly highrisk youth, while potentially struggling to find sufficient resources and relevant research to guide this expansion. Early mentoring proponent Mark Freedman called this dilemma “fervor without infrastructure” in his seminal 1993 book The Kindness of Strangers, and in many ways, his past concern for mentoring’s future has been realized in its present. The high-quality research of the 1990s and early 2000s by organizations like Public/Private Ventures, and researchers such as David DuBois and Jean Grossman, demonstrated the convincing effectiveness of certain mentoring models while also creating new curiosity as to how mentoring could be used to support different populations or be fused with other youth services. The apparent combination of effectiveness and flexibility of mentoring interventions has created an environment where mentoring is viewed as a “go to” strategy for many serious issues facing disadvantaged youth. As a result, recent years have seen substantial funding, both public and private, directed to programs serving higher-risk youth: children of incarcerated parents, gang-involved youth, homeless youth, youth who have suffered abuse and trauma, teenagers in juvenile detention, children and adolescents with disabilities, and most recently, youth who have been victims of sex trafficking. While this expansion of mentoring has increased support for young people, many in the field note that the research on these innovative models tends to be sparse. Mentoring is being applied to more difficult youth issues, but there continues to be a shortage of research around best practices for developing, implementing, and sustaining mentoring programs that serve youth involved in various systems of care. Just how much do we know about mentoring “system-involved” youth? What can we learn from current research? And what remains unknown or unconsidered by researchers, practitioners, and policymakers? These questions provided the backdrop for the 2011 Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring (SIYM), where over 50 mentoring researchers, practitioners, service providers, and policymakers gathered to discuss the issues related to mentoring youth in the child welfare, juvenile justice, and other systems. The weeklong event at Portland State University featured presentations from innovative researchers and clinicians, as well as intense discussion about the implications for practice. This year’s proceedings also featured two new events hosted by the Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research (CIMR) and designed to engage the broader youth-serving community: The Summer Symposium on Mentoring Research (see page 20), which brought a dozen prominent researchers together for a series of short presentations, and a Policy Summit (page 21), which fostered a dialogue on these issues with government leaders, private philanthropists, foundations, and others in position to influence the future direction of the mentoring field. Details: Portland, OR: Portland State University, 2011. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2012 at http://www.pdx.edu/youth-mentoring/sites/www.pdx.edu.youth-mentoring/files/It%20May%20Be%20the%20Missing%20Piece.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.pdx.edu/youth-mentoring/sites/www.pdx.edu.youth-mentoring/files/It%20May%20Be%20the%20Missing%20Piece.pdf Shelf Number: 124013 Keywords: At-risk YouthIntervention ProgramsMentoring |
Author: Wolf, Angela M. Title: Juvenile Call-ins Summary: Focused deterrence, also known as a “call-in,” is a strategy in which community stakeholder groups deliver a nonviolence message to community members who are most likely to commit violence. Call-ins rely on the partnership of community representatives, service providers, and law enforcement to collaboratively deliver a three-point message against violence: (1) violence affects everyone in the community and will not be tolerated; (2) the community cares about at risk individuals, and will provide services and assistance to those who need and want help; and (3) those who continue to commit violence despite this fair warning will face the full consequences of the law, along with the other members of their violent groups. Call-ins have been associated with substantial reductions in gun violence in Boston and Indianapolis (McGarrell, Chermak, Wilson, & Corsaro, 2006), and have become a widely used strategy for gang violence intervention throughout the country. As call-in strategies are implemented in more cities throughout the country, some cities are interested in applying focused deterrence to a new target population: high risk juveniles. Most call-ins did not originally include juveniles (Bonner, Worden, & McLean, 2008). Based on differences in age and legal technicalities such as privacy and parental consent requirements, juveniles must be treated differently than adults, and call-ins must be adjusted. This California Cities Gang Prevention Network bulletin draws on academic literature and the experiences of Network cities like Oxnard and Salinas, and other cities including Union City, California; Boston, Massachusetts; and Winston-Salem, North Carolina to provide information about juvenile call-ins. Also, to advise effective implementation of juvenile call-ins, this bulletin provides examples from cities that apply call-ins to juveniles, discusses how call-ins may differ for juveniles and adults, and discusses key elements of effective call-ins. Details: Oakland, CA: National Council on Crime and Delinquency, 2011. 6p. Source: The California Cities Gange Prevention Network: Bulletin 23: Internet Resource: Accessed February 19, 2012 at http://www.ccgpn.org/Publications/CA%20Cities%20Bulletin%2023.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.ccgpn.org/Publications/CA%20Cities%20Bulletin%2023.pdf Shelf Number: 124194 Keywords: At-risk YouthFocused DeterrenceJuvenile OffendersViolent Crime |
Author: Haas, Stephen M. Title: Helping Others Pursue Excellence in Public Schools: Assessing the Impact of HOPE CDC's Mentoring Program Summary: While mentoring programs are generally well received interventions, research indicates mixed results in terms of their impact. Nearly everyone is familiar with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization and likely has positive attitudes toward their programs which started forming as early as 1904. Success of mentoring programs is, however, often contingent upon the program design and implementation. Those programs that have had proven impacts on relationships, attitudes, school attendance and performance, and anti-social behaviors are well designed and follow strict implementation models. Little is also known about whether these impacts, when found, can last over time. Follow-ups, when available, are generally short term and not all that favorable. This report illustrates the results of an impact study of the HOPE (Helping Others Pursue Excellence) Community Development Corporation’s mentoring program. The program is a faith-based initiative designed to improve academic performance and behavior of at-risk youth by providing mentors in typically under performing schools. The mentors or Youth Development Specialists, seek to develop positive relationships with the youth by engaging in various activities mainly at the school. Academic tutoring and lessons related to moral development are also provided to encourage the youth to become better students and citizens and ultimately prevent delinquency. In a prior study (Haas and Turley, 2008), characteristics of the design and implementation of the HOPE CDC’s mentoring program were measured against those of programs that have proven successful in the past. The goal of that study was to determine if the program contained elements that would suggest the potential for the positive impacts they envisioned. While the HOPE CDC’s program was generally well received by those involved, the study found problems with its design and implementation strategy that could hinder its ability to produce positive impacts. Like other newly developed prevention and intervention programs, HOPE CDC experienced common implementation issues at the beginning of the school year. In addition, the study found that the model chosen as a basis for the HOPE CDC mentoring program was not evidence-based and that they departed from this curriculum in several important ways. For example, the mentors were found to be managing large caseloads rather than developing close personal relationships. Both program and school staff indicated that there was a heavy focus on academic performance and tutoring rather than mentoring. Other weaknesses of the program included little or no evidence of formal performance monitoring and an inadequate use of community resources, including family members. Despite these programmatic issues, school staff indicated a high level of support for the program and its expansion. For the most part, the school staff reported positive relationships with the mentors and wished there were more of them. Program staff also had a genuine interest in helping as many students as possible. Finally, the students seemed to be encouraged by the program’s use of incentives for good behavior and performance. Details: Charleston ,WV: Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center, Office of Research and Strategic Planning, Division of Justice and Community Services, Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, 2011. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 6, 2012 at http://www.djcs.wv.gov/SAC/Documents/HopeImpactEvaluationOct2011_Final.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.djcs.wv.gov/SAC/Documents/HopeImpactEvaluationOct2011_Final.pdf Shelf Number: 125161 Keywords: At-risk YouthFaith-Based InitiativesMentoring |
Author: Prairie Research Associates Title: Evaluation of the Youth at Risk Development Program: Final Evaluation Report. Volume 1 Summary: In response to growing concerns about gang violence, the Youth At Risk Development (YARD) program offered prevention services to high-risk youth and youth involved in gang-related activities in Calgary, Alberta. Between 2002 and the time of the application for National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC) funding, Calgary had experienced an increase in gang-related criminal activity with most notably, 14 gang-related homicides, 31 drive-by shootings, 3 stabbings and 3 cases of forcible confinement. The Calgary Police Service was also monitoring 300 gang members who were distributed among 8-10 criminal groups. Gang membership in Calgary was dominated by males in their early 20s with auxiliary female involvement. Intelligence gathered on gangs indicates gang members often carry weapons, and are involved in the trafficking of real, altered and replica hand guns. They were also almost exclusively involved in drug trafficking, and were believed to be instrumental players in the drug distribution network in Calgary. Street gangs in Calgary were generally not ethnically or geographically based, but represented a wide range of nationalities/races. All gang-related activity had the potential to impact public safety. The 2005 Calgary Police Service Citizen’s Survey of almost 2,000 Calgary residents reported that illegal gang activity was ranked the number one “most important policing problem” with over 43% of respondents reporting this as the most pressing issue for police. Gangs were also identified as the 3rd biggest safety concern for parents and children in schools. In 2005, the Calgary Police Service conducted a series of focus groups in local elementary, junior and senior high schools. The most frequently identified “safety issue in school” was gang activity, followed by drugs and bullying. Details: Winnipeg: Prairie Research Associates, 2011. 92p. Source: Summary Report Available at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/res/_fl/yrd-eng.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/res/_fl/yrd-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 125802 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionGang ViolenceGangs (Canada) |
Author: Craig, Wendy Title: Better Beginnings, Better Futures Study: Delinquency Trajectories of At-Risk Youth Summary: Many studies of juvenile delinquency over the past two decades have focused on older, serious, and violent juvenile offenders. Younger delinquents have been ignored partly because their number is relatively small and their threat is often not as immediate. Understanding the trajectories of delinquency at a young age and the risk and protective factors associated with those developmental trajectories can inform the development of early risk assessments and the development of targeted prevention and intervention programs. The objectives of the research were to identify early trajectories of delinquency for both boys and girls from age 8 (Grade 3), age 11 (Grade 6), and age 14 (Grade 9) in a longitudinal sample of at-risk youth from a multi-informant perspective, assess risk and protective factors that may influence the likelihood that youth will engage in criminal behaviour in adolescence, and examine whether youth in the identified delinquency trajectories differ substantially in terms of delinquency, involvement with the criminal justice system, emotional and behavioural problems, experience of abuse, academic/school functioning, and health/health risk behaviours. Additionally, this study aimed at estimating the costs associated with each delinquency trajectory on utilization of government resources in the criminal justice system, remedial education, health care and social services, and social assistance. In order to examine these research questions, analyses were conducted using the Better Beginnings, Better Futures data. These data followed 842 children living in five disadvantaged communities in Ontario. The same children were assessed when they were in Grades 3, 6, and 9 with measures largely based on the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). Three key informant sources were used to assess children’s delinquency (parents, teachers and self-report youth ratings). In Grade 3, children’s levels of delinquency were assessed by teachers. In Grade 6, the children were assessed by parents, teachers and the youth, while in Grade 9, they were assessed by parents and the youth. In addition to the above, 31 risk factors and 17 protective factors for delinquency were examined when the children were in Grade 3. When the children were in Grade 9, 41 outcome measures were examined in the following domains: emotional and behavioural problems, delinquency problems, abuse, involvement with the criminal justice system, functioning in school, and health and health risk activities. Finally, monetary costs associated with the criminal justice system, remedial education, health care and social services, and social assistance were estimated for each participant. The literature on delinquent trajectories identifies three main delinquency groups among children and youth: a low delinquency group, a high delinquency group, and a desisting delinquency group. The trajectory analyses of the current research indicated that there were six delinquency trajectory groups. Children in two of the trajectories had very low ratings of delinquency across time (lowest delinquency group and the second lowest delinquency group). Two other trajectories showed a similar pattern of delinquency ratings that was decreasing over time. In the moderate desisters group, children had moderate levels of delinquency at Grade 3 followed by low levels of delinquency at Grades 6 and 9. In the highest desisters group children had the highest level of reported delinquency behaviours at Grade 3, followed by a marked decrease in reported delinquency at Grades 6 and 9. The fifth trajectory group, named escalators, had very low levels of reported delinquency at Grade 3 and increased markedly in their reported delinquency over time. By Grade 9, children in this trajectory group had the second highest delinquency scores. The final group, high delinquency, started with moderate levels of reported delinquency at Grade 3, marked by the highest reported levels of delinquency at Grades 6 and 9 of any of the trajectory groups. Children at risk for delinquency (i.e., those in the high delinquency, escalators, and the two desisters trajectory groups) scored significantly higher on 17 of the 31 individual, family, peer, and neighbourhood risk factors. For example, children from these four trajectory groups experienced more hyperactive, oppositional-defiant, and physically aggressive behaviours; family risk factors included single parenthood, less parental education, public housing, and hostile-ineffective parenting. These results highlight the need to further develop and refine assessment tools to include these risk factors associated with delinquency. By Grade 9, the high delinquency and escalators groups also had significantly more problems than the other groups; they exhibited more emotional/behavioural, health, criminal, and school functioning problems. Early identification at school and involvement in special education programs early may have significantly reduced these negative outcomes in Grade 9. Finally, the economic analyses identified that youth in the high delinquency, escalators, and the two desisters trajectory groups cost a significant amount of money; for example, approximately 80% of the estimated costs to society (e.g., on utilization of government resources in the criminal justice system, remedial education, health care and social services, and social assistance) were from these four trajectory groups which represent 18% of the sample. Furthermore, 80% of the estimated criminal justice costs were due to the youth in the high delinquency and escalators groups. The findings of the current study highlight some key conclusions. First, there are early indicators to the developmental pathways to delinquency. The risk factors associated with delinquency involvement (e.g., inattention/hyperactivity problems, oppositional defiant problems, low family functioning, having a teenage mother) can be identified as early as Grade 3 and can inform the implementation of an assessment and/or screening tool for children and youth at-risk of delinquency. Second, delinquency involvement does not just emerge, it develops over time, and without intervention, the problems accumulate and may become serious and significant by as early as Grade 9. Third, investment in prevention, such as educational support, can reduce criminal justice costs and delinquency involvement. The most at risk groups (high delinquency and escalators groups) for delinquency involvement accounted for the majority of the estimated reactive costs (e.g., criminal justice, health care and social services, social assistance) and not the preventative costs (e.g., remedial education). Specifically, the high delinquency and escalators groups accounted for 46% of the reactive costs compared to 32% for the two desisters groups and 22% for the two low delinquency groups; for the preventative costs, high delinquency and escalators groups accounted for 38% of the costs compared to 44% for the two desister groups and 18% for the two low delinquency groups. Although more research is needed to understand the delinquency trajectories of girls, those at-risk of delinquency appear to require more support. Although our high risk group of girls was limited, there are some preliminary indications from this research that they are at a heightened risk for problems (e.g., emotional problems, having delinquent friends, police involvement) and the estimated costs associated with their problems may be higher than for boys because they appear not only through the criminal justice system, but also through the health care system. Details: Ottawa: National Crime Prevention Centre, Public Safety Canada, 2011. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report 2011-03: Accessed August 10, 2012 at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/res/_fl/bbbf-eng.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/res/_fl/bbbf-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 125960 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile Delinquency (Canada)Juvenile OffendersJuvenile to Adult Criminal Careers |
Author: Labourse, Eric Title: Late Childhood Risk Factors Associated with Conduct Disorder Subtypes in Early Adolescence: A Latent Class Analysis of a Canadian Sample Summary: Very few studies have investigated the association between risk factors in late childhood and subtypes of conduct disorder (CD) in early adolescence that comprise such heterogeneous symptoms as aggression, destruction of property, theft and serious violations of rules. Previous research has identified four distinct subtypes: No CD type (82.4%), Non-Aggressive CD (NACD) type (13.9%), Physically Aggressive CD (PACD) type (2.3%) and Severe-Mixed CD (SMCD) type (1.4%). These subtypes suggest that there can be multiple pathways to CD that can have similar or different risk factors depending on the qualitative or quantitative aspects of the CD profiles. The aim of the present study was to identify late childhood risk factors in multiple domains, such as neighbourhood characteristics, family adversity, parenting/peer relationships and externalized/internalized behaviours that are common and specific to the four CD subtypes. Methods: Data on CD symptoms and risk factors were collected using the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Three cohorts of 12- and 13-year-olds were assessed during 1994–1995, 1996–1997 and 1998–1999 (N = 4,125). Results: Bivariate analyses revealed that out of 12 risk factors, 10 were associated with SMCD, 9 were associated with PACD and 10 were associated with NACD. In contrast to No CD subtype, multivariate analyses revealed that older age, non-intact family, family mobility and hyperactivity/inattention were predictors of SMCD. Males in the younger age category with family mobility and high physical aggression were associated with PACD. NACD was characterized by males in the older age category and with non-intact family, family mobility, coercive/ineffective parenting and deviant peers. Conclusion: Although there are many subtypes of CD, our findings suggest that there is more commonality than differences in risk factors. Components of family adversity, parenting practices and hyperactivity/inattention should be the focus of prevention and intervention efforts. Details: Ottawa: National Crime Prevention Centre, Public Safety Canada, 2012. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report: 2012-2: Accessed August 10, 2012 at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/res/_fl/lcrf-eng.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/res/_fl/lcrf-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 0 Keywords: AggressionAt-risk YouthConduct Disorder, Juveniles (Canada)Delinquency PreventionJuvenile DelinquentsJuvenile Offenders |
Author: Selman, Julia E. Title: New Deal for Communities Youth Inclusioin Programme: Early Outcomes in West Ham and Plaistow Summary: This report is based on research of the New Deal for Communities Youth Inclusion Programme (NDC YIP) in the West Ham and Plaistow area. It presents findings on the early impacts of the NDC YIP project on service users. The purpose of our research was to find out what impact, if any, participating in the activities at the NDC YIP core project had on the anti-social and offending behaviour of the young people who regularly attended. We also aimed to find out about the processes of change behind the impact. At a project level we looked at how the project defined the problems and needs of the young people and how well the project responded to these problems. At the participant’s level we looked at the needs and problems of the young people as defined by them. This helped us to understand if the project may provide a solution to some of their problems. We spoke to some of the young people about their perceptions and experiences of participating in the project. Due to budgetary constraints, as well as low levels of attendance, we have been unable to undertake as much research as we would have liked. The findings presented in this report therefore only give partial insight into the impact of the NDC YIP. At the same time, the findings have identified some good practice at the NDC YIP in West Ham & Plaistow which may be beneficial for the programme as a whole. Details: London: Centre for Institutional Studies, University of East London, 2006. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: CIS Research Report 4: Accessed August 28, 2012 at: http://www.uel.ac.uk/cis/documents/report4.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.uel.ac.uk/cis/documents/report4.pdf Shelf Number: 126163 Keywords: Antisocial Behavior (U.K.)At-risk YouthDelinquency Prevention |
Author: Burghardt, John Title: National Job Corps Study: Impacts by Center Characteristics Summary: Job Corps is a major part of federal efforts to provide education and job training to disadvantaged youths. It provides comprehensive services--basic education, vocational skills training, health care and education, counseling, and residential support. More than 60,000 new students ages 16 to 24 enroll in Job Corps each year, at a cost to the federal government of more than $1 billion per year. Currently, the program provides training at 119 Job Corps centers nationwide. The National Job Corps Study is being conducted under contract with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to provide Congress and program managers with the information they need to assess how well Job Corps attains its goal of helping students become more employable, productive citizens. This report is one of a series of reports presenting findings from the study. It examines whether the impacts of Job Corps on students' employment and related outcomes differ according to the characteristics of the Job Corps center that a student attended. Overall, Job Corps increased education and training, increased earnings, and reduced youths' involvement with the criminal justice system. This report asks: Were these positive findings concentrated at centers with certain characteristics or in certain regions of the country, or were they similar across diverse centers in the system? The center characteristics considered are type of operator, student capacity, region of the country, and performance ranking. Details: Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., 2001. 103p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 1, 2012 at: http://www.acinet.org/ReadingRoom/01-jccenter.pdf Year: 2001 Country: United States URL: http://www.acinet.org/ReadingRoom/01-jccenter.pdf Shelf Number: 126180 Keywords: At-risk YouthEmploymentJob Training (U.S.)Vocational Education and Training |
Author: Barnes, Matt Title: Understanding Vulnerable young People: Analysis from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England Summary: The Department for Education (DfE) wants to improve the aspirations and achievement of vulnerable young people. Of interest are young people who experience substance misuse, emotional health concerns, teenage parenthood, low attainment, those who are NEET and those involved in crime. The Department has a wealth of evidence on each of these issues and the ways in which young people are disadvantaged. However, there is less evidence on how these disadvantages overlap for some young people and the outcomes for those affected by multiple disadvantage. Investigating multiple disadvantage is important in understanding the experiences of vulnerable young people. Whilst the experience of a single disadvantage can create difficulties for young people, multiple disadvantages can interact and exacerbate one another, leading to more harmful and costly outcomes for both the young person and society as a whole. A significant evidence gap exists in understanding the extent to which problems faced by young people overlap. This information is needed to be able to estimate the potential numbers of vulnerable young people who are the most in need of targeted, supportive interventions and on what areas these interventions should focus. This research, using data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE), helps fill this evidence gap by addressing the following research questions: • How many young people face multiple disadvantages at age 16/17? • What types of disadvantages do young people experience? • What level of contact do vulnerable young people have with services? • What school-age factors increase the risk that young people end up disadvantaged? • What are vulnerable young people’s ’outcomes’ at age 18/19? Details: London: Department for Education, 2011. 108p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report DFE-RR118: Accessed September 1, 2012 at: https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR118.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR118.pdf Shelf Number: 126217 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged Youth (U.K.) |
Author: Vien, Anh Title: An Investigation Into the Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Youth Offending Summary: This thesis examines risk and protective factors associated with youth offending and how these have been applied to legislation, prevention and intervention. The first chapter provides an introduction to the thesis and reviews current trends in youth offending and approaches to treatment and interventions with young offenders. The second chapter provides a thematic review of the current literature on risk and protective factors to youth offending and how this has radically changed the Youth Justice System. The risk and protective factors paradigm is then applied to an empirical research study in the third chapter. The aim of which is to establish whether risk and protective factors are associated with young offenders completion or non-completion of a community based sentence. Findings from the empirical research study suggest that completers and non-completers of a community based programme differ in terms of their anger levels and their current educational status. The fourth chapter applies the risk and protective factors paradigm to a qualitative case study in order to demonstrate the intrinsic relationship between risk and protective factors and the applicability of the paradigm to interventions. Chapter five presents a critique of the Children’s Nowicki-Strickland Internal External (CNSIE) locus of control scale, as internal locus of control has been identified as protective factor to youth offending. However, findings from the empirical study and case study suggests that locus of control is not a protective factor for the current sample. Chapter six provides an in depth discussion of all the work completed in the thesis. The main conclusion derived from the thesis is identification of risk and protective factors associated with youth offending is relatively simple. However applying and implementing protective factors in intervention is much more difficult in reality. This has implications for future initiatives aimed at preventing youth offending. Details: Birmingham, UK: Centre for Forensic and Family Psychology, School of Psychology, The University of Birmingham, 2009. 159p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed September 1, 2012 at: http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/852/1/Vien10ForenPsyD.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/852/1/Vien10ForenPsyD.pdf Shelf Number: 126219 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile Offenders (U.K.)Rehabilitation |
Author: Hirst, Julia Title: An Evaluation of Two Initiatives to Reward Young People Summary: This study examines two pilot schemes in Bradford and York designed to increase young people’s self esteem and stimulate a greater appreciation of the positive contribution they can make to their communities. The two schemes rewarded young people for positive behaviour and taking part in practical community-based activities. The context for the schemes was one of intergenerational tensions, with incidences, or perceptions, of anti-social behaviour a concern for residents. This report: n analyses a range of qualitative and quantitative data, including a literature review; presents the findings of a 20-month evaluation of the two schemes; looks at how the two schemes were shaped by their different local contexts; and outlines some key questions and provides checklists for groups and agencies thinking of setting up a reward scheme for young people. Details: Layerthorpe: York Publishing Services and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2007. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 1, 2012 at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/system/files/2119-reward-young-people.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.jrf.org.uk/system/files/2119-reward-young-people.pdf Shelf Number: 126221 Keywords: Antisocial Behavior (U.K.)At-risk YouthDelinquency Prevention |
Author: Great Britain. Home Office Title: National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. Report of Policy Action Team 8: Anti-Social Behaviour Summary: Anti-social behaviour is a widespread problem. It is a problem that is more prevalent in deprived neighbourhoods. Its effects are often most damaging in communities that are already fragile and where services are overstretched. Serious hard-core perpetrators are small in number but their behaviour has a disproportionate impact on large numbers of ordinary people. There is no one accepted definition and anti-social behaviour can range from dropping litter to serious harassment. The lack of hard facts compounds the problem, but it is known that anti-social behaviour: is perceived to be twice as high in deprived areas than nationally; is considered to be a medium-to-large problem by three-quarters of social landlords, with some landlords recording figures of up to 285 complaints a year per 1,000 tenancies; and appears to be increasing, with reports to the police of disorder offences increasing by 19 per cent from 1995–96 to 1997–98 and complaints to environmental health officers about neighbours rising by 56 per cent from 1993 to 1997. Tackling anti-social behaviour should be a high priority and should be seen as a prerequisite for the success of the overall National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. All agencies will need to be fully engaged in the fight against anti-social behaviour. Central government needs to support local government in doing this. This can be delivered through the following measures: clear responsibility. Given that the action will be based within Crime and Disorder Partnerships, the Home Office (HO) should co-ordinate the process nationally, working very closely with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) and other Government departments. LAs should name a person to co-ordinate action; targeting anti-social behaviour to be a distinct and separate part of crime and disorder strategies. All agencies should state what their role will be in delivering this; improving performance. Developing a set of key indicators for measuring anti-social behaviour and putting in place corresponding Best Value Performance Indicators. At present anti-social behaviour is no one agency’s priority and so risks their collective neglect. No one agency is responsible for pulling together action in Whitehall or at local authority and neighbourhood level and little information is collected on the number and severity of incidents. This has lead to poor implementation and some real policy gaps. To remedy this the Government has agreed the recommendations in the report, which cover five broad areas: assigning clear responsibility for tackling anti-social behaviour to the Home Office nationally and to Crime and Disorder Partnerships locally; promoting prevention by involving local residents and putting in place measures to create a physical and social environment where anti-social behaviour is less likely to arise in the first place; enforcement: intervening earlier, making better use of current powers such as Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and tackling the hard core; 5 resettlement: breaking the cycle of repeated anti-social behaviour and minimising perverse outcomes of exclusion such as homelessness; and combating racial harassment: putting action to combat racism at the centre of anti-social behaviour strategies. In addition, the report identifies two outstanding issues for further public consultation which will be taken forward by the Home Office and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. These are: ensuring that there are effective sanctions in place against perpetrators who are living in private rented or owner-occupied accommodation; and preventing perpetrators repeating their behaviour in new accommodation or in different neighbourhoods after eviction. Details: London: Home Office, 2000. 121p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 1, 2012 at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/social_exclusion_task_force/assets/publications_1997_to_2006/pat_report_8.pdf Year: 2000 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/social_exclusion_task_force/assets/publications_1997_to_2006/pat_report_8.pdf Shelf Number: 126223 Keywords: Antisocial Behaviour (U.K.)At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionDisorderly ConductIncivilitiesNeighborhoods and CrimeNuisance Behaviors and Disorder |
Author: Mackie, Alan Title: Evaluation of the Challenge and Support Programme Summary: The Challenge and Support programme was established by the Youth Taskforce in 2008 in response to growing concerns about anti-social behaviour amongst young people. For example, a report from the National Audit Office, published in 2006, estimated that responding to anti-social behaviour was costing government agencies around £3.4 billion every year. Its aim was to ensure that young people in receipt of an enforcement for anti-social behaviour were provided with appropriate support. At its core, the programme aimed to support services such as Youth Offending Teams, Community Safety Partnerships and Children’s Trusts in sharing information and coordinating service delivery to stop anti-social behaviour and improve the lives of young people. To understand its impact, the Department commissioned research to evaluate the use and effectiveness of support measures alongside anti-social behaviour enforcement action for young people in areas with C&S projects. Includes: •Key implications for decision makers •Executive summary •Context •Results •Implications •Knowledge gaps •References Details: London: Department for Education, 2011. 87p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report DFE-RR138: Accessed September 1, 2012 at: https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR138.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR138.pdf Shelf Number: 126225 Keywords: Antisocial Behaviour (U.K.)At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionIncivilitiesNuisance Behaviors and DisorderYouth Counseling |
Author: McSweeney, Tim Title: Young People, Cannabis Use and Anti-Social Behaviour Summary: This report by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, King’s College London, presents findings of a study on young people, cannabis use and anti-social behaviour. To date few research studies have focused on the question of whether young people’s cannabis use has any influence on the incidence or frequency of any anti-social behaviour or criminal activity they may engage in. This research intended to yield a more nuanced understanding of young people’s cannabis use and any associations this use may have with anti-social behaviour. The study found that: · Most of the sixty-one young people questioned acknowledged the potential for harm posed by cannabis, but felt capable of making rational and informed decisions about its use. · Most young people, and around half of the eighty community respondents, knew that cannabis had been reclassified from a Class B to a Class C drug. Two in three professionals opposed the decision to reclassify. · Most of the nineteen professionals interviewed felt that young people smoking cannabis in public caused problems for local residents. However, less than half of young people saw this as anti-social, and two-thirds of residents said they were unaffected by this behaviour. · Almost all young people believed that their age group was routinely accused of acting in an anti-social way, even when they had not been. · Young people believed ASB could be reduced if there were more opportunities and facilities for them. Respondents to the community survey also thought under-investment in local facilities had exacerbated the area’s problems. · Young people wanted a clearer definition of what constituted ASB and better advertising and education about cannabis use. Some professionals supported this, and favoured an integrated approach to tackling deprivation, education, training and employment, and sexual health as well as drugs and ASB. · Opinion amongst residents was divided on whether there is a link between young people’s cannabis use and ASB. Less than half of the professionals thought that cannabis use predisposed young people to anti-social behaviour. · Many community respondents believed that the burden of tackling young people’s cannabis use and ASB should not rest with any single agency. Professionals supported a multi-agency approach to tackling ASB but questioned local agencies’ ability to do this. Details: London: The Institute for Criminal Policy Research, King’s College London, 2007. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 1, 2012 at: http://www.icpr.org.uk/media/5590/young%20people%20cannabis%20use%20and%20ASB.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.icpr.org.uk/media/5590/young%20people%20cannabis%20use%20and%20ASB.pdf Shelf Number: 126229 Keywords: Antisocial BehaviorAt-risk YouthCannabisDrug Abuse and Crime (U.K.)Juvenile OffendersMarijuana |
Author: James, Nalita Title: Theatre As A Site for Learning: The Impact of Drama on the Development of Oracy Among Young Adult Offenders Summary: This report documents the development of, and findings from, a nine month pilot project joint funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Arts Council England. The project explored and evaluated the use of theatre as a site for learning, and the methods and processes of drama as ‘learning tools.’ Of particular interest was the impact of theatre and drama in supporting the personal and social development of young offenders, with particular emphasis on the development of oracy. The project was developed in response to the research gap in exploring the impact that drama and its creative processes can have on young adults at risk of offending, particularly in relation to oracy. Further, this project will explore the under-researched area of the role drama plays in young offenders’ resettlement. The project is situated within the current policy context, which seeks to reduce young adults’ exposure to risks of offending and re-offending, and simultaneously increase their social inclusion. A key strand of this policy development is the recognition of the potential of the arts to engage young adults and positively contribute to their personal and social development. Simultaneously, skills development particularly around literacy, language and numeracy is also seen as an effective response to (re)engaging young offenders with learning and education, and in contributing to a reduction in re-offending. Many art forms such as drama offer excellent opportunities for promoting expression and communication, and are increasingly being used as an explicit means of skills development among young offenders. The project team worked with two groups of young male offenders held in a prison estate in the East Midlands. The young men were aged between 16-25 and were either on remand or had been sentenced to custody at Glen Parva YOI, Leicester. A central element of the research project was engaging the young men in a dedicated ten-week drama programme run once a week in the custodial estate. A grid was created that enabled a shared comprehension and context within which the research team could reflect upon the demonstration and situational appearance of elements drawn from the speaking and listening framework within the Adult Literacy Core Curriculum. The findings demonstrated that: Theatre provided the young men with an informal site for learning. It offered them an environment for learning that involved creativity, and enabled them to challenge preexisting behaviours, beliefs and experiences within a supported, inclusive and managed context. The skills required to access the theatre making process are absolutely concerned with effective communication. The activities the young men were involved in during the drama sessions involved a rich diversity of opportunities to speak and listen. The informality of theatre gave the young men an opportunity to invest themselves in a creative process of discovery; to identify with real situations and draw on their own personalities and experiences in shaping the drama scenes. The creative processes involved in drama provided an opportunity for the young men to shape their identity and skills by reinventing or drawing upon existing personal identities and life experiences. The young men recognised that they were not just learning ‘how to be actors’, but also developing a range of other transferable skills and qualities. The young men’s ‘journeys’ through the drama programme, and following the development of oracy, were never linear. Critically, the drama programme allowed them the time and space to reflect upon their own speaking and listening, as well as explore issues and experiences relevant to their own lives. This had introduced new perspectives and knowledge about themselves specifically in terms of what was achievable for them in employment and/or education, and also in attitudes and behaviour towards other people. In other words, the drama programme had acted as a ‘structural enabler’ in the young men’s learning transitions. The artists’ role to facilitate and support the learning process as a ‘creative facilitator’ as opposed to being a ‘teacher’ was an important approach to learning that underpinned the drama programme, and one which the artists continually reflected upon, and evaluated as part of their practice. The effectiveness of theatre as a site for learning, and the methods and processes of drama in developing the young men’s oracy and personal and social development, contributed to developing an understanding of the processes of their identity formation, and the transition pathways the young men took. This is evident in the (re)engagement of the young men in both the learning taking place throughout the drama programme and the future learning the young men could imagine for themselves. Details: London: Arts Council and the Department for Education and Skills, 2006. 74p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 1, 2012 at: http://shop.niace.org.uk/media/catalog/product/d/r/drama-final-report.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://shop.niace.org.uk/media/catalog/product/d/r/drama-final-report.pdf Shelf Number: 126230 Keywords: Arts in PrisonsArts Programs (U.K.)At-risk YouthRehabilitationTheatre ProgramsYoung Adult Offenders |
Author: Armitage, Victoria Jane Title: The Inbetweeners: Young People Making Sense of Youth Anti-Social Behaviour Summary: Beginning with the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, the UK government’s ‘Anti-social Behaviour Agenda’ has served to label all young people as potentially anti-social. This study describes and analyses young people’s accounts of anti-social behaviour and the impact of anti-social behaviour legislation on young people living in a rural context. Through semi-structured interviews with eighteen teenagers in a rural northern town who had undertaken anti-social behaviour but were not subject to any individual control measures, the research explores the participants’ perceptions of their (informal) identification as anti-social, their interactions with institutions of social control and how these factors impacted on their sense of self. In particular, it explores the strategies that the respondents utilised to avoid internalising a deviant identity and through doing so examines the relationship between anti-social behaviour and youth as a transition. Whilst none of the respondents considered themselves to be anti-social, they had all been subject to informal control measures including being ‘moved on’ and having their details taken by the police. The findings indicate that for these young people, anti-social behaviour is inexorably tied to their liminal position as ‘youths’ and this allows their identities to be fluid and constantly changing. The respondents understand their social position/s as ‘inbetween’ a variety of statuses, and it is postulated that the widely acknowledged vague nature of ASB definition and their identities as ‘youths’ allows them to negotiate the space between a pro- and anti-social identity without internalising either. They therefore construct anti-social behaviour as a normal part of conventional youth, and something which they will certainly ‘grow out of’. Details: Durham, UK: Durham University, School of Applied Social Sciences, 2012. 275p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 4, 2012 at: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3581/1/Victoria_Armitage_Doctoral_Thesis_May_2012.pdf?DDD34+ Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3581/1/Victoria_Armitage_Doctoral_Thesis_May_2012.pdf?DDD34+ Shelf Number: 126242 Keywords: Antisocial Behavior (U.K.)At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionDisorderly ConductIncivilitiesNuisance Behaviors and Disorder |
Author: Maynard, Brandy R. Title: Indicated Truancy Interventions: Effects on School Attendance among Chronic Truant Students Summary: Truancy is a significant problem in the U.S. and in other countries around the world. Truancy has been linked to serious immediate and far-reaching consequences for youth, families, and schools and communities, leading researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to try to understand and to address the problem. Although numerous and significant steps have been taken at the local, state, and national levels to reduce truancy, the rates of truancy have at best remained stable or at worst been on the rise, depending on the indicator utilized to assess truancy rates. The costs and impact of chronic truancy are significant, with both short- and long-term implications for the truant youth as well as for the family, school, and community. Although several narrative reviews and one meta-analysis of attendance and truancy interventions have attempted to summarize the extant research, there are a number of limitations to these reviews. It is imperative that we systematically synthesize and examine the evidence base to provide a comprehensive picture of interventions that are being utilized to intervene with chronic truants, to identify interventions that are effective and ineffective, and to identify gaps and areas in which more research needs to be conducted to better inform practice and policy. Details: Oslo: The Campbell Collaboration, 2012. 84p. Source: Campbell Systematic Reviews 2012:10: Internet Resource: Accessed September 4, 2012 at http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/lib/download/2136/ Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/lib/download/2136/ Shelf Number: 126250 Keywords: At-risk YouthCrime PreventionDelinquency PreventionEvaluative StudiesJuvenile OffendersTruancy |
Author: Crime and Justice Institute Title: Interventions for High-Risk Youth: Applying Evidence-Based Theory and Practice to the Work of Roca Summary: Roca is a values-based, outcomes-oriented, youth and young adult development organization in Chelsea, Revere, and East Boston, Massachusetts. The agency’s mission is to “promote justice through creating opportunities for young people to lead happy and healthy lives.” Roca chooses to pursue this mission with some of the most marginalized youth in the community, and works with those youth to achieve self-sufficiency and live out of harm’s way. After nearly two decades of experience serving this population, Roca is undergoing a thoughtful restructuring to clearly define and measure the work that they do, and ultimately to institutionalize practices that fulfill the agency’s mission and goals. As part of this transition to evidence-based practice, Roca is reviewing existing theory and practice that are applicable to its work. This document is a component of that effort. This literature review focuses on research in criminal and juvenile justice, delinquency prevention, and behavior change. Roca has previously engaged in a review of relevant literature in the field of youth development; this review will expand upon previous work by viewing Roca through the lens of another discipline. This research is appropriate to apply to Roca because many of its participants are either involved with the court, or at risk of becoming court-involved. The disengaged and disenfranchised youth with whom Roca works possess several of the characteristics that put youth in contact with the criminal justice system, including dysfunctional family relations, alcohol and drug problems, and anti-social companions. The criminal and juvenile justice fields have developed effective, evidence-based practices that can inform Roca’s work and provide support for Roca’s Theory of Change. Cited works include theoretical and practical research in delinquency prevention and intervention, and pro-social skill building for high-risk youth. Consistent with Roca’s model, the review considers not only programming, but the engagement of individuals and institutions in the change process. Of note, Roca identifies itself as a youth development organization, not as a clinical service provider. Therefore, this review does not offer a review of the clinical practices that have proven successful with court-involved and high-risk youth, as these practices are outside the scope of Roca’s services. Details: Boston: Crime & Justice Institute, 2006. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 5, 2012 at: http://www.rocainc.org/pdf/resources/external/InterventionsforHighRiskYouth.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: http://www.rocainc.org/pdf/resources/external/InterventionsforHighRiskYouth.pdf Shelf Number: 126263 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionEvidence-Based PracticesInterventions |
Author: Liberman, Akiva Title: Interim Evaluation of the Pilot Program of the Truancy Case Management Partnership Intervention in the District of Columbia Summary: The Case Management Partnership Initiative (CMPI) addresses chronic truancy by linking truant ninth graders and their families to social services and case management, along with regular interagency case management meetings. A pilot was conducted at Anacostia and Ballou High Schools in 2011-2012. The implementation evaluation found that the pilot program successfully implemented an interagency partnership and linked families to needed services, which likely improved family well-being. Whether this impacted truancy is not yet known. To reduce chronic truancy, the CMPI is a promising platform for additional program experimentation, including possible modifications to timing, eligibility criteria, and program components. Details: Washington, DC: District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute, Urban Institute, 2012. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 5, 2012 at http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412619-Truancy-Case-Management-Partnership-Intervention.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412619-Truancy-Case-Management-Partnership-Intervention.pdf Shelf Number: 126275 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionFamiliesSocial ServicesTruancy (Washington, DC) |
Author: Mortimer, Rhian Title: Risk Factors for Offending: A Developmental Approach Summary: A plethora of research has been conducted to identify the risk and protective factors for offending in low-risk samples, particularly juveniles. However, to date this research has not extended to high security adult offenders who engage in serious offending behaviour, represent the most significant risk to society and are detained in conditions of high security. This thesis utilised previously researched risk factor models to identify how risk and protective factors develop throughout an individual’s lifespan, to increase the likelihood of following an offending pathway in adulthood. This thesis includes a systematic review and review of a psychometric tool, in addition to both an individual case study and a research paper, which identify specific factors relevant to types of high security offenders. The findings demonstrated that aggression and substance misuse were among the most common risk factors, which began in adolescence and continued into adulthood. Therefore, adult high security offenders could be partially retrospectively mapped onto established juvenile risk factor models, thus suggesting that the factors identified in high risk samples are primarily developmental in nature. Further qualitative and quantitative research is recommended to develop these findings; however tentative results demonstrate that interventions with at-risk adolescents may be beneficial in reducing the risk of future high security offenders. In conclusion, the findings support previous research, which suggests that experiences of increased risk factors in conjunction with few protective factors increases the likelihood of individuals being involved in offending behaviour. Therefore, pro-active and reactive measures should be targeted towards such at-risk individuals. Details: Birmingham, UK: Centre for Forensic and Criminological Psychology, University of Birmingham, 2010. 228p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed September 10, 2012 at: http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/415/1/Mortimer10ForenPsyD.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/415/1/Mortimer10ForenPsyD.pdf Shelf Number: 126279 Keywords: Adult Offenders (U.K.)At-risk YouthJuvenile to Adult Criminal CareersRecidivismRehabilitationRisk Assessment |
Author: Meadows, Linda Title: Evaluation of the South Yorkshire Restorative Justice Programme Summary: This is the final report of the evaluation of South Yorkshire Restorative Justice Programme (SYRJP), undertaken by the Hallam Centre for Community Justice at Sheffield Hallam University. The SYRJP was developed in partnership between South Yorkshire Police and the Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) with the aim of implementing a county wide model of Restorative Justice (RJ) for use in neighbourhood policing and other community applications. It is aimed at tackling low level crime and anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods and gives police officers the discretion to use Youth and Adult Restorative disposals as an alternative to prosecution for low level offending behaviour where offenders have no previous convictions, make an admission of guilt and where both offender and victim consent to the RJ process. The first phase of implementation involved training 1700 front line police officers in the use of RJ disposals and the second phase delivered enhanced training in Restorative conferencing to 160 officers. The third phase is ongoing and has extended RJ into Hate Crime and Integrated Offender Management. Since the inception of the Programme in March 2010 until February 2012 a total of 3,357 RJ interventions have been undertaken across the County. The evaluation was primarily qualitative and involved: interviews with eight magistrates, 34 victims and 29 offenders and 10 police officers; observation/focus group activities in five community meetings; a survey of police staff, a community survey and two victim surveys. A quantitative element was added during the course of the evaluation and involved analysing the reconviction rates for a cohort of offenders who had received an RJ disposal and a comparator cohort. Findings from these activities are organised around three key themes: The RJ Model; the RJ Process and the Impact of RJ. The RJ Model currently in operation has changed from the model originally envisaged at the outset of the program. What has emerged is a continuum of approaches which incorporates Street/Instant RJ and RJ conferencing but also includes hybrid approaches which fall somewhere between the two. While there may be advantages to a more flexible and wider application of RJ, this is not without risk, including consistency and clarity of understanding amongst police officers. Overall, the concept of RJ is well embedded across the force and there were high levels of satisfaction with the relevance of the training and the level of skills it provided. Police officers were generally confident in the use of RJ and the empowering opportunity it provided for professional discretion. Senior level support was strong though issues were raised about levels of understanding amongst custody sergeants/inspectors who are involved in the decisions to use RJ. Use of conferencing is less well embedded and police officers identified a range of structural and cultural barriers which had impeded its use. Victims are positive about the processes surrounding RJ which were seen as straightforward. Victims felt that communication prior to becoming involved was clear and effective and they were positive about the support they received both during and after the event. Occasions were identified where the RJ process broke down which provide potential pointers for the future development of the programme.Victims were generally satisfied with the outcome of their involvement with RJ. They reported feeling empowered by their experience of RJ and indicated that it gave them a greater sense of control. Many also indicated that RJ had increased their confidence in the police force and that they felt that RJ had had a positive effect on the offender. There were some encouraging indications that offenders who had received an RJ disposal were less likely to be reconvicted than offenders who had received an alternative disposal. Though the results of the reconviction analysis were not statistically significant, they were close to the 0.1 level that is traditionally used as a guide. The qualitative fieldwork also supported these findings and indicated that RJ had had a significant impact on many of the offenders involved. The following key recommendations were indicated by the findings of the evaluation: - Communicating and embedding changes in the model to ensure greater consistency in the application of RJ- Additional training for inspectors/custody sergeants who make decisions about whether or not to proceed with RJ- Clarifying and potentially extending the role of PCSOs- for example in the administration of RJ processes, especially relating to RJ conferencing - Clarifying the role of RJ conferencing and addressing the structural and cultural inhibitors to its use - Developing a community communications strategy to increase awareness - Ensuring victims and offender understanding of the RJ process and effective communication throughout. - Developing guidance for police officers on appropriate compensation for victims - Clarifying processes relating to follow up and non-compliance. Redesigning guidance/processes/ paperwork to support the use of RJ with non-crimes - Refreshing guidance for police officers on the status of RJ disposals in enhanced CRB checks. - Conducting further reconviction analysis - Conducting further research into the costs/time taken for restorative conferencing. Details: Sheffield, UK: Hallam Centre for Community Justice, Sheffield Hallam University, 2012 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 12, 2012 at: http://www.cjp.org.uk/publications/ngo/evaluation-of-the-south-yorkshire-restorative-justice-programme-17-08-2012/ Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cjp.org.uk/publications/ngo/evaluation-of-the-south-yorkshire-restorative-justice-programme-17-08-2012/ Shelf Number: 126302 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationAntisocial BehaviorAt-risk YouthJuvenile OffendersRehabilitationRestorative Justice (U.K.) |
Author: Makwana, Bea Title: Heretaunga Tiaki Tamariki Project: Outcome Evaluation Summary: In 2002 Heretaunga Tiaki Tamariki project (HTT), based in Hastings was one of 14 community youth programmes selected nationally to reduce youth offending. The programme received $510,000 over three years. HTT is a community youth programme aimed at reducing repeat offending of high-risk young people aged between 11 and 17 years, and is located in the Flaxmere Police Station. The entry criteria required clients to have already offended; or to have come to police attention; to have truancy issues; and/or care and protection issues; and may experience substance abuse problems. There was a maximum of 5 families per caseworker, with an anticipated throughput of 15-20 clients per year. This outcome evaluation considers the effectiveness of HTT over three years, 2003-2005. During this time 26 clients aged between 11 and 16 years were accepted onto the programme; all but two identified as Mäori. This evaluation found: • the success of the case plans was dependant on both the level of engagement by the client and the types of goals that were set. • social and family environments are complex and the provision of holistic interventions is difficult. • there is a need to clarify the client’s responsibility within case plans, particularly in relation to educational outcomes and the reduction of offending and seriousness of offending. • overtime interagency collaboration improved and HTT had more visibility in the community. • the programme was not able to demonstrate a reduction in offending and seriousness of offending. A strength of HTT was being located in a local police station and the consequent relationships that were established. The programme also had qualified staff and comprehensive filing and review systems. However, there was room for HTT to promote greater client responsibility, and awareness of HTT as a programme within the community. More generally, the evaluation has noted that both Police and Ministry of Justice can improve their ongoing monitoring and support of community youth programmes, particularly in the initial implementation and training stages. Details: Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Police, 2007. 79p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 12, 2012 at: http://www.police.govt.nz/resources/2007/heretaunga-tiaki-tamariki/heretaunga-tiaki-tamariki-project-outcome-evaluation.pdf Year: 2007 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.police.govt.nz/resources/2007/heretaunga-tiaki-tamariki/heretaunga-tiaki-tamariki-project-outcome-evaluation.pdf Shelf Number: 126304 Keywords: At-risk YouthCommunity ProgramsDelinquency PreventionFamiliesInterventionsJuvenile Offenders (New Zealand)RehabilitationTruants |
Author: Phillips, Liz Title: Evaluation of the YJB Pilot Resettlement Support Panel Scheme Summary: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) made funding available in July 2009 to enable six selected Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) in Wales to expand resettlement for young people aged 12 to 17 who are leaving custody. The funding is also aimed at preventing young people from entering custody in the first place. The pilot resettlement schemes are a new approach to addressing the issues faced by young people in custody. They fit in with the priorities of the All- Wales Youth Offending Strategy (AWYOS) Delivery Plan, in particular, reducing reoffending and the use of custodial sentences, and increasing effective resettlement. The pilot resettlement schemes are a new approach to addressing the issues faced by young people in custody. They fit in with the priorities of the All- Wales Youth Offending Strategy (AWYOS) Delivery Plan, in particular, reducing reoffending and the use of custodial sentences, and increasing effective resettlement. The RSPs’ main objective is to coordinate multi-agency support for the resettlement of young people through addressing substance misuse, accommodation problems, mental health and education issues. The Panels also assist young people in accessing education, employment and training opportunities, mediate with families and peers, and encourage more appropriate use of leisure time. Developing young people’s life skills, budget management, healthy living, and raising their self-esteem and confidence to facilitate positive decision-making are also RSP objectives. RSPs typically have membership from social services, education, health (particularly Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), the police, local authority housing department, housing providers, careers advisers, YOT personnel, Young Offenders’ Institutions (YOIs), and Youth Services. The six Welsh LAs who took part in the evaluation were Bridgend, Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent, Conwy and Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Ynys Mon, Merthyr Tydfil and Wrexham. All RSPs are required to review the delivery of resettlement support plans and outcomes for participating children and young people. Bridgend and Wrexham, however, have an enhanced review function. This means that they are required to scrutinise individual cases to ascertain whether resettlement support could have been delivered differently to offer a more effective community-based alternative to custody. The aims of the evaluation are to conduct a: Process evaluation which examines: • the setting up and functioning of the RSPs particularly with regard to ‘buy in’ from member agencies, and working together • the role and impact of the resettlement support worker and the supervision support worker • the role and effectiveness of the review body, and an: Outcome evaluation to determine: • the effectiveness of the scheme in improving outcomes for young offenders • the extent to which partners commit resources to resettlement support plans. Recommendations for more effective implementation of the scheme based on the conclusions are also included. Details: Cardiff, Wales: Welsh Government Social Research, 2012. 149p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 12, 2012 at: http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/WYJT01/WYJT01.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/WYJT01/WYJT01.pdf Shelf Number: 126318 Keywords: At-risk YouthJuvenile Offenders (Wales, UK)Juvenile ReentryRehabilitationReoffendingResettlementYoung Adult Offenders |
Author: Meenagh, Ann Title: Leisure, Organised Sport and Antisocial Behaviour an Examination of Youth’s Involvement in Leisure, Organised Sports and its Effect on Antisocial Behaviour Summary: Over the last ten years national strategies and policies placed youth at the forefront of their developments. Particular attention has been placed on antisocial behaviour and the appropriate punishments and rehabilitation methods. Programmes have been developed with the objective to deter antisocial behaviours with little empirical support to justify them. This study aims to determine whether youth’s involvement in leisure and sport has any effect on their involvement in antisocial or delinquent behaviour. This is mainly achieved through the quantitative research method of a survey. Sixty-five people aged between 14-20 years old from two contrasting educational institutions in Dublin were surveyed. The survey was designed based on other surveys conducted in this field of study. The research found that males were more likely to be involved in antisocial and delinquent behaviour than females. The research also found that participant’s who were involvement in organised sports were less likely to be involved in antisocial behaviour compared to participant’s who were not involved in organised sports. Further research in this area of study is recommended in order to improve current programmes and to develop new programmes. Details: Dublin: Dublin Institute of Technology, 2011. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: Masters Dissertation: Accessed September 14, 2012 at: http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031&context=aaschssldis&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dmeenagh%2520%2522leisure%252C%2520organised%2520sport%2522%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D2%26ved%3D0CCYQFjAB%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Farrow.dit.ie%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1031%2526context%253Daaschssldis%26ei%3DfC1TUNjZNZKc8gSMq4Fw%26usg%3DAFQjCNE5NqaLEpJT5APzlda7Fc6wxs7SHg#search=%22meenagh%20leisure%2C%20organised%20sport%22 Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031&context=aaschssldis&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dmeenagh%2520%2522leisure%252C%2520organised%2520sport%2522%26source%3Dweb Shelf Number: 126348 Keywords: Antisocial BehaviorAt-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionLeisure ActivitiesRehabilitation ProgramsSports |
Author: Justice Policy Institute Title: Working for a Better Future: How Expanding Employment Opportunities for D.C.'s Youth Creates Public Safety Benefits for All Residents Summary: Improving public safety in the District of Columbia depends on a comprehensive approach that includes multiple strategies spanning all City agencies, as well as the community at large. One facet of such a comprehensive approach is to improve outcomes for youth so fewer are either caught up in the justice system, a victim of crime, or both. This is one in a series of briefs addressing ways that improving youth outcomes can also result in better public safety outcomes for the District as a whole. A commitment to increasing employment opportunities for D.C.’s youth is important to giving them positive workplace experiences, reducing justice system involvement and improving their work and earning potential into adulthood. Quality and robust job training and placement assistance share with delinquency prevention programs the ability to reconnect disconnected youth and create pathways to positive outcomes. These programs can help empower D.C.’s young people by promoting a desire for continued education and personal and professional development. Details: Washington, DC: Justice Policy Institute, 2012. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2012 at: http://www.justicepolicy.org/research/3819 Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.justicepolicy.org/research/3819 Shelf Number: 126368 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionEmploymentJob Training and EducationYoung Adults |
Author: Danish Crime Prevention Council Title: The Effectiveness of Mentoring and Leisure-Time Activities for Youth At Risk: A Systematic Review Summary: Community-based mentoring and leisure-time activities for youth at risk of offending can have promising effects for a variety of outcomes such as deviant behaviour, violence and delinquency – even when the young people’s negative behaviour is group-related. To begin with, the focus of research was prevention efforts addressing group-related violence alone, but a broader focus became more meaningful, considering many different factors concerning links between different kinds of crime and prevention, the available research, the characteristics of youth groups and the local challenges faced in Denmark. Troublesome youth groups are not always violent, and, if they are, violence is only one kind of crime among and linked to various others, which argues for a broader crime focus. Furthermore, the youth groups known in Denmark are mostly unstable with informal membership – they appear and disappear and rather have the shape of dynamic networks. The fact that young people gather in groups is a normal phenomenon, and youth groups are often based on friendship and common interests. Therefore, groups per se are not a fixed phenomenon to combat – rather their potentially deviant behaviour. Initial analyses also found that effect studies on gang prevention are often lacking or of a poor quality, which make them difficult to learn from. In addition, gang prevention and intervention projects mostly deal with adults and organized crime, whereas the aim of the review was promising prevention programmes and projects for youth at risk. An overview of various types of prevention efforts and their effects on this target group revealed that mentoring and leisure-time activities are applied to both general and group-related crime among young people. Community-based efforts within these two kinds of prevention were found to be the most well documented and promising ones and dealing with both deviant, delinquent and violent behaviour – also group-related. These kinds of interventions became the focus of the review. Mentoring and leisure-time activities are already applied in many Danish settings. A systematic review of effectiveness can qualify and guide practitioners dealing with actual problems ranging from mild and general to serious and group-related crime. After all, crime prevention is defined not by intentions to prevent, but by results, and since many risk and protective factors overlap, prevention efforts can possibly handle more than one problem. Whether they do must be examined thoroughly. This systematic review is based on structured and multi-disciplinary literature searches in articles published from 1980 to the end of 2011 in five international research databases, besides internet and reference searches. The literature has been screened systematically according to explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. Among other things, the effect of the given prevention projects and programmes should be measured in terms of crime or mediating factors for crime, and the participating youth should include some 12-17-year-olds and at least 50 % boys, since they are at greater risk. Data has been extracted from each included full-text study in relation to many standardised categories describing, for instance, the given intervention, its target group, setting, organisation, effect etc., and, furthermore, many characteristics of the procedures of the study itself. Each study has undergone quality assessment, and overall low quality studies have been excluded. Details: Glostrup: Danish Crime Prevention Council, 2012. 178p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 26, 2012 at: http://www.dkr.dk/sites/default/files/DKR%202012%20%20Mentoring%20and%20Leisure-Time%20Review.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.dkr.dk/sites/default/files/DKR%202012%20%20Mentoring%20and%20Leisure-Time%20Review.pdf Shelf Number: 126456 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile OffendersLeisure-Time ActivitiesMentoringSports and Recreation |
Author: Coombes, Mike Title: Youth Inclusion and Support Panels : Preventing Crime and Antisocial Behaviour? Summary: In 2002, the Youth Justice Board (YJB) set out its commitment to develop and pilot pre-crime at-risk panels, later renamed Youth Inclusion and Support Panels (YISPs). The new panels were designed to identify and support young people aged 8–13 who are at high risk of offending and antisocial behaviour before they enter the youth justice system, and were regarded as a key component of the Government’s campaign to prevent crime and combat antisocial behaviour. The YISPs were described as multi-agency planning groups which seek to prevent offending and antisocial behaviour by offering voluntary support services and other complementary interventions for high risk children and their families. Pilots were established to test the development of YISPs, paid for by the Children’s Fund under the auspices of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).1 In 2003 we were commissioned by the DfES to evaluate thirteen new pilot YISPs, located in Barking & Dagenham, Birmingham, Ealing, Greenwich, Knowsley, Lancashire, Liverpool, Nottingham, Salford, Sheffield, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Walsall, and Wigan. The Youth Justice Board (YJB) provided detailed guidance to the pilots relating to implementation and operation of YISPs. It was assumed that, in most cases, the Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) would act as the lead agency for the YISP on behalf of the Children’s Fund and the local authority. Providing high-quality services for children and for their families has been regarded as an essential step in preparing young people for the challenges and stresses of everyday life and giving them opportunities to achieve their full potential and thereby contribute positively within diverse, multicultural communities. Increasingly, in recent years, the focus has been on prevention and early intervention, particularly with respect to children deemed to be at high risk. The Government has set out five outcomes for children which now provide the core outcomes framework for all government policy relating to families and to youth justice, including YISPs. They are that children and young people should: be healthy; stay safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution; and achieve economic well-being. Youth justice agencies are important partners in the delivery of children’s services which focus on early prevention of antisocial and criminal behaviour. The emphasis is on multi-agency approaches which tackle the risks associated with offending. Clearly, the key to prevention lies in being able to target effectively children and young people most at risk of becoming involved in crime and antisocial behaviour. Using a matrix of the risk and protective factors which may lead young people into, or protect them from, crime, the YISPs were tasked with constructing a personally tailored package of support and interventions, summarised in an integrated support plan (ISP) designed to facilitate the kind of provision which will prevent the young person moving further towards crime. Central to the concept was the role of keyworkers, who are responsible for assessing risk and co-ordinating and monitoring the package of interventions, thereby ensuring that children and their families receive mainstream public services at the earliest opportunity. It was considered essential that the YISPs should provide accessible services which reflect the diversity of the local population and which take account of ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, age and race. Involvement in YISPs is voluntary. Children and their families are asked to consent to referral and assessment for consideration by a panel, and to co-operate with the ISP. One of the core principles of YISPs is that children and their parents/carers should be involved as much as possible in each stage of the process. At the centre of YISPs is the multi-agency panel, which should include representatives from a wide range of agencies. The expectation is that the panel will be involved in prioritising cases, considering detailed assessments and designing ISPs. Panels are not specifically required to oversee compliance with ISPs but are expected to monitor and review the child’s progress and satisfaction with the interventions offered. Details: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, 2007. 204p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report DCSF-RW018: Accessed September 29, 2012 at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/6644/1/DCSF-RW018.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/6644/1/DCSF-RW018.pdf Shelf Number: 107711 Keywords: Antisocial Behavior (U.K.)At-risk YouthDelinquency Prevention |
Author: Nuytiens, An Title: Sport, Science and Art in the Prevention of Crime Among Children and Youth Summary: This paper explores theoretical frameworks used for understanding the relationship between leisure activities and the prevention of youth crime. It is examined whether scientific research has yielded empirical support for these theoretical perspectives. This discussion is illustrated by means of examples of good or promising projects for each field (sports, art, science). It is concluded that leisure can be regarded as an important context for youth crime prevention. In practice however, there appears to be little scientific evidence for these mechanisms. Therefore, it is difficult to identify good or promising practices within this field. Details: Brussels: European Crime Prevention Network, 2012. 17p. Source: EUCPN Thematic Paper No. 1: Internet Resource: Accessed September 30, 2012 at http://www.eucpn.org/download/?file=EUCPN%20Thematic%20Paper%20No%201.pdf&type=13 Year: 2012 Country: Europe URL: http://www.eucpn.org/download/?file=EUCPN%20Thematic%20Paper%20No%201.pdf&type=13 Shelf Number: 126511 Keywords: Arts in PrisonsArts ProgramsAt-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile OffendersLeisure-Time ActivitiesMentoringSports and Recreation |
Author: Cahill, Meagan Title: Interim Report on the Truancy Court Diversion Program in the District of Columbia, 2011–12 Summary: The Truancy Court Diversion Program (TCDP) is a voluntary program for at risk students and their parents. It combines involvement of a Family Court judge in group and individual sessions with service provision. During the 2011-12 school year, a pilot TCDP was implemented at Kramer Middle School (M.S.) and at Johnson M.S. The program attempts to simultaneously address participants’ motivations and attitudes, as well as barriers to attendance. Attitudes are addressed by the involvement of judges in the program, whose role includes meeting with individual families, and via the program’s curriculum. The curriculum is intended to promote the personal responsibility of students and parents; increase parents’ level of positive involvement with their children and the school; improve attitudes toward school achievement, graduation, and career aspirations; and improve parent-child communication. Barriers to attendance are addressed through family needs assessments, case management, and service referrals provided by a community collaborative and coordinated though a meeting with the judge and program team. The approach of the program is to address the “whole child.” This interim report is focused on implementation. The report reviews the logic and design of the program, implementation successes and challenges, and makes recommendations to enhance the program and its implementation. A final report will also examine the services delivered through the program. Key findings from the pilot TCDP include implementation challenges as well as some encouraging findings. Implementation findings include: • Successful program implementation requires a strong partnership between the courts and schools. • The current pilot encountered challenges concerning recruitment and program participation. • A limiting factor to integrated service provision in the current pilot was the lack of regular team meetings to assess family needs and services as well as academic progress, or a strong structure for regular information-sharing. Despite such implementation issues, the program seems to have improved attitudes and school aspirations of students, as well as parent-child communication, for those students and parents who participated regularly. The program also was successful in reaching needy families with services. This interim report is not able to speak to the program’s success in improving attendance. Based on our study of the program’s implementation in this pilot, we recommend the following modifications to strengthen the program: • Use prior year’s school attendance as eligibility criteria. • Formalize additional program eligibility criteria. • Strengthen the use of incentives and consequences to improve program attendance. • Provide increased training for all partners, especially judges new to the program. • Allow sufficient time for planning, recruitment, and intake prior to beginning weekly program sessions. • Hold regular team meetings. Several additional modifications would be needed in order to expand the program designed to address truancy more broadly, rather than just the truancy of a few individual students. Because each TCDP is inherently limited to 10 to 15 participating students per school per semester, expansion to address considerably more students involves expansion to more schools. To achieve consistent implementation across multiple schools would require: • More formalization of the program, including eligibility and recruitment criteria, program curriculum, procedures for the judge-family individual meetings, and incentives and consequences for program attendance. • Dedicated resources, including a formal program director. • Additional support from both the school and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). In conclusion, the TCDP seems to hold promise for positive intervention in the lives of students at risk for chronic truancy and their parents, and improving their school attendance and academic performance. However, the pilot suggests that program implementation could be considerably improved, and that structural changes would be necessary for the TCDP to have the potential to impact the truancy of a more substantial number of students. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute, 2012. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 5, 2012 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412664-Interim-Report-on-the-Truancy-Court-Diversion-Program.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412664-Interim-Report-on-the-Truancy-Court-Diversion-Program.pdf Shelf Number: 126561 Keywords: At-risk YouthProblem Solving CourtsSchool AttendanceTruancy (U.S.) |
Author: Barrow Cadbury Commission on Young Adults and the Criminal Justice System Title: Lost in Transition: A Report of the Barrow Cadbury Commission on Young Adults and the Criminal Justice System Summary: The gap in meeting the needs of young people who are making the transition to adulthood emerged as a central concern for the groups we support. In particular the criminal justice system which chooses to demarcate a young person from an adult at the arbitrary age of 18 has emerged as one of the starkest examples of where vulnerable young people are being failed. Given that almost 10 per cent of young people aged between 18 and 24 have been cautioned or arrested by the police, this is a key omission in policy. To the many communities that Barrow Cadbury supports the links between growing up in poverty and the routes into crime are clear. Critically for Barrow Cadbury and for many of our communities the over-representation of African Caribbean young men, and increasingly Muslim young men in the criminal justice system signifies the need for an overhaul of a system which so clearly puts criminal justice before social justice in the pathway to adulthood. Forming a Commission was an appropriate way to highlight and develop innovative and workable solutions to the problems that young adults face in growing up in the criminal justice system. The report which has emerged from our distinguished group of Commissioners emphasises the devastating impact that imprisonment has on a young person’s life chances and the futility of a criminal justice system that sees nearly three quarters of 18 – 20 year olds reconvicted after release from the prison system. The role of the Commission was to develop a way in which the criminal justice system can recognise the importance of the transition between adolescence and adulthood, to develop ideas about how the system can promote natural desistance from offending in young adults in transition, and to find a way in which the criminal justice system could better promote the life chances of young adults. The Commission began its work in summer 2004. A wide range of stakeholders were invited to submit written evidence or were consulted through one-to-one or roundtable discussions about the issues facing young adults in transition and what the solutions could be. Commissioners also made a number of study visits to projects aimed at helping young adults in transition, in the UK, in Europe and in North America. The recommendations contained in the report have been informed by the consultations and the visits. Details: London: Barrow Cadbury Trust, 2005. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 5, 2012 at: http://www.iprt.ie/files/barrow_cadbury_trust_youth_report.pdf Year: 2005 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.iprt.ie/files/barrow_cadbury_trust_youth_report.pdf Shelf Number: 126566 Keywords: At-risk YouthRehabilitationYoung Adult Offenders (U.K.) |
Author: Utas, Mats Title: Urban Youth and Post-Conflict Africa on Policy Priorities Summary: Youth in urban areas of post-war African countries lead lives that are not very different from non-post-war societies. In fact it is often hard to separate battle-hardened ex-combatants from street-hardened urban youth in general. In this context, youth is a social category of people living in volatile and dire life conditions rather than a group defined by age. It is people who are no longer children, but who have yet to become social adults, people who have been marginalized into what they see as a chronic state of youthhood. It is the number of social youth, not the number of an age-categorized “youth bulge”, that poses a danger for stability in many African countries. This way of defining youth demands special efforts and raises special concerns when international donor communities create and implement youth-specific projects in post-conflict areas. Related to that, this policy note reflects on number of issues that will help improve the results of such projects through knowing and using existing social structures, including gender relations, the problems of social elites and the advantages of utilizing already existing systems of labor training. Details: Uppsala, Sweden: The Nordic Africa Institute, 2012. 4p. Source: Policy Notes 2012/4: Internet Resource: Accessed October 8, 2012 at http://nai.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:556625/FULLTEXT02 Year: 2012 Country: Africa URL: http://nai.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:556625/FULLTEXT02 Shelf Number: 126641 Keywords: Armed ConflictAt-risk YouthEducational and Training ProgramsUrban Areas |
Author: Webster, Daniel W. Title: Evaluation of Baltimore's Safe Streets Program: Effects on Attitudes, Participants’ Experiences, and Gun Violence Summary: Cure Violence, formerly CeaseFire, was developed in 1995 to reduce youth violence associated with firearms. The program takes a multifaceted approach to intervention that involves several different components. One of the major components of this program is street outreach workers, many former gang members, who go out into urban areas and develop relationships with at-risk youth. Outreach staff also act as “violence interruputers” who work around the clock to intervene at the site of conflicts and mediate potential violent encounters between individuals or gangs. Dr. Gary Slutkin developed the Cure Violence program by applying public health lessons to gun violence in some of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods. An earlier rigorous evaluation of Cure Violence in Chicago, using a multiple interrupted time series design, found significant reductions in gun violence and retaliatory homicides associated with four of seven intervention neighborhoods studied. Furthermore, when budget cuts reduced program implementation in certain Chicago neighborhoods, shootings increased in these areas. These preliminary results encouraged the Baltimore City Health Department to replicate Chicago’s Cure Violence program in four of Baltimore’s most violent neighborhoods under the name Safe Streets with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. This report presents the evaluation findings of Safe Streets, led by Daniel Webster, ScD, MPH, and Jennifer Whitehill, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This rigorous multiple interrupted time series evaluation measures Safe Streets' effect on gun violence, attitudes about the acceptability of gun use and impact on the lives of participants after the implementation of the program. Although the evaluation was not funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Chicago’s Cure Violence model is being replicated in 15 more sites across the country with a $4.5 million RWJF grant. The findings from this evaluation will be used to identify the most effective elements of the Cure Violence model in reducing gun violence and will add to the body of evidence supporting replication efforts. To measure the effect of the Safe Streets program in intervention neighborhoods, the evaluation: reviewed implementation data of the program; did multiple interrupted time series analysis of the effects of the program on homicide and nonfatal shootings; conducted a community survey of attitudes toward gun violence; and interviewed participants to determine their perceptions of the program’s effect on their lives. Details: Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2012. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 9, 2012 at: http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/web-assets/2012/01/evaluation-of-baltimore-s-safe-streets-program Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/web-assets/2012/01/evaluation-of-baltimore-s-safe-streets-program Shelf Number: 126664 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGang ViolenceGun Violence (Baltimore, U.S.)HomicidesSafe Streets ProgramYouth Violence |
Author: Atella, Julie Title: Mentoring Children of Promise: Interim Evaluation Findings Summary: In 2007, there were more than 1.7 million children with a mother or father in jail or prison. More than 7 million children—approximately one tenth of the nation’s young people—had a parent under supervision by the criminal justice system. When parents are incarcerated, their arrest and imprisonment often have a profound, negative impact on their minor children. Generally impoverished to begin with, most children of prisoners become even poorer upon their parents’ arrest. They exhibit high rates of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and attention disorders. They are also at increased risk of homelessness, household disruption, school failure and delinquency. Numerous studies have shown that mentoring programs can have significant benefits for at-risk youth like children of prisoners. Mentoring increases the likelihood of regular school attendance and academic achievement. It also decreases the chances of engaging in self-destructive or violent behavior. A trusting relationship with a caring adult can often provide stability and have a profound life-changing effect on the child. Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans Mentoring Children of Promise (MCP) program has been providing mentoring services to children of incarcerated parents since 2004. The goal of this program is to create the right conditions for children of prisoners to reach their full potential. In 2010, Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans was awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a multi-year process evaluation of this program. VOA has contracted with Wilder Research to document the program’s service model and identify implementation factors that are most critical to the program’s success. Details: Saint Paul, MN: Wilder Research, 2011. 17p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 3, 2012 at http://www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research/Publications/Studies/Mentoring%20Children%20of%20Promise/Mentoring%20Children%20of%20Promise,%20Interim%20Evaluation%20Findings.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research/Publications/Studies/Mentoring%20Children%20of%20Promise/Mentoring%20Children%20of%20Promise,%20Interim%20Evaluation%20Findings.pdf Shelf Number: 126865 Keywords: At-risk YouthChild WelfareChildren of InmatesChildren of PrisonersMentoring |
Author: International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) Title: Comparative Report on Types of Intervention Used for Youth at Risk of Joining a Street Gang. Practices from Belgium, Canada and France Summary: This comparative analysis report explores different modes of intervention aimed at identifying at-risk youth and promoting dialogue and gang disaffiliation in Canada, Belgium and France. The report contains three chapters, each on a specific country and 11 initiatives (3 Belgian, 4 French and 4 Canadian) are examined. Details: Montreal: ICPC, 2011. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 9, 2012 at: http://www.crime-prevention-intl.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/Comparative_report_on_types_of_intervention_used_for_youth_at_risk_of_joining_a_street_gang.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.crime-prevention-intl.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/Comparative_report_on_types_of_intervention_used_for_youth_at_risk_of_joining_a_street_gang.pdf Shelf Number: 126904 Keywords: At-risk YouthStreet Gangs (Canada, Belgium, France)Youth Gang Prevention |
Author: Aalders, Rachel Title: Children and Young People at Risk of Social Exclusion: Links between homelessness, child protection and juvenile justice Summary: Current research demonstrates relationships between child abuse and neglect, homelessness and criminal activity. This report presents key findings from analysis of a data set linking three community-sector data collections: Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP), juvenile justice supervision, and child protection notifications and substantiations in Victoria and Tasmania. While this project demonstrated that linking these collections is both feasible and worthwhile, the results are limited by data availability (this project used 3 years of SAAP data, 10 years of juvenile justice data, 18 years of Victorian child protection data and 3 years of Tasmanian child protection data). The accumulation of data over multiple years for all sectors would enable the flows between services over the long term to be identified, but despite the data limitations, the results highlight the possibilities for data linkage in these sectors although caution must be used in generalising these findings. People with involvement in one of the three sectors are more likely to be involved in another of the sectors than the general population Almost 15% of young people under juvenile justice supervision had received SAAP support in the year before their most recent supervision and 8% received support in the year after their most recent supervision. For those with a substantiated child protection notification, 6% received support in the year before and 7% in the year after their most recent substantiated notification. In contrast, about 1% of those aged 10 and older in the general population receive SAAP services as a client in a year and about 2% receive services as an accompanying child (AIHW 2010). More than 10% of those who received SAAP support as an adult had a history of juvenile justice supervision— by comparison, about 1% of those aged 16 or 17 (the peak age for juvenile justice supervision) are under supervision in any given year (AIHW 2011c). (National figures on the proportion of the adult population with a history of juvenile justice supervision are not available.) Young people with a child protection history enter juvenile justice supervision at a younger age Of those under juvenile justice supervision who had one or more substantiated child protection notifications, 21% first entered supervision aged 10–13 compared with 6% of those with no substantiated notifications. Young people without substantiated notifications were more likely to have entered supervision when they were older, with 33% doing so at age 17 compared with 11% of those who had one or more substantiated notifications. Young people, particularly young women, completing a detention sentence are at greater risk of homelessness Within 1 month after the end of a period of sentenced detention, 3% of periods were followed by a period of SAAP support—this increased to 9% within 6 months. Young women were twice as likely as young men to receive SAAP support in the month after the end of a sentenced detention period. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2012. Source: Internet Resource: Data Linkage Series, Number 13: Accessed November 24, 2012 at: www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129542237 Year: 2012 Country: Armenia URL: Shelf Number: 126995 Keywords: At-risk YouthChild Abuse and NeglectChild ProtectionDelinquency PreventionHomelessnessJuvenile JusticeJuvenile Offenders (Australia) |
Author: Basi, Sandip Title: Housing Homeless Youth in Vancouver: Key Barriers and Strategic Responses Summary: The objective of this study − which was developed by master's students from Simon Fraser University's School of Public Policy for BC Housing − is to describe an effective strategy for tackling youth homelessness in Vancouver. Our approach focuses on four key deliverables: 1) a literature review on youth homelessness, 2) a summary of successful youth-homelessness programs and policies, 3) three case studies of programs that effectively address youth homelessness, and 4) an inventory of services for homeless youth in Vancouver. The process of selecting successful practices begins with a short review of the considerable literature on the subject. The literature reflects a general consensus on several important aspects of the problem, such as the diversity of the population, common causes and accepted strategies. Informed by these sources and by recommendations from policymakers and practitioners in the field, we selected several practices to review from different Canadian cities (notably Calgary and Toronto) and comparable countries (Australia, the U.K. and the United States). The study also includes a thorough review of the services available to homeless youth in Vancouver as well as input from Vancouver-area practitioners about what is working, what isn't and what still needs to be done. This data informs our final recommendations about what a strategy to address youth homelessness in Vancouver should include. (Our case studies and inventory of Vancouver services can be found in the appendices.) Ultimately, our findings show that what’s missing in Vancouver is not a specific service or policy, but a system-wide strategy to tackle youth homelessness. Our recommendations highlight three overarching principles that should guide such a strategy and a list of specific programs that would help deliver the objectives of each principle. Details: Burnaby, BC, Canada: BC Housing, 2012. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 26, 2012 at: http://homelesshub.ca/ResourceFiles/Housing%20Homeless%20Youth%20in%20Vancouver%20Key%20Barriers%20and%20Strategic%20Responses.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://homelesshub.ca/ResourceFiles/Housing%20Homeless%20Youth%20in%20Vancouver%20Key%20Barriers%20and%20Strategic%20Responses.pdf Shelf Number: 127001 Keywords: At-risk YouthHomeless YouthHomelessness (Vancouver, Canada)Street Youth |
Author: Barrow Cadbury Trust Title: Coping with Kidulthood: The Hidden Truth Behind Britain’s Abandoned Adolescents Summary: The T2A Alliance is a coalition of organisations and individuals working to improve the life chances of young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who are at risk of falling into the criminal justice system. This report will feed into our work over the coming year and provides the first building block in the creation of a campaign manifesto planned for 2009. The report is based on two pieces of new empirical research commissioned exclusively for the T2A Alliance: • The first, by the public opinion research company Populus, consists of focus group research comparing the life experiences of a group of male young offenders with a group of male university students. • The second, by the market research company Com Res, is the result of opinion polling carried out among 1001 young people to test their attitudes towards a broad set of policy initiatives related to youth justice. • Of the 1001 young people polled 83% say that getting work experience and having good job opportunities is a key factor in helping young people move away from crime. • 76% also believe that ensuring access to youth clubs and community centres for young people so that they can socialise and interact was important in countering youth crime. • 82% believe that it is important going to a school that does not tolerate bad behaviour and instils discipline and personal responsibility in its pupils. • For young people who have drug or alcohol problems 78% think that immediate and regular support by social services is an important way of tackling the problem. Details: London: The Transition to Adulthood (T2A) Alliance, 2009. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 28, 2012 at: http://www.bctrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/T2A-Kidulthood_Report-Barrow_Cadbury_Trust-2009.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.bctrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/T2A-Kidulthood_Report-Barrow_Cadbury_Trust-2009.pdf Shelf Number: 127015 Keywords: At-risk YouthDisadvantaged YouthYoung Adult Offenders (U.K.) |
Author: Poulin, Mary E. Title: A Process and Outcome Evaluation of the 4-H Mentoring/ Youth and Families with Promise (YFP) Program Summary: The Utah 4-H Mentoring/Youth and Families with Promise (YFP) program is a statewide mentoring program designed for at-risk youths who are 10-14 years old. Youths are paired with mentors, participate in 4-H activities, and attend Family Night Out (FNO) activities designed to strengthen family bonds. Following an evaluability assessment by NIJ that showed that the program was ready for evaluation, JRSA conducted a process and outcome evaluation to assess the degree to which the program is implemented and operated as planned, as well as its effectiveness in increasing participants’ interpersonal competence, improving their academic performance, strengthening their family relationships, and preventing delinquency. Our assessment addressed the following: (1) the characteristics of the population served; (2) the type and dosage of program activities; (3) mentor-mentee relationships; (4) satisfaction with the program; (5) involvement of youths’ family members in the program; (6) characteristics of mentors; and (7) issues related to the youths’ length of stay. Though there was significant attrition over the course of data collection, the evaluation included 392 youths in the treatment group and 327 youths in the comparison group. Assessment methods were as follows: We collected pre- and post-program data from 2005 to 2010 from youths in the program and their parents of youths, and from a comparison group of students of similar age. We measured outcome indicators at the start of, during, and up to three years after the youths’ involvement with the program using the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale Version 2, official school and court records, and the youths’ self-reports of behavior and perceptions of the program. • Youths’ perceptions of their relationship with their mentor were measured through the Youth–Mentor Relationship Questionnaire. • Program implementation was assessed using program dosage data, observations of program activities, mentor surveys, interviews and surveys of program staff, and program documentation. • Program costs were assessed by collecting data on program expenditures and comparing them to expenditures of similar programs. The evaluation found no evidence for improvement in academic performance, strengthening of family relationships, or delinquency prevention. Significant deviation from documented program guidelines was seen, and required program “dosage” was not always provided. While the evaluation had some methodological limitations, its findings show limited evidence of program success. Once issues with program implementation have been addressed, however, further evaluation might be considered. Details: Washington, DC: Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2012. 188p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 4, 2012 at: http://www.jrsa.org/projects/yfp-final-report-to-NIJ.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.jrsa.org/projects/yfp-final-report-to-NIJ.pdf Shelf Number: 127123 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionYouth Mentoring (U.S.) |
Author: Miller, J. Mitchell Title: Researching the Referral Stage of Youth Mentoring in Six Juvenile Justice Settings: An Exploratory Analysis Summary: Researching the Referral Stage of Youth Mentoring in Six Juvenile Justice Settings: An Exploratory Analysis examines best practices for referring youth to mentoring from six juvenile justice settings: detention, corrections, probation, delinquency court, teen court/youth court and dependency court. A delinquency prevention and intervention option that capitalizes on the resources of local communities and caring individuals, mentoring has emerged as a promising delinquency reduction strategy for high-risk youth. This mentoring research project researches the “referral stage” of mentoring to improve the design and delivery of mentoring services to appropriate high-risk youth, which most likely will have a favorable impact on reducing juvenile delinquency, alcohol and drug abuse, truancy, and/or other problem behaviors. Details: Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2012. 180p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 5, 2012 at: http://www.mentoring.org/images/uploads/OJJDP%20Final%20Report_p10.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.mentoring.org/images/uploads/OJJDP%20Final%20Report_p10.pdf Shelf Number: 127128 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionYouth Mentoring (U.S.) |
Author: Clinks Title: Going for Gold: Developing Effective Services for Young Adults Throughout the Criminal Justice Process Summary: This guide sets out how to develop services for young adults throughout the criminal justice process. It is based on a set of guiding principles and rules of engagement which can be applied flexibly within different local contexts. Demographics, offender profiles, types of crime, resources and available services will vary from place to place. But while the detail of how the service is delivered can change, the approach remains consistent: evidence-based, holistic, supportive and voluntary. Some young adults, for a variety of reasons, experience difficulties in making the transition from youth to adulthood. Most young adults have supportive families, positive experiences of education and good health to help them to successfully navigate the journey to independence. However, for those youngsters who have had troubled lives characterised by fragile or damaging relationships, unstable families, poor health, poverty or the experience of violence and abuse, the journey is difficult. Young adults may experience significant changes in the way that services are delivered once they reach the age of 18, because of the different ways that youth and adult services are delivered. They may experience a sudden loss of contact with workers with whom they have built up relationships and will have to engage differently with services. This can be tricky but there is a way of minimising the potential for disruption and securing successful transitions. This resource has a simple aim; to aid the development of services that support this transition. It seeks to persuade commissioners that an approach which recognises young adults as a specific group will achieve better outcomes and lower costs. It provides an overview of why such an approach is necessary, highlighting the benefits of multi-agency collaboration, and gives a step by step guide to how such an approach can be developed. Importantly, the guide offers suggestions as to how T2A services can be introduced with different levels of resources. This resource is targeted at senior managers and local commissioners from organisations such as Local Authorities, Youth Offending Services, Probation Trusts, Prisons, Health and Wellbeing Boards, and the offices of police and crime commissioners. This resource is based on the success of three T2A pilots, funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, which have operated since 2009 in London, Birmingham and West Mercia. The pilots have been subject to a range of indepth evaluation and scrutiny, with detailed learning available to aid replication of the approaches. This resource focuses on a particular period of a young person’s life, because it is a time when the risk of offending is highest and when support changes profoundly. The transfer from the youth justice system to the adult offender management system is potentially destabilising, but the T2A pilots have shown this transition can be managed smoothly. Young people who are trying to negotiate their way to independence can be supported more effectively if senior managers and commissioners ensure that the gaps between youth and adult services are minimised. Details: London: Clinks, 2012. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 21, 2012 at http://www.clinks.org/assets/files/PDFs/Going%20for%20gold%20guide%20-%20final.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.clinks.org/assets/files/PDFs/Going%20for%20gold%20guide%20-%20final.pdf Shelf Number: 127254 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency Prevention (U.K.)Social Services |
Author: Miller, J. Mitchell Title: Referring Youth in Juvenile Justice Settings to Mentoring Programs: Effective Strategies and Practices to Improving the Mentoring Experience for At-Risk and High-Risk Youth. A Resource Compendium Summary: examines best practices for referring youth to mentoring when they are in certain juvenile justice system settings, including Juvenile Detention, Juvenile Corrections, Juvenile Probation, Delinquency Court, Youth/Teen Court and Dependency Court. As a low-cost delinquency prevention and intervention option that capitalizes on the resources of local communities and caring individuals, mentoring has emerged as a promising delinquency reduction strategy for at-risk or high-risk youth. This research study, which used multiple methods to capture data from mentoring and juvenile justice settings, provides a deeper understanding of how youth are referred to mentoring, challenges faced during the referral process, examples of effective strategies to face the challenges and action steps. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2012. 162p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 4, 2013 at: http://www.mentoring.org/images/uploads/Journal%20Article.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.mentoring.org/images/uploads/Journal%20Article.pdf Shelf Number: 127472 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionMentoring (U.S.) |
Author: Leshnick, Sukey Soukamneuth Title: Evaluation of School-District-Based Strategies for Reducing Youth Involvement in Gangs and Violent Crime Summary: In 2007, the Employment and Training Administration provided funding to five school districts to improve services to youth who are involved, have been involved or are at risk of involvement with gangs or the juvenile justice system. A variety of educational, employment, and violence prevention programs and strategies were developed and designed to increase academic performance, lower the involvement of drop-outs and reduce involvement in crime and gangs. The Evaluation of School District-Based Strategies for Reducing Youth Involvement in Gangs and Violent Crime report summarizes findings that cover several key areas for improving services: community context, school district characteristics, in-school and out-of-school youth service models, and program outcomes. The goals of the evaluation were to document prevention and intervention strategies, assess partnership models, document outcomes, and identify successful strategies, challenges and lessons learned. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor/ETZ, 2010. 239p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2013 at: http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/FullText_Documents/Evaluation_of_School_District-Based_Strategies_for_Reducing_Youth_Involvement_in_Gangs_and_Violent_Crime_Final_Report.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/FullText_Documents/Evaluation_of_School_District-Based_Strategies_for_Reducing_Youth_Involvement_in_Gangs_and_Violent_Crime_Final_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 127711 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionEducational ProgramsGang PreventionGangs (U.S.)Violent CrimeVocational Training and EducationYouth Violence |
Author: Tomberg, Kathleen A. Title: Youth Development Through Service: A Quality Assessment of the YouthBuild AmeriCorps Program Summary: The YouthBuild AmeriCorps program serves youth facing a multitude of challenges, including a lack of education and job skills, community disengagement, and economic disadvantage. This assessment of the program found that after engaging with the YouthBuild AmeriCorps model, participants made significant, positive changes in their outlook on service, personal responsibility, and community orientation. More specifically, after participating in the program, they deepened their personal commitments to service, began to develop a sense of personal worth and reliability, became more connected with their communities, and started to develop more trust in larger social institutions. These encouraging findings suggest that YouthBuild AmeriCorps is succeeding in the development of service commitment, a sense of community engagement, and personal satisfaction within students who participate in their construction service, education, and leadership development program. Details: New York: Research and Evaluation Center, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, 2013. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 14, 2013 at: http://johnjayresearch.org/rec/2013/01/31/ybac2013/ Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://johnjayresearch.org/rec/2013/01/31/ybac2013/ Shelf Number: 127937 Keywords: At-risk YouthCommunity EngagementDelinquency Prevention (U.S.) |
Author: St. James-Roberts, Ian Title: National Evaluation of Youth Justice Board Mentoring Schemes 2001 to 2004 Summary: Between 2001 and 2004, the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) supported 80 community mentor projects distributed across England and Wales. The projects set out to deliver mentor programmes to young people who had offended or were at risk of doing so. This report evaluates the projects’ effectiveness and costs in achieving their aims. Details: London: Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, 2005. 190p. Source: Internet Resource: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/7757/1/National%20Evaluation%20of%20Mentoring%20Projects%202001%20to%202004%20web%20ready.pdf Year: 2005 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/7757/1/National%20Evaluation%20of%20Mentoring%20Projects%202001%20to%202004%20web%20ready.pdf Shelf Number: 127938 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile OffendersYouth Mentoring |
Author: Herrera, Carla Title: The Role of Risk: Mentoring Experiences and Outcomes for Youth with Varying Risk Profiles Summary: More and more, mentoring programs are being asked to serve higher-risk youth—for example, those in foster care or the juvenile justice system or youth with a parent who is incarcerated. This impulse is understandable: Studies have illuminated the varied benefits that mentoring programs can provide, including improving academics and relationships with others and reducing involvement in problem behaviors. Higher-risk youth are clearly in need of such support. While these youth are often viewed through the lens of likely future costs to their communities, they also embody enormous unrealized potential. With the right kinds of support, these young people could put themselves on a path toward bright, productive futures, and make vital contributions to their families, neighborhoods and nation. Many hope that mentoring programs can help make this vision a reality. Yet few studies have examined and compared the benefits of mentoring for youth with differing types or sources of risk. The Role of Risk: Mentoring Experiences and Outcomes for Youth with Varying Risk Profiles presents findings from the first large-scale study to examine how the levels and types of risk youth face may influence their relationships with program-assigned mentors and the benefits they derive from these relationships. The study looked closely at the backgrounds of participating youth and their mentors, the mentoring relationships that formed, the program supports that were offered, and the benefits that youth accrued—and assessed how these varied for youth with differing “profiles” of risk. We believe the study’s results provide useful guidance for practitioners, funders and policymakers who want to know which youth are best suited for mentoring and how practices might be strengthened to help ensure that youth facing a variety of risks get the most out of their mentoring experience. Details: New York: A Public/Private Ventures project distributed by MDRC, 2013. 132p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2013 at: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/Role%20of%20Risk_Final-web%20PDF.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/Role%20of%20Risk_Final-web%20PDF.pdf Shelf Number: 127969 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionMentoring (U.S.) |
Author: Bryant, Rhonda Title: Investing in Boys and Young Men of Color: The Promise and Opportunity Summary: Policies and practices that support young men of color in their teen years can help put them on the path to lead healthy and productive lives. Young men of color face more obstacles in education, employment, and health than their white peers. In order to improve health and success of middle- and high school-aged young men of color, RWJF launched Forward Promise in 2011. To inform this new initiative and better understand the issues at work, RWJF engaged the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) to conduct roundtable discussions, online surveys, and telephone interviews. The resulting issue brief highlights challenges, recommendations, and ideas for action. Key Findings Promote school discipline approaches that address behavioral problems without pushing students out of school. Increase the use of data to target interventions to boys at risk for dropping out of school. Expand opportunities for young men to work, learn, and develop career-enhancing skills. Elevate the importance of a “caring adult” in policy and programmatic efforts to re-engage out-of-school males. Provide options for out-of-school males to attain a secondary credential with pathways to postsecondary education. Increase access to health care services and the cultural competency of health professionals and educators who work with boys and young men of color. Change the philosophy and culture of how youth systems provide services to youth experiencing violence and trauma. “There is much to be done in the realm of legislation and regulatory reform, in the reframing of social service systems to be explicitly supportive of boys and young men of color, and in programmatic efforts on the ground that are geared toward youth of color,” write the authors. “The strength of our society depends on whether young men of color have the opportunity to become healthy adults who contribute to their communities and society.” Details: Princeton, NJ: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2013. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2013 at: http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/issue_briefs/2013/rwjf404345 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/issue_briefs/2013/rwjf404345 Shelf Number: 127993 Keywords: -Minority YouthAt-risk YouthDelinquency Prevention (U.S.) |
Author: Stacey, Kathleen Title: Panyappi Indigenous Youth Mentoring Program External Evaluation Report Summary: Panyappi is an Indigenous youth mentoring service for young people who experience multiple problems that lead them to frequent inner city or other suburban hangouts, placing them at risk of being a victim of crime or engaging in offending behaviour. Panyappi aims to: 1. To intervene in pathways of offending behaviour and bring about a positive shift in each young person’s attitude toward offending and in their behaviour. 2. To decrease each young participant’s contact with the juvenile justice system and/or agencies associated with this system. 3. To promote self-discovery and self-determination by young people participating in the program their family and wider community. 4. To work collaboratively with all agencies that have mutual responsibility for resolving the young person’s difficulties. Most of the young people with whom Panyappi works are disengaging or already disengaged from education, have a high rate of social-emotional issues, and often engage in substance misuse. At least half of these young people are involved with FAYS and/or the juvenile justice system. They are unlikely to engage with mainstream youth mentoring programs, particularly on a voluntary basis, or with other youth groups or youth support services. They require longer-term, consistent, regular and more intense support in order to build trust, foster their personal resilience, and assist them to gain stability, a positive personal identity and constructive direction for their lives. Although it began in July 2001, like many pilot initiatives tackling a difficult issue Panyappi experienced disruptions during its establishment. Initially this was due to disagreement about the program focus, location, auspicing arrangements, and an insufficient funding base. The funding issue led to staffing the program with trainees only as mentors, rather than more experienced workers, which proved inappropriate and drew the Coordinator’s time away from service development. After making progress by March 2002, there were two quick changes of Coordinator resulting in an extended break in service in 2002. The program was stabilised in February 2003 and since then has functioned more smoothly, strengthened collaborative work with other agencies/ services, and provided consistent mentoring services for young people and families. Details: Panyappi: Metropolitan Aboriginal Youth Team; Adelaide: South Australia Department of Human Services, 2004. 86p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2013 at: http://www.dcsi.sa.gov.au/Pub/Portals/7/panyappi-indigenous-youth-mentoring-program-external-evaluation-report.pdf Year: 2004 Country: Australia URL: http://www.dcsi.sa.gov.au/Pub/Portals/7/panyappi-indigenous-youth-mentoring-program-external-evaluation-report.pdf Shelf Number: 128002 Keywords: AboriginalsAt-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionIndigenous PeoplesYouth Mentoring (Australia) |
Author: Peacock, Jo Title: The TurnAround 2007 Project Summary: There are approximately 6.7 million young people aged 15-24 in England and a disproportionate number of these live in deprived, urban areas. The prevalence of adolescent problem behaviour has steadily increased with drug, tobacco and alcohol abuse, aggressive and anti-social behaviour, violence, teenage pregnancy and suicide rates becoming growing problems. Adolescents commonly face choices requiring pressurised decisions about gang involvement, violence, alcohol, drugs, sex and pregnancy, that potentially place them ‘at risk’. This cohort of ‘youth at risk’ are also subjected to other interactive environmental stressors, such as domestic violence, parental drug and alcohol abuse, physical and sexual abuse, family stress/poorly parented, divorced/single parent families, neglect or school failure. A lack of informed choice often leads to poor decision making and these youth at risk become labelled as underachievers, disadvantaged, marginal, underprivileged and remedial. They become socially inept, lack trust and teamwork skills, have poor emotional regulation and have low self esteem. Unless this issue is actively and positively addressed the number of out of work and unmotivated young people will increase along with a concomitant rise in drug and alcohol abuse, criminal activity and general anti-social behaviour, leading to social and economic problems in the community and diversion of police, court, social benefits and social worker resources to deal with the problem. A wide range of international research has evidenced key health benefits experienced for many people after spending time in the natural environment and a link between nature and health seems to be clearly emerging. Health benefits include reduced stress levels, improved mood; enhanced psychological wellbeing and improved attention and concentration. Natural places facilitate stress recovery, encourage exercise participation, stimulate development in children and provide opportunities for personal development and sense of purpose in adults. Partaking in physical activity in natural surroundings - “green exercise”- may also have therapeutic properties and collectively, such therapeutic approaches have been referred to as “green care”. Many different organisations and services are starting to show an interest in green care including: healthcare professionals; social services providers; Local Authorities; offender management teams; probation services, youth services; education authorities and farmers. Although the area of green care is very diverse, the common linking ethos is the contact with nature, which generates the health, social or educational benefits. Wilderness therapy is an emerging green care intervention which uses a systematic approach to work with adolescents with behavioural problems. Although this is not the only cohort that can benefit from the outdoors, wilderness therapy is most often used with youth at risk to help them address any emotional, adjustment, addiction or psychological problems. Wilderness therapy programmes typically provide healthy exercise and diet through hiking and physical activity, individual and group therapy sessions, educational curricula, primitive skills, group-living with peers, opportunities for solo time and reflection leadership training and challenges resulting from ‘back-to basics’ living. The rationale for these interventions involves separating disaffected young people from daily negative influences and placing them in safe outdoor environments. Spending time in a natural setting enables participants to access those aspects of their self that may elude them in more conventional personal development or therapeutic settings. The Wilderness Foundation UK, initiated a pilot social project called ‘The TurnAround 2007 Project’, which was designed to help vulnerable young people in social care in Chelmsford and the mid-Essex area. The Wilderness Foundation UK is a registered charity which raises awareness of the need to preserve and restore wilderness areas, offers wilderness experiences and is involved in various social programmes to demonstrate how wilderness exposure facilitates the education and health of both individuals and the wider society. The Turnaround 2007 project, a pilot stage of a longer 3 year project, targeted youths aged 15-18 years old who were considered to be ‘at risk’ and were in danger of drifting into a life of petty crime, drug & alcohol abuse and general anti-social behaviour. Details: Colchester, UK: Centre for Environment and Society, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Essex,, 2008. 115p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2013 at: http://www.essex.ac.uk/ces/occasionalpapers/Kerry/TurnAround%202007%20Final%20Report.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.essex.ac.uk/ces/occasionalpapers/Kerry/TurnAround%202007%20Final%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 128204 Keywords: Anti-Social BehaviorAt-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionWilderness Programs (U.K.) |
Author: Great Britain. Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) Title: Missing Children Summary: Children represented approximately two thirds of the estimated 360,000 missing person incidents in 2009–10. Children in care are three times more likely to go missing from their home than children who are not in care. However, due to the unreliability of available data, it is likely that the true scale of the problem is not fully understood. A number of recent high-profile court cases concerning child sexual exploitation and high-profile inquiries have highlighted the vulnerability of children who go missing, and the associated risks of sexual exploitation. The government published proposals to tackle child sexual exploitation in November 2011 and announced urgent action to look at the quality of residential care for looked after children in July 2012. This report explores the effectiveness of arrangements to safeguard children and young people, including those who are looked after by the local authority, who are at risk of going missing or running away from home. Inspectors visited a sample of 10 local authority areas. The report draws on evidence from 105 cases and from the views of children and young people, carers, and professionals from the local authority and from partner agencies. The complex and varied reasons identified on a national basis why children go missing were reflected in the nature of the cases seen by inspectors. Children’s histories included inadequate parenting, past or current abuse, bullying and domestic violence. Some children who were looked after had experienced several placement moves. Children who went missing were subjected to considerable associated risk, most often from sexual exploitation, drug and alcohol abuse, and becoming the victim or perpetrator of crime. Inspectors saw evidence of some tenacious partnership working across relevant agencies to safeguard children at risk of going missing. Information was generally shared effectively when children were reported missing and there were some persistent efforts by professionals to engage children. However, some inconsistency and gaps in practice meant that professionals were not always fully attuned to the needs of children who went missing. For example, it was not often clear whether checks, usually undertaken by police officers, to ensure that children were safe and well after returning home had been undertaken. When they had been, the outcomes of the checks were often not routinely shared with carers and professionals. Similarly, more in-depth return interviews with children by an independent person to explore the reasons why they had run away and to identify any support needs were rarely evident. Updated risk management plans that identified specific actions to be taken to prevent children from running away and to keep them safe were rarely evident in the cases seen by inspectors. The lack of routine attention to learning from the experiences of children also contributed to a generally weak understanding at a senior level of the reasons why children go missing. Strategic planning of services to reduce the number of children who go missing was underdeveloped in most local authorities and was hindered further by some poor record management and unreliable data systems. There was, however, an increasing awareness of several related issues, particularly sexual exploitation, which was supported by relevant training. Nearly all of the cases tracked by inspectors displayed a sensitive and child-centred approach to protecting children who went missing. However, some evidence heard by inspectors about some professionals’ attitudes suggests there is no room for complacency. Details: Manchester, UK; Ofsted, 2013. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2013 at: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/missing-children Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/missing-children Shelf Number: 128261 Keywords: At-risk YouthChild ProtectionChild Sexual ExploitationMissing Children (U.K.)Runaways |
Author: Mcghee, Sarah Theresa Title: Masculinity, Sexuality, and Soccer: An Exploration of Three Grassroots Sport-for-Social-Change Organizations in South Africa Summary: Programs that utilize soccer as a tool for social change are steadily emerging throughout townships and rural areas in South Africa, the most economically disadvantaged areas of the country. In South Africa, grassroots sport-for-social-change organizations are compensating for failed government policies and programs that seek to help at-risk youth. As a result, program staff are often members of the community who are not versed in academic critiques of the use of sport in development initiatives. Additionally, much of the existing literature on sport-for-social-change champions the advancement of specific projects without asking critical research questions, which should include the appropriateness of the modality within a given context. In this case, the complexities of using soccer (e.g., its practices, historical significance, and gendered meanings) have not been thoroughly investigated. Soccer is not a “genderless” tool for social change. Participation in violent sports such as soccer has been used to bolster claims of a naturalized dominance of men over women. Although participation by girls and young women in soccer programs (professional and recreational) is increasing in urban townships and rural areas, soccer pitches remain largely “masculinized spaces.” In this study, I use qualitative research methods to show how gendered discourses organize sport-for-social-change programs. Using Ashcraft and Mumby’s theory of feminist communicology and Connell and Messerschmidt’s reformulated theory of hegemonic masculinity, I examine three sport-for-social-change organizations in South Africa through an applied lens with a feminist standpoint. Semi-structured interviews with twelve key informants were conducted over a three-month period between May and August of 2009. All three organizations studied are grassroots organizations that work within a particular area of South Africa. They each target male children and youth between the ages of 6 and 19 from economically disadvantaged households and use soccer as a modality for social change, yet each organization operates within a different cultural context primarily based on participants’ racial, regional, and ethnic identities. My research found that masculine discourses were constructed, maintained, and contested in sport-for-social-change organizations through: (a) (Not) Engaging in (Social) Fatherhood, (b) Challenging the Temptation to Lead a Gangster Life and Have a “Gangster” Attitude, and (c) Challenging Patriarchy, Physical Assault, and Cultural “Traditions.” Discourses also created paradoxes that worked against the goal of contesting local hegemonic masculinities, although these paradoxes were not typically identified by organizational members. Although I found similarities in the influences of local discourses on organizations such as the lingering effects of The Group Areas Act on urban migration that influenced men’s roles within their families; the desire to create positive male role models that rejected characteristics associated with exemplars of hegemonic masculinity identified in each case study; and concerns about stopping the pattern of domestic violence prevalent in some communities, an issue that is also related to spread of HIV, I also found differences. Differences were based primarily on racial, regional and ethnic signifiers and affected the goals of each organization as well as the design of programs aimed at achieving these goals. Details: University of South Florica, Department of Communications, 2012. 227p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 25, 2013: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5564&context=etd Year: 2012 Country: South Africa URL: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5564&context=etd Shelf Number: 128495 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionGender StudiesSports |
Author: Ludwig, Jens Title: Preventing Youth Violence and Dropout: A Randomized Field Experiment Summary: Improving the long-term life outcomes of disadvantaged youth remains a top policy priority in the United States, although identifying successful interventions for adolescents – particularly males – has proven challenging. This paper reports results from a large randomized controlled trial of an intervention for disadvantaged male youth grades 7-10 from high-crime Chicago neighborhoods. The intervention was delivered by two local non-profits and included regular interactions with a pro-social adult, after-school programming, and – perhaps the most novel ingredient – in-school programming designed to reduce common judgment and decision-making problems related to automatic behavior and biased beliefs, or what psychologists call cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). We randomly assigned 2,740 youth to programming or to a control group; about half those offered programming participated, with the average participant attending 13 sessions. Program participation reduced violent-crime arrests during the program year by 8.1 per 100 youth (a 44 percent reduction). It also generated sustained gains in schooling outcomes equal to 0.14 standard deviations during the program year and 0.19 standard deviations during the follow-up year, which we estimate could lead to higher graduation rates of 3-10 percentage points (7-22 percent). Depending on how one monetizes the social costs of crime, the benefit-cost ratio may be as high as 30:1 from reductions in criminal activity alone. Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2013. 81p. Source: Internet Resoruce: NBER Working Paper 19014: Accessed May 9, 2013 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w19014 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w19014 Shelf Number: 128689 Keywords: At-risk YouthCost-Benefit AnalysisDelinquency Prevention (U.S.)Education and CrimeSchool AttendanceSchool Dropouts |
Author: Coren, Esther Title: Interventions for Promoting Reintegration and Reducing Harmful Behaviour and Lifestyles in Street-connected Children and Young People: A Systematic Review Summary: BACKGROUND Numbers of street-connected children and young people run into many millions worldwide and include children and young people who live or work in street environments. Whether or not they remain connected to their families of origin, and despite many strengths and resiliencies, they are vulnerable to a range of risks and are excluded from mainstream social structures and opportunities. OBJECTIVES To summarise the effectiveness of interventions for street-connected children and young people that promote inclusion and reintegration and reduce harms. To explore the processes of successful intervention and models of change in this area, and to understand how intervention effectiveness may vary in different contexts. RESULTS We included 11 studies evaluating 12 interventions from high income countries. We did not find any sufficiently robust evaluations conducted in low and middle income countries (LMICs) despite the existence of many relevant programmes. Study quality overall was low to moderate and there was great variation in the measurement used by studies, making comparison difficult. Participants were drop-in and shelter based. We found no consistent results on a range of relevant outcomes within domains of psychosocial health, substance misuse and sexual risky behaviours despite the many measurements collected in the studies. The interventions being evaluated consisted of time limited therapeutically based programmes which did not prove more effective than standard shelter or drop-in services for most outcomes and in most studies. There were favourable changes from baseline in outcomes for most participants in therapy interventions and also in standard services. There was considerable heterogeneity between studies and equity data were inconsistently reported. No study measured the primary outcome of reintegration or reported on adverse effects. The review discussion section included consideration of the relevance of the findings for LMIC settings. Details: Oslo: Campbell Collaboration, 2013. Source: Internet Resource: Campbell Systematic Review 2013:6: Accessed May 13, 2013 at: www.campbellcollaboration.org Year: 2013 Country: International URL: Interventions for Promoting Reintegration and Reducing Harmful Behaviour and Lifestyles in Street-connected Children and Young People: A Systematic Review Shelf Number: 128720 Keywords: At-risk YouthRunawaysStreet Chidlren (International)Street YouthVulnerable Youth |
Author: Trinidad and Tobago. Parliament. Committee on Young Males and Crime in Trinidad and Tobago Title: No Time To Quit: Engaging Youth at Risk. Executive Report of the Committee on Young Males and Crime in Trinidad and Tobago Summary: This report of the Youth at Risk Committee seeks to put in perspective equity vis a vis equal opportunity. It seeks to move beyond the narrow concept of sameness and to embrace the concepts of difference in the multi-cultural, multi-class society of Trinidad and Tobago. The report argues that the young male population that is more at risk of directly being caught in the criminal world of drugs, guns and deadly violent crime are of African descent, especially those located in urban “hotspots” such as Laventille. At the same time, it focuses on the different problems which young Indo-Trinidadian males face in areas of Central Trinidad, their predilection to alcohol and related domestic violence abuse. It also addresses the way in which women and young girls are both drawn into crime or become victims of the effects of male involvement in crime. Details: St. Augustine: Multimedia Production Centre (MPC), School of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Education, The University of the West Indies, 2013. 436p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 21, 2013 at: http://www.ttparliament.org/documents/2197.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Trinidad and Tobago URL: http://www.ttparliament.org/documents/2197.pdf Shelf Number: 129118 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile Delinquency (Trinidad and Tobago)Juvenile OffendersYouth CrimeYouth Gangs |
Author: Manuel, Celie Title: Systematic Review of Youth Crime Prevention Interventions Summary: This systematic literature review was commissioned by the Danish Crime Prevention Council to supplement the existing knowledge base about youth crime prevention and provide useful information about implementation and effectiveness of known crime prevention initiatives. The review is one component of a larger project commenced by the Danish Crime Prevention Council to collect information about methods and implementation processes for youth crime prevention interventions. Within the scope of this project, a network of prevention ambassadors is being established across Danish municipalities and it is the hope of the Danish Crime Prevention Council that this systematic literature review can inform and qualify the work of these prevention ambassadors in their local prevention efforts. INTERVENTIONS THAT INCLUDE A FOCUS ON THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT OF YOUTH HAVE GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS We included primary, secondary and tertiary prevention interventions and analysed them according to their delivery modes splitting them into seven different types: individual interventions, family-based, group-based, or school-based interventions, community oriented or systems-oriented interventions or interventions with multiple delivery modes. The greatest likelihood of positive intervention results was found for comprehensive interventions that aim to develop a more pro-social environment for target youth and that do not merely focus on individual-level factors such as cognition and behaviour management. The interventions that were most frequently successful were those with multiple delivery modes or delivered to the entire family. 63% and 57% of interventions with multiple delivery modes and family-based interventions respectively showed positive effects in terms of reducing disruptive or criminal behaviour. This is in comparison with a third or less of the school- or group-based interventions included in this review. The review also found trends to suggest that interventions with durations of at least four to six months were more likely to be effective than shorter durations in reducing disruptive or criminal behaviour. At the same time, most interventions lasting over four months had multiple delivery modes and it is as such not possible to separate effects related to longer duration from effects related to a more comprehensive approach. Also, interventions that appear to take a resource-oriented rather than a problem-focussed approach had a higher likelihood of success. This inference is tempered by the unverified assessment of approach and the fact that only few problem-focussed interventions were included in the review. GAPS IN RECENT YOUTH CRIME PREVENTION LITERATURE The systematic literature review reveals that very few quality evaluations using a control-group design have been conducted in a European let alone a Nordic setting. The vast majority of included interventions are from the United States. Due to the differences in juvenile justice systems and target group characteristics generally, translation of findings from the U.S. to the Danish context is problematic. As an example of this, an intervention such as Multisystemic Therapy (MST) which is one of the blueprints for violence prevention in the U.S. (showing sustained effects and successful replication across study sites) was not found to be better than usual services when implemented in Sweden. Recently evaluated youth crime prevention interventions distin-guish only broadly between different types of youth offenders and youth with problem behaviour. Very few interventions target for instance ethnic minorities, girls or youth with specific risk characteristics. Similarly, the interventions identified in this review do not, for the most part, expressly recognize youth offending as group behaviour, though this is the case for the majority of youth offending in Denmark. THE LITERATURE BASE FOR THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW Seventy-two studies (incl. journal articles, dissertations, book chapters and reports) published between 2008 and 2012 were identified through a systematic literature search conducted for this review. Selected studies used using experimental or quasi-experimental research designs targeting 12-17 year olds and focusing on effects in terms of disruptive or criminal behaviour. Fifty-six studies were of adequate quality to allow a plausible inference of causality between intervention implementation and evaluation findings. These form the basis for the analysis of intervention characteristics and intervention effectiveness across preventive levels and intervention delivery modes. Details: Copenhagen: SFI Udgivelsesdato (Danish National Centre for Social Research), 2013. 312p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 3, 2013 at: http://www.sfi.dk/rapportoplysninger-4681.aspx?Action=1&NewsId=3850&PID=9267 Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.sfi.dk/rapportoplysninger-4681.aspx?Action=1&NewsId=3850&PID=9267 Shelf Number: 129236 Keywords: At-risk YouthCrime PreventionDelinquency PreventionInterventionsJuvenile Offenders |
Author: Thelin, Rachel Title: Evaluation of Indianapolis Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative Prevention/Intervention Summary: This report focuses on an assessment of the prevention/ intervention initiatives for the Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative (CAGI) grant to the city of Indianapolis through 2010. CAGI prevention/intervention programming in Indianapolis was to provide services to gang involved or at-risk youth in five target zip codes that were designated as high crime areas in the CAGI proposal to DOJ. Prevention activities targeted children ages 7 to 13 years, and intervention approaches focused on youth ages 14 to 18 years, including both in-school and after-school programs. Five local organizations were initially selected to provide CAGI prevention/intervention programming services. A sixth was promoted from a subcontractor to an independent subgrantee in the second year of funding. Three of these programs were community-based providers, two were evening-reporting programs for court-ordered youth, and one was a school-based program. These programs varied dramatically in goals, characteristics, and definitions of success. Details: Indianapolis: Center for Criminal Justice Research, School of Public and Environmental Affairs Indiana University, 2011. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 5, 2013 at: https://archives.iupui.edu/handle/2450/5567 Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: https://archives.iupui.edu/handle/2450/5567 Shelf Number: 129541 Keywords: At-risk YouthDelinquency PreventionGangs (Indianapolis, U.S.) |
Author: University of Chicago Crime Lab Title: Short Term Results of the One Summer Plus 2012 Evaluation Summary: In 2012, Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services designed and implemented a youth summer employment program called One Summer Plus (OSP). OSP combined a part-time summer job with proven cognitive behavioral therapy-based programming in order to reduce violence involvement and generate lasting improvements in youth outcomes. Importantly, OSP was structured like a clinical trial in medicine to generate rigorous evidence on the program’s effects – a vital contribution given that there is almost no convincing research on the effects of summer jobs, especially on crime. The program was open to youth in 13 Chicago Public Schools located in high-violence neighborhoods. This brief reports on the early findings from the evaluation study, using administrative data on schooling and crime during a 7-month follow-up period. While participants attended less summer school (4 percentage points lower enrollment) and saw no change in other schooling outcomes, they also showed an enormous proportional drop in violent-crime arrests after 7 post-program months (3.7 fewer arrests per 100 participants, a 51 percent decline). Although it is too early for a full benefit-cost analysis, if these results persist, the program’s benefits may eventually outweigh its costs given the extremely high social costs of violent crime. Future work will continue to track study youth, but even these preliminary findings provide convincing evidence that OSP was highly successful in reducing violence among adolescents. Details: Chicago: University of Chicago Crime Lab, 2013. 5p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2013 at: http://crimelab.uchicago.edu/sites/crimelab.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/Plus%20results%20brief%20FINAL%2020130802.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://crimelab.uchicago.edu/sites/crimelab.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/Plus%20results%20brief%20FINAL%2020130802.pdf Shelf Number: 129575 Keywords: At-risk YouthBehavior TherapyDelinquency PreventionEmploymentJuvenile Delinquency (Chicago, U.S.) |
Author: Damooei, Jamshid Title: The Evaluation Report For Targeted ReEntry Program of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme Summary: Crime devastates victims, communities, and even perpetrators. Over the last several decades, the United States has faced serious problems with its criminal justice system. The population of incarcerated Americans has grown tenfold since 1970 and those who have been released from prison are more likely than not to return to prison. The vicious cycle of imprisonment, release, and imprisonment need to be reduced and if possible stopped. In the last decade, there has been renewed interest in programs that are intended to reduce the recidivism rate of released prisoners. The Targeted Reentry Program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme is one such program that focuses on the needs of at‐risk juvenile offenders. The program provides services to youth offenders from the time the time they are detained in juvenile facilities through their release and reintegration with the community. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme rely on several collaborators to provide specialized services that are beyond their purview. These collaborators include: - Palmer Drug Abuse Program - Ventura County Public Health - The Ventura County Probation Agency - The Coalition to End Family Violence This study has worked to collect data both from the management of and participants in the Targeted Reentry Program in order to determine the effectiveness of the services provided. Based on these findings, the program proves to be an effective resource in the lives of these young people. Participants perceive the services to be effective and they consistently utilize everything that the program has to offer. Moreover, the rates of recidivism are relatively low and they seem to be gainfully engaged in the community upon release. Data collected through studying the records of program management indicate the following: - Significant proportions (36%) of youths who have received the program services are currently employed. - 84% of those who have participated in the Targeted Reentry Program are either currently in school or they have earned academic credentials that could help them become employed. Most encouragingly, 10% are currently pursuing secondary education beyond high school. - 36% of program participants received counseling services while they were inside the juvenile facility. - 86% of those who received counseling while they were in detention continued to receive counseling after they left the facility and began reintegrating into their communities. - The vast majority of respondents (70%) received substance abuse treatment inside the juvenile facility. This is a significant finding. First, it speaks to the success and ability of the Targeted Reentry Program to provide a service to a large number of program participants. Second, it indicates just how many of the youths entering the program is in need of substance abuse treatment. The majority of participants (52%) who received substance abuse treatment within the Juvenile Facility indicate that they continued to receive such treatment after they released into the community. - 85% of those who participated in the Targeted Reentry Program were not returned to the juvenile facility after their release only for a new offense. In addition to consulting the records of program management, the research team prepared a survey that was administered to program participants. The results of the survey are as follows: - At the time respondents filled out the questionnaire, a majority (53.5%) were legal adults over the age of eighteen. - When entering the program, juvenile offenders were between the ages of 14 and 17. The largest share of respondents (46.7%) was 17 when beginning the program. - Nearly three‐fourths of respondents (73.3%) are males. - 53.3% of respondents indicate that they are full‐time high school students not currently employed. An additional 13.4% are also studying; 6.7% are attending community college fulltime while another 6.7% are attending college while working. An additional third of respondents are no longer pursuing an education. 20% are working full‐time while 13.3% are working parttime jobs. - All respondents to the survey are either working or studying. This means that all these individuals are on the path to having a more stable life. - The findings of the program participant survey are quite promising. Only 13.3% of survey respondents indicate that they have had new charges filed against them after exiting the Targeted Reentry Program for the first time. This level of recidivism is significantly less than national levels that are generally in excess of 60%. - All survey respondents believed that the Targeted Reentry Program helped them to "find [the] real sources of my [their] problems." Specifically, 60% believed the program was very successful while 40% believed it to be only successful in this regard. - All survey respondents indicated that the program changed the way they deal with their problems for the better. This is further evidence that the services of the program are helping to develop pro‐social behavior among participants. - All survey respondents indicated that the program was successful in making them more hopeful about their lives. This is the third question in which program participants indicate unanimously that the program has encouraged pro‐social behavior. - 93.3% of respondents indicate that the program successfully gave them the opportunity to meet people who care about them and their wellbeing. - All survey respondents believe that the program taught them the value of an education for a better life in the future. Such motivation may help them become more likely to take their education seriously. - 86.7% of respondents believe that the program was successful in teaching them useful skills that will help them succeed in the job market. Once again, this finding touches on the issue of employability and the need for helping these youth offenders find stable livelihoods that will encourage them to avoid criminal activity. - Another area in which the program seems to help participants is in allowing them to appreciate the importance of health living. Respondents unanimously believed that the program was successful in teaching them the importance of healthy living. Details: Oxnard, CA: Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme, 2010. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 23, 2013 at: http://www.bgcop.org/aboutus/impact/tre_report.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.bgcop.org/aboutus/impact/tre_report.pdf Shelf Number: 131696 Keywords: At-Risk YouthBoys and Girls ClubsJuvenile OffendersJuvenile ReentryReentry (California)RehabilitationReintegrationVoluntary and Community Organizations |
Author: Ware, Vicki-Ann Title: Mentoring programs for Indigenous youth at risk Summary: This Resource Sheet examines evidence for the effectiveness of mentoring programs in helping to set Indigenous young people at risk of engaging in antisocial and risky behaviours on healthier life pathways. Mentoring is a relationship intervention strategy that research is showing can have powerful and lasting positive impacts on behavioural, academic and vocational outcomes for at-risk youth. Costello and Thomson (2011:1) describe youth mentoring as follows: Youth mentoring is, according to the Australian Youth Mentoring Network, defined as 'a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with caring individuals who offer guidance, support and encouragement'. The goal of youth mentoring is to enhance social engagement and thereby minimise negative behaviours through growth in social and developmental behaviours. There are two types of mentoring style found in the literature-natural and planned. Among Indigenous Australians, the natural or informal form of mentoring is often spontaneous through the Elders' traditional role of sharing the wisdom, the knowledge and the spirit, which can draw Aboriginal people back to traditional ways. Elders play an extremely important role in Aboriginal families as role models, care providers and educators (Walker 1993). This Resource Sheet focuses on the planned or formal form of mentoring, which often includes Elders as part of these programs. It does not, however, cover the following formal forms of mentoring: a detailed analysis of mentoring, which occurs within sporting and other programs. (This is covered, where relevant, in a forthcoming Resource Sheet titled Supporting healthy communities through sports and recreation programs.); mentoring embedded within broader youth diversionary or justice programs; mentoring within cadetship or other vocational education programs. There is a strong body of literature on the types of youth mentoring programs and the dynamics of successful programs and mentoring relationships. This Resource Sheet draws on evidence from 45 studies. Over half were Australian studies, with additional evidence from research in other colonised nations such as New Zealand, Canada and the United States. Two-thirds of the studies were Indigenous-specific. A range of methodologies was used including evaluations, critical descriptions of programs, meta-analyses and research syntheses. Details: Canberra: Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2013. 20p. Source: Closing the Gap Clearinghous Resource Sheet No. 22: Internet Resource: Accessed January 16, 2014 Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aihw.gov.au/uploadedFiles/ClosingTheGap/Content/Publications/2013/ctgc-rs22.pdf Shelf Number: 131778 Keywords: At-Risk YouthIndigenous PeoplesJuvenile OffendersMentoring |
Author: Senior, Kate Title: Developing Successful Diversionary Schemes for Youth from Remote Aboriginal Communities Summary: This report explores the experiences and aspirations of youth in Wadeye, a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory which has become synonymous with the deviant behaviours of its young people. The research was undertaken over a three year period, and builds upon a previous ten year period of community based research. As such it forms a unique longitudinal study of young people during a period of extreme change in their lives. The research applied a mixed methods approach, utilising ethnography, interviews and the application of a community wide survey. Although young community based people were the primary focus of the study, the research also included the wider community perspectives, service providers and a sample of imprisoned community members. The proliferation of gangs in the Wadeye community has become a primary focus for outsiders' interpretation of social issues in the community. These gangs have been defined by their violent and oppositional cultures. This period of research and the research which preceded it, emphasise the complexity of gang cultures and gang dynamics in this community. The report also emphasises that a primary focus on gangs serves to obscure other factors influencing young people's lives and behaviours. This includes those youth who do not engage in deviant behaviour, who attend school and progress to employment. It also includes youth who engage in non-gang related violent and anti-social behaviour. The report argues that effective service delivery and the development of appropriate diversion activities for young people must recognise the diversity and complexity of the youth experience in the community and recognise and develop their current strengths. Feedback from elders, young people and long-term community workers, advocates that more partnership approaches to further research and program evaluation must become an integral part of the process. Involving young people themselves as part of this research process will provide opportunities to create new roles for them and to establish a positive foundation for the future of the community. Details: Sydney: Criminology Research Advisory Group, 2012. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 27, 2014 at: http://www.criminologyresearchcouncil.gov.au/reports/1314/26-0809-FinalReport.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Australia URL: http://www.criminologyresearchcouncil.gov.au/reports/1314/26-0809-FinalReport.pdf Shelf Number: 131811 Keywords: AboriginalsAntisocial BehaviorAt-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionGangsIndigenous PeoplesJuvenile DelinquentsJuvenile OffendersLongitudinal Studies |
Author: Morgan, David Title: Promising Practices to Help Children and Youth who have been Exposed to Violence Summary: Children and youth in challenging contexts, both in Canada and overseas, face common threats to their mental health that can be better addressed when researchers, service providers, practitioners, and communities pool their knowledge, resources, and lessons learned of what works best for improving young peoples' mental health. If these groups continue to work within their occupational and disciplinary boundaries, they will fail to mobilize the full potential of the evidence documented by researchers, the practice-related knowledge of service providers and practitioners, and the local knowledge of communities. The CYCC Network was developed in response to this need and in the summer of 2013, released three thematic knowledge synthesis reports: violence, technology, and youth engagement. Violence against children and youth, in particular, is a complex public health problem that affects communities worldwide, and can lead to potentially devastating consequences for young people and their families if left unaddressed. To tackle this problem, a coordinated effort to share and document best practices for addressing young peoples' mental health needs is urgently needed. Without opportunities to share this knowledge, there is a risk of delivering potentially ineffective interventions that are difficult for young people and their families to access or relate to. Additionally, poorly-researched or evaluated interventions often ignore the structural barriers (e.g. limited access to mental health practitioners, stigma, and a lack of resources to evaluate programs) that shape young peoples' mental health and wellbeing. In light of these challenges, the knowledge synthesis report on violence explores the effective strategies used among children and youth in challenging contexts who have been exposed to violence, in order to help them overcome trauma and feel safe in their families, schools, and communities. Recent years have seen an explosion of new, innovative programs that focus on improving the lives of vulnerable young people through the use of technology. The internet has opened doors of opportunity to reach these children and youth in more effective ways with the information and support they need to lead healthy lives. Today, mobile phones are one of the most prolific mediums through which interventions can be delivered. While the rapid developments made in technology present many opportunities, the expansion of this field has not been accompanied by a comparable level of research and evaluation. There is a need for more evidence to support the use of technology as a means of intervention with children and youth in challenging contexts. In response to this gap, the knowledge synthesis report on technology reviews innovations in technology that are known to be effective in helping children and youth in the most challenging of contexts, to nurture resilience, prevent mental health problems, and build a special place for themselves in the collective life of their communities. Finally, there has been an increasing recognition that youth engagement is central to any best practice or intervention that involves young people. Valuing youth engagement puts the focus on the positive contributions that youth make to programs and their effectiveness. Programs and services that acknowledge the independence and agency of at-risk youth provide opportunity for young people to give feedback on the relevance and appropriateness of the programs that serve them. Additionally, youth engagement can promote a sense of empowerment on an individual level, and facilitate healthy connections between young people and their community. Despite these benefits, however, there remains a gap in our understanding of the implications of engaging vulnerable youth. In order to better understand and optimize youth engagement, different strategies need to be explored that identify their appropriateness for youth living in different challenging contexts, representing all genders and age categories. With these gaps in mind, the knowledge synthesis report on youth engagement explores strategies that have been shown to work in engaging children and youth in challenging contexts as full members of their communities and in ending feelings of disempowerment and abandonment. Ultimately, the three knowledge synthesis reports are interconnected in ways that can help to form a comprehensive strategy for researchers, practitioners, service providers, and communities to address the needs of vulnerable children and youth in Canada and overseas. For example, lessons learned from the violence report can inform programs and interventions that use technology to address the mental health needs of young people in challenging contexts. Similarly, the many innovative examples and lessons learned highlighted in the technology report may be used to inform professionals working with children and youth exposed to violence, through the design and delivery of technology-based programming that is safe, accessible and effective for youth in different contexts. In turn, the youth engagement report showcases important work that can be used to inform both the violence and technology reports with best practices for engaging youth in the design and implementation of programs so that interventions are relevant, meaningful and effective to children and youth in challenging contexts. Details: Halifax, NS: CYCC Network, 2013. 134p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 31, 2014 at: http://www.cyccnetwork.org/files/Violence%20Report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Canada URL: http://www.cyccnetwork.org/files/Violence%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 131835 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChildren and ViolenceDomestic ViolenceFamily ViolenceViolence against ChildrenViolent CrimeVulnerable Children |
Author: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) Title: Drugs and Vulnerable Groups of Young People Summary: Social policy in Europe has long identified disadvantaged populations who manifest potential for marginalisation and social exclusion. hese vulnerable groups are specific groups among the wider population that may be more prone to a range of problems, from ill health, substance use and poor diet, to lower educational achievement. In the area of illicit drug use, vulnerability and vulnerable groups are gaining increased attention on the European drug policy agenda, particularly as regards young people and drug use. Vulnerability as it relates to drugs is defined in this Selected issue as whether a specific group, based on sociodemographic profile and related risk factors, has an increased susceptibility to drug use and related problems. Groups identified as vulnerable examples include children in care institutions or homeless young people might be prone to earlier, more frequent, or more problematic drug use. They might also experience faster progression to problem drug use. As levels of both current drug use and the risks of developing drug-related problems are likely to be much higher among vulnerable groups, these groups are being given special attention in terms of demand reduction responses. Identifying these groups is important because direct assessment of drug use at the population level for example, through large-scale screening is often not feasible. Furthermore, selecting individuals based on individual risk factors may prove both difficult and problematic. So identifying vulnerable groups is becoming an important tool for directing or channelling policy responses at those groups or geographical areas where problem drug use is more likely to develop. This is particularly the case for those groups which might not perceive their drug use as problematic. In Europe, interventions targeted at vulnerable groups referred to as selective prevention (1) are gaining both increased policy visibility, and maturity in terms of design and evaluation. This Selected issue examines aspects of social vulnerability at the group or geographical level in Europe, focusing specifically on young people in the age-group 1524. There is a need to find more effective ways to approach and involve vulnerable young people in demand reduction interventions, in a manner which reflects their immediate sociodemographic context. The report includes examples drawn from the EDDRA database to illustrate some of the interventions carried out in Europe. Details: Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2008. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Selected Issue 2008: Accessed March 20, 2014 at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_64250_EN_EMCDDA_SI08_vulnerable-young.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Europe URL: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_64250_EN_EMCDDA_SI08_vulnerable-young.pdf Shelf Number: 131988 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDrug Abuse and AddictionDrug Abuse Prevention |
Author: Campie, Patricia E. Title: What Works to Prevent Urban Violence Among Proven Risk Young Men? The Safe and Successful Youth Initiative Evidence and Implementation Review Summary: The Massachusetts Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) commissioned a review of the evidence underlying effective programs designed to reduce serious violence among targeted groups of young offenders. A Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) methodology was used to identify and determine the effectiveness of rigorous evaluation studies of programs most similar to the SSYI intervention. A review of the implementation science literature complemented the evidence review to determine what characteristics organizations should demonstrate in order to produce optimal results from their SSYI efforts. Taken together, the guidance from evaluations of effective programs and the characteristics of high quality implementation provide SSYI with valuable insight on enhancing and improving violence prevention efforts moving forward. Findings -- Eleven program evaluations were identified, of which ten were deemed as producing "effective" results, with one program showing ineffective or detrimental outcomes. The two common features of all programs deemed to be effective included: Using street outreach workers. Providing positive development supports to high-risk persons. However, the evaluations were generally not designed to specifically test the individual effects of single intervention components (such as street outreach) on individual or community-level outcomes. Most studies focused on measuring criminal justice outcomes (i.e., arrests and homicides) rather than norms of violence or changes in individual or community-well-being (i.e., mental health status or unemployment). None of the evaluated programs included any reference to trauma-informed supports and none evaluated a program implemented in multiple cities in the same state. Despite some differences with SSYI, most of the initiatives included multi-agency efforts, community mobilization, and the use of street outreach workers. At least three used a "list" of high-risk individuals to target for suppression and social services. The effective programs contained eight themes that can be instructive for guiding efforts to improve SSYI's ongoing implementation and to evaluate impacts. Details: Boston, MA: Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, 2013. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2014 at: http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/What%20Works%20to%20Prevent%20Urban%20Violence%20Among%20Proven%20Risk%20Young%20Men.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/What%20Works%20to%20Prevent%20Urban%20Violence%20Among%20Proven%20Risk%20Young%20Men.pdf Shelf Number: 132211 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile OffendersStreet Outreach WorkersTreatment ProgramsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Blattman, Christopher Title: Can Employment Reduce Lawlessness and Rebellion? A Field Experiment with High-Risk Youth in a Fragile State Summary: We evaluate an agricultural training and inputs program for high-risk Liberian men, mainly ex-fighters engaged in illegal resource extraction with opportunities for mercenary work. We show that economic incentives, including increased farm productivity, raised the opportunity cost of illicit work. After 14 months, treated men shifted hours of illicit resource extraction to agriculture by 20%. When a war erupted nearby, they were also less likely to engage in mercenary recruitment. Finally, exogenous variation in expected future capital transfers appears to be a further deterrent to mercenary work. We see no evidence the program affected occupational choice through peers or preferences. Details: New York: Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs, 2014. 69p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 10, 2014 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2431293 Year: 2014 Country: Liberia URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2431293 Shelf Number: 132317 Keywords: At-Risk YouthEmployment and CrimeNatural Resources |
Author: Ludwig, Jens Title: Think Before You Act: A New Approach to Preventing Youth Violence and Dropout Summary: Improving the long-term life outcomes of disadvantaged youths remains a top policy priority in the United States. Unfortunately, long-term progress in improving outcomes like high school graduation rates and reduction of violent crime has been limited, partly because finding ways to successfully improve outcomes for disadvantaged youths (particularly males) has proven to be challenging. We believe one reason so many previous strategies have failed is because they at least implicitly assume that young people are forward-looking and consider the long-term consequences of their actions before they act. But a growing body of research in psychology and behavioral economics suggests that a great deal of everyone's behavior happens intuitively and automatically, with little deliberate thought. Although it is often helpful for us to rely on automatic responses to guide our daily behavior, doing so can also get us into trouble, with consequences that are particularly severe for young people growing up in distressed urban areas where gangs, drugs, and guns are prevalent. We thus propose that the federal government aim to provide each teenager living in poverty in the United States with one year of behaviorally informed programming, intended to help youths recognize high-stakes situations when their automatic responses may be maladaptive. Such a program could teach young people to slow down and think about what they are doing, or could help them "rewire" their automatic responses. Our team has carried out several randomized controlled trials in Chicago that demonstrate that this approach, which is a version of what psychologists call cognitive behavioral therapy, can reduce arrests for violent crime by 30 to 50 percent, improve schooling outcomes, and generate benefits to society that may be up to thirty times the program costs. We suggest that the federal government scale up the program over five years, and that it combine this scale-up with rigorous evaluation to learn more about how best to implement (and, if needed, modify) the program at scale in different contexts across the country. The demonstration phase of the project would cost $50 million to $100 million per year over five years, while the at-scale cost would be $2 billion annually. The demonstration and eventual scale-up would be led by the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. If successful, this effort would improve the long-term well-being of our nation's most disadvantaged young people, reduce crime, improve schooling attainment, reduce income inequality, and enhance the nation's overall economic competitiveness. Details: Washington, DC: The Hamilton Project, 2014. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Discussion Paper 2014-02: Accessed May 10, 2014 at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2014/05/01%20preventing%20youth%20violence%20and%20dropout%20ludwigj%20shaha/v10_thp_ludwigdiscpaper.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2014/05/01%20preventing%20youth%20violence%20and%20dropout%20ludwigj%20shaha/v10_thp_ludwigdiscpaper.pdf Shelf Number: 132319 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCognitive Behavioral TherapyDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged YouthSchool Dropouts |
Author: Richardson, Roslyn Title: Fighting Fire with Fire: Target audience responses to online anti-violence campaigns Summary: This report documents young Muslim Sydneysiders' responses to a variety of online campaigns that promote non-violent political activism or aim to 'counter violent extremism' (CVE). In undertaking this study, which involved interviews with Muslim communities in Western Sydney - communities that have been targeted by both violent propaganda and government communication campaigns - two things became apparent. First, there's a pool of highly educated, discerning and media-savvy young people in these communities. Second, rather than merely being an audience for government-sponsored communication campaigns, they're creating their own websites, YouTube clips, radio programs and Facebook groups. - Some of these websites and other initiatives directly challenge violent narratives while others provide avenues for non‑violent political protest and expression. The popularity and reach of this entirely community-generated web content significantly outshines the reach of any government-sponsored internet-based CVE strategies developed to date. - The young people responsible for these initiatives, some of whom are communication professionals, understand and to some extent share their target audiences' needs and wants. As journalism and marketing graduates, they also have the professional know-how to produce high quality and attention-grabbing campaigns. Furthermore, when they take the lead in creating these initiatives they generate more interest and praise from their target audiences than when they merely support government‑sponsored programs. - Outside of the online space, young people from across Sydney's Muslim communities engage in a range of activities that directly assist others to move away from violent and criminal paths. A number of the respondents in this study, for example, are volunteer youth mentors who assist young people identified by their schools, the justice system or both as 'vulnerable' (to criminalisation). These interventions in real life are augmented by their efforts through online forums to reach out to young people they identify as at risk. - The efforts of these young volunteers both inside and outside the online space seem largely unknown beyond their immediate communities. Nevertheless their contribution in creating communities that are empowered and resilient to violent messaging may be considerable. The core recommendation of this report is: Where possible, government agencies should support existing popular community-driven anti-violence online campaigns rather than prioritising the development of new websites to counter violent narratives. Government agencies should directly engage with the young people involved in these popular initiatives and investigate ways to support them and their campaigns where possible. - While this study offers many findings that government agencies and communities might view with optimism, it also reveals that there are significant barriers that undermine young Muslim Sydneysiders' engagement with CVE communication campaigns and government agencies. These barriers are also likely to undermine government agencies' engagement with the young communication professionals who are currently producing a range of popular anti-violence campaigns. The report identifies and discusses these barriers. However, it is anticipated that from the large amount of data collected there will be subsequent publications describing some in greater detail. - The most significant barrier identified in this study relates to the pervasive prejudice young Muslims report experiencing as a result of being Muslim and/or of Arab background. Many of the study's respondents rejected government-produced CVE websites because they felt such strategies perpetuate the stereotyping of Muslim communities as potentially threatening and deviant. From their perspective, Australia's CVE agenda fuels Islamophobia, making them more vulnerable to discrimination including verbal and physical attacks. - The respondents also rejected the government's CVE agenda because they perceived government agencies as doing little to address social issues of greater importance to them. This includes the violent crime and socioeconomic disadvantage experienced by those living in their Western Sydney suburbs. In this respect, they believed that government agencies' engagement with them on CVE issues is largely self-serving and does little to address the 'real' violence they see afflicting their communities. - Another significant barrier undermining young Muslim Sydneysiders' engagement with Australia's CVE agenda is their lack of trust in government agencies. Some perceive an irony when the Australian Government asks them to support campaigns denouncing violence when it is waging violent wars in other countries. Government CVE interventions in Muslim communities have also fuelled community paranoia and young Muslims' belief that they are under constant surveillance. As a result of a variety of issues affecting Muslim communities inside and outside Australia, the respondents perceived the Australian Government as not being 'on their side' and not representing their interests. - While some respondents displayed a deep cynicism about the Australian Government and its CVE agenda, for moral and religious reasons many were devoted to assisting 'at risk' youth in their communities. The ASPI research team also found that even self-described 'radicals', 'conservatives' and those who decry Australia's counterterrorism policies, want to engage better with police and other government agencies. This report offers 13 recommendations to facilitate this engagement and enhance communication campaigns that challenge violence. - However, this report also offers a warning that online communication strategies are unlikely to provide a solution for those at greatest risk of becoming involved in violent extremism. The respondents of this study, who included sheikhs involved in deradicalisation work, argued that one-on-one intervention strategies are a far more effective way to reach and influence vulnerable individuals. - This study shows that it's difficult to motivate young people to view government-sponsored CVE websites; it's undoubtedly much more of a challenge to entice 'at risk' youth to visit such sites. - By focusing on Muslim youth this report potentially supports discourses that position Muslim Australians as a 'problem community' and security threat. The research team doesn't support such views and sees them as counterproductive to our aim of enhancing government agencies' interaction with young Muslims. In fact, this study shows that the securitisation of Muslim communities directly causes young Muslim Sydneysiders to reject CVE websites and shun interaction with government agencies. - Nevertheless, some of our respondents expressed deep concern about groups and individuals in their communities sympathetic to using violence to achieve political-religious aims. Some believed it was important for their communities to develop online strategies to challenge violent narratives and provide more avenues for young people to express their views in a non-violent manner. In addition, some felt it was the correct role of government agencies to support communities in these endeavours. - On the whole this report challenges approaches that only discuss Muslim youth as being highly vulnerable and in dire need of empowerment to resist violent propaganda. Instead, it shows that some have taken a lead role in challenging violent narratives and are empowering themselves. This report is intended for use by government agencies and communities to inform their future work in this area. - Included as an appendix to this report is a separate ASPI study examining the online CVE strategies developed by five countries: UK, US, the Netherlands, Canada and Denmark. Details: Barton, ACT: Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 2013. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2014 at: https://www.aspi.org.au/publications/fighting-fire-with-fire-target-audience-responses-to-online-anti-violence-campaigns/Fight_fire_long_paper_web.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: https://www.aspi.org.au/publications/fighting-fire-with-fire-target-audience-responses-to-online-anti-violence-campaigns/Fight_fire_long_paper_web.pdf Shelf Number: 132545 Keywords: At-Risk YouthMedia CampaignsMuslimsOnline CommunicationRadical GroupsViolence PreventionViolent ExtremismYouth Violence |
Author: University of Victoria. Collaborative Community Health Research Centre Title: Research Review of Best Practices for Provision of Youth Services Summary: This report identifies elements of "best practice" in service delivery for high-risk youth. "Best practices" are based on the results of a review of current literature related to evidence of program model's effectiveness. The report also addresses barriers to service delivery affecting the high-risk youth population. In order to provide a context for examining effective approaches for high-risk youth, the report describes characteristics of specialized population groups, such as: - Runaway - Homeless - Street Involved - Suicidal - Substance Misuse - LBGTQ - Sexually Exploited - Drop-Outs The report also examines effective approaches within program/service areas, such as: - Outreach - Independent Living - Emergency Shelters - Transitional Housing - Youth and Peer Mentoring - System Development - Youth-Family Mediation - Reunification - School-Based Services - Youth Addiction Services - Aboriginal Services - Youth Development Approach The main findings of this review on effective service delivery for high-risk youth is that services need to aim to achieve appropriate cognitive, interpersonal, social and physical competencies that protect youth exposed to high risk by integrating a combination of targeted individual and system focused services which reach-out into the daily circumstances of the youth through some strategic alliances between school, family, ommunity that are implemented and sustained in a local context. Details: Vancouver, BC: Ministry of Children and Family Development, 2002. 217p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 14, 2014 at: http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/youth/pdf/best_practices_provision_of_youth_services.pdf Year: 2002 Country: International URL: http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/youth/pdf/best_practices_provision_of_youth_services.pdf Shelf Number: 132672 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionProblem YouthYouth Programs |
Author: David-Ferdon, Corinne Title: Preventing Youth Violence: Opportunities for Action Summary: All forms of violence, including youth violence, suicidal behavior, child maltreatment, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and elder abuse, negatively affect the health and well-being of our country. Youth violence, in particular, is a significant public health problem. Each and every day, approximately 13 young people in the United States are victims of homicide and an additional 1,642 visit our hospital emergency departments because of physical assault-related injuries. Among high school students, 1 in 4 report being in at least one physical fight and 1 in 5 report being bullied in the last year. Youth who are victims of violence also have a higher risk for many other poor physical and mental health problems, including smoking, obesity, high-risk sexual behavior, asthma, depression, academic problems, and suicide. Young people are frequently the ones hurting other youth and commit a significant proportion of the violence in communities-youth aged 10-24 years represented 40% of all arrests for violent crimes in 2012. The damage resulting from youth violence extends beyond the young perpetrators and victims. Each year, youth homicides and nonfatal assault injuries result in an estimated $17.5 billion in combined medical and lost productivity costs. Violence can increase health care costs for everyone, decrease property values, and disrupt social services. Many of our young people and communities view the grim facts about youth violence as unavoidable and have accepted youth violence as a societal reality. However, the truth is that youth violence is not inevitable. Youth violence is preventable. The past investment into monitoring, understanding, and preventing youth violence is paying off and proving that youth violence can be stopped before it occurs. We cannot continue to just respond to violence after it happensthe public health burden of youth violence is too high and our potential to prevent youth violence is too great. Our understanding about youth violence and our ability to prevent it is based on decades of work by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the larger field of youth violence prevention researchers and practitioners. From systematic surveillance, rigorous research on modifiable factors that predict violence, evaluation of prevention strategies, and the strengthening of the capacity of communities to use approaches that work, we have learned a great deal about how to prevent youth violence. To help communities take advantage of the available knowledge, CDC has developed, Preventing Youth Violence: Opportunities for Action. This resource summarizes what we currently know about youth violence-the health consequences, trends, disparities, causes, costs, and prevention strategies. This resource outlines important strategies for youth violence prevention that are based on strong evidence and experience. It includes examples of specific programs and activities that have been found to be effective. These evidence-based youth violence prevention strategies focus on reducing the factors that put young people at risk for violence and bolstering the factors that strengthen their positive development and buffer against violence. Everyone has a role to play in preventing youth violence. Preventing Youth Violence: Opportunities for Action provides information and action steps that can help public health and other community leaders work with partners to prevent youth violence. This resource also describes actions that young people, families, caregivers, adults who work with youth, and other community members can take to reduce youth violence. A companion document, titled Taking Action to Prevent Youth Violence, is available to help these groups better understand the steps they can take. Details: Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 17, 2014 at: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/pdf/opportunities-for-action.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/pdf/opportunities-for-action.pdf Shelf Number: 132706 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCrime PreventionDelinquency PreventionJuvenile OffendersViolence PreventionYouth ProgramsYouth Violence |
Author: Kent, Tyler Title: Process Evaluation of a Non-Profit Youth Services Agency: Original Gangster's Basic Academy for Development. Summary: Based in Nampa, Idaho, the Original Gangster's Basic Academy of Development (OG's BAD) is a youth based services program founded in 2005. The mission of the Academy is to provide youth who are prone to gang involvement with alternatives to a gang lifestyle. The program provides at-risk youth with: 1) tutoring tailored to meet the specific needs of each participant to obtain high school credits or a GED; 2) internships at worksites for on-the-job training; and 3) recreational activities to demonstrate appropriate use of free time. The project also includes a drug strategy component, which focuses on deterring first time users and provides drug and/or alcohol treatment for participants. This process evaluation, performed by the Idaho Statistical Analysis Center, was initiated to provide the Idaho Grant Review Council and the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) manager with an assessment of the development of OG's BAD program, problems encountered, solutions created, and overall accomplishments achieved. Details: Meridian, ID: Idaho Statistical Analysis Center, 2014. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 25, 2014 at: https://www.isp.idaho.gov/pgr/inc/documents/OGBAD.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.isp.idaho.gov/pgr/inc/documents/OGBAD.pdf Shelf Number: 132750 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionGangsRehabilitation Youth Gangs |
Author: Onuoha, Freedom C. Title: Why Do Youth Join Boko Haram? Summary: Summary - Since Nigeria's return to democracy in May 1999, armed nonstate groups have significantly undermined the country's internal security environment, largely using young men as foot soldiers. Among these groups, Boko Haram has grown to become a serious national, regional, and international concern. Estimates of the death toll from Boko Haram attacks since 2009 range as high as ten thousand fatalities. With Boko Haram and other groups seemingly gaining in strength, questions arise as to why young men join them in the first place and what the government and other actors can do to prevent it. - Surveys, interviews, and focus groups conducted in Nigeria in 2013 suggest that poverty,unemployment, illiteracy, and weak family structures make or contribute to making young men vulnerable to radicalization. Itinerant preachers capitalize on the situation by preaching an extreme version of religious teachings and conveying a narrative of the government as weak and corrupt. Armed groups such as Boko Haram can then recruit and train youth for activities ranging from errand running to suicide bombings. - To weaken the armed groups' abilities to radicalize and recruit young men, the Nigerian government at all levels, perhaps with support from interested international actors, could institute monitoring and regulation of religious preaching; strengthen education, job training, and job creation programs; design robust programs to aid destitute children; promote peace education; and embark on an anticorruption campaign. Addressing the conditions that make it possible for insurgents to recruit young men in Nigeria can significantly diminish the strength of the insurgency, if not eliminate it altogether. Details: Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace, 2014. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Special Report 348: Accessed July 28, 2014 at: http://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/SR348-Why_do_Youth_Join_Boko_Haram.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Nigeria URL: http://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/SR348-Why_do_Youth_Join_Boko_Haram.pdf Shelf Number: 132797 Keywords: At-Risk YouthBoko Haram (Nigeria) Extremist GroupsRadical Groups Terrorist Organizations Terrorist Recruitment Terrorists (Nigeria) |
Author: Smith, Peter K. Title: An Analysis of the Impact of Chance UK's Mentoring Programme Summary: An analysis of the effectiveness of Chance UK's mentoring programme and followed the progress of 100 children who had had mentors over the past five years, to evaluate the short term and long term impact. The findings were extremely positive showing a decrease in hyperactivity-inattention, emotional symptoms, conduct problems and peer problems for all children, with an increase in pro-social behaviour. Children also retained many of their improvements three to five years after the mentoring ended. Details: London: Goldsmiths, University of London, 2009. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 28, 2014 at: http://www.chanceuk.com/userfiles/Goldsmiths_Evaluation_-_full_report.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.chanceuk.com/userfiles/Goldsmiths_Evaluation_-_full_report.pdf Shelf Number: 132799 Keywords: Antisocial BehaviorAt-Risk YouthMentoring (U.K.) |
Author: CLEEN Foundation Title: Youths, Radicalisation and Affiliation with Insurgent Groups in Northern Nigeria Summary: The violent activities of the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria, which draws its members largely from the youth, have underpinned growing concern over youth radicalization and religious extremism in Northern Nigeria. Radicalisation as it is understood here entails the process by which an individual or group transits from a state of passive reception of revolutionary, militant or extremist views, ideas and beliefs to active pursuit of the ideals of such views, ideas and beliefs, especially through supporting, promoting or adopting violence as a means to achieving such intentions. It is such transition that underlies violent extremism or terrorism. Against this backdrop, this study examined the reason young Nigerians are inclined to being part of insurgent groups, particularly Boko Haram. The aim of the study was to provide a better understanding of the underlying drivers of radicalisation in Northern Nigeria, and proffer alternative approaches to addressing the crisis. The specific objectives of the study were to: Provide an empirical understanding and assessment of the push and pull factors between youth, radicalisation and affiliation with insurgent groups in the northern part of Nigeria; Identify the patterns, prevalence and potential threats of youth radicalization to the security situation in Northern Nigeria; and Proffer actionable recommendations on how to tackle the root causes of the crisis. The study gathered evidence of the drivers of radicalisation in Northern Nigeria through a combination of desk review of secondary materials such as media reports, databases, policy reports, and academic literature, and primary research involving the conduct of key informant interviews, administration of questionnaires and focus group discussions. Commissioned consultants and researchers conducted the field study in two towns in six states in Northern Nigeria - Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, and Yobe - selected for the study. It found that ignorance of the true teachings of the religion (Islam) provides the most important source through which youths acquire radical or distorted views of religion, often propagated by roaming (independent) preachers. Furthermore, economic (poverty and unemployment) as well as socio-cultural factors (poor parental upbringing or neglect of children) underpin young people's vulnerability to recruitment and radicalisation by extremist or terrorist groups. The study also found that the excesses of security forces are not a 'major' factor in youth radicalisation, contrary to the popular assumption in some quarters. However, obvious shortcomings of security forces deployed in counter Boko Haram operations need to be urgently addressed by the appropriate authorities. In order to effectively respond to the problem of youth radicalisation and extremism in Northern Nigeria, the study recommended, among others, better monitoring and regulation of religious preaching in Nigeria; creation of job opportunities for the youth; delivery of robust rehabilitation programmes for destitute children; expansion of access to quality education; and promotion of peace education. In view of some limitations encountered, the study concluded that there was still much to be done in unpacking the intricacies of youth radicalisation, particularly in relation to the specificities of each state where the phenomenon of radicalisation has and is taking place in Northern Nigeria. Notwithstanding, the utility of the study lies in the fact that it has taken the very important first step towards understanding the key drivers of youth radicalisation and extremism in Northern Nigeria through an empirical research. The distance it has not covered should inform further action on the part of government, civil society groups and academics in the quest to find the drivers of, and sustainable solutions to, growing radicalisation and extremism in Nigeria. Details: Lagos: CLEEN Foundation, 2014. 117p. Source: Internet Resource: Monograph Series, No. 20: Accessed July 28, 2014 at: http://cleen.org/Youths,%20Radicalisation%20and%20Affiliation%20with%20Insurgent%20Groups%20in%20Northern%20Nigeria.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Nigeria URL: http://cleen.org/Youths,%20Radicalisation%20and%20Affiliation%20with%20Insurgent%20Groups%20in%20Northern%20Nigeria.pdf Shelf Number: 132802 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Boko Haram (Nigeria) Extremist Groups Radical Groups RadicalizationReligionTerrorist Organizations Terrorists (Nigeria) |
Author: Reyes, Jessica Wolpaw Title: Lead Exposure and Behavior: Effects on Antisocial and Risky Behavior among Children and Adolescents Summary: It is well known that exposure to lead has numerous adverse effects on behavior and development. Using data on two cohorts of children from the NLSY, this paper investigates the effect of early childhood lead exposure on behavior problems from childhood through early adulthood. I find large negative consequences of early childhood lead exposure, in the form of an unfolding series of adverse behavioral outcomes: behavior problems as a child, pregnancy and aggression as a teen, and criminal behavior as a young adult. At the levels of lead that were the norm in United States until the late 1980s, estimated elasticities of these behaviors with respect to lead range between 0.1 and 1.0. Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2014. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper Series: Working Paper 20366: Accessed August 11, 2014 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w20366.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w20366.pdf Shelf Number: 132979 Keywords: Aggression Anti-Social Behavior At-Risk YouthLead Exposure |
Author: McNeish, Di Title: Women and Girls at Risk: Evidence across the life course Summary: This evidence review was produced to inform a new cross-sector Alliance which aims to make a difference to the lives of women and girls at risk of homelessness, sexual exploitation, involvement in crime, drugs, mental health problems. We ask the question 'why gender matters' and highlight three sets of factors which have a gendered impact on the lives of women and girls: social inequalities, gender expectations and abuse and violence. Despite the last 40 years of feminism, girls are still born into a world structured by inequality - they earn less and enjoy less freedom than men. Poverty is more likely to affect women - and some women are more likely to be poor than others: the unemployment rates among Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi women has remained twice that of white women since 1972. Girls and women are at greater risk of all kinds of interpersonal violence and abuse and those with multiple experience of violence and abuse across the life-course have the poorest outcomes. The idea that boys and girls are encouraged (even 'socialised') into different behaviours and choices, and that this is problematic for equality, has been out of fashion in recent years. However, there remains strong evidence that different gendered expectations have a profound effect on all our lives - and women who do not conform are often viewed as doubly deviant. The review goes on to explore risks and interventions across the life-course from early years to adulthood and considers what are potentially effective forms of support at each life stage. Despite a vast literature on the 'problems' of women and girls at risk, we found surprisingly little of the 'what works' research has paid much attention to gender differences. Much of the evidence that does exist comes from the U.S. In the UK, there is a range of undoubtedly excellent services for women that are hampered by a lack of consistent evaluation of their effectiveness. Details: North Dalton, East Yorkshire, UK: DMSS Research & Consultancy, 2014. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 14, 2014 at: http://www.dmss.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/women-girls-at-risk-v2c.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.dmss.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/women-girls-at-risk-v2c.pdf Shelf Number: 133044 Keywords: At-Risk YouthFemale CrimeFemale Juvenile OffendersFemale Offenders (U.K.)Gender-Based ViolenceSexual Exploitation |
Author: Rodriguez-Planas, Nuria Title: Mentoring, Educational Services, and Economic Incentives: Longer-Term Evidence on Risky Behaviors from a Randomized Trial Summary: his paper is the first to use a randomized trial in the US to analyze the short- and long-term impacts of an after-school program that offered disadvantaged high-school youth: mentoring, educational services, and financial rewards to attend program activities, complete high-school and enroll in post-secondary education on youths' engagement in risky behaviors, such as substance abuse, criminal activity, and teenage childbearing. Outcomes were measured at three different points in time, when youths were in their late-teens, and when they were in their early- and their late-twenties. Overall the program was unsuccessful at reducing risky behaviors. Heterogeneity matters in that perverse effects are concentrated among certain subgroups, such as males, older youths, and youths from sites where youths received higher amount of stipends. We claim that this evidence is consistent with different models of youths' behavioral response to economic incentives. In addition, beneficial effects found in those sites in which QOP youths represented a large fraction of the entering class of 9th graders provides hope for these type of programs when operated in small communities and supports the hypothesis of peer effects. Details: Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), 2010. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: IZA Discussion Paper 4968: Accessed August 28, 2014 at: http://ftp.iza.org/dp4968.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://ftp.iza.org/dp4968.pdf Shelf Number: 133159 Keywords: After-School ProgramsAt-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionMentoring (U.S.) |
Author: Pritchard, David Title: Streetchance: Understanding the role StreetChance can play in reducing youth crime and anti-social behaviour Summary: The StreetChance programme is a partnership between the Cricket Foundation and Barclays Spaces for Sports which runs weekly cricket sessions for young people in some of the most deprived areas of the UK. The sessions are often supplemented by informal education classes that address topics such as gangs, knife crime and drug abuse, delivered by partner charities and individuals with experiences relevant to these issues. In some areas representatives of the local police force participate in the sessions. To date, more than 38,000 children and young people have participated in StreetChance projects. This paper discusses the potential benefits of StreetChance in the three outcome areas that are related to StreetChance's theory of change-namely its impact on community cohesion, crime and anti-social behaviour, and health. As well as reporting on surveys of participants, it also includes recommendations for programme design. Details: London: New Philanthropy Capital, 2014. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 15, 2014 at: http://www.thinknpc.org/publications/streetchance/ Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.thinknpc.org/publications/streetchance/ Shelf Number: 133318 Keywords: Anti-Social BehaviorAt-Risk YouthDelinquency Prevention (U.K.)Sports |
Author: Pavanello, Sara Title: Survival in the City: Youth, displacement and violence in urban settings Summary: - Youth, displacement and violence in urban environments are treated as separate areas in humanitarian research, policy and practice. Despite being a key driver of vulnerability, urban violence and its humanitarian consequences are not well understood by the humanitarian community. - Displaced populations, particularly displaced youth, are often particularly exposed to urban violence. However, their needs and vulnerabilities typically go unaddressed. - Tackling the causes of violence in urban settings is a challenge that goes beyond strictly humanitarian concerns to encompass long-term development efforts. While humanitarian action is an important element of the response to urban violence it is inherently limited, and a complementary approach involving development strategies and programmes is required to tackle the root causes of this violence. Details: London: Overseas Development Institute, Humanitarian Policy Group, 2012. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: HPG Policy Brief 44: Accessed September 15, 2014 at: http://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/7627.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/7627.pdf Shelf Number: 133320 Keywords: At-Risk YouthUrban Areas and CrimeUrban ViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Kaye, Lara Title: Understanding the Role of Parent Engagement to Enhance Mentoring Outcomes: Final Evaluation Report Summary: This report provides an evaluation of the impact of a parent mentoring intervention on mentoring relationships and youth outcomes in a youth services agency. The program and research design and the evaluation resulted from a partnership between the Center for Human Services Research (CHSR) and Big Brothers' Big Sisters' Capital Region (BBBSCR). Background While mentoring is a widespread and successful intervention for youth-at-risk the impact of mentoring on youth outcomes appears to be modest (Dubois, Portillo, Rhodes, Silverthorn & Valentine, 2011). Ways to refine and strengthen mentoring are of great interest. One potential approach is parent engagement which has been shown to play a meaningful role in improving youth outcomes (Epstein, Joyce & Sanders, 2000; Higginbotham, MacArther, & Dart, 2010; St. Pierre & Kaltreider, 1997); as well minority low-income parents face a unique set of structural and psychological obstacles to being engaged (Chang, Park, Singh & Sung, 2009; Diamond & Gomez, 2004; Patel & Stevens, 2010; Payne, 2006; Van Velsor & Orozco, 2007). The Parent Engagement Model (PEM) was designed to engage parents in mentoring as well as to increase mentor's cultural understanding of families served by the program. The model consisted of six components: 1) parent orientation, 2) a parent handbook, 3) Energizing the Connection (ETC) mentor training, 4) match support on enhanced topics, 5) monthly post cards for each topic, and 6) biannual family events. It was evaluated using a quasi-experimental design with a waitlist control group. Recruitment took place from over a year resulting in 125 study matches made up of youth and mentors; parents were also include as study participants. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected including BBBS intake data and surveys, a standardized youth outcome instrument (the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)), and project-developed instruments. Details: Albany, NY: Center for Human Services Research, University at Albany, 2014. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 17, 2014 at: http://www.albany.edu/chsr/Publications/PEM%20Final%20Evaluation%20Report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.albany.edu/chsr/Publications/PEM%20Final%20Evaluation%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 133366 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionParenting ProgramsYouth Mentoring (U.S.) |
Author: Curtis, Richard Title: South Bronx Community Connections: A Pilot Project of Community Connections for Youth: A Grassroots Approach to Pro-social Adolescent Development in a Neighborhood of Chronic Disadvantage. Phase I: A Formative Evaluation Summary: South Bronx Community Connections (SBCC), a three-year pilot project, is guided by a theory-of change that relies on the development of nascent resident strengths within neighborhoods of chronic disadvantage. By extending this strength-based approach to the pro-social development of neighborhood juveniles, SBCC changes the lens from "risk-focused" interventions to indigenous resources that can be effectively bundled in favor of resiliency. The pilot, funded with a federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDPA) federal formula grant from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), was awarded to Community Connections for Youth (CCFY), the lead agency for implementation of its SBCC program for court-acquainted juveniles. The pilot was funded at $1.1 million, under the category "Breakthrough Research-based Strategies." Funding was awarded with the proviso that SBCC's potentially "game-changing strategies" be rigorously evaluated --- an altogether reasonable expectation given the growing political importance of the project's neighborhood context, concerns about the efficacy of out-of-home placements for court-involved juveniles, and the substantial size of the award. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York (CUNY), was awarded a subcontract by CCFY to provide a comprehensive evaluation of its SBCC pilot project. The technical report that follows is different from the original evaluation design. It does not provide an evidentiary chain that links SBCC's theory-based program model to research-based strategies, to outcomes, nor is it a small "N" case study. Given an ever- evolving implementation context, it was not possible to determine an evidentiary chain linking SBCC's theory-based program model to research-based strategies and then on to outcomes; shifting priorities and unanticipated problems produced project modifications, which precluded the use of a rigorous methodology. A small "N" case study was jeopardized by changing policies, which challenged the consistency of the pool of juvenile eligibles. Accordingly, the technical report that follows is more formative than summative. It provides meaningful, useful information that present stakeholders, policymakers, and future implementers of innovative grassroots programs can use to increase the probability of success. Simply summarized, SBCC's grassroots model has several potential strengths deserving of continued experimentation and exploration. Conceptualizing, designing, and implementing a "game-changing" program is more demanding than SBCC providers recognized, or than many funders appreciate. In fact, a three-year time-frame --- given the innovative nature of the project model --- underscores both the legitimacy of many evaluators' concerns with "evaluation-readiness" factors, and their desire to balance the information needs of stakeholders and decision-makers with methodological rigor. After a planning year, and two years of implementation devoted to tweaking the pilot project model to increase effectiveness, the latest of four program logic models identifies several intertwined strategies --- Family Engagement, Comprehensive Grassroots Involvement, and A Strength-based Focus --- each accompanied by relevant research-base activities. The activities are presumed to build neighborhood social resources via the capacity building technical assistance of CCFY and SBCC. The outcomes at the conclusion of this first phase of what hopefully will become a stronger program model, buttressed by a series of increasingly rigorous evaluations, are summarized below. Some of the outcomes are already evidence-based and are identified by an asterisk (*). Others are suggestive and encouraging, but, in the absence of sufficient data, are not yet measurable. These are identified by the letters "ID" (ID). Still others, though intriguing, remain hypothetical, needing to be meaningfully crystalized and objectified. These are noted with the letter "H" (H). All are worthy of attention and continued development if progress with the pro-socialization of court-acquainted youth is to continue. Details: New York: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2013. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 12, 2014 at: http://cc-fy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/SBCC_Technical_Report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://cc-fy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/SBCC_Technical_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 134067 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged Youth (New York)Neighborhoods and CrimeUrban Areas |
Author: Karam, Johanna Title: Dignity, diversion, home and hope: a review of interventions for volatile substance misuse in regional North Queensland Summary: Volatile substance misuse (VSM) refers to the practice of deliberately inhaling volatile substances for the purposes of bringing about a change in mental state. Rates of inhalant misuse in Australia are difficult to determine but are generally thought to be increasing (Usher et al. 2005). Whilst there is a growing body of literature about VSM, many papers recognise the lack of empirical research investigating the effectiveness of interventions (Skellington Orr & Shewan 2006; Konghom et al. 2010; Ridenour et al. 2007; Ridenour 2005; NHMRC 2011b; S. J. MacLean & d'Abbs 2011; CCYP 2002; d'Abbs & S. J. MacLean 2008; S. MacLean et al. 2012; NIAT 2006). Research into inhalant use interventions in Australia is dominated by investigations of petrol sniffing and other inhalant use in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities (e.g. Cairney and Dingwall 2010; James 2004; S. J. MacLean and d'Abbs 2002; Midford et al. 2010) or capital cities (e.g. Ogwang et al. 2006; Hancock 2004; Takagi et al. 2010). In the regional cities of Central, North and Far North Queensland, young people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island backgrounds overwhelmingly dominate the statistics of inhalant users. This necessitates a targeted, culturally appropriate place based response, as reflected in Australia's National Drug Strategy Complementary Action Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy 2006). Outbreaks of inhalant use are often highly localised and spasmodic. The episodic nature of outbreaks means that often place based strategies and responses are the most appropriate (NIAT 2006). Criteria outlined by d'Abbs and MacLean (2008) included 'research and consultation to determine specific features of VSM within the local area' as a specific component of any successful intervention. Examination of interventions and applicability within the regional context was therefore deemed warranted. In April 2012, Cairns based government and non-government agencies participated in a one-day forum, facilitated by state-wide capacity building organisation Dovetail, to discuss regional VSM issues and develop an action plan to improve strategies and collaboration. Following the forum, Youth Empowered Towards Independence (YETI) received funding from the former Commonwealth Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to undertake a 12-month VSM-CAP (Community and Practice) project to help strengthen interventions and supports for inhalant users in the local area. YETI is a not-for-profit non-government organisation that supports young people aged 10-25 years old residing in Cairns. YETI primarily works with vulnerable young people who are at risk of, or are already engaging in the use of illicit drugs and/or alcohol. Approximately 85 per cent of clients accessing services at YETI identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. YETI recognises the importance of research and evaluation for strengthening collaborative interventions and the documentation of VSM practice responses, which are relevant to the local context. The funding ensured that research and documentation of best practice place-based interventions was able to occur. Aims of the VSM-CAP Project included; direct intervention - to reduce harms associated with VSM in the Cairns region and to provide individual support to young people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background to reconnect with country, family and community, and; coordination and collaboration - to build community systems capacity in relation to responding to inhalant use in Cairns and Far North Queensland. This research constituted the third aim of the project. This research examined current regional VSM interventions and collated qualitative and statistical data to develop evidence-based locally responsive interventions to address VSM. The subsequent report also documents a set of practice principles, which underpin YETI's VSM response within the local context. The project identifies, explores and reports some of the issues associated with inhalant use in regional centres of North and Far North Queensland. Most importantly, the report and the associated project give a voice to the 'grass roots' people at the 'coal face' of sniffing in regional Queensland. That is, the voices of young people engaging in VSM and local place based practitioners who work with them. Details: Canberra: Australian Government, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2014. 92p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2014 at: http://www.dpmc.gov.au/publications/docs/YETI_dignity_diversion_home_hope.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Australia URL: http://www.dpmc.gov.au/publications/docs/YETI_dignity_diversion_home_hope.pdf Shelf Number: 134178 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDrug Abuse and Addiction (Australia)Drug Abuse TreatmentInhalantsSubstance AbuseSubstance Abuse TreatmentVolatile Substance Misuse |
Author: Johnson, Sharon Title: Project Research to Action in Mentoring: Final Report Summary: Although there is a growing body of research and literature on youth mentoring programs and best practices, most of the research is based on the one-on-one mentoring model that focuses on the dyadic relationship between one adult and one youth. With the increasing awareness and understanding of mentoring as a successful intervention or prevention strategy for youth delinquency, the demand for mentoring programs is likewise increasing. Many studies have acknowledged the need for youth mentoring programs to target their approaches in order to increase efficiency, effectiveness and heightened levels of positive outcomes (DuBois et al., 2002; Rhodes & Lowe, 2008; DuBois et al., 2006). Rhodes (2008) and Karcher et al. (2006) challenged researchers to compare methods of implementation and outcomes for different kinds of youth, analyze success and failure in different applications of mentoring, and effectively communicate these findings to the field. Project Research to Action in Mentoring (Project RAM) was proposed as a collaborative effort between the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), Alliance for Families & Communities Affected by Incarceration (AFCAI) and Better Family Life (BFL) to examine group versus one-on-one mentoring in community-based agencies. AFCAI and BFL were selected due to their established community-based mentoring programs targeting at-risk youth. Both agencies agreed to undertake the research study by incorporating randomization and systematic programming into their existing mentoring approaches. The short-term goals were to compare one-on-one mentoring to group mentoring to assess whether one is more effective as a prevention/intervention approach to reducing negative outcomes and to assess the differential impact of mentoring across levels of risk. The long-term goal was to examine whether observed effectiveness in group or one-on-one mentoring across levels of risk were sustainable post intervention. Details: Final Report to the U.S. Department of Justice, 2013. 17p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 25, 2014 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/244534.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/244534.pdf Shelf Number: 134234 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency Prevention Mentoring, Juveniles (U.S.) |
Author: Stewart, Jacqueline Title: Indigenous Youth Justice Programs Evaluation Summary: Diversion from the youth justice system is a critical goal for addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous young people in the criminal justice system. In this report, four programs that were already being implemented by states and territories and identified by them under the National Indigenous Law & Justice Framework as promising practice in diversion are examined. The programs were evaluated, as part of a broader initiative, to determine whether and on what basis they represent good practice (ie are supported by evidence). State and territory governments nominated the programs for evaluation. The four programs sit at different points along a continuum, ranging from prevention (addressing known risk factors for offending behaviour, such as disengagement from family, school, community or culture), early intervention (with identified at-risk young people), diversion (diverting from court process - usually for first or second time offenders) and tertiary intervention (treatment to prevent recidivism): - Aboriginal Power Cup (South Australia)- a sports-based program for engaging Indigenous young people in education and providing positive role models (prevention). - Tiwi Islands Youth Development and Diversion Unit (Northern Territory) - a diversion program that engages Tiwi youth who are at risk of entering the criminal justice system in prevention activities, such as a youth justice conference, school, cultural activities, sport and recreation (early intervention and diversion). - Woorabinda Early Intervention Panel Coordination Service (Queensland) - a program to assess needs and make referrals for young Indigenous people and their families who are at risk or have offended and have complex needs (early intervention and diversion). - Aggression Replacement Training (Queensland) - a 10 week group cognitive-behavioural program to control anger and develop pro-social skills, delivered to Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth assessed as 'at risk' of offending or reoffending (early intervention and tertiary intervention with offenders to reduce risk of reoffending). For each program, the evaluation team developed a 'program logic', identifying the activities and goals of the program, and how it articulates within a broader framework of criminal justice prevention. This informed the design of the evaluation and the approach to collecting both qualitative data (from young people participating in the program, program staff, family, or other service providers/community members) and quantitative data to identify any effects of the program on individuals, or the broader community. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2014. 146p. Source: Internet Resource: AIC Reports: Special Report: Accessed January 15, 2015 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/special/005/Indigenous-Youth-Justice-Programs-Evaluation.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/special/005/Indigenous-Youth-Justice-Programs-Evaluation.pdf Shelf Number: 134409 Keywords: AboriginalsAlternatives to IncarcerationAt-Risk YouthEvidence-Based ProgramsIndigenous PeoplesJuvenile DiversionJuvenile Justice SystemJuvenile Offenders (Australia)Treatment Programs |
Author: Great Britain. Home Office Title: Tackling Youth Knife Crime: Practical Advice for Police Summary: The Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP) was developed by the Home Office, working closely with other government departments and key stakeholders including local government, police forces, community groups and practitioners in affected local areas. TKAP will sustain and build on existing cross-government and community work; this includes the lessons learned and success achieved by the Tackling Gangs Action Programme and Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP) to reduce the number of teenagers killed or seriously wounded and increase public confidence that our streets are safe. The first phase of TKAP was launched by the Prime Minister and Home Secretary on 5 June 2008. In the first nine months we focused nearly $7 million of resources on rapid, concentrated work to tackle teenage knife crime in 14 areas of the country. In March 2009 TKAP was extended for a further year, with an extra $5 million to tackle knife crime and increase targeted police action to tackle the minority of young people who commit serious violence, regardless of the weapon involved. TKAP has been extended to include 13- to 24-year-olds (previously 13- to 19-year-olds), and to a further two forces, taking the total to 16 forces. This work runs alongside the Youth Crime Action Plan. The guide will help police to engage with key partners including: - the local community; - Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs); - children's services, schools, colleges and Safer School Partnerships; - health services; and - trading standards. This guide will help you to: - share and use available data effectively; - identify an emerging knife-carrying population/knife crime problem; - identify the range of partners you should work with in your area; and - consider options for tackling the problem (including prevention-based, targeted work with at-risk individuals, risk assessment, mediation, enforcement and community reassurance). The nature and extent of knife crime varies across England and Wales, so the approaches discussed in this guide are not prescriptive. The guide reflects learning from around the country and is designed to be used as a starting point for developing strategies to address your local issues. Details: London: Home Office, 2009. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 21, 2015 at: http://www.knifecrimes.org/youth087a.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.knifecrimes.org/youth087a.pdf Shelf Number: 134426 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGang ViolenceKnife Crime (U.K.)Violent CrimeWeaponsYouth Gangs |
Author: Cole, Jennifer Title: Sex Trafficking of Minors in Kentucky Summary: Findings presented in this report are from telephone surveys conducted from July 2012 through April 2013 with 323 professionals who worked in agencies that serve at-risk youth and/or crime victims across Kentucky. Respondents were from all geographic and demographic communities in Kentucky, with the highest number serving Bluegrass metropolitan communities including Louisville, Lexington, and Northern Kentucky. Of the professionals who completed the survey (n = 323), the types of agencies with the highest number of respondents were: - Administrative Office of the Courts, Court Designated Workers (28.0%) - Department of Juvenile Justice Personnel (17.0%) - Victim service agencies (12.0%)- Services for at-risk youth (10.0%) A little over one third of professionals (35.9%) had received some training related to human trafficking and the majority of professionals reported their agency did not have protocols for screening for victims of human trafficking (76.5%). About half of professionals (49.8%, n = 161) had worked with definite or suspected victims of sex trafficking as a minor (STM). Details: Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, Center on Trauma and Children, 2013. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 16, 2015 at: http://www.rescueandrestoreky.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Sex-Trafficking-of-Minors-in-Kentucky-Dr.-Coles-Report-Aug-2013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.rescueandrestoreky.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Sex-Trafficking-of-Minors-in-Kentucky-Dr.-Coles-Report-Aug-2013.pdf Shelf Number: 134935 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild Sex Trafficking (Kentucky)Child Sexual ExploitationHuman Trafficking |
Author: Eddy, J. Mark Title: Twelve-Year Professional Youth Mentoring Program for High Risk Youth: Continuation of a Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial Summary: This study investigated impacts of a professional mentoring program, Friends of the Children (FOTC), during the first 5 years of a 12 year program. Participants (N = 278) were early elementary school aged boys and girls who were identified as "high risk" for adjustment problems during adolescence and emerging adulthood, including antisocial behavior and delinquency, through an intensive collaborative school-based process. Participants were randomly assigned to FOTC or a referral only control condition. Mentors were hired to work full time with small caseloads of children and were provided initial and ongoing training, supervision, and support. The program was delivered through established non-profit organizations operating in four major U.S. urban areas within neighborhoods dealing with various levels of challenges, including relatively high rates of unemployment and crime. Recruitment into the study took place across a three year period, and follow-up assessments have been conducted every six months. Data have been collected not only from children, but also from their primary caregivers, their mentors, their teachers, and their schools (i.e., official school records). Strong levels of participation in study assessments have been maintained over the past 8 years. Most children assigned to the FOTC Intervention condition received a mentor, and at the end of the study, over 70% still had mentors. While few differences were found between the FOTC and control conditions for the first several years of the study, two key differences, in child "externalizing" behaviors and child strengths, emerged at the most recent assessment point, which on average was after 5 years of consistent mentoring. To date, outcomes do not appear related to the amount of mentor-child contact time or the quality of the mentor-child relationship. Analyses are ongoing, and additional funding is being sought to continue the study forward. Details: Final report to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2014. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 7, 2015 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/248595.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/248595.pdf Shelf Number: 135176 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile Mentoring Programs (U.S.)Mentoring |
Author: Centre for Social Justice Title: Finding Their Feet: Equipping care leavers to reach their potential Summary: This report is about giving the most vulnerable children in society a second chance. Too often those who start life experiencing deeply dysfunctional relationships end up treading the same path their parents did before them. With 10,000 children leaving care every year and with at least one in 10 care leavers who are parents having their own child taken into care in the past year alone, it is vital this cycle of disadvantage is broken. The unavoidable truth is that the system is failing too many of the most vulnerable children in the country. Most shockingly the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) found that 22 per cent of female care leavers become teenage parents, and 60 per cent of suspected child victims of trafficking go missing from care, many within 48 hours. These children require safe, stable and supportive relationships. Instead, it is hard not to conclude that in many cases the state is failing in its role as corporate parent. The evidence already makes clear the shocking effects the lack of functional relationships can have on children in care. Despite representing only one per cent of young people, care leavers make up 24 per cent of the adult prison population, 11 per cent of homeless young people and 70 per cent of sex workers. Whilst this can stem from lasting impacts of pre-care experiences, it cannot be avoided that more can be done to support these children. As the CSJ's previous report Survival of the Fittest? shows care leavers who are most likely to experience poor outcomes are given the least help. The report finds that siblings in care are separated at shocking levels. 95 per cent of those in residential children's homes are separated from a sibling in care and 71 per cent of looked after children. Nor is there enough emphasis on developing functional relationships with children in care and reliable extended family members. It is important the next Government takes note of hugely successful practices such as the Family Finding and Engagement model in the United States. Among the successes, the Orange County Family Finding project saw 97 per cent of young people involved increase contact with family members and 89 per cent make life-long connections. Our report also finds that too many individuals leaving the care system are unprepared for independence. The transition to adulthood is often a difficult time for most young people but without a suitable system of support the ability to gain a good education, sustainable employment and financial stability is much more of a challenge. For the past decade the number of care leavers not in education, employment or training has remained at more than double the national average. Previous action by Governments over the past decade has led to more care leavers in higher education but the next administration must focus on apprenticeships to ensure children are not left behind. Contained in this report are realistic and comprehensive recommendations that will enable the next Government to help care leavers. Details: London: Centre for Social Justice, 2015. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2015 at: http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/publications/finding-their-feet Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/publications/finding-their-feet Shelf Number: 135365 Keywords: At-Risk YouthJuvenile Aftercare (U.K.) |
Author: Young, Douglas Title: Traversing Two Systems: An Assessment of Crossover Youth in Maryland Summary: Awareness about the vulnerabilities of children who are involved in both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems has grown exponentially over the past decade. The emergent challenge with helping crossover youth - those involved at some point in their lives in the dependency and delinquency systems - is not due to a lack of available guidance about what should be done for them. Rather, the challenges for addressing crossover youth include properly identifying them and their needs, and implementing evidence-based practices tailored to those needs. The present study was designed to begin to build a knowledge base to address these challenges in Maryland. Employing a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, the research focused on the five most populous jurisdictions in the state, Baltimore City, and Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Baltimore Counties. Based on interviews with 26 officials in state and local agencies and survey responses from a representative sample of 164 stakeholders working with crossover youth, our review of state and local practices suggests a picture with preliminary signs of progress against a backdrop of general inattention to this population. Several state-led initiatives are promising in that they incorporate practices encouraged in the crossover youth practice literature, although none focus specifically on this group. Interview and survey results revealed some local efforts involving information sharing, collaborative case reviews, and joint attendance at court hearings on dual-system cases. About 60 percent of survey respondents reported using routines for identifying dual-system youth, providing cross-system notifications on proceedings, and holding family and multi-disciplinary team meetings for these cases. However, there was little use of formal, structured efforts, such as collaborative funding agreements, joint attendance at all hearings, or consolidated case planning or supervision. Survey results showed stakeholders were well aware of crossover youths' risks and needs and the challenges of working with these youth. Organizational expertise on crossover youth, and attention and resources paid to this population were given low ratings. Consistent with prior studies, quantitative analyses comparing samples of crossover youth (N=526) and delinquency-only youth (N=601) showed crossover youth were engaged in the juvenile justice system in deeper and more chronic ways, with their first arrest at an earlier age and having more arrests and referrals. Detention, placement, and commitment outcomes for crossover youth were particularly frequent, outsizing observed differences with delinquency-only youth on charges, filings, and adjudication hearings and suggesting that crossover youth face more harsh responses in the juvenile justice system. Compared with the delinquency-only group, crossover youth had less favorable results on risk, need, and protective measures on school attendance and performance, peer and adult relationships, and attitudes reflecting empathy, remorse, and self-control. The groups' most stark differences were on objective indicators of mental health needs. Analyses of Baltimore City crossover youth (N=200) and a dependency-only sample (N=200) showed the crossover group to have somewhat different and more persistent family problems, more placements, and longer length of placement. These findings, together with the interview and survey results suggest a consensus need for more focused efforts on crossover youth in Maryland. Several practices already in use - the one judge/one family court model, case identification, family and multi-disciplinary meetings, information sharing, collaborative case reviews, joint hearing attendance - should be expanded, routinized, and sustained. Results from the risk and needs analyses underscore the importance of responding to the mental health treatment needs of crossover youth in the state. These Maryland findings reinforce and extend those reported in prior research, providing detailed information on needs and protective factors and risk factors related to maltreatment. More generally, the results should heighten the urgency of increasing attention to this population. Details: College Park, MD: Institute for Governmental Service and Research, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014. 154p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2015 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/248679.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/248679.pdf Shelf Number: 135539 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild ProtectionChild Welfare SystemJuvenile OffendersJuvenile Offenders (U.S.) |
Author: Costello, Liza Title: Turnaround Youth: Young Adults (18-24) in the Criminal Justice System. The case for a distinct approach Summary: This report gathers together the significant existing body of international research that demonstrates that several factors place young adults more at risk of becoming involved in offending behaviour and make the prison system an inappropriate and counterproductive means of dealing with young adults. Key findings in the report: - Young adults are more amenable to rehabilitation and change than older adults who commit the same crimes; - The brain and maturity continue to develop beyond adolescence and into one's mid-twenties - the right interventions can support desistance but the wrong interventions can deepen offending behaviour; - Young adults aged 18-24 are disproportionately represented in the prison population: 20% of prison population compared with 9% of general population; - Young adults aged 18-24s have highest rates of reoffending on release from prison (68% compared with 53%) - Interventions and good practice that have proven successful in the youth justice system should be extended to young adults aged 18-24; - Supervised bail support, diversion programmes, intensive community orders, and restorative justice practices are among the more effective responses to crimes committed by young adults. Details: Belfast: Irish Penal Reform Trust, 2015. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 14, 2015 at: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT-Turnaround-web-optimised.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT-Turnaround-web-optimised.pdf Shelf Number: 135646 Keywords: At-Risk YouthYoung Adult Offenders |
Author: Valentine, Erin Jacobs Title: Becoming Adults: One-year impact findings from the Youth Villages transitional living evaluation Summary: Young adults with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody experience poor outcomes across a number of domains, on average, relative to their peers. While government funding for services targeting these groups of young people has increased in recent years, research on the effectiveness of such services is limited, and few of the programs that have been rigorously tested have been found to improve outcomes. The Youth Villages Transitional Living Evaluation is testing whether the Transitional Living program, operated by the social service organization Youth Villages, makes a difference in the lives of young people with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody. The program, which was renamed "YVLifeSet" in April 2015, is intended to help these young people make a successful transition to adulthood by providing intensive, individualized, and clinically focused case management, support, and counseling. The evaluation uses a rigorous random assignment design and is set in Tennessee, where Youth Villages operates its largest Transitional Living program. From October 2010 to October 2012, more than 1,300 young people were assigned, at random, to either a program group, which was offered the Transitional Living program's services, or to a control group, which was not offered those services. Using survey and administrative data, the evaluation team is measuring outcomes for both groups over time to assess whether Transitional Living services led to better outcomes for program group youth compared with the control group's outcomes. This is the second major report in the evaluation. An earlier report provides a detailed description of the Transitional Living program model and assesses its implementation. This second report assesses whether the program affected key outcomes during the first year after young people enrolled in the study. It shows that the Transitional Living program improved outcomes in three of the six domains that it was designed to affect. The program boosted earnings, increased housing stability and economic well-being, and improved some outcomes related to health and safety. However, it did not improve outcomes in the areas of education, social support, or criminal involvement. These results indicate that the Transitional Living program can improve multiple outcomes for young adults with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody, a notable finding given the paucity of documented positive effects for programs that serve these populations. While the individual effects of the program were modest, their breadth across several domains is consistent with the highly individualized nature of the program model, which is designed to address the wide variety of needs and circumstances of the young people it serves. These findings set the stage for additional analysis using a second year of follow-up data and an assessment of the program's benefits relative to its costs. Those results will be available in 2016. Details: New York: MDRC, 2015. 156p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2015 at: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/Becoming_Adults_FR.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/Becoming_Adults_FR.pdf Shelf Number: 135676 Keywords: At-Risk YouthFoster CareJuvenile AftercareJuvenile Justice ProgramsJuvenile OffendersJuvenile Reentry |
Author: Moncrieffe, Joy Title: Life Histories of at-risk Youth in Jamaica Summary: OBJECTIVE: The objective of conducting life histories is to inform the complexity of the challenges faced by young people in high-risk and disadvantaged communities in Kingston and St Andrew and to better understand how the programme has intervened in their life trajectories. ACTIVITIES The activities for this consultancy include: (i) in-depth interviews with 10 young people (5 females and 5 males below the age of 30) who live in CSJP participating communities; (ii) transcripts in English of the 10 life histories; and (iii) a one-page summary for each of the 10 life histories. METHODOLOGY In consultation with the CSJP and the IADB, 10 young people will be selected from 5 of the 15 participating communities in Kingston. The following guidelines will help to define sample selection: 1. Communities will have varying characteristics, such as levels of violence; community structures and governance processes; political affiliation; and levels of poverty. 2. Two young persons (one male and one female) will be selected from each community. This will allow for reflection on the differential challenges males and females encounter within the same contexts; 3. All respondents will be between 22 and 30 years; and 4. In order to properly assess the types of challenges young people encounter as well as how persons with different aptitudes and attitudes negotiate these, the sample will include interviewees who have been more and less successful, with similar interventions from CSJP. Consistent with the deliverables, this report contains transcripts of each taped session. The transcripts are preceded by a summary, which entails the basic socio-demographic data provided by each respondent, as well as the researcher's observations and conclusions. For each transcript, patois words have been translated to English; however, in order to retain the flavour of the interviews, the texts have not been translated to "formal" English. Thus, readers should not expect grammatical precision. In some cases, actual statements have been modified to ensure that the reader understands what the respondent and moderator hoped to convey. The moderators used language that respondents would most easily understand; this is reflected in the transcripts. Certain questions are repeated, sometimes to verify data. Repeating previous questions and statements is also typical of how Jamaicans converse. This, too, is reflected in the text. Readers are encouraged to bear these qualifications in mind as they try to interpret the material. Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, 2013. 167p. Source: Internet Resource: Discussion Paper, No. IDP-DP-305: Accessed May 22, 2015 at: http://publications.iadb.org/bitstream/handle/11319/5769/IDB-DP-305_Life_Histories_of_at-risk_Youth_in_Jamaica.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2013 Country: Jamaica URL: http://publications.iadb.org/bitstream/handle/11319/5769/IDB-DP-305_Life_Histories_of_at-risk_Youth_in_Jamaica.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 131614 Keywords: At-Risk YouthJuvenile JusticeJuvenile OffendersLife Histories |
Author: Moodie, Kristina Title: I can see them being kids: an evaluation of the 'Referral Process' of Youth Advantage Outreach Summary: Youth Advantage Outreach is a collaborative venture by the Army in Scotland and Police Scotland. The purpose is to provide an adventurous and challenging course using Army experience which is targeted at youth who have come to the attention of police as a result of offending or risk-taking behaviour. Several five-day residential courses are offered each year, in different locations in Scotland for mixed-sex groups of up to 40 young people aged 14 to 17. The Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice (CYCJ) was invited by the Scottish Government to undertake a study to examine perceptions of value of the experience among a sample of referrers. Interviews were conducted with 12 individuals and one group, who work either for YAO or with YAO. This evaluation, written by Kristina Moodie (Research Associate at CYCJ), reports on the findings. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice, 2014. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 2, 2015 at: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/YAO-final-report-040215.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/YAO-final-report-040215.pdf Shelf Number: 135849 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged Youth |
Author: KPMG Title: Research and Evaluation of Youth Intervention Schemes: Final Report Summary: KPMG was commissioned by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) to research the effectiveness of youth intervention schemes in diverting young people away from becoming involved in sectarian activities, civil disorders or other crimes. The research aimed to: Review existing research and evaluations of youth intervention schemes in Northern Ireland (NI) and elsewhere. Evaluate intervention programmes in operation to determine "what works‟ in relation to deterring young people from becoming involved in disorder and crime. This could include intervention schemes currently in operation in NI and a desktop review of schemes elsewhere in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland. Conduct field research to seek the views of young people who have recently been involved in summer youth intervention schemes here and also to obtain the views of young people who tend not to engage positively with voluntary, community or statutory organisations offering intervention programmes. This report provides a review of existing research and evaluations of seven youth intervention schemes in NI. Details: Belfast: Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, 2009. 198p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2015 at: http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/annex_a__research_and_evaluation_of_youth_intervention_schemes__final_version_march_2010_.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/annex_a__research_and_evaluation_of_youth_intervention_schemes__final_version_march_2010_.pdf Shelf Number: 135986 Keywords: Antisocial BehaviorAt-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionInterventions |
Author: Mitchell, Mary Title: Keeping Youth Away from Crime: Searching for Best European Practices Summary: Scotland is a small country with a commitment to social justice and inclusion, and public policy aims to respect the rights of children and young people. Current policy trends in Scotland include: emphasising early intervention rather than provision at the point of crisis; investing in early years services; integrated working across services for children; and holding services accountable by outcomes, rather than focusing on processes. There is much in Scottish children's services to celebrate, but equally much that is in need of improvement. Scotland is around the OECD average in terms of inequality in PISA outcomes. There is a wide gap in pupil attainment linked to social deprivation. Pupils with additional support needs and from deprived neighbourhoods are significantly more likely than others to be excluded from school. The Scottish Children's Hearings systems emphasises welfare rather than punitive approaches, and secure accommodation is used only rarely. However, the rate of imprisonment of 18-25 year olds in Scotland is one of the highest in Europe. The Getting it Right for Every Child programme emphasises inter-agency and preventative approaches, but there has as yet been no national evaluation of its effectiveness. Overall, levels of economic inequality in Scotland are high, and whilst children's services can ameliorate some of the difficulties that inevitably arise, major social change will require a fairer distribution of national economic and social resources. Details: Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity, 2015. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 16, 2015 at: http://www.docs.hss.ed.ac.uk/education/creid/Reports/33i_Providus_report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.docs.hss.ed.ac.uk/education/creid/Reports/33i_Providus_report.pdf Shelf Number: 136085 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile Offenders |
Author: Great Britain. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary Title: In harm's way: the role of the police in keeping children safe Summary: Between January 2014 and June 2015, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) conducted 21 inspections of different aspects of the police response to child protection issues. These comprised: - eight inspections of individual forces as part of the National Child Protection Inspection programme, which is examining the child protection work of every police force in England and Wales; and - 13 other inspections (conducted either alone, or jointly with other organisations) which contain a child protection theme. This report summarises findings from all these inspections. By drawing them together in this report, we are able to provide a comprehensive overview of the experiences of vulnerable children who come to the attention of the police, highlighting both good practice and areas for improvement. Details: London: HMIC, 2015. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 17, 2015 at: http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/wp-content/uploads/in-harms-way.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/wp-content/uploads/in-harms-way.pdf Shelf Number: 136099 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild ProtectionPolice-Citizen Interactions |
Author: United States. Executive Office of the President Title: Economic Costs of Youth Disadvantage and High-Return opportunities for Change Summary: The President believes that, in America, everyone should be empowered to make of their lives what they will - not limited by the circumstances of their birth. But today, millions of American youth face persistent gaps in opportunity that prevent them from reaching their potential and contributing fully to their communities and the economy. These disparities affect not only individuals, but our economy as a whole, through lost productivity and economic potential. In order for the United States to successfully compete in a 21st-century global economy, all of America's youth must have the opportunity to be safe, healthy, educated, and prepared to succeed in their careers. It's simple: to win in our new economy, America needs to field a full team. This report examines the barriers that disadvantaged youth, particularly young men of color, face and quantifies the enormous costs this poses to the U.S. economy. In particular, this report focuses on the significant disparities in education, exposure to the criminal justice system, and employment that persist between young men of color and other Americans. In addition to their vast human cost, the opportunity gaps facing youth of color hold back the U.S. economy, lowering aggregate earnings, shrinking the labor market, and slowing economic growth. This report outlines why it is important for our Nation - from business, faith and civic leaders to local law enforcement - to invest in the lives of our Nation's young people. In launching the My Brother's Keeper initiative, the President and his entire Administration are doing just that. By tackling a range of issues, from ensuring children are able to read at grade level to preparing young people for college and career readiness and to finding ways to decrease the number of young people involved with the criminal justice system, President Obama is ensuring that his Administration is meeting the needs of all youth. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Executive Office of the President, 2015. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 23, 2015 at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/mbkreport_final.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/mbkreport_final.pdf Shelf Number: 136128 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged Youth |
Author: Marczak, Jason Title: Security in Central America's Northern Triangle: Violence Reduction and the Role of the Private Sector in El Salvador Summary: In the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the increase in violence and organized crime highlights the need for new approaches to improve citizen security. In the case of El Salvador, a March 2012 gang truce has halved the daily homicide rate, opening an opportunity to build on existing efforts or to launch new approaches aimed at violence prevention. While public safety is the responsibility of the state, this Americas Society policy brief highlights the role of the private sector in violence prevention. It highlights innovative corporate efforts in violence prevention so that policymakers, businesses leaders, and others concerned about improvements in security can learn from these initiatives and obtain a more nuanced grasp of the possible space that can be filled by the private sector. Security in Central America's Northern Triangle: Violence Reduction and the Role of the Private Sector in El Salvador focuses on the role that multinational corporations can play in forging an integrated approach to crime reduction. This is a little known field in Central America. While the policy brief analyzes reinsertion efforts for former gang members and at-risk youth programs in the Salvadoran context, it also serves as a reference point for Honduras and Guatemala. Drawing examples from a larger sample of violence prevention efforts, the Americas Society policy brief highlights five corporate efforts that are creating safer communities and contributing to business bottom line. The local focus and the direct or indirect cooperation with the public sector are critical to program success. One of the companies, Grupo Calvo, employs 90 rehabilitated former gang members in its El Salvador plant-about 5 percent of its staff-and facilitates employment opportunities with suppliers for an additional 100 former gang members. These workers are some of the strongest and most productive employees at Grupo Calvo as well as at League Collegiate Wear, where 15 percent (40 employees) of its Salvadoran workforce joined the company through its reinsertion program. Additional companies featured in the policy brief include the AES Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, and Rio Grande Foods. Five recommendations are issued: 1.The private and public sectors each bring unique ideas, resources, and skills to violence prevention efforts and must find ways to coordinate these efforts, especially at the local level. 2.Corporate practices to improve security must be continuously catalogued and updated with a central repository and coordinating institution. 3.Private-sector violence prevention programs must be recognized both for their value in improving local communities as well the potential benefits they can bring to corporate bottom lines. 4.Reinsertion efforts and at-risk youth programs analyzed in the Salvadoran context should serve as examples-both the lessons learned and the overall strategies-for other Northern Triangle countries. 5.Regular dialogue between the public and private sectors is critical for identifying medium- to long-term violence prevention programs that will outlast the period in office of one particular official or political party. Details: New York: Americas Society, 2011. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Americas Society Policy Brief: Accessed July 23, 2015 at: http://www.as-coa.org/sites/default/files/Central%20American%20Security%202012.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Central America URL: http://www.as-coa.org/sites/default/files/Central%20American%20Security%202012.pdf Shelf Number: 136141 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDrug TraffickingGangsPublic SafetyViolenceViolence PreventionViolent Crime |
Author: Ayoub, Lama Hassoun Title: Love One Another and Take Care of Each Other: A Process Evaluation of the Rocky Boy's Children Exposed to Violence Project Summary: As part of the U.S. Attorney General's Defending Childhood Demonstration Program, eight sites around the country were funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Office of Violence Against Women to use a collaborative process to develop and implement programming to address children's exposure to violence in their communities. The Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy's Reservation in Montana was chosen as one of these sites, and, since 2010, has received nearly $2 million in federal funding for this initiative. Led by the Chippewa Cree Division of Human Services, Rocky Boy's Children Exposed to Violence Project (RBCEVP) is informed by a commitment to culture as prevention; that is, that reconnecting youth and families with the Chippewa Cree language, culture, and traditions will influence children's exposure to violence on the reservation. One of the primary components of the RBCEVP is advocacy and case management. The RBCEVP staff several domestic violence/sexual advocates and child advocates. The advocates provide crisis intervention services, court and medical advocacy, development of safety plans, referrals to treatment and other providers, and can also provide traditional healing ceremonies. The child advocates also work with children in child abuse or neglect cases and build strong relationships with the children they serve. Another major component of the project is community awareness and education. The RBCEVP utilized a variety of approaches to community awareness to spread the message about children's exposure to violence and about the resources that are available to children and families. Community awareness was accomplished through publications and printed materials, radio announcements and advertisements, as well as numerous events such as community summits, family fun nights, and awareness walks. Other components of the project include professional training for local partners as well as prevention work with youth in schools, including leading and supporting student groups in the local schools and holding summer youth camps for at-risk youth. Addressing children's exposure to violence comes with many challenges. In addition, the RBCEVP had many facilitators that helped their work, including a strong history of collaboration among partner agencies and a commitment by tribal elders to the cause. The stories and experiences of the individuals exposed to the RBCEVP indicate that their efforts have had some impact on the community, regardless of whether not that impact can be measured. Details: New York: Center for Court Innovation, 2015. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 28, 2015 at: http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/Rocky_Boy_0.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/Rocky_Boy_0.pdf Shelf Number: 136163 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChildren and ViolenceChildren Exposed to ViolenceCrisis Intervention |
Author: Werblow, Jacob Title: Continuing the Dream: The Effect of Kingian Nonviolence on Youth Affected by Incarceration Summary: The ThinKING program was presented as a three-week course in Kingian Nonviolence to self-selected high school students enrolled in the City of Hartford's Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program (SYELP). Thirty-two students, nearly half of which were children of incarcerated parents (CIP) and many of whom had an incarcerated family member, enrolled during the summer of 2012. The Connecticut Center for Nonviolence (CTCN) developed the ThinKING curriculum based off the Kingian nonviolence Leaders Manual (LaFayette & Jehnsen, 1995). Youth participating in the program received over 80 hours of instruction, involving Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation curriculum (level-I), daily arts enrichment, and weekly structured group therapy conversations about incarceration and violence. Twenty-six students successfully completed the program and received certification in Thinking Level-I Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation. Pre-and post-test results strongly indicate that the three-week program significantly increased intentions to use nonviolent strategies for the youth and also increased youth's self-efficacy, including confidence in their ability to stay out of fights. After completing the three-week training, youth were 92% less likely to define violence as only a physical act and 81% more likely to describe violence as something that is both physical and nonphysical (both). When asked, "The last time you were in a serious conflict situation, what was the conflict about? How did you respond?" There was no change in the number of students who responded with physical violence; however, there was a 325% increase in the number of participants reporting that they had deescalated the conflict, and a 75% reduction in the number of participants who said they had escalated the situation. These findings suggest that the ThinKING program is a promising strategy for violence prevention for youth with incarcerated parents or family members. Details: New Haven, CT: Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy and the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence, 2013. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2015 at: http://www.ctcip.org/publications/imrp/ Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.ctcip.org/publications/imrp/ Shelf Number: 136828 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChildren of PrisonersDelinquency PreventionViolenceViolence CrimeViolence Prevention |
Author: Finlay, Krystina A. Title: Final Evaluation Report: Gulfton Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project, Houston, TX Summary: This report details the evaluation outcomes of two components of the Gulfton Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project: police visits to the homes of truant students and case management for truants. The goals of this portion of the evaluation were to 1) assess the effectiveness of these two components in reducing absences and improving grades, 2) assess the effectiveness of case management in improving school engagement, 3) to a lesser extent examine the relationship between grades and attendance in general, and 4) compare the costs and benefits of case management. The majority of data for this report came from 2004-2005 school year records, student and parent surveys, and police records. The Gulfton area, and specifically the target high school, Lee, is primarily Hispanic. More than 70% of Gulfton students have limited English proficiency, compared with 27.6% in Houston Independent School District and 13.4% statewide. A large part of the community is made up of Mexican immigrants. In addition, Gulfton's median family income of $18,733 is nearly 30% below the city's median. In the 97-98 school year, 75% of Gulfton students were eligible for free/reduced lunch. Two main components of the truancy reduction effort in Houston were examined. The first, the practice of police visiting a truant students' home, was found to be effective in improving attendance, especially within the two weeks immediately following the visit. Long term effectiveness was not established, although it is possible that for some students this practice has a long term effect. Students who received these visits typically missed school for a variety of reasons. For instance, 40% percent of students reported being new to the school, and thus may have had difficulty with the enrollment process or simply getting into the routine necessary for daily attendance. Sixty-five percent said they were failing classes and 58% said they had difficulty understanding homework and assignments. In addition, 71% said they needed academic help. Most often, officers referred students to academic tutoring and did not issue tickets for truancy. Case management services were not effective for the majority of students. The current study found that case management was primarily targeted at students who were most at-risk. Truants receiving case management were compared to truants not receiving case management to explore the effectiveness of case management. Findings suggested that truants who did not receive case management were not struggling as much as those receiving services. In general, attendance, grades and school engagement were worse for truants receiving case management than for truants who were not given the services. Nevertheless, it was found that case management did not improve attendance nor did it improve grades or school engagement for the group as a whole. However, this is not to say that case management was ineffective for every single student. The effect of improving just one student's attendance and grades resulted in an estimated return of investment of over $4.00 for every $1.00 spent in providing case management. This fact is reason enough to continue the Houston Truancy Reduction case management efforts. Given that home visits from police are successful in improving short-term attendance, it is recommended that follow-up with the student occur within two weeks of the visit. Academic tutoring and other activities to increase school engagement should be provided immediately to ensure long term success. In general, case management may be more successful for truants if provided earlier in their school careers. Achievement levels were very low for the students involved in case management. Reaching these students before school failure is eminent would likely improve the outcomes of services. Details: Denver, CO: Colorado Foundation for Families and Children, 2006. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 25, 2015 at: http://schoolengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/FinalEvaluationReportGulftonTruancyReductionDemonstrationProjectHoustonTX.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: http://schoolengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/FinalEvaluationReportGulftonTruancyReductionDemonstrationProjectHoustonTX.pdf Shelf Number: 136886 Keywords: At-Risk YouthSchool AttendanceStatus OffendersTruancyTruants |
Author: McNeil, Clare Title: Breaking Boundaries: Towards a 'Troubled Lives' programme for people facing multiple and complex needs Summary: Reviewing previous reforms to public services for socially excluded groups, this report makes the case for a locally-led and coordinated programme to support people with multiple and complex needs. While successive governments have promised to tackle the 'root causes' of social and economic disadvantage, public spending on individuals experiencing problems such as addiction, homelessness, offending and poor mental health is still largely reactive - funding expensive crisis care services rather than coordinated and preventative support. At a time when rising numbers of people are becoming socially excluded, the government is committed to finding ways to reduce the estimated $4.3 billion spent on 'troubled individuals' struggling with homelessness, addiction and mental health problem. The taxpayer is indeed meeting unnecessary costs as the result of spending that is focussed on expensive crisis care services, rather than on coordinated and preventative support that would deliver better results as well as value for money. Savings cannot be made, and outcomes cannot be improved, unless action is taken to reform the services that vulnerable and disadvantaged people rely on. Because services are set up to deal with single issues such as drug or alcohol misuse, homelessness or mental health, rather than addressing the various needs of the individual, multiple professionals are often working with the same person. The successful Troubled Families programme was developed precisely to address this problem. However, there is no framework for disadvantaged adults who do not meet the programme's criteria. In this report we examine what lessons can be learned from the successes and failures of previous attempts to reform public services for disadvantaged individuals. We review several decades' worth of reform to provide a range of insights to learn from and build on in formulating new policy approaches. Based on these lessons, we recommend that at the next spending review, the government chooses multiple and complex needs as one of a small number of priority issues for investment in local integration and service transformation. A new 'Troubled Lives' programme, based on the Troubled Families model of centrally driven but locally led reform for vulnerable groups, should be established, focussed on approximately a quarter of a million individuals who experience two or more of the following problems: homelessness, substance misuse and offending. Details: London: Institute for Public policy Research, 2015. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 30, 2015 at: http://www.ippr.org/files/publications/pdf/breaking-boundaries_Sep2015.pdf?noredirect=1 Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ippr.org/files/publications/pdf/breaking-boundaries_Sep2015.pdf?noredirect=1 Shelf Number: 136895 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCommunity Based ProgramsDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged Youth |
Author: Homel, Ross Title: Preventing the onset of youth offending:The impact of the Pathways to Prevention Project on the behaviour and wellbeing of children and young people Summary: This report presents some new findings from the Pathways to Prevention Project, utilising detailed data from a sample of 123 matched pairs of Grade 7 or 8 children, half of whom participated (via their families) in Pathways support activities, and half of whom did not. The focus is whether the holistic form of family support delivered in the Pathways Project, which is similar in many respects to services regularly delivered in communities across Australia, can improve the wellbeing and behaviour of children in the primary schools years (ages 5 to 12), and at the transition to high school, reducing the likelihood of involvement in youth offending. There is currently very limited quantitative evidence internationally on these questions. The specific research questions were: 1. What effect did participation in any form of Pathways family support between Grade 1 (age 5) and Grade 7 (age 12) have on child behaviour and wellbeing at Grade 7, including indicators of positive youth development? 2. What levels of participation were related to the greatest improvements in child outcomes, or to good scores on the various measures of positive youth development at the transition to high school? The Pathways to Prevention Project was implemented and evaluated as part of a partnership between Griffith University, the Queensland Department of Education, and Mission Australia. The project operated in a disadvantaged region of Brisbane for ten years between 2002 and 2011, when Mission Australia brought the community-based family support work to an end. The project team, consisting of a small number of university staff and postgraduate students, the Mission Australia team of approximately 15 full time and part-time community workers, and a range of school principals and classroom and specialist teachers from seven primary schools, responded to the needs of 1,077 families and children. 30% of all children enrolled in one of these seven schools between 2002 and 2011 belonged to a family at least one of whose parents/carers participated in the Pathways family support activities. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2015. 83p. Source: Internet Resource: Report to the Criminology Research Advisory Council, 2015. Accessed October 5, 2015 at: http://crg.aic.gov.au/reports/1415/30-1112-FinalReport.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Australia URL: http://crg.aic.gov.au/reports/1415/30-1112-FinalReport.pdf Shelf Number: 136958 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency Prevention Family Interventions Parenting Pathways to Prevention |
Author: National Center for School Engagement Title: Innovations in Truancy Prevention Practice: An Inventory of Selected Collaborations from around the United States Summary: In June 2004, The National Center for School Engagement (NCSE) was commissioned by the National Truancy Prevention Association (NTPA) to examine truancy programs nationwide1. The purpose of doing this research was to inform NTPA about best practices in court-based truancy reduction programs, identify truancy efforts that are currently in existence nationwide, and determine training needs for truancy programs. To do this, NCSE completed three phases of work which included creating and marketing an online database of truancy programs, completing in-depth programmatic exploration of court involved truancy efforts, and dissemination of results. The first phase of the NTPA project began with the development of an online database to capture information about truancy programs across the country and to aid in the identification of court involved truancy programs. NCSE actively marketed the online registration system, which appeared on the NCSE website at www.truancyprevention.org (currently named www.schoolengagement.org). As of March 20, 2005, 65 programs/projects were registered. Fifty-four percent (35) of the programs in the registry provide direct services to truants. Sixty-two of the 65 programs reported taking a family-wide approach to serving their clients. The three most common barriers these programs reported are poor parental involvement and communication, difficulties collaborating with schools and school staff, and funding and budget concerns. One-third of the programs in the registry receive funding through a combination of sources and 22% receive federal grants. The second phase was to gain an in-depth look into court-based truancy programs. To do this NCSE conducted 12 interviews with judges and staff of selected promising programs that were specifically court involved. The goals of these interviews were to obtain more detailed information of court-based programs, identify challenges they face, ascertain effective practices, and find out whom the programs serve. These programs serve truant youth in a variety of ways. However, seven of the 12 programs included in this study are similar in that the main practice is to identify truant youth who are typically not delinquent and hold weekly truancy courts with Judges at the students' schools. These programs are similar in many ways and are discussed as a group called "Truancy Court Programs". Each program addresses truancy in a unique way, but all attempt to identify and help meet the needs of the family as a whole, rather than just the student. The judges and program staff often perform similar roles. For instance, the judges and other court personnel in NE, GA, and both programs in WI primarily provide referrals to the program, participate in collaboration and are seen as partners, but do not necessarily lead the program. The judges in the "Truancy Court Programs" are more often seen as leaders of the program, are active weekly participants, act as catalysts for change, and coordinate the program. In all programs, collaboration with entities outside of the courts exists. Partners vary widely, but often include the schools, superintendents, law enforcement, and social and community services. Identifying best practices is difficult because most court-based truancy reduction efforts have neither time nor staff to engage in formal external evaluation. In fact, funding and evaluation needs, in addition to program development and stakeholder buy in, were the most common challenges identified by these programs. Regardless of the lack of formal evaluation, many programs do have access to attendance and court records, and some track these as indicators of success. The majority report improved attendance since the programs' inceptions, and all have anecdotal data about individual students' successes. Best practices were identified mainly through what the interviewees have experienced to have worked. Details: National Center for School Engagement, 2005. 107p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 8, 2015 at: http://schoolengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/InnovationsinTruancyPreventionPracticeAnInventoryofSelectedCollaborationsfromaroundtheUnitedStates.pdf Year: 2005 Country: United States URL: http://schoolengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/InnovationsinTruancyPreventionPracticeAnInventoryofSelectedCollaborationsfromaroundtheUnitedStates.pdf Shelf Number: 136973 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionProblem-Solving CourtsSchool AttendanceStatus OffendersTruancy |
Author: Lerpiniere, Jennifer Title: Overseen but often overlooked: Children and Young People 'Looked After at Home' in Scotland. Report 2: Identifying needs and outcomes Summary: More than 5,000 children and young people are looked after at home in Scotland; this represents around a third of all looked after children. Children and young people looked after at home are subject to a compulsory supervision order, but without a requirement to be placed in a particular setting (such as kinship care, foster care, residential care, etc). This type of legal supervision order is unique to the Scottish system of child legislation, children who are supervised in this way are "looked after" by a local authority whilst still living at home with a parent or relevant person. Home supervision has been used since the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, a period of more than forty years. Despite this long history and extensive use, little is known about home supervision or the experiences of the children who are subject to this intervention. This study seeks to begin to remedy this situation. The study covers considerable ground, and so, a decision was taken to report the findings in three separate reports: - Report 1 in this series reports the findings of a literature review undertaken to identify what research has been conducted into the unique needs, outcomes and experiences of children and young people looked after at home. - This document is Report 2; it focuses on what we learned about the needs and outcomes of children and young people on home supervision and compares this to what was found in the literature review. This report also provides the background to the study and describes the methods used in the primary research. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELCIS), 2015. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2015 at: http://www.celcis.org/media/resources/publications/Overseen_but_often_overlooked-Report-2-needs_outcomes.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.celcis.org/media/resources/publications/Overseen_but_often_overlooked-Report-2-needs_outcomes.pdf Shelf Number: 137001 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild Abuse and NeglectChild MaltreatmentChild ProtectionChild WelfareFamiliesHome Supervision |
Author: Fumia, Danielle Title: Washington's Coordination of Services Program for Juvenile Offenders: Outcome Evaluation and Benefit-Cost Analysis Summary: Coordination of Services (COS) is an educational program for low-risk juvenile offenders that provides information about services available in the community. The program is designed to help juvenile offenders avoid further involvement with the criminal justice system. COS currently serves about 600 youth per year in Washington State. The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) first evaluated COS in 2004 following its first year of implementation. As part of ongoing work to identify research- and evidence-based programming in juvenile justice, WSIPP re-evaluated COS to determine its current impact on recidivism. Based on the results from both of WSIPP's evaluations of COS, we estimate that the program reduces recidivism by about 3.5 percentage points (from 20% to 16.5%). Details: Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public policy, 2015. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 29, 2015 at: http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/ReportFile/1617/Wsipp_Washingtons-Coordination-of-Services-Program-for-Juvenile-Offenders-Outcome-Evaluation-and-Benefit-Cost-Analysis_Report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/ReportFile/1617/Wsipp_Washingtons-Coordination-of-Services-Program-for-Juvenile-Offenders-Outcome-Evaluation-and-Benefit-Cost-Analysis_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 137005 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCommunity-Based ProgramsCost-Benefit AnalysisEducational ProgramsEvidence-Based ProgramsJuvenile OffendersRecidivismTreatment Programs |
Author: Welch, Vicki Title: Overseen but often overlooked: Children and Young People 'Looked After at Home' in Scotland. Report 1: Reviewing the literature Summary: This document is the first report from a study commissioned by Barnardo's Scotland. The study explores experiences, needs and outcomes for children and young people in Scotland who are (or have been) looked after at home (ie subject to a home supervision requirement or order). The research aims to do several things: determine in what ways outcomes for this group differ from their peers, address factors which are unique to this group and which may contribute to any differences in outcomes, and investigate emerging models of practice to support young people who are, or have been, looked after at home. The study seeks to capture and summarise what is currently known, identify what the needs of this group are likely to be and recommend future actions related to services, policies and research. This first report details the findings of a comprehensive review of literature sources to identify, analyse and synthesise existing knowledge. The review was systematic inasmuch as the methods are made explicit. However, literature directly focused on home supervision is rare so we have used a two-tiered approach to identify wider material which is likely to throw light on the situation of this group of children and young people. The review process was influenced by a five-stage approach originally developed for scoping studies (Arksey & O'Malley, 2005). Identification of sources was based on a number of searches and personal requests for recommendations by those with knowledge of the field. The review was not restricted to peer-reviewed sources and other good quality sources were considered where they were sufficiently pertinent. Documents were screened according to a number of inclusion and exclusion criteria and if selected they were included in the appropriate section of the review: Section A, concerning research which specifically identifies needs, outcomes or characteristics of children and young people looked after at home, or Section B, concerning other research likely to be relevant to the needs, outcomes or characteristics of children and young people on home supervision. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELCIS),2014. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 20, 2015 at: http://www.celcis.org/media/resources/publications/Overseen_but_often_overlooked-Report-1-literature.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.celcis.org/media/resources/publications/Overseen_but_often_overlooked-Report-1-literature.pdf Shelf Number: 137022 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Child Abuse and Neglect Child Maltreatment Child Protection Child Welfare FamiliesHome Supervision |
Author: Young, Emma Title: Overseen but often overlooked: Children and Young People 'Looked After at Home' in Scotland. Report 3: Exploring service provision Summary: This report is part of a series of documents outlining the findings of a study funded by Barnardo's Scotland and conducted by researchers from the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland. This document is Report 3; it explores what we learned in this study in relation to provision of services for children and young people currently or previously on home supervision. In this document we include findings from different strands of the study including the survey, interviews and service case studies where relevant. We cover the types of services responding to the survey along with the numbers and groups of children served (including age ranges). Results include the proportion of children on home supervision or previously looked after at home who use the services, the types of outcomes that services address in their work with children and young people, and current plans to make service changes. This report is accompanied by a separate document (Annex 3a) which contains more detailed descriptions of five services which provide examples of a range of supports for children and young people on or formerly on home supervision. These small case studies are important; they provide valuable real-life context, illustrate some of the challenges faced by children and provide examples of how providers are responding to these. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELCIS), 2015. 39p., app. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 20, 2015 at: http://www.celcis.org/media/resources/publications/Overseen_but_often_overlooked_Report-3-Service-provision.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.celcis.org/media/resources/publications/Overseen_but_often_overlooked_Report-3-Service-provision.pdf Shelf Number: 137023 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Child Abuse and Neglect Child Maltreatment Child Protection Child Welfare FamiliesHome Supervision |
Author: Kronberga, IIona Title: Keeping Youth Away from Crime: Searching for Best European Practices. Summary Summary: Research "Keeping youth Away from Crime: Searching for Best European Practices" was one of the main results of a project with the same title. This research provides readers with a possibility to learn about legal framework of juvenile justice systems in 10 European countries, it gives an insight on how the tools and approaches foreseen in law work in practice. Most importantly, research addresses the issue of early prevention - what can be done to keep children away from entering the formal justice system and how it is done in Austria, Belgium, England and Wales, Italy, Scotland, Sweden, in the Netherlands and in all three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. From the very beginning of carrying out research, three main objectives were kept in mind: exploring of best European practices on how to work with and for children at risk and children in risk situations; promoting a unified understanding and practice among European countries while applying EU and other international recommendations on children wellbeing; and transforming the policy objectives into unified action. All these objectives were reached in the preparation process of research "Keeping youth Away from Crime: Searching for Best European Practices". In total, material consists of two volumes. First volume is dedicated to comparative report, ensuring an overview of different systems and identifying the common principles that are in place across the Europe. Second volume includes full-length national reports from each country. Research summary, as an additional reading material, is focused on practical part of the study with regards to what exactly is considered a good approach when working with children from risk groups and in risk situations. It enables the specialists working with and for children to look differently at the in risk situations. It enables the specialists working with and for children to look differently at the methods that are available for them and facilitating the change of attitude in a concentrated, targeted way. Details: Riga, Latvia: PROVIDUS, Centre for Public Policy, 2015. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 20, 2015 at: http://providus.lv/article_files/2947/original/keeping_eng.pdf?1431605555 Year: 2015 Country: Europe URL: http://providus.lv/article_files/2947/original/keeping_eng.pdf?1431605555 Shelf Number: 137033 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile DelinquencyJuvenile Justice Systems |
Author: Manno, Michelle Title: Engaging Disconnected Young People in Education and Work. Findings from the Project Rise Implementation Evaluation Summary: Educational attainment and early work experience provide a crucial foundation for future success. However, many young adults are disconnected from both school and the job market. Neglecting these young people can exact a heavy toll on not only the individuals but also society as a whole, for example, through lost productivity and tax contributions, increased dependence on public assistance, and higher rates of criminal activity. Project Rise served 18- to 24-year-olds who lacked a high school diploma or the equivalent and had been out of school, out of work, and not in any type of education or training program for at least six months. After enrolling as part of a group (or cohort) of 25 to 30 young people, Project Rise participants were to engage in a 12-month sequence of activities centered on case management, classroom education focused mostly on preparation for a high school equivalency certificate, and a paid part-time internship that was conditional on adequate attendance in the educational component. After the internship, participants were expected to enter unsubsidized employment, postsecondary education, or both. The program was operated by three organizations in New York City; one in Newark, New Jersey; and one in Kansas City, Missouri. The Project Rise program operations and evaluation were funded through the federal Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a public-private partnership administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Mayors Fund to Advance New York City and the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity led this SIF project in collaboration with MDRC. Key Findings This report describes how the Project Rise program operated at each local provider, including the extent to which the participants were engaged and achieved desired outcomes. Participants were attracted to Project Rise more by the education component than by the internship opportunity. More than 91 percent of program enrollees attended at least some high school equivalency preparation or, less commonly, high school classes. On average, those who attended class received almost 160 hours of instruction. About 72 percent of enrollees began internships; over half of the internship participants worked more than 120 hours. Although participants received considerable case management and educational and internship programming, the instability in participants lives made it difficult to engage them continuously in the planned sequence of activities. Enrolling young people in cohorts with their peers, as well as support from case managers and other adult staff, seemed to help promote participant engagement. The education-conditioned internships appeared to have had a modest influence on encouraging engagement for some participants. Within 12 months of enrolling in Project Rise, more than 25 percent of participants earned a high school equivalency credential or (much less commonly) a high school diploma; 45 percent of participants who entered with at least a ninth-grade reading level earned a credential or diploma. Further, about 25 percent entered unsubsidized employment in this timeframe. It may be important to consider intermediate (or perhaps nontraditional) outcome measures in programs for disconnected young people, since such measures may reflect progress that is not apparent when relying exclusively on more traditional ones. Details: New York: MDRC, 2015. 190p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 6, 2015 at: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/2015_Project_Rise_FR.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/2015_Project_Rise_FR.pdf Shelf Number: 137212 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionEducationJob Training |
Author: Texas Appleseed Title: Class, Not Court: Reconsidering Texas' Criminalization of Truancy Summary: This report continues Texas Appleseed's school-to-prison pipeline work by delving into how Texas' approach to truancy is driving more children away from school and into the adult criminal courts. The report explores causes of truancy, evaluates the current approaches to addressing truancy, highlights the disproportionate impacts of truancy charges on certain groups of students, and makes recommendations for ways that the Texas Legislature, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and school districts can increase attendance and help children in a meaningful way. - Details: Austin, TX: Texas Appleseed, 2015. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 24, 2015 at: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/TruancyReport_All_FINAL_SinglePages.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/TruancyReport_All_FINAL_SinglePages.pdf Shelf Number: 137322 Keywords: At-Risk YouthSchool AttendanceSchool-to-Prison PipelineStatus OffensesTruancy |
Author: Elsner, Benjamin Title: Rank, Sex, Drugs, and Crime Summary: In this paper we show that a student's ordinal rank in a high school cohort is an important determinant of engaging in risky behaviors. Using longitudinal data from representative US high schools, and exploiting idiosyncratic variation in the cohort composition within a school, we find a strong negative effect of a student's rank on the likelihood of smoking, drinking, having unprotected sex, and engaging in physical fights. We further provide suggestive evidence that these results are driven by status concerns and differences in career expectations. Details: Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), 2015. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: IZA Discussion Paper No. 9478: Accessed November 28, 2015 at: http://ftp.iza.org/dp9478.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://ftp.iza.org/dp9478.pdf Shelf Number: 137360 Keywords: At-Risk YouthRisky BehaviorsStudent Misconduct |
Author: Crellin, Richard Title: On your own now: the risks of unsuitable accommodation for older teenagers Summary: This report looks at the lives of 16 and 17 year olds who cannot live at home with their families and the risks they face when they are placed in accommodation provided by their local authority, intended to prepare them to live independently as adults. The report is based on an analysis of the sufficiency strategies of 102 local authorities, a survey with 118 providers of accommodation in 83 local authorities in England and focus groups with 11 young people who have experience of living in accommodation designed to prepare them for independence at the age of 16 or 17. The survey of accommodation providers included supported accommodation, foyers, supported lodgings, floating tenancy support and training flats. The findings focus on the risks these vulnerable young people face, the support they receive, how they are safeguarded, local authorities' forward planning when commissioning these types of services and critically how things change when they turn 18 and become independent adults. Case studies are included throughout. Risks identified included substance misuse, mental health and wellbeing, poverty, and eviction and unplanned moves. Local authorities failed to sufficiently plan accommodation for 16 to 17 year olds. Accommodation providers were unlikely to be integrated into local structures designed to safeguard children or staff employed often had no safeguarding qualifications. The report argues that the complex variety of different provisions for looking after these vulnerable young people combined with support, care and living arrangements that are not subject to enough scrutiny by the state have resulted in a situation which is damaging young people lives in ways that stay with them well into adult life. Details: London: The Children's Society, 2015. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 13, 2016 at: http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/On%20your%20own%20now%20-%20Appendices.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/On%20your%20own%20now%20-%20Appendices.pdf Shelf Number: 137569 Keywords: At-Risk YouthHomelessnessVulnerable YouthYoung Adults |
Author: Cannon, Ashley Title: Responding to Social Media Norms: Development a Comprehensive Strategy to Promote Digital Citizenship Summary: Social media has become a part of everyday life. All types of real-world behavior are now showcased online-including criminal behavior, bullying, threats and the glorification of violence. Increasingly, youth associated with antisocial peer groups-such as neighborhood-based "crews" engaging in violent rivalries-use social media as a tool to create criminal opportunities and amplify conflicts. Unfortunately, in many cases, this type of social media usage can lead to real-life violence or other serious ramifications, such as arrest. The Crime Commission is engaged in several initiatives that seek to provide social media users with tools and information to help them stay safe both on- and off-line, including the development of an innovative new program that trains antiviolence professionals as "E-Responders" to intervene and deescalate violence provoked on social media. As part of this work, this series, "Social Media & Real-World Consequences", provides readers with an overview of the ways youth are communicating on social media, the associated risks of these communications turning into real-world violence, and the range of legal, educational and professional consequences youth may face in the real-world. High-risk youth engage in numerous types of dangerous communication on social media, including threatening and taunting others (often those from rival crews), promoting their self-image and crew, mobilizing others for disorderly or criminal activity, and recruiting other youth to join their crew. These types of communication are highly visible and exist beyond private messages and chats. Status updates, comments, photos, and videos often contain content prohibited by platform providers; however, they remain on the sites, fueling conflict. Moreover, youth often use social media to acquire weapons for attacks and protection. These dangerous communications have an extremely high risk of going from virtual to violent, and often result in very serious consequences in the real-world. When these consequences include violence, such as fights and shootings, they are often immediately documented and discussed online, increasing the likelihood of retaliation and further perpetuating the cycle of street violence. Taunts, threats, and intimidation on social media often lead to in-person fights, which can have deadly consequences. Youth often post continuous information about their ongoing conflicts, including violent intentions prior to carrying out shootings. This was the case in the Bryant Park skating rink shooting in November 2013, as well as in a shooting that occurred at a house party in Brownsville in January 2014, in which a 16-year-old was killed. The Bedford-Stuyvesant bus shooting in March 2014, which led to the death of a straphanger, was instigated by months of taunting on social media between two rival crews. Beyond violence and victimization, these harmful behaviors can lead to a wide range of legal, educational and professional consequences in the real-world. For example, police use social media to help identify, track, and build cases against individuals, culminating in indictments, such as the June 2014 takedown of 103 youth in West Harlem. Schools, financial aid providers, and employers also use social media profiles as a form of background check when considering an individual for admission, scholarship, or employment, and to inform disciplinary actions-something many people are not aware of when they post recklessly on social media. Details: New York: Citizens Crime Commission on New York City, 2015. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Social Media & Real World Consequences, Volume II: Accessed January 25, 2016 at: http://www.nycrimecommission.org/pdfs/CCC-Social-Media-Vol2-Responding-To-Norms.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.nycrimecommission.org/pdfs/CCC-Social-Media-Vol2-Responding-To-Norms.pdf Shelf Number: 137653 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Delinquency Prevention Online Communications Online Victimization Social Media Violence Violence-Prevention Violent Crime Youth Violence |
Author: Millenky, Megan Title: Preventing Juvenile Justice Involvement for Young Women. An Introduction to an Evaluation of the PACE Center for Girls Summary: Involvement in the juvenile justice system has tremendous costs for the individuals within it, as well as for society. Such involvement may damage a child's relationships with friends and family, negatively affect mental health, and interrupt the academic progress and work experience that should accumulate during adolescence. On the societal level, the United States spends up to $88,000 per year on each individual placed in a juvenile corrections facility. Therefore, prevention or early intervention programs that help young people avoid involvement in the juvenile system in the first place offer a significant return on investment, and professionals in the field have focused on identifying and evaluating such promising approaches. Increasingly, girls are making up a larger proportion of those involved with the juvenile justice system. Although the juvenile confinement rate is declining, and juvenile arrest rates are slowing overall, girls are seeing less of an improvement than boys. Specifically, from 2001 to 2010 boys' arrest rates decreased by 26.5 percent, while girls' arrest rates decreased by only 15.5 percent. Yet the current juvenile justice system is not well positioned to meet the particular needs of girls, as most services are rooted in research based on the needs of boys. Girls at risk of juvenile delinquency have a specific profile that differs from that of their male counterparts: They are more often detained for non-serious offenses, such as truancy or violating probation, and more often enter the juvenile justice system with a history of physical or sexual abuse.6 According to a recent report by the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, "the juvenile justice system only exacerbates [the girls'] problems by failing to provide girls with services at the time when they need them most." One program that directly addresses this challenge is PACE Center for Girls. This "gender-responsive" program serving communities in Florida - perhaps the largest and most well-established of its kind - aims to prevent girls' involvement in the juvenile justice system. This brief describes an ongoing evaluation of PACE that will help policymakers and practitioners understand and strengthen the program's effects for at-risk girls on a range of outcomes, including education, delinquency, risky behavior, social support, and mental health. More broadly, the study will inform the national dialogue about how to better serve such girls. Details: New York: MDRC, 2016. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Brief: Accessed January 28, 2016 at: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/Preventing_Juvenile_Justice_Involvement_2016.pdf?utm_source=MDRC+Updates&utm_campaign=af3e0f7338-January_28_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_504d5ac165-af3e0f7338-42214305 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/Preventing_Juvenile_Justice_Involvement_2016.pdf?utm_source=MDRC+Updates&utm_campaign=af3e0f7338-January_28_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_504d5ac165-af3e0f7338-42214305 Shelf Number: 137698 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionFemale DelinquentsGender Specific Responses |
Author: Waddell, Stephanie, ed. Title: Preventing Gang and Youth Violence: Spotting Signals of Risk and Supporting Children and Young People: An Overview Summary: The Early Intervention Foundation has been working with the Home Office to produce these reports with the aim of helping local areas make more informed decisions about (i) how best to identify those children and young people who may be at risk of involvement in gangs or youth violence, and (ii) what types of programmes or interventions appear to work or not to work in preventing involvement in gangs and youth violence. The first report is a review of risk and protective factors based on academic studies which followed individuals, often from early childhood and collected data on risk variables at regular intervals to identify which ones correlate most strongly with later outcomes. The second report looks at the features associated with effective and ineffective interventions in delivered in the UK and abroad and examines what the evidence tells us about how best to respond to these risks. Details: London: Home Office, 2015. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 1, 2016 at: http://www.eif.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Final-R1-Overview-Preventing-Gang-Youth-Violence.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.eif.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Final-R1-Overview-Preventing-Gang-Youth-Violence.pdf Shelf Number: 137722 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency Prevention Gang Violence Youth Gangs Youth Violence |
Author: O'Connor, Robyn M. Title: What Works to Prevent Gang Involvement, Youth Violence and Crime: A Rapid Review of Interventions Delivered in the UK and Abroad Summary: This report was commissioned by the Home Office to further our understanding of what works to prevent gang involvement and youth violence. Since the Government's Ending Gang and Youth Violence programme began in 2011, it has had a strong emphasis on the importance of intervening at the earliest opportunity to prevent children and young people from getting involved in gangs and youth violence, and helping them to find ways out if they do become involved (HM Government, 2011). Our goal was to provide a brief overview of the international literature on effective and ineffective approaches aiming to prevent gang involvement and youth violence, and to identify specific preventative programmes with a good evidence base through a rapid assessment of previous programme evaluations conducted by other "what works" clearinghouses. From this, we sought to summarise some common features - or "key principles" - associated with what does and doesn't work. We leave to the next stage the task of assessing the specific costs and impacts of those programmes available in the UK, and assessing and recommending specific programmes. Overall, we identified 67 well-evidenced programmes, all implemented in the USA and nearly half in the UK, which aimed to prevent gang involvement, youth violence or associated problems such as youth offending, conduct disorder and delinquency. 54 of these programmes had been assessed as effective by the clearinghouses searched, whilst 13 were classified as ineffective. The features and activities associated with these programmes were largely consistent with the findings of the key systematic reviews and evidence assessments identified through our literature review. To maximise transparency, a list of the 67 programmes identified through our search is available in Appendix 3. At the time of publication, 18 programmes are also included in EIF's online Guidebook. Some of these are discussed in more detail in Section 3 as case studies, illustrating how the key principles we have identified are implemented in practice. A rating and detailed description are not provided for every programme, because we have not yet done our own assessment of their effectiveness and input costs. Whilst the clearinghouses searched provide very useful information about specific programmes, each presents different types of information that are not always strictly comparable, and not always fully up to date. Evidence and programmes change, so until we have tested the evidence in more detail we cannot provide an explicit assessment of all the programmes in this review. In the second phase of this work, the relevant programmes identified through this report will undergo detailed scrutiny and provider consultation to enable us to confirm an EIF rating and include information about these programmes in our online Guidebook. Details: London: Home Office, 2015. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 1, 2016 at: http://www.eif.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Final-R2-WW-Prevent-Gang-Youth-Violence-final.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.eif.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Final-R2-WW-Prevent-Gang-Youth-Violence-final.pdf Shelf Number: 137723 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionGangsInterventionsYouth GangsYouth Violence |
Author: McLeod, Keith Title: Using Integrated Administrative Data to Identify Youth Who Are at Risk of Poor Outcomes as Adults Summary: This paper summarises findings from an analysis of integrated administrative data seeking to identify the characteristics of young people aged 15 to 24 who are most at risk of poor long-term outcomes. The research is part of a broader 'social investment approach' by government agencies seeking to target services more effectively towards those most at need and reflects the recognition that such an approach requires better evidence about who these at-risk groups are. The analysis identifies those characteristics in the administrative data that are most predictive of a range of future poor outcomes and how this changes over the course of a young person's entry into adulthood and identifies groups of young people at particular risk at different ages. Details: Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Treasury, 2015. 74p. Source: Internet Resource: Analytical Paper 15/02: Accessed February 5, 2016 at: http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/ap/2015/15-02/ap15-02.pdf Year: 2015 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/ap/2015/15-02/ap15-02.pdf Shelf Number: 137776 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionYoung Adults |
Author: Kronberga, IIona Title: Social Inclusion: Preventive Measures of Childrens Anti-Social Behavior Summary: The results of our recent studies1 show that the reasons for juvenile delinquency appear much earlier than their obvious consequences which are already the subject for the intervention of law enforcement agencies. If we assume that adults have to take care of the child's development starting from his/her birth and ensure the environment that would be appropriate for such development, we have to admit that deformed or antisocial behaviour is the consequence of the lack of such care. Adults in particular are responsible for the fulfilment of the youngster's special development needs. It is significant to recognise that the juvenile delinquency as an act of socially deformed behaviour shows that the rights of the particular child have been previously violated and his/her interests have been disregarded or neglected. The lack of care and treatment, indifference, parents and other adults' unwillingness to understand and fulfil the child's needs lead to the commitment of a criminal act. Therefore it is important to develop such systems of prevention and justice within which it is possible already in the early years of the child's development to discover, recognise and prevent future situations where the child becomes an offender or a victim or even only starts behaving in a way that could be called antisocial - opposite to the ethical and normative requirements of the social life in the community. Details: Riga, Latvia: Providus, 2014. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 9, 2016 at: http://providus.foo.lv/upload_file/Publikacijas/Kriminalt/2014/Visi_raksti_ENG.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Europe URL: http://providus.foo.lv/upload_file/Publikacijas/Kriminalt/2014/Visi_raksti_ENG.pdf Shelf Number: 137814 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Delinquency Prevention Juvenile Delinquency Juvenile Justice Systems |
Author: Farran, Gabrielle Title: "Opening Up": How is Positive Change Made Possible for Gang-Involved Adolescents in Contact with a Mental Health Charity? Summary: This research sought to explore if, and how, being involved with a mental health charity project is helpful to gang-associated young people. There are problematic gaps in access to adolescent mental health services in the UK, and the evidence base that supports them, particularly for young people labelled 'hard to reach'. In addition, engaging adolescents is acknowledged as challenging for mental health professionals, and drop-out rates are high. Furthermore, recommended interventions do not address poverty and social disadvantage, the most salient risk factors for both adolescent mental health problems and for offending, and a blight on the lived experience of the most marginalised and vulnerable young people in UK society. Taking a critical realist stance, the current research aims to address these problems by using the qualitative methodology of grounded theory to develop a model of the positive change occurring at an innovative mental health project working with gang-involved young people. The project has developed an integrated approach that draws on different therapeutic orientations, particularly community psychology, mentalisation and attachment theory. Six young people and six professionals working at the project were interviewed. A grounded theory analysis, comprising the core category of "Opening Up" was constructed from the researcher's understanding of participants' accounts. Positive change was conceptualised as an opening up of: future possibilities; contexts for action and interaction; access to material and social resources and opportunities; the self in relationship; and ideas about the self and others. Central to the findings was the use of trust as a resource for change, and a service structure enabling professionals and young people to take "the time that it takes" to establish a therapeutic relationship facilitating positive change. In keeping with the community psychology influences at the project, a Youth Research Consultant advised throughout the research. Limitations of the findings and their implications for future research and practice at the individual, service and commissioning levels are considered. Details: London: University of East London, 2014. 179p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed February 10, 2016 at: http://roar.uel.ac.uk/3978/ Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://roar.uel.ac.uk/3978/ Shelf Number: 137829 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGangsMental Health ServicesYouth Gangs |
Author: Irish Penal Reform Trust Title: The Vicious Circle of Social Exclusion and Crime: Ireland's Disproportionate Punishment of the Poor Summary: The purpose of this Position Paper is to emphasise the complex matrix between social exclusion and crime, in order to impress on policy makers that an effective response to crime must, at the front end, involve investment in early intervention to combat social and educational disadvantage to prevent vulnerable young people embarking on criminality in the first instance. At the back end - i.e. post imprisonment - appropriate measures should be put in place to reintegrate ex-prisoners back into society, including comprehensive assistance with housing and work or training, for the benefit of the individuals themselves, as well as the communities to which they are returning. Details: Dublin: IPRT, 2012. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 10, 2016 at: http://www.iprt.ie/files/Position_Paper_FINAL.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.iprt.ie/files/Position_Paper_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 137835 Keywords: At-Risk YouthOffendersPovertyPrisoner ReentryPrisonersReintegrationSocial ExclusionSocio-economic Conditions and Crime |
Author: de Hoyos, Rafael Title: Idle youth in Mexico : trapped between the war on drugs and economic crisis Summary: The present study combines data from Mexico's employment surveys (Encuesta Nacional de Empleo and Encuesta Nacional de Ocupacion y Empleo) with the country's official statistics on murder rates to create a state-level panel data set covering the period 1995 to 2013. Including most of the common controls identified by the literature, the results show that the rate of male youth ages 19 to 24 not studying and out of work (the so-called ninis), is not correlated with homicide rates during the period 1995 to 2006. However, there is evidence that a positive correlation between male ninis and murder rates arises between 2007 and 2013, a period during which murder rates in Mexico increased threefold. The association between ninis and homicide rates is stronger in states located along the border with the United States, a region particularly affected by organized crime and the international financial crisis of 2008-09. Details: Washington, DC: The World Bank, 2016. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Research working paper; no. WPS 7558: Accessed February 17, 2016 at: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2016/02/04/090224b084147697/1_0/Rendered/PDF/Idle0youth0in000and0economic0crisis.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Mexico URL: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2016/02/04/090224b084147697/1_0/Rendered/PDF/Idle0youth0in000and0economic0crisis.pdf Shelf Number: 137868 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCrime RatesHomicidesMurdersOrganized CrimeUnemployment and Crime |
Author: Treskon, Louisa Title: What Works for Disconnected Young People: A Scan of the Evidence Summary: This paper was commissioned by the Youth Transition Funders Group in 2015. The purpose was to conduct a scan of the current state of the evidence regarding what works in helping disconnected young people, defined as the population of young people ages 16 to 24 who are not connected to work or school. To prepare the paper, MDRC conducted a literature review of relevant policies and programs. The literature reviewed included writing on impact, quasi-experimental, and implementation studies. MDRC also conducted reviews of numerous websites to learn about current policy trends and evaluations in process. To supplement what was learned from written materials, MDRC interviewed a number of practitioners in the field, including representatives from foundations, coalitions, and research organizations. The main findings of this scan are: -Policies affecting disconnected young people span a range of systems, including public schools; adult basic and secondary education; and the juvenile justice, foster care, and mental health systems. As a result services, funding, and research are often uncoordinated and fragmented, though collective impact or system-level approaches are attempting to combat these challenges. -Though program impacts may be modest or short-lived, successful programs share some common features. These include: opportunities for paid work and the use of financial incentives; strong links among education, training, and the job market; the use of youth development approaches; comprehensive support services; and support after programs end. -Programs share some common implementation challenges, including: outreach and enrollment practices that may limit the populations they serve; difficulties keeping young people engaged in a program long enough to benefit from it; staff turnover; and difficulties addressing young people's barriers to participation, particularly their lack of transportation and child care. -The field's understanding of what works in serving disconnected young people could advance significantly in the coming years, as more than a dozen evaluations of programs are currently under way, including evaluations of collective impact approaches. There are gaps in the existing services available: There are not enough programs for young people who are not motivated to reconnect to education or the job market on their own, nor for young people who have weak basic skills, especially those who have aged out of the public school system. The areas where there are gaps in services also tend to be areas where there is little evidence regarding what works. Details: New York: MDRC, 2016. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: MDRC Working Paper: Accessed February 25, 2016 at: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/What_works_for-disconnected_young_people_WP.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/What_works_for-disconnected_young_people_WP.pdf Shelf Number: 137973 Keywords: At-Risk JuvenilesAt-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged Youth |
Author: National Crime Prevention Centre (Canada) Title: The Achievers: Politive Alternatives to Youth Gangs (PAYG) Summary: Toronto's Jane-Finch community suffers from one of the highest violent crime rates in the province of Ontario and is widely acknowledged as one of the most socially and economically disadvantaged communities in Canada. It is believed that the Jane-Finch community has the highest concentration of youth gangs in Canada, with well-known gangs such as the Bloods and Crips. Researchers from the University of Toronto and officials from the City of Toronto have developed the Youth Crime Risk Index, a tool to identify neighbourhoods with a high risk of youth gang activity. The index demonstrates that Jane-Finch has the highest risk score in Toronto. This indicates that the community suffers from high crime rates, socio-economic disadvantage, and residents have limited access to community programs for youth. Given all of these risk factors, youth who grow up in this community are especially vulnerable to gang membership. In 1999, there were a few local programs that dealt with gang members and gang-related issues, but no programs were available for middle-school youth. Details: Ottawa: Public Safety Canada, 2014. 7p. Source: Internet Resource: Evaluation Summaries ES-2014-40: Accessed march 14, 2016 at: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/payg/payg-eng.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/payg/payg-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 138221 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGangsHigh Crime AreasNeighborhoods and CrimeSocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeUrban GangsYouth Gangs |
Author: Kotze, Kevin Title: More Care Less Court: Keeping Youth out of the Criminal Justice System Summary: New Brunswick's rate of youth charged for criminal offences has been decreasing since the enactment of Canada's youth crime legislation, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, in 2002. Yet still nearly a decade passed in our Province without corresponding progress being made in regard to the number of youths being sent to pre-trial detention and secure custody. Far too often it is the most vulnerable youths who are caught in the system - youths with mental health disorders, youths with addictions issues, youths with backgrounds as victims of abuse and neglect; homeless youth; youth with intellectual disabilities; youths from marginalized or minority identity groups. The good news is that New Brunswick has in the past few years begun to make real progress in youth criminal justice issues. The RCMP and their Community Program Officers, as well as municipal police forces, began to lead the way by increasingly diverting youth away from court and toward supports that can reduce their risk of further involvement in crime. However, it takes the work of many different stakeholders to address youth crime effectively, and it takes a system that is built to be responsive to the developmental needs of youth. Very recently, government's Provincial Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy has worked with police and civil society to produce a Youth Diversion Model that addresses some of the root causes of youth crime. The model is in line with a shift toward an evidence-based child-rights focus that reflects not just what is easiest but what works best. This work deserves praise and holds much promise, but we must bear in mind it is only the beginning of the necessary shift. Much work is still to be done to keep youth from crime. Pre-trial detention rates and secure custody rates remain unduly high. Youth admissions to correction services as a whole in New Brunswick remain higher per capita than other provinces. Reaction must be in proportion to the gravity of the offence. Sentencing should be for the shortest time possible. Community-based sentences should be the usual route. Incarceration should be a last resort, normally reserved for serious violent offences. Only in the most serious cases should youth have to await trial while detained at the detention and secure custody facility. If New Brunswick can take a child-rights approach in all areas involving children and youth, we can lead the way in providing the means to allow children to develop positive senses of how they feel, think and act. This is what will keep youth out of the criminal justice system. The More Care Less Court report seeks to provide an overview of the youth criminal justice system in New Brunswick generally, and shed some light on some of the most apparent problems with the system. The report's recommendations intend to support the work of the Provincial Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy, and suggest necessary improvements to the youth criminal justice system. Details: Fredericton, NB: Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, 2015. 173p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 16, 2016 at: https://www.gnb.ca/0073/Child-YouthAdvocate/MCLC-PAMP/MoreCareLessCourt.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: https://www.gnb.ca/0073/Child-YouthAdvocate/MCLC-PAMP/MoreCareLessCourt.pdf Shelf Number: 138251 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile DelinquencyJuvenile DiversionJuvenile Justice ReformJuvenile Justice SystemsJuvenile Offenders |
Author: Semczuk, Megan Title: An analysis of the relationship between a community-based prevention program for young people with multiple and complex needs and the prevalence of crime Summary: Background There is an absence of high-quality evidence about which programs are most effective in reducing juvenile offending and crime recidivism. Aims This study identifies the most common types of police incidents involving high-risk young people, describes the demographic characteristics of the persons of interest, examines the extent to which a community prevention program (BackTrack) is associated with reductions in police incidents, and identifies the perceptions of key stakeholders about the impact of BackTrack. Methods Routinely collected crime data were obtained from 1999-2013 for Armidale (the BackTrack community). Descriptive analyses identified the most common incidents and their characteristics. Segmented regression analysis of an interrupted time series estimated BackTrack's impact, with segments specified for pre (1999-2005) and post (2006-2013) the commencement of BackTrack. A thematic analysis was applied the perceptions of police officers and the magistrate in Armidale. Results The most common types of police incidents were: break and enter dwelling; malicious damage to property; assault (non-domestic violence); and trespass. Most persons of interest were male, aged 14-17 years. A statistically significant reduction from pre- to post-commencement of BackTrack was identified for three outcomes (p≤0.05), while the fourth (break and enter) approached significance (p=0.055). A key perception was that outcomes are optimised when key stakeholders in community programs and the criminal justice system work together. Conclusions BackTrack appropriately targets high-risk young people and is effective in reducing the most common types of criminal incidents Details: Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, 2012. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: NDARC Monograph Report Number 65: Accessed March 17, 2016 at: https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/ndarc/resources/NDARC%20Monograph%2065.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Australia URL: https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/ndarc/resources/NDARC%20Monograph%2065.pdf Shelf Number: 138310 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCrime PreventionDelinquency PreventionJuvenile Offenders |
Author: Yahner, Jennifer Title: Arts Infusion Initiative, 2010-15: Evaluation Report Summary: In 2010, an ambitious model for social change emerged in Chicago that aimed to connect detained youth and those at risk for incarceration ("at-risk youth") to rigorous and engaging arts instruction, infused with social and emotional learning goals. Dubbed the Arts Infusion Initiative, the Chicago Community Trust ("the Trust") spearheaded and funded this five year, $2.5 million demonstration while earning cooperation from the local detention facility, public school system, community policing office, and community arts program leaders to integrate arts programming into youths' school and after school environments. Since its launch, the Arts Infusion Initiative2 has served more than 2,000 youth at an average annual cost of $700 per teen, linking them to high performing arts instruction associated with significant increases in social and emotional learning. This report marks the first large-scale evaluation of the Arts Infusion Initiative which was designed to: (1) assess the degree to which the project, as an emergent model for social change, was achieving its intended purposes and (2) generate actionable information for promoting effective Arts Infusion practices while redirecting those that have been less effective. To accomplish these objectives, from April to August 2015, the Urban Institute ("Urban"), in consultation with the National Guild for Community Arts Education ("the National Guild"), conducted a multi-method evaluation that drew on the following sources: 1. Five years of Arts Infusion documentation, including arts programs' teaching unit plans for infusing social and emotional skills instruction, proposals and final reports, assessments of youths' social and emotional progress, and knowledge sharing activities, attendance, and participant feedback; 2. Quantitative analysis of the initiative's 2014-15 social and emotional youth assessment data (n=320); 3. More than six dozen (n=73) interviews and focus groups with Arts Infusion instructors, program directors, youth participants, and community stakeholders; 4. An online survey assessing stakeholders' (n=45) perceptions of the initiative, conducted by Urban during the evaluation period; and 5. Observations of more than a dozen Arts Infusion classes, events, and performances, as well as artwork (music, poetry, dance, theatre, and visual art) produced by teen and young adult participants. Together, these data enabled Urban's researchers to investigate key questions about the initiative's evolution and impact. This report presents the evaluation's key findings and recommendations. It consists of six chapters. Following the first chapter's introduction, chapter 2 describes the importance of efforts such as the Arts Infusion Initiative as (1) an emergent model3 for social change, based on the principles of restorative justice and creative youth development and (2) as a means to help improve outcomes for detained youth and youth nationwide who live in at-risk, socioeconomically deprived environments affected by gangs, drugs, and violence. Chapter 3 defines the core components of the Arts Infusion Initiative as they evolved, including the arts activities and objectives of the 14 most recent participating programs and efforts by the Trust to link Arts Infusion practitioners to research guidance by convening knowledge sharing sessions and by funding consultations with an arts assessment expert. Chapter4 details the evaluation methods, research questions, and limitations, while chapter 5 explains the seven key evaluation findings (summarized following this paragraph), along with supportive evidence and examples. Finally, chapter 6 identifies several promising practice recommendations for the next phase of the Arts Infusion Initiative. Seven key findings that emerged from the Arts Infusion Initiative evaluation: 1. Arts Infusion youth participants showed statistically significant and substantial improvements in social and emotional learning skills, as measured by conflict resolution, future orientation, critical response, and career readiness. 2. Arts Infusion teaching artists with strong artistic knowledge and classroom management skills were 3. The Arts Infusion Initiative helped foster co-creations and collaborations between program directors, public schools, community policing, and the detention facility. 4. Arts Infusion knowledge sharing sessions and assessment consultations evolved to effectively provide professional development opportunities and increase the assessment capabilities of program directors and teaching artists. 5. Arts Infusion programs succeeded in exposing at-risk youth to new skills and technologies, providing confidence building experiences that opened their minds to a positive future. 6. Arts Infusion programs experienced challenges connecting to and engaging youth after their release from detention. 7. Arts Infusion programs served nearly 750 at-risk youth in 2014-15 at an average cost of $700 per teen; JTDC based programs cost $600 per teen, and community based programs cost $750 per teen. effective at engaging and inspiring youth. Details: Washington, DC: The Urban Institute; Chicago: Chicago Community Trust; New York: National Guild for Community Arts Education, 2015. 139p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2016 at: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000392-Arts-Infusion-Initiative-2010-15-Evaluation-Report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000392-Arts-Infusion-Initiative-2010-15-Evaluation-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 138331 Keywords: Arts in PrisonsArts ProgramsAt-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged YouthEducational Programs |
Author: Smith-Moncrieffe, Donna Title: Evaluation Summary: Final Results - Stop Now and Plan (SNAP) Summary: Stop Now And Plan (SNAP) is a community-based program for children ages 6 to 12 who have come into contact, or are at risk of coming into contact, with the criminal justice system, and/or who display early signs of anti-social or aggressive behaviour. The program uses a cognitive-behavioural, multi-component approach to decrease the risks of children engaging in future delinquent behaviour. The SNAP model is based on a comprehensive framework for effctively teaching children with serious behavioural problems, emotional regulation, self-control and problem-solving skills. The core program components include the children's and parent's groups. The SNAP Boys and SNAP Girls offer 12-week gender-specific groups that teach emotion regulation, self-control and problem-solving skills. The concurrent SNAP Parent Group teaches parents effective child management strategies. Other program components include individual counselling/mentoring, family counselling, academic tutoring, youth leadership and a gender-specific component called "Girls Growing Up Healthy". These are recommended based on a continuing assessment of the child's risk and need levels. Although there is evidence regarding the effectiveness of SNAP in Canadian and United States contexts (within accredited mental health centres and community based settings), a further evaluation was conducted to assess the impact the program in a variety of other community-based organizations across Canada (i.e., youth justice, mentoring, and Aboriginal reserves). This summary provides an overview of the multi-site impact evaluation of SNAP that was funded by the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS). The multisite impact evaluation assessed the efficacy of this program in three unique communities (Toronto, Edmonton and Cree Nation - Quebec), contributing to the collective body of knowledge of what works in crime prevention. Details: Ottawa: Public Safety Canada, 2015. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report: 2015-R017: Accessed March 22, 2016 at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2015-r017/2015-r017-en.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2015-r017/2015-r017-en.pdf Shelf Number: 138380 Keywords: Anti-Social BehaviorAt-Risk YouthCognitive-Behavioral ProgramCommunity-Based ProgramsCost-Benefit AnalysisDelinquency PreventionProblem-Solving Skills |
Author: Rosario, Giselle Title: Evaluation Summary of the Velocity Adventure Program Summary: Velocity is an adventure-based program aimed to reduce anti-social behaviour, increase attachment to school, and reduce substance-use among at-risk youth. It was identified as a promising intervention that helps youth overcome adversity, create and enhance their connections in the community, and make healthy lifestyle choices. Velocity is based on research that demonstrates the effectiveness of outdoor adventure-based programs in helping troubled youth channel their energy into more positive behaviours. Velocity targets youth, aged 13 to18 years, who are at risk of, or who have already been involved in criminal activity. The program addresses key risk factors associated with involvement in crime, including aggressive and anti-social behaviour, substance abuse, and poor attachment to school. The program has three chronological components: - Group-building day trip adventures (e.g. kayaking, rock-climbing) to establish program expectations, build relationships with staff and promote group cohesiveness; - 7-day Adventure Camp with activities in a remote setting (e.g. zip-lining, horseback riding) in combination with life skills and personal development activities; and - Engage-Connect-Shift, which provides ongoing adventure day trips, individual support from project workers and workshops. Velocity's programming was comprised of trust and communication activities, goal-setting, life skills, experiential learning, high adventure pursuits and health promotion. Youth were also provided with individual support, community referrals and on-going encouragement towards healthy lifestyles. The length of the program was one year including the selection process. Selection of youth participants into the program involved two referral forms and all data was documented in a data system. Details: Ottawa: Public Safety Canada, 2015. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report: 2015-R012: Accessed March 22, 2016 at: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2015-r012/2015-r012-eng.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2015-r012/2015-r012-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 138381 Keywords: Adventure ProgramsAnti-Social BehaviorAt-Risk YouthJuvenile DelinquentsRecreational ProgramsSubstance Abuse |
Author: Cahill, Meagan Title: Evaluation of the Los Angeles Gang Reduction and Youth Development Program: Year 4 Evaluation Report Summary: The Los Angeles Mayor's Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) program works to reduce gang violence by providing prevention and intervention services concentrated in 12 zones. The fourth year of the GRYD evaluation examined program dosage, client and family experiences, program impact on youth risk factors for joining a gang, and community-level impacts on gang crime and violence. GRYD engaged youth with serious risk factors in intensive programming, and risk factors for GRYD Prevention clients declined. There was mixed evidence regarding whether the GRYD Zones "outperformed" comparison areas in reducing gang violence and crime. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2015. 183p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 29, 2016 at: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000622-Evaluation-of-the-Los-Angeles-Gang-Reduction-and-Youth-Development-Program-Year-4-Evaluation-Report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000622-Evaluation-of-the-Los-Angeles-Gang-Reduction-and-Youth-Development-Program-Year-4-Evaluation-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 138460 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGang ViolenceGangsYouth Gangs |
Author: O'Malley, Lisa Title: Prevention practice : Learning from youth crime prevention activity teams in eight youth offending teams during 2008/09 and 2009/10 Summary: Youth crime prevention policy is based on the assumption that it is possible to change the life-course trajectories of young people by reducing risk factors that may lead to offending behaviour and building on protective factors that might help prevent offending. The purpose of the current study was to examine the characteristics and needs of a cohort of young people who completed youth crime prevention programmes, and to look at how these programmes were delivered in some localities. The study consisted of two components: 1. a small number of interviews - these were conducted with a key member of staff within seven of the eight case study youth offending teams (YOTs) 2. collection and analysis of YOT cohort administrative data from prevention programmes. These data included Onset1 risk of future offending assessment scores, key demographic characteristics and records of offences committed during the year before and the year after involvement in a prevention programme. A case study approach was taken, involving a purposively selected sample of eight YOTs operating in areas within England and Wales that had been providing youth crime prevention programmes, and which had received some funding from the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB). Overall, data were obtained for a cohort of 934 young people engaged in prevention programmes in 2008/09 and 2009/10. Data were aggregated across the eight YOTs to create a single cohort of young people. As the largest study to date looking specifically at Onset scores of young people involved in prevention programmes, this report offers practitioners in the youth justice field a useful insight into the characteristics and needs of young people completing prevention interventions, and how these programmes were delivered. Details: London: Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, 2014. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2016 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/396062/prevention-practice-learning.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/396062/prevention-practice-learning.pdf Shelf Number: 138479 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCrime PreventionDelinquency PreventionJuvenile DelinquencyLife-Course Trajectories |
Author: Preciado, Luis E. Title: State approaches toward reducing youth violence in Honduras and Nicaragua Summary: Nicaragua and Honduras are neighbor countries situated in one of the most violent regions of the world. As such, they share many similarities, including geopolitics, a history of political violence and insurgency, as well as a repressive authoritarian past. In spite of the two countries' similarities, their divergent policing and public security policies have led to equally divergent outcomes in crime and homicide rates. What factors explain this divergence? How effective are their respective policing and security policies in confronting the proliferation of violence among the youth of their nations? Analysis of these questions helps U.S. policy-makers gain greater understanding of the critical factors that are contributing to Central America's escalating youth violence. By way of a most-similar systems approach, this thesis analyzes the aspects that either enable or degrade state efforts to address their youth gang crisis. In sum, building strong and accountable criminal justice institutions as well as addressing the socioeconomic challenges that confront youth populations are necessary preconditions for reducing youth violence. To assist our regional partners in restoring security to their nations, U.S. policymakers need to promote programs that help strengthen institutional capacities and expand social programs that assist at-risk youth. Details: Monterey, CA: Naval Postgraduate School, 2015. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 11, 2016 at: http://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/47317/15Sep_Preciado_Luis.pdf?sequence=3 Year: 2015 Country: Central America URL: http://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/47317/15Sep_Preciado_Luis.pdf?sequence=3 Shelf Number: 138626 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGang ViolenceGangsSocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeViolent CrimeYouth GangsYouth Violence |
Author: Hamilton, Mark D. Title: The young and the restless: Dynamics of violent youth mobilization in Sri Lanka and Nicaragua, 1960--2010 Summary: What are the factors that motivate youth to take up arms and mobilize in organized violence? That is the central question of this project, applied to two case contexts, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua. The project's integrative system dynamics methodology synthesizes competing causal explanations that are often considered in isolation within the literature. Three mechanisms are hypothesized to influence the "attractiveness" of armed mobilization for at-risk youth sectors: (1) Groups and Identity; (2) Grievances and (Perceived) Injustice; and (3) Greed and Incentives, with expected shifts across time and institutional context. Causal loop diagrams communicate the model's conceptual framework, key variable relationships, and interactive feedback effects across mechanisms. For purposes of testing, the model is contextualized to initial values for both cases, simulated across time (1960-2010), and then examined against the available empirical data for Sri Lanka and Nicaragua. Case illustrative narratives link quantitative and qualitative analysis of violent mobilization (and demobilization) for targeted historical periods. In Sri Lanka, analysis highlights the relative "attractiveness" for Sinhalese young people joining armed insurrections of the JVP (the "People's Liberation Front", a radical Maoist group with Buddhist roots), or for young Tamils joining ethno-nationalist armed groups such as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. In Nicaragua, model analysis traces the "attractiveness" of youth joining Marxist-nationalist Sandinista revolutionaries in the 1970s, with counter-revolutionary Contra forces in the 1980s, and fragmented neighborhood gangs from 1990. Project results show strong correspondence between the applied model simulations and the case historical record, for estimating the number of youth militants and their period-specific causal factor explanations. Model "leverage points" are highlighted across both cases, and then applied to a shadow case study (Israel-Palestine) as a proof-of-concept model extension (without simulation). From there, the text offers critical discussion of model limitations and potential extensions, and delineates key implications for policymaking, programming, and peace-building applications. The project concludes by highlighting the necessity of considering multiple causal explanations for a comprehensive understanding of armed youth mobilization. Moreover, it provides a systematic and rigorous framework to test these explanations' relative strength and their variance across time. Details: Washington, DC: American University, 2012. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 12, 2016 at: http://auislandora.wrlc.org/islandora/object/thesesdissertations%3A241 Year: 2012 Country: Nicaragua URL: http://auislandora.wrlc.org/islandora/object/thesesdissertations%3A241 Shelf Number: 138634 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGang ViolenceYouth GangsYouth Violence |
Author: Pratley, Elaine Mei Lien Title: 'Youth': victim, troublemaker or peacebuilder? Constructions of Youth-in-Conflict in United Nations and World Bank Youth Policies Summary: Examination of how the United Nations ('UN') and World Bank construct youth affected by armed conflict and political instability (referred to as 'youth-in-conflict') in their respective youth policies reveals that the UN constructs youth-in-conflict as 'victims' requiring protection. This results in humanitarian/rights-based approaches to youth development. In contrast, the World Bank constructs youth-in-conflict as 'capital' that has potential to bring about economic growth, resulting in economics-driven policies. Such divergent identity constructions are because 'youth' and 'youth identity' are fluid concepts used in various ways by different people in different contexts. In peace and conflict studies, the dominant discourses in relation to youth-in-conflict are that youth are either 'victims' of war or 'troublemakers'. Both discourses are contested by an emerging third discourse of youth as peacebuilders, which challenges the representation of youth-in-conflict as passive victims or as negative threats. While the UN and World Banks respective humanitarian/development and neo-liberal economic approaches shape these divergent youth-in-conflict constructions, both institutions are also influenced by the global trends in youth-in-conflict discourses. This 'discursive' relationship means that as the UN and World Bank engage in the global youth debate and are shaped by more complete understandings of youth-in-conflict, they will also have an influential role in perpetuating or challenging dominant discourses. Details: Wellington, NZ: Victoria University of Wellington, 2011. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 13, 2016 at: http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/handle/10063/1847 Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/handle/10063/1847 Shelf Number: 138659 Keywords: At-Risk YouthYouth and Conflict |
Author: KPMG Title: Final Report for the Evaluation of Queensland's Youth Boot Camps Summary: In early 2013, we began a trial of 2 types of boot camps that aimed to keep young people out of trouble and detention. They were: - early intervention youth boot camps, for teenagers at risk of long-term offending - sentenced youth boot camp, for teenagers who ◦had a history of offending and were facing detention ◦were from Townsville and had 3 or more motor vehicle offences. In August 2015, we received an evaluation of the youth boot camp trial. We decided we would end the trial because of the report's findings. Our youth boot camp trial ended in October 2015 Details: Brisbane: Department of Justice and Attorney-General, 2015. 251p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2016 at: https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/ac40e5a2-e3e6-4a2a-a7bd-c616116c3a5e/resource/a654be83-cd7f-43b3-b6cd-cdf2c9c8b48d/download/finalreportfortheevaluationofqueenslandsyouthbootcamps.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Australia URL: https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/ac40e5a2-e3e6-4a2a-a7bd-c616116c3a5e/resource/a654be83-cd7f-43b3-b6cd-cdf2c9c8b48d/download/finalreportfortheevaluationofqueenslandsyouthbootcamps.pdf Shelf Number: 138901 Keywords: Alternatives to DetentionAt-Risk YouthBoot CampsDelinquency PreventionJuvenile OffendersRecidivism |
Author: International Alert Title: Politics on the Margins in Tunisia: Vulnerable youhg people in Douar Hicher and Ettadhamen Summary: report analyses the findings of interviews with almost 800 young people aged between 18 and 34 living in the deprived neighbourhoods of Douar Hicher and Ettadhamen in Tunis, which are marked by high unemployment rates, school dropouts and insecurity. This report aims to demonstrate how the social and urban inequalities to which these young people are subjected penetrate every aspect of their lives, shaping their identities and influencing their relationships with politics, leaving them feeling excluded from the democratic process and marginalised from the legitimate political scene. The quantitative findings upon which this research is based can be found in the report, Experiences and perceptions of young people in Tunisia. Details: London: International Alert, 2016. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2016 at: http://www.international-alert.org/sites/default/files/Tunisia_PoliticsOnTheMargins_EN_2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Tunisia URL: http://www.international-alert.org/sites/default/files/Tunisia_PoliticsOnTheMargins_EN_2016.pdf Shelf Number: 139062 Keywords: At-Risk YouthVulnerable Youth |
Author: Prison Reform Trust Title: In Care, Out of Trouble. How the life chances of children in care can be transformed by protecting them from unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice system Summary: This review was established to examine the reasons for, and how best to tackle, the over representation of children in care, or with experience of care, in the criminal justice system in England and Wales. Aiming to reduce the disproportionate number of young people who are, or have been, in public care progressing into custody is laudable. The over representation of looked after children in the youth justice system has to be challenged and changed. But it soon becomes distressingly clear that starting at the point of evidence of criminal behaviour is for many young people simply too late in the day. Remedial work and rehabilitation are essential but prevention is so much more rewarding and fruitful for the young person and wider society. It is against that background that it would be good to pause and reflect again on the importance of childhood in the social and emotional development of every young person. Good parenting entails a lifetime commitment. It creates the solid foundation on which is built the evolving unique personality that, hopefully, will in due course become the fulfilled adult. The essential ingredients are security, stability, unselfish love and an unyielding commitment to give the child the best start and hope for the future. It is in this context that young children develop self confidence, trust, personal and social values and optimism. Loss, neglect or trauma at this early stage in life often result in profound and enduring consequences. Great emphasis should be placed on early life experiences. Guidance and support through pregnancy and during the early months of parenthood should be available to all who need it. There are clear long term benefits in identifying problems at an early stage rather than delaying until a crisis. It is in all of our interests that as many children as possible are enabled to grow up to become successful, law abiding and fulfilled citizens well able to be good role models for the next generation. We all have a part to play in this, but especially the wider family. At times of difficulty steps should be taken to involve other family members and encourage their different contributions and support. Handled in the right way a crisis might be short-lived and stability restored. After all, this is a well trodden path in many families without the assistance of the state. This can be hugely satisfying work for frontline staff. Working in this way in some local authorities has already resulted in fewer children coming into care. Investing in childhood is more than a nice thing to do. It has a real value that goes beyond the child as it facilitates the future wellbeing of society. Failure to help the child and, where possible, to support the family at this stage is both costly to the child and very expensive to the state. In every way the price is high for everyone involved. In financial terms it costs over L200,000 each year to keep a young person in a secure children's home and the yearly cost of a place in a young offender institution is about L60,000. Meeting many young people in custodial institutions demonstrates all too clearly the gaps in their social development and in their basic education. It is impossible not to be moved by their experiences and the serious constraints on their life chances. For some, their anger, frustrations, inability to express themselves except through challenging behaviour and possibly violence all point to failure, for whatever reason, in their earlier years. Yet with the right help at the right time, the capacity of many children to change and their resilience in difficult circumstances is admirable. The staff in these establishments need to be equipped to demonstrate a mixture of sound professional skills and impressive personal qualities. They deserve good training, proper supervision and support. We should honour what they do on behalf of us all not least because few of us, including me, would choose to take on such challenging and at times distressing work. Remedial work can be tough, demanding and at times dispiriting. But this review has heard how good practice can achieve inspiring results. What is abundantly clear is that no one service operating alone can hope to meet the needs of these young people or their families. Each one of the key public services has a distinct and clear responsibility in law to fulfil the duties placed upon them by the United Kingdom Parliament and the Welsh Assembly. One of those duties is to work in partnership with each of the other services. Over the years there have been far too many well publicised examples of services failing to work across organisational boundaries both in the exchange of information and in day by day practice in the protection and support of vulnerable children. We have seen and heard of excellent joint working and co-located teams in places such as Leeds and Surrey to divert looked after children from unnecessary criminalisation. Good practice is achieving splendid results in other areas too. Now is the time to make it standard practice everywhere. Details: London: PRT, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 24, 2016 at: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/In%20care%20out%20of%20trouble%20summary.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/In%20care%20out%20of%20trouble%20summary.pdf Shelf Number: 139145 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile DetentionJuvenile Justice ReformJuvenile Justice Systems |
Author: DeLong, Caitlin Title: Addressing Child Exposure to Violence Summary: Each year a notable number of children are exposed to violence in their homes and communities. This exposure can result in negative health and well-being consequences. Safe from the Start (SFS) programs were funded to provide treatment services and supportive referrals to children exposed to violence and their families. This report provides an overview of the Illinois Safe from the Start program, program outcomes, and implications for policy and practice. Details: Chicago: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 2016. 6p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 9, 2016 at: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/articles/Addressing%20Child%20Exposure%20to%20Violence_final.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/articles/Addressing%20Child%20Exposure%20to%20Violence_final.pdf Shelf Number: 139344 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChildren Exposed to Violence Family Violence Violence Violent Crime |
Author: Mercy Corps Title: Youth and Consequences: unemployment, Injustice and Violence Summary: Every year, Western donors deploy vast sums of development assistance to dampen the appeal, among the world's youth, of militias, pirates and terrorists. But guided by little in the way of empirical evidence, it is an enterprise plagued by unclear payoffs and unintended consequences. At the heart of these efforts are economic development programs. Vocational training for youth, for instance, is a favorite of donors and NGOs alike. Such efforts are informed by a widely held assumption: that idle young people, lacking licit opportunities to make a living, are a ready pool of recruits for armed movements. There is just one problem with this narrative. It does not appear to be true. Mercy Corps' research contributes to a growing body of evidence that finds no relationship between joblessness and a young person's willingness to engage in, or support, political violence. Drawing on interviews and surveys with youth in Afghanistan, Colombia and Somalia, we find the principal drivers of political violence are rooted not in poverty, but in experiences of injustice: discrimination, corruption and abuse by security forces. For many youth, narratives of grievance are animated by the shortcomings of the state itself, which is weak, venal or violent. Or all three. Young people take up the gun not because they are poor, but because they are angry. In light of this, many prevailing development approaches are unlikely, in isolation, to make youth more peaceful. Indeed, they may make matters worse. Supply-side vocational training projects, not linked to meaningful employment in the marketplace, risk raising expectations that cannot be satisfied. And where programs fail to target the most marginalized - as many do - or have been manipulated by local elites, they may aggravate perceptions of unfairness. Empowering disenfranchised young people would seem to be the remedy. Yet, from a peace-building perspective, civic engagement programs yield unpredictable dividends. When not paired with meaningful governance reforms, such programs may simply stoke youth frustrations with exclusive, elder-dominated formal institutions. This may explain why we found civically engaged youth to be more supportive of armed opposition groups, not less. Confident, outspoken and politically conscious young people, it turns out, are not the types to sit quietly by when the society around them disappoints. Details: Portland, OR: MercyCorps,2015. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 9, 2016 at: https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/MercyCorps_YouthConsequencesReport_2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/MercyCorps_YouthConsequencesReport_2015.pdf Shelf Number: 139348 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged YouthYouth Unemployment |
Author: Dale, Colin Title: Review of International Evidence and Practice on Non-Pain Inducing Techniques and Systems of Restraint Summary: In 2011, the Restraint Advisory Board (RAB), which was established to assess Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) for use in secure training centres (STCs) and under-18 young offender institutions (YOIs), recommended that research was commissioned: "...into the feasibility of developing a restraint system which does not incorporate pain induction techniques. The research should include assessing the applicability of restraint systems used in other sectors (within and outwith child care) that do not rely upon or permit pain induction". A review of existing evidence was commissioned in 2013 following this recommendation. The aims of the study were to: - identify, review and assess non-pain restraint techniques employed in different institutional settings across different countries (including England and Wales), and their effectiveness - assess the feasibility of implementing similar restraint techniques from other countries and settings within the under-18 secure estate in England and Wales. The research comprised a rapid evidence assessment of the relevant international research literature. This was followed by interviews with an international group of 26 practitioners, academics, trainers and managers about the use of non-pain inducing restraint techniques. The review of the existing research found only five relevant studies, none of which clearly and rigorously demonstrated the effective use of non-pain inducing techniques to control serious or volatile situations involving children and young people. These findings mirrored the conclusions of an earlier systematic review on physical interventions and seclusion in psychiatric settings following National Institute of Clinical Excellence methodology. The interviews with practitioners found that although non-pain restraint techniques were in use in various settings around the world, it was very difficult to identify approaches based on good-quality research on their impact. It was also apparent that the choice of restraint method employed varied depending on context and circumstance. As a result, the study concluded it was not possible, on the current evidence available, to identify a particular safe, more effective system of non-pain inducing restraint readily available to specifically manage volatile and serious situations within the youth secure estate in England and Wales. The study highlighted the need for more robust research in this area. 3 Details: London: Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, 2016. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 20, 2016 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/521046/Non-pain_report_FINAL_22_Apr_2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/521046/Non-pain_report_FINAL_22_Apr_2016.pdf Shelf Number: 139723 Keywords: Aggressive BehaviorAt-Risk YouthJuvenile DetentionRestraint |
Author: Cohan, Lorena M. Title: Honduras Cross-Sectoral Youth Violence Prevention Assessment: Final Report Summary: With 85.5 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2012, Honduras has the highest homicide rate of any country in the world (IUDPAS, 2013a), making crime and violence one of the most complex challenges currently facing the Government of Honduras (GoH), as well as a key priority for USAID Honduras. Violence in Honduras predominantly affects male youth from poor urban areas, with 65 percent of homicides in Honduras occurring in 5 percent of municipalities and the vast majority of homicide victims being males (94 percent) - in particular male youth between 15 and 34 years of age (63 percent) (Observatorio de la Violencia, 2012). This report addresses the violence issue in Honduras by presenting key findings and recommendations from the Honduras Cross-Sectoral Youth Violence Prevention Assessment, carried out by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) in response to a request by USAID/Honduras within the context of the METAS Project. The ultimate objective of this assessment was to identify strategies to reduce youth violence in order to inform the future youth violence prevention strategy of USAID/Honduras and other stakeholders. METAS conducted the assessment between February and May 2013 to examine the causes and extent of youth violence in Honduras. This report presents information about the assessment; an understanding of the social context in which this work must be developed; findings, analysis, and a synthesis of programming recommendations derived from that analysis, along with extensive annex documents. The following objectives guided the research questions of the assessment: Objective 1: To develop a comprehensive understanding of the at-risk youth population in Honduras. Objective 2: To develop a comprehensive understanding of youth crime and violence in urban areas. Objective 3:hTo identify multi-sectoral strategic investment options for USAID that address contextual youth challenges within the parameters of the Central American Security Initiative, Goal 3 of USAID's Global Education Strategy. To identify the most promising youth violence prevention strategies, METAS' assessment team examined youth aspirations and assets; challenges faced by youth within at-risk communities to ascertain how these communities either support or impede youth aspirations and ways in which programs might build on such assets or address the challenges; potential modifications that could be made to existing youth programming; and recommendations for future programs that could potentially reduce youth violence. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Agency for International Development, 2013. 305p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 22, 2016 at: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00K2H3.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Honduras URL: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00K2H3.pdf Shelf Number: 139795 Keywords: At-Risk YouthHomicidesJuvenile GangsViolence PreventionViolent CrimeYouth GangsYouth Violence |
Author: Dari, Elisa Title: Embedded Violence and Youth: The Transmission and Perpetuation of Violence in Post-War Sierra Leone Summary: War exerts an undeniably significant influence on the values, norms, behaviour and attitudes which constitute the shared culture of the society. During prolonged armed conflicts, the exposure to extreme violence creates a 'culture of violence' in which violence becomes embedded in the values system of the society and is therefore permitted and condoned, making violence resilient to peace-building efforts and therefore likely to recur. In order to understand how a 'culture of violence' persists long after the official end of war, it is necessary to understand how it is transmitted to younger generations and through them is carried over into peace time. This thesis aims to explore and understand the phenomenon of transmission of a 'culture of violence' focusing on youths as carriers of such transmission. To analyse the phenomenon, an integrative and comprehensive analytical framework was developed and a case study was chosen to which to apply the framework. The case study is Sierra Leone. The analytical framework is constituted by four 'spaces' of transmission which have emerged from the preliminary research. The four 'spaces' are: poverty, family, peers and social groups. The analytical framework was then utilised during the fieldwork stage of the project in order to identify the relevance of each 'space' as well as the interactions at work among the various 'spaces'. From the material collected during fieldwork, poverty and family emerged as structural factors of the process of transmission while peers and social groups emerged as immediate factors. As a result of the fieldwork political factionalism was added to the analytical framework as a fifth 'space'. The analysis of the fieldwork material revealed how the different 'spaces are inextricably connected with one another and how they support each other while creating a network of forces that supports and perpetuates the transmission of a 'culture of violence'. Details: St. Andrews, Scotland: St. Andrews University, 2011. 172p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed July 23, 2016 at: https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/1891 Year: 2011 Country: Sierra Leone URL: https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/1891 Shelf Number: 139813 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCulture of ViolencePeer InfluencesViolence |
Author: Dunbar, Laura Title: Evaluation Summary: Community Cadets Corps (CCC) Program Summary: The Community Cadets Corps (CCC) program evaluation was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of Cadets as a crime prevention measure for Aboriginal youth. The CCC program was designed to increase the protective factors of Aboriginal youth ages 10 to 18 years old that are at risk of police contact, and/or engaging in criminal offences, anti-social activities, having conduct problems or truancy at school. Through the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), Public Safety Canada contributed $2.8 million in funding to implement 4 CCC crime prevention pilot projects in Aboriginal communities: Cross Lake, Manitoba; Kahkewistahaw First Nation, Saskatchewan; Touchwood Agency Tribal Council, Saskatchewan; and Hobbema, Alberta. Funding from the NCPS began in 2010 and ended in 2013. Program Description The CCC program aims to enhance youths' ability to make positive decisions, and lead to a productive and crime-free lifestyle. The program's structure was influenced by the core principles underlying the theory of the Circle of Courage. This model provides a framework for healthy, holistic culturally authentic alternatives that will build a sense of identity and community (belonging) as well as provide opportunities to enhance skills (mastery), develop a sense of independence, and support youth to practice generosity. These are the foundations for positive youth development - empowering Aboriginal youth to develop pro-social competencies, attitudes and behaviours, thereby reducing the risk of delinquent activity and criminal involvement. The CCC program is composed of the following five main program components: - Drill and Deportment: This component provides youth with a structured activity that takes place for approximately 30 minutes each week for 40 weeks. It comprises a series of techniques that must be executed in a specific way, requiring practice and focused attention from participants. Drills/marching are modeled after RCMP or military activities. - Group and Individual Mentoring: This component takes place through drill and deportment, life skills training, community leadership, and cultural and recreational activities. Community Elders, community workers and others provide youth with positive role models, inspire youth toward future career directions, and provide support in the areas of personal, academic and career development, social and athletic growth. Youth should meet with mentors at least 1 to 4 hours or more each week. - Life Skills Training: In this component, youth take part in various workshops/activities focused on improving their social and self-management skills. It is recommended that youth meet on a weekly basis, 9 months per year (36 weeks in total) in school settings. - Community Leadership/Involvement: Activities under this component aim to engage youth in the community, to enhance a sense of purpose and belonging as well as to develop leadership, planning, and implementation skills. During 1 week night per month and daily sessions during the summer months, Cadets will work towards benefitting the community through various activities. - Cultural and Recreational Activities: This component incorporates cultural adaptations and activities associated with the tradition, values, practices, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours of Aboriginal youth involved in the program. Details: Ottawa: Public Safety Canada, 2015. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report: 2015-R007: Accessed July 25, 2016 at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/ccc-prgrm/ccc-prgrm-en.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/ccc-prgrm/ccc-prgrm-en.pdf Shelf Number: 139846 Keywords: Aboriginal YouthAt-Risk YouthCommunity Cadets CorpsDelinquency PreventionMentoring |
Author: University of Manchester. Centre for Applied Theatre Research Title: The impact of Blagg on challenging and reducing offending by young people: An evaluation of a drama based offending behaviour workshop Summary: This independent evaluation highlights the potentially positive contribution drama based projects can make to the development of group work provision for young people at risk of offending. Blagg had most significant impact on young people's awareness of the effect of offending on victims, their awareness of thoughts, feelings and decision making relating to offending and their confidence and self esteem. Increased confidence and self esteem is a frequently reported outcome of taking part in drama - drama provides supervised opportunities to interact with peers and gain recognition and praise. Project description Blagg is a drama workshop developed by TiPP that employs drama tools and techniques to challenge offending behaviour. Six implementations of Blagg within two YOTS in the North West region were evaluated - data from qualitative interviews and questionnaires with participants and staff, observation of the programme and YOT records were collected and analysed. Details: Manchester, UK: Centre for Applied Theatre Research, 2003. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 30, 2016 at: http://www.artsevidence.org.uk/evaluations/impact-blagg-challenging-and-reducing-offending-yo/ Year: 2003 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.artsevidence.org.uk/evaluations/impact-blagg-challenging-and-reducing-offending-yo/ Shelf Number: 139903 Keywords: Arts in PrisonsArts ProgramsAt-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionRehabilitation ProgramsTheater Arts |
Author: Bruce, Katie Title: Evaluation Report: Community Exchange project between detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre and young people at West London YMCA Summary: The report explores the project's impacts on participants' well-being and resilience, awareness and understanding, and musical skills. Based on observations, questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, it contains a wealth of detail about the creative process and the experience of participants. The report also looks at the project as an example of inclusive practice, examining what made it succeed and what could be done to improve outcomes further. It puts forward a number of recommendations for Music In Detention and the wider sector, broken down into three categories: concept, planning and delivery. This report follows a community exchange that took place during the months of March and April 2015 between detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre, Heathrow and young people at West London YMCA in Hayes. The musicians facilitating this project were: - Yiannis Zaronis, an experienced MID musician originally from Greece. Yiannis is a multi-instrumentalist who specialises in a variety of instruments, including guitar, mandolin, bouzouki and darbuka. - Yiannis was joined for four out of the six sessions by Oliver Seager, a new artist to MID on his first community exchange project. Oliver is a singer songwriter, rapper and producer releasing his own material under his stage name, Kotchin. - For the other two sessions Yiannis was joined by MID musicians Tea Hodzic and Shammi Pithia. This report seeks to profile Music in Detention's approach to working in detention centres and with vulnerable young people; assess the works' musical and social outcomes; and evaluate how this work supports inclusivity in the borough of Hillingdon, including recommendations relevant to the wider arts sector. Details: Bedford, UK: Music in Detention and Sound Connections , 2015. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 1, 2016 at: http://www.artsevidence.org.uk/media/uploads/mid-sc-evaluation-report-final.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.artsevidence.org.uk/media/uploads/mid-sc-evaluation-report-final.pdf Shelf Number: 139906 Keywords: Arts in PrisonsArts ProgramsAt-Risk YouthDetention CentersImmigrant DetentionMusic ProgramsRehabilitation Programs |
Author: Civic Enterprises Title: The Mentoring Effect: Young People's Perspectives on the Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring Summary: This report provides insights on young people's perspectives on mentoring in three areas: (1) Mentoring's Connection to Aspirations and Outcomes; (2) The Value of Mentors; and (3) The Availability of Mentors. The report then offers recommendations to guide community, state, and national partners in their work to close the mentoring gap and increase the powerful effects of mentoring. By connecting young people to caring, consistent, and supportive adults, the nation can help young people achieve their dreams, and also strengthen communities, the economy, and our country. In addition to the nationally representative survey of 18- to 21-year-olds, this report reflects discussions with key leaders in business, philanthropy, government, and education, and a literature and landscape review of the mentoring field. While the field of mentoring has reported service gaps in the past, the estimates in this report are not meant to provide a direct comparison. Instead, they are meant to form the most accurate picture possible of how the mentoring needs of young people are currently being met through their perspective, highlight gaps that remain, and chart paths forward to create more caring adult relationships in the lives of children. Details: Washington, DC.; MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, 2014. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 8, 2016 at: http://www.mentoring.org/images/uploads/Report_TheMentoringEffect.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.mentoring.org/images/uploads/Report_TheMentoringEffect.pdf Shelf Number: 147903 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionMentoringYouth Mentoring |
Author: Institute for Security Studies Title: Mali's Young 'Jihadists': Fuelled by faith or circumstance? Summary: Unemployed, idle and fanatical - this is how young people in the ranks of the armed jihadist groups in Mali are portrayed. However, there is little empirical data to support this characterisation. Little research has been done in the Malian context where the young people involved in these groups have been interviewed directly, to assess the role that both religion and unemployment play in the emergence of this phenomenon that allegedly affects young people the most. Based on interviews with more than 60 previously involved youths, this policy brief questions the conventional wisdom on an important issue that is crucial to stability in Mali and the security of its neighbours. Details: Pretoria, South Africa: ISS, 2016. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Brief 89: Accessed September 13, 2016 at: https://www.issafrica.org/uploads/policybrief89-eng.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Mali URL: https://www.issafrica.org/uploads/policybrief89-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 140260 Keywords: At-Risk YouthJihadistsTerrorist Recruitment |
Author: Calero, Carla Title: The Effects of Youth Training on Risk Behavior: The Role of Non-Cognitive Skills Summary: This paper uses unique experimental data from a youth training program in the Favelas, Brazil, to examine whether youth training programs can prevent treatment recipients from engaging in risk behavior -- i.e., cigarettes, alcohol, and hard drug utilization, as well as witnessing or being a victim of violent crime. Although the program was successful in increasing income, we find that, it only improved risk behavior of the treated individuals with higher levels of non-cognitive skills. Details: Unpublished Paper, 2016. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2016 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2746579 Year: 2016 Country: Brazil URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2746579 Shelf Number: 147917 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionFavelasTraining Programs |
Author: Seattle. Human Services Department Title: Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Needs Assessment Summary: The Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative (SYVPI) constitutes the City's core programming in youth violence prevention with an annual budget of approximately $5.8 million per year. SYVPI is intended to be a coordinated violence prevention and intervention program providing wrap-around services for youth between 12- 17 years who are involved in or thought to be at risk of becoming involved in violence. However, while SYVPI has been operating since 2009, it has been unable to clearly articulate how its program works to reduce youth violence. In 2013, the City Council asked the City Auditor to conduct an "Evaluability Assessment" of SYVPI with the goal of developing a rigorous evaluation of the program. In October 2014, the City Auditor issued a report by MEF Associates that concluded SYVPI could not be evaluated due to several operational and program design issues. MEF identified several issues that would need to be addressed before SYVPI could be evaluated (while MEF was asked to focus on an evaluation design for SYVPI, the problems it identified have broader implications for SYVPI's efficacy). MEF also recommended the City conduct a youth violence needs assessment. This report is in response to this recommendation. Findings A. City's current approach to youth violence lacks an overarching strategic vision The City's current approach to youth violence prevention lacks an overarching strategic vision that recognizes the complexity and multi-faceted nature of youth violence. A substantial body of research recommends viewing youth violence through a public health lens, which posits youth violence can be prevented before it occurs. Adopting a public health approach means viewing the problem from a systems perspective and recognizing the environments in which youth grow and develop have the ability to influence norms and behaviors. A public health perspective also acknowledges that no stand-alone program or entity can effectively address youth violence. Thus, an effective strategy will seek to identify the relative strengths and respective roles and responsibilities of different institutions and systems that play a role in youth violence prevention. Ideally, this will lead to more effective partnerships, the identification of shared goals, and improved service alignment and coordination across systems. B. SYVPI's programming is limited in scope SYVPI is largely focused on the provision of pro-social activities for individual youth between 12- 17 years. As noted in a recent City Auditor report on SYVPI, While these services are important for youth who might otherwise have barriers to these opportunities, this strategy does not address issues with the criminal justice system or schools. In addition, research has identified several risk factors. Details: Seattle: City of Seattle Human Services Department, 2015. 71p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 8, 2016 at: http://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/HumanServices/Reports/Final_SYPVI_NeedsAssessment.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/HumanServices/Reports/Final_SYPVI_NeedsAssessment.pdf Shelf Number: 145416 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionNeeds AssessmentViolence PreventionYouth HomicidesYouth Violence |
Author: LeCroy & Milligan Associates, Inc. Title: Youth On Their Own Final Evaluation Report Summary: Youth On Their Own (YOTO) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Tucson, Arizona that provides assistance to homeless unaccompanied youth in the 7th-12th grades so that they may graduate high school. The YOTO program includes three major components: 1) providing a monthly Student Living Expenses stipend of up to $140 to students that maintain passing grades and good attendance; 2) helping students meet their basic daily needs by providing items such as food, clothing, school supplies, and a bus pass; and 3) offering personal counseling and success coaching in-house and referrals to collaborating community agencies that provide medical, dental, and visions care, housing, and employment opportunities. LeCroy & Milligan Associates (LMA) began providing evaluation services to YOTO in March 2013. Among the evaluation activities conducted were developing a Theory of Change program map (identifying program outcomes and the interventions and preconditions needed to achieve them), developing and administering a survey to students twice during the school year (Student Survey), and developing and administering a survey three times during the school year to school staff that assist the program (School Liaison Survey). This final evaluation incorporates data from a variety of sources: YOTO's main student information spreadsheet (includes data students provide on the program application, graduation data, and stipend distribution records), two administrations of the Student Survey, and two focus groups. Findings from the three administrations of the School Liaison Survey were provided to YOTO in separate process evaluation reports. The following are the key findings of the final evaluation presented by report section. Details: Tucson, AZ: LeCroy & Milligan Associates, 2014. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 12, 2016 at: http://www.lecroymilligan.com/data/resources/yoto-final-evaluation-reportfinal-2.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.lecroymilligan.com/data/resources/yoto-final-evaluation-reportfinal-2.pdf Shelf Number: 145435 Keywords: At-Risk YouthEducation ProgramsHomeless Youth |
Author: Nepal, Som Raj Title: From Margins to Mainstream: Through supplementary education and protection to the vulnerable children in slums of Kolkata, India Summary: he study specifically aims to explicate the processes of mainstreaming of life and education of vulnerable children in the marginalized slum community of Kolkata, India through the integrated approach of supplementary education and protection by a local NGO, IPER (Institute of Psychological and Educational Research). It also equally elucidates the methods and network used by IPER for integrated intervention in primary education and protection of vulnerable children, its holistic impact on the respective community and parents, and challenges of mainstreaming at local context. The research followed a qualitative approach with data triangulation methods to ensure validity and veracity. Participant observation, case studies and semi structured interviews were undertaken as primary data collection from the beneficiaries and sub-beneficiaries of IPER projects of education and protection. Relevant secondary data were obtained from internet, published and unpublished official records of the concerned organization, I/NGOs and journals related to the study-subject. The main findings suggest that universalization of education focusing on compulsory elementary education to those who were not benefitted by public schools have had substantially shaped in Kolkata due to NGOs driving initiatives and government-civil society partnership. The protection cum education intervention to those destitute children of slum and street by arranging individual sponsors or own resources under the aegis of IPER has not only helped to mainstream life and education but also brought the gross happiness in parents motivating them for further education of children. However the problems are in millions but the beneficiaries are in hundreds due to limited means and resources of NGOs and government. Moreover the weaknesses in governance in mapping the problem has resulted many difficulties for poor people to have easy access of education in own areas and negligence of public school's management and teachers towards education of children resulted high drop-out-of school children or discontinuity even at primary level. In addition, case studies of three educated and empowered youths of slums included in the report assure that it would be the best intervention in community if it was from the people of same community for which they were ready to take up community awareness and development tasks. Similarly another case study of a rescued domestic child labour shows the practical problems of social workers in the cases when social tradition dominates the existing laws. Details: Helsinki, Finland: Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, 2013. 103p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed October 20, 2016 at: https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/57167 Year: 2013 Country: India URL: https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/57167 Shelf Number: 140816 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionEducational ProgramsPovertySlums |
Author: Lindquist, Christine Title: Cross-site evaluation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Tribal Green Reentry Program. Final technical report Summary: From 2009 through 2014, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) funded demonstration grants to incorporate green technologies and environmentally sustainable activities in programs designed to help detained and reentering tribal youth successfully reintegrate into their communities and to prevent future juvenile justice system involvement among at-risk youth. Three American Indian tribes received Tribal Juvenile Detention and Reentry Green Demonstration ("Green Reentry") grants: the Hualapai Indian Tribe (Arizona), the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI; Mississippi), and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (RST; South Dakota). Throughout their grant periods, the three sites received training and technical assistance from the Tribal Juvenile Detention and Reentry Resource and Technical Assistance Center, managed by the Education Development Center. The cross-site evaluation was led by RTI International and American Indian Development Associates, LLC (AIDA), from 2011 through 2014. The goals of the cross-site evaluation were to document the implementation of the Green Reentry programs and to determine the extent of the initiative's impact on the tribal youth and communities served. The evaluation included a comprehensive process evaluation and a mixed-methods outcome evaluation. Details: Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI International, 2014. 89p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 24, 2016 at: https://www.rti.org/sites/default/files/resources/final_technical_report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.rti.org/sites/default/files/resources/final_technical_report.pdf Shelf Number: 134422 Keywords: American IndiansAt-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionNative Americans |
Author: Moodie, Kristina Title: "Between a rock and a hard place": Responses to Offending in Residential Childcare Summary: There is current and ongoing concern regarding the potential criminalisation of looked after young people. To address these issues, CYCJ undertook a study which aimed to: gather more data about police contact for offending by young people in children's houses; explore how practitioners make, and are supported to make, the decision to involve the police in incidents; and to survey what formal policies are in place within each local authority to aid decision making. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice, 2016. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2016 at: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Responses-to-Offending-in-Residential-Childcare.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Responses-to-Offending-in-Residential-Childcare.pdf Shelf Number: 145787 Keywords: At-Risk YouthJuvenile DelinquentsPolice Decision-MakingPolice-Juvenile Relations |
Author: Mattila, Meri-Tuuli Title: The Boys of Icehearts and the 'Hood: A perspective on the everyday realities of growing up in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Finland Summary: The Boys of Icehearts and the 'Hood: A perspective on the everyday realities of growing up in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Finland. The premise of this thesis is to present the case of young boys growing up in a relatively disadvantaged neighborhood fairly typical of its kind in contemporary suburban Finland. It aims to give a voice to the everyday realities and lived experience of its target group through ethno-methodological descriptions of young boys growing up in the suburb of Mikkola in northeastern Vantaa in the capital city region, and the exposure method created in the context of diaconal community development work in mainland Europe. Moreover, the Icehearts method is explored in as much depth as is feasible within the scope of a Bachelor's Thesis in Social Services from a University of Applied Science. The key concepts of validation and acceptance, and disadvantaged childhood with its everyday realities are explored from the perspective of the integral theory in social work and critical theory in social science research. The Icehearts method, simultaneously applied in school work, free time activities and hobbies, can act as a mediator bridging communication and cooperation between schools and homes, acting as a local force for change and a channel of communication between a given neighbourhood, the district social services and school boards, municipal government as well as national politics. It is a cross-functional multi-professional approach for bringing together the needs of local children and families, and the objectives of schools as well as national social policies implemented on the municipal level, whose common goal is often underscored by voluminous legislation and massive bureaucracy coupled with the scarcity of available resources. The findings suggest that in countries with a highly developed welfare infrastructure, such as Finland, team sports have consistently been gaining ground as a social work method for children that brings social work to the neighbourhood level, close to the families, schools and communities. Sports can be therapeutic, sports can be used as a tool for democracy, and sports can be, and are used as a method in social work worldwide. Details: Helsinki, Finland: Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, 2014. 65p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed November 8, 2016 at: https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/82368/Thesis.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2014 Country: Finland URL: https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/82368/Thesis.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 146290 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCrime PreventionDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged NeighborhoodsNeighborhoods and Crime |
Author: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Title: Report on the Evaluation of Judicially Led Responses to Eliminate School Pathways to the Juvenile Justice System Summary: Many schools across the United States have enacted zero tolerance philosophy in response to perceived increases in violence and drugs in schools. It is believed that aggressive and unwavering punishment of many school infractions, including relatively minor infractions, will create safer schools. However, zero tolerance policy is said to have contributed to increased number of disciplinary actions and increased number of students who come in contact with the court system. Effects of the policy include the removal of students from the educational system, through disciplinary actions such as expulsions and suspensions. These disciplinary actions have negative unintended consequences for families and society. The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) received grant funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies, Public Welfare Foundation, and the Open Society Foundation to provide training and technical assistance to jurisdictions preparing to start or continue initiatives with judicially-led collaboratives to reduce stringent school discipline and referrals of youth to juvenile courts for school-based behaviors. Additional funding was provided by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to conduct a process and outcome evaluation. This research report discusses the findings from the process and outcome evaluation, including some lessons learned about the challenges of collecting data on this complex issue. Details: Reno, NV: The Council, 2016. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 28, 2016 at: http://www.ncjfcj.org/sites/default/files/NCJFCJ%20Evaluation%20Report%20School%20Pathways%20Final.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.ncjfcj.org/sites/default/files/NCJFCJ%20Evaluation%20Report%20School%20Pathways%20Final.pdf Shelf Number: 147918 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionSchool CrimeSchool DisciplineSchool-to-Prison PipelineZero Tolerance Policy |
Author: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Title: Vulnerable Young People: Interactions across homelessness, youth justice and child protection Summary: This report reveals that individuals who experience multiple, cross-sector services in the specialist homelessness, protection or youth justice service areas are a particularly vulnerable group. Clients experiencing 2 or more of these services were more likely than specialist homelessness services-only clients: to report having substance use issues; to report having mental health issues; to have an over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; and to receive more days of support and more support periods from specialist homelessness services agencies. Details: Canberra: AIHW, 2016. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 13, 2016 at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129557799 Year: 2016 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129557799 Shelf Number: 146102 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild ProtectionDisadvantaged YouthHomeless YouthHomelessnessMental Health ServicesMentally Ill Persons |
Author: National Collaboration for Youth Title: Beyond Bars: Keeping Young People Safe at Home and Out of Youth Prisons Summary: The National Collaboration for Youth (NCY), a 40-year old affinity group, is a coalition of the National Human Services Assembly member organizations that have a significant interest in youth development. Members of NCY include more than 50 national, non-profit, youth development organizations. The NCY mission is to provide a united voice as advocates for youth to improve the conditions of young people in America, and to help young people reach their full potential. Collectively, the member organizations of the National Collaboration for Youth: ● Serve more than 40 million young people and their families ● Employ over 100,000 paid staff ● Utilize more than six million volunteers ● Have a physical presence in virtually every community in America The organizations that comprise the NCY work across generations, with young people, families, neighbors and community institutions. The impact of our organizations indicates that building strong communities and families provides young people with a greater opportunity to achieve well-being and reach their full potential far better than a system that relies on youth incarceration. These next few pages should serve as a handbook for juvenile justice administrators, legislators, judges, the non-profit community and youth advocates for how to end the practice of youth incarceration, promote public safety and restore a sense of belonging for our young people in their homes and neighborhoods. Our collective experiences tell us that communities that are often characterized by intense needs also have extraordinary assets that can be easily overlooked. We advocate for leveraging those assets as one means to meet those intense needs, and providing greater resources for neighborhood-based services and programs. Details: Washington, DC: National Collaboration for Youth, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 16, 2016 at: http://www.nationalassembly.org/uploads/documents/BeyondBars.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.nationalassembly.org/uploads/documents/BeyondBars.pdf Shelf Number: 146133 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationAt-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile AftercareJuvenile Justice AdministrationJuvenile Justice Systems |
Author: Reppucci, N. Dickon Title: A Review of the Findings from Project D.A.T.E.: Risky Relationships and Teen Dating Violence Among At-Risk Adolescents Summary: Statement of Purpose: Teen dating violence is linked to numerous longstanding consequences, such as delinquency, risky sexual behavior, and adult partner violence. Thus, research exploring adolescents' trajectories into and out of violent relationships is important for developing effective prevention and intervention programs to promote healthy teen relationships. Prior research has generally been restricted to normative, school-based samples that may not capture the unique experiences of youth who are already most likely to experience negative relationship outcomes. The purpose of Project D.A.T.E. (Demand Appreciation, Trust, and Equality) was to address gaps in current research by focusing on romantic relationship experiences among at-risk adolescents. Goals and Objectives: We investigated risk and protective factors related to teen dating violence and positive relationship outcomes within a single relationship and across multiple relationships. We also explored how early abusive relationships impact trajectories into later abusive relationships, and how age gaps between romantic partners might contribute to victimization and other negative outcomes. Participants. Participants included 223 adolescents (58% female, 61% African-American) who (1) were between 13 and 18 years old, (2) answered yes to "Have you ever 'dated someone' or been in a romantic relationship that lasted at least 1 month?", and (3) received community-based services (e.g., foster care, alternative schooling) or low-income services (e.g., free or reduced lunch, low-income housing). Methods. Participants completed two waves of two-hour, in-person, self-report interviews that took place about a year apart. In each interview, participants answered questions about socio-demographics, family, and schooling. Most of the interview, however, addressed issues of abuse, intimacy, and health within up to three romantic relationships (thus, up to six relationships total across two waves of data collection). We used assessments shown to be valid and reliable for adolescents. Results: Teens in our at-risk sample reported high levels of dating abuse, risky sexual behavior, and deviance within their romantic relationships. Abuse victimization and perpetration were highly correlated, with patterns largely the same for boys and girls, suggesting reciprocal or "common couple" violence rather than one-sided intimate terrorism. Risk factors for dating violence were similar whether considering single or multiple relationships. However, dynamic risk factors (e.g., depression, peer delinquency) appeared to be more powerful than historical factors (e.g., sexual debut, child maltreatment). Relationship-specific risk factors like dyadic deviancy and intimacy related significantly to dating violence, indicating that teens may view abusive relationships as serious and committed. In addition, dating abuse by partners and toward partners was relatively stable across time. For most teens, experiencing abuse in their first ever romantic relationship placed them at great risk for a trajectory of future abuse. Finally, age gaps between partners were related to negative outcomes regardless of the younger partner's age or gender. This link between partner age gaps and poor outcomes was best explained by older and younger partners’ risky lifestyles, not power inequalities within the relationship. Conclusions: Low-income, service-receiving adolescents showed high rates of abuse in their earliest relationships, and then continued to be significantly at risk for abuse in subsequent relationships—despite describing these relationships as positive in many ways. Thus, there is a clear need for prevention and intervention efforts targeting such at-risk youth that focus more on relationship quality than simply the presence or absence of abuse. Initial Project D.A.T.E. results suggest that future research needs to investigate the context of teen dating violence (events before and after, whether a partner was frightened, etc.) to understand how youth perceive these relationships. A nuanced understanding of the context of abuse is crucial since youth are unlikely to seek help if their perceptions of "dating violence" diverge from definitions used by service providers and law enforcement. Details: Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia, 2013. 237p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 23, 2016 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/243170.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/243170.pdf Shelf Number: 147807 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDate RapeDating ViolenceTeen Dating Violence |
Author: Livingston, Jennifer A. Title: Developmental Pathways of Teen Dating Violence in a High-Risk Sample. Summary report Summary: Objectives: This research examined the roles of parental psychopathology, marital conflict and parenting behaviors in the development of teen dating violence (TDV) among a sample of adolescents at high risk for aggressive behavior due to parental alcohol problems. The research had two aims: (1) to examine the developmental pathways to TDV in late adolescence from early childhood risk factors (i.e., parental psychopathology and marital conflict); and (2) examine the association of proximal risk and protective factors in early adolescence to TDV involvement in late adolescence. Two analytical models were tested in pursuit of these aims. Method: Adolescents (M=17.68 years of age) who had been participating, along with their parents, in a longitudinal study of the effects of parental alcohol problems on child development completed an additional wave of survey data in 11-12th grades. Families (N=227) were recruited from county birth records when the child was 12 months of age and had been previously assessed at 12-, 18-, 24-, 36-months, kindergarten, 4th, 6th, and 8th grades. For the current wave of data collection, adolescent participants (n=185) used computer–assisted interviewing to complete questionnaires assessing their individual characteristics, family and peer relationships, substance use, dating behaviors and involvement in TDV as a victim or perpetrator. Data from previous time points beginning at 12 months were used to predict involvement in TDV. Results: Etiology of TDV. Based on prior research and developmental theory, two potential pathways through which parental alcohol problems in infancy may contribute to aggression and adolescent involvement in TDV were examined: a direct pathway from marital conflict and an indirect pathway via parenting behavior and self-regulation. Results indicated that marital conflict in infancy and early childhood did not directly predict TDV in adolescence; however, there was an indirect association through poor self-regulation in middle childhood which in turn contributed to early adolescent aggression and ultimately, TDV in late adolescence. There was also support for indirect pathways from maternal depression and paternal antisocial behavior in infancy to TDV in adolescence through childhood and adolescent aggression, and from paternal alcohol problems in infancy via lower maternal warmth which contributed to lower child selfregulation in the preschool years and aggressive behavior across childhood and early adolescence. In addition, fathers’ antisocial behavior was associated with high sibling problems in middle childhood, which was a unique predictor of TDV in late adolescence. Maternal warmth as a moderator between exposure to marital conflict and TDV. A second model examined whether positive parenting in early adolescence could protect against TDV in late adolescence among youth exposed to high marital conflict. Results indicated that maternal acceptance in early adolescence moderated the relationship between exposure to marital conflict in early adolescence and TDV involvement in late adolescence, with the combination of low maternal acceptance and high conflict exposure in early adolescence predicting the highest rates of TDV in late adolescence. Implications: Parental psychopathology and marital conflict in infancy set the stage for a cascade of negative developmental outcomes that contribute to the development of aggression and TDV. Parenting behaviors, particularly maternal warmth, can be protective against TDV by promoting self-regulation. Mothers with alcoholic partners tend to exhibit lower warmth and sensitivity towards their children than those in nonalcoholic families, underscoring the need for members of alcoholic families to receive support and intervention. Intervening with families of young children who have been referred for domestic violence and/or substance abuse issues to promote positive parenting and conflict management may be an important step towards breaking the intergenerational cycle of violence. Details: Buffalo: University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Research Institute on Addictions, 2016. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 28, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250213.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250213.pdf Shelf Number: 147294 Keywords: At-Risk Youthcycle of ViolenceDating ViolenceTeen Dating Violence |
Author: Carlock, Arna L. Title: Live Fast, Die Young: Anticipated Early Death and Adolescent Violence and Gang Involvement Summary: Strategies employed by criminal justice agencies to reduce offending often focus on deterrence, with policies relying on the threat of punishment to discourage individuals from crime. However, such strategies will fail if individuals do not fear these consequences, or when potential rewards of offending outweigh the risks. According to life history theory, adolescents with a dangerous or unpredictable childhood environment discount the future and engage in risky behaviors because they have little to lose. Many adolescents embody this "live fast, die young" mentality, particularly those already at risk of delinquency due to other factors. The scientific literature refers to this mindset as fatalism, future discounting, or anticipated early death (AED). Despite the indication that AED is a crucial correlate of delinquent activity, only recently have criminologists begun to directly examine the relationship. To address this gap in the literature, this dissertation analyzes two longitudinal datasets. One dataset, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), offers a nationally representative sample, while the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS) provides a sample of at-risk youth in Rochester, New York. Structural equation modeling quantifies adolescent AED in each dataset. The use of two data sources strengthens the reliability and validity of the latent variable's measurement. I study the effects of the latent AED measures on adolescent violence and gang activity, finding that higher levels of AED correspond to a greater likelihood of violence and gang activity, with the relationships often mediated by low self-control. In an attempt to determine the causal ordering of AED and risk-taking behaviors, I exploit the longitudinal nature of the RYDS data by estimating autoregressive cross-lagged panel models. Findings lend support to life history theory's assumption that AED predicts risk-taking behavior; I find little evidence that violence or gang activity cause AED. Details: Albany, NY: University at Albany, 2016. 184p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed February 11, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250425.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250425.pdf Shelf Number: 144824 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicidesYouth Violence |
Author: Drapeau, Sylvie Title: PréCrimAdo Program Summary: In recent years, three youth centres (Québec, Chaudière–Appalaches and Montérégie) and a team of researchers from Laval University collaborated to examine the results of the PréCrimAdo Program (preventing the criminalization of high-risk adolescents). The program strives to prevent the criminalization of high-risk adolescents by implementing an intervention based on the mediation approach with a category of youth particularly at risk of engaging in a criminal trajectory, namely, youth aged 12 to 15 who have been reported under Section 38(f) (serious behavioural disturbance) of the Quebec Youth Protection Act. The tested approach relies on a negotiation process that is based on the interests of the participants. It focuses on identifying the participants' needs and choice of options, and leads to the proposal of a fair agreement that is satisfactory to all parties. This interest-based negotiation process is one in a range of approaches to alternative dispute resolution, and more specifically, mediation-based approaches. Evaluative research seeks to better understand the processes and effects of the intervention program by looking at the program's implementation from a youth-protection context specifically, and by gauging the extent to which the effects of the program are achieved. This research also includes a cost-benefit evaluation of the program. Details: Ottawa: National Crime Prevention Centre, Public Safety Canada, 2014. 6p. Source: Internet Resource: Evaluation Summaries ES-2014-39: Accessed February 13, 2017 at: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2014-ES-39/2014-es-39-eng.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2014-ES-39/2014-es-39-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 147291 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCost-Benefit AnalysisDelinquency PreventionInterventionsMediation |
Author: Victoria Legal Aid Title: Care Not Custody: A new approach to keep kids in residential care out of the criminal justice system Summary: Children living in out-of-home care are some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our community. Many have been exposed to multiple traumas from a young age resulting from family violence, substance abuse, neglect or abandonment and/or sexual or physical abuse. Unfortunately, as numerous studies have demonstrated, too many of these children are still ending up involved from a young age - often unnecessarily - in our criminal justice system. The over-representation of children from out-of-home care in our criminal justice system is a matter of longstanding concern to Victoria Legal Aid. A recent review of our child protection client data found that: • Almost one in three young people we assist with child protection matters who are placed in out-of-home care later returns to us for assistance with criminal charges; • Young people we assist placed in out-of-home care are almost twice as likely to face criminal charges as those who remain with their families; Young people we assist placed in out-of-home care are more likely than other children to be charged with criminal damage for property-related offending; Our practice experience suggests that this problem is particularly acute with respect to children placed in residential care. This is due at least in part to the continued practice in many residential facilities of relying on police to manage incidents of challenging behaviour by young people. While serious offending by young people may warrant a police response, we also see cases where police have been called to a residential facility to deal with behaviour by a young person that would be unlikely to come to police attention had it occurred in a family home. We have represented children from residential care who have received criminal charges for smashing a cup, throwing a sink plug or spreading food around a unit's kitchen. As the case studies in this report demonstrate, frequently children who may never have had a criminal charge prior to entering care, quickly accrue a lengthy criminal history due to a cycle of "acting out" followed by police responses which develops in a residential unit. The broader reforms to the residential care system being introduced by the Victorian Government provide an important opportunity to address this criminalisation of vulnerable young people. Plans already underway to significantly reduce the number of children placed in long-term residential care and introduce mandatory qualification and training requirements for staff represent big steps forward, but do not do enough to address this specific problem. The present expectation that care providers develop their own guidelines about responding to challenging behaviour and when police should be called leads inevitably to variable and inconsistent responses in the way children are treated. Further guidance, support and training for care providers are clearly needed about more therapeutic ways to manage challenging behaviour so as to minimise the need for police involvement in cases where there is no immediate danger to staff or other young people. In New South Wales and parts of the UK, this has been done through the adoption of protocols that apply across all residential care facilities and explicitly aim to reduce young peoples' contact with the criminal justice system. Such protocols, which have been developed in partnership with care providers and police, provide a clear and consistent structure for decision-making in residential units when a child exhibits challenging behaviour. Together with appropriate training for staff, they have been highly effective in reducing the numbers of offences recorded against children in residential care – in one UK county by as much as 66%. The adoption of a similar Protocol in Victoria would have clear benefits for both staff and young people living in residential care. It would provide staff with a structured process for responding to incidents which distinguishes between behaviour which is merely disruptive or confrontational versus situations that are dangerous for staff and other young people. It would ensure a consistent process across the 240 residential care units in Victoria so that all young people, regardless of geography, are treated equally. Finally, it would provide children and young people with a response that is therapeutic and based on principles of care. Details: Victoria, AUS: Victoria Legal Aid, 2016. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 4, 2017 at: https://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/sites/www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/files/vla-care-not-custody-report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Australia URL: https://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/sites/www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/files/vla-care-not-custody-report.pdf Shelf Number: 141330 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationAt-Risk YouthChild ProtectionJuvenile OffendersResidential Care |
Author: Canada. Public Safety Canada Title: Tyler's Troubled Life: The story of one young man's path towards a life of crime Summary: The fictional account of Tyler was developed to illustrate the compounding influence of risk factors on the pathway to criminal offending. The account does not depict any real persons or events, but serves as an illustrative example of a prototypical adolescent offender in Canada. Using cost estimates from Canada, the US, and Australia, average costs are affixed to events in Tyler's life and tallied for a grand total cost of his crimes. The direct costs associated with Tyler's life of crime range from a court appearance by police ($239 CAD) to a 5-year federal prison sentence ($550,000 CAD) and total over $1,400,000 CAD by the time Tyler reaches the age of 30. Three evidence-based interventions are also provided to illustrate the potential cost savings by investing in crime prevention at critical junctures of Tyler's youth, and to highlight the importance of intervening early and often in the life of disadvantaged or at-risk youth. Details: Ottawa: Public Safety Canada, 2016. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 10, 2017 at: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2016-r005/2016-r005-en.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Canada URL: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2016-r005/2016-r005-en.pdf Shelf Number: 144764 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCosts of Criminal JusticeJuvenile DelinquentsJuvenile Offenders |
Author: Kejerfors, Johan Title: Parenting in Urban Slum Areas: Families with Children in a Shantytown of Rio de Janeiro Summary: This is a study of parenting and child development in a slum area in a developing part of the world. The aims of the study were threefold. The first aim was to explore the physical and social contexts for parenting in a shantytown in Rio de Janeiro using an ecological perspective. The second aim was to examine parenting and subsequent child outcomes among a sample of families living in the shantytown. The third aim was to explore what factors contribute to differences among parents in how they nurture and protect their children. The theoretical framework of the study was an updated version of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model of human development. Using self-report questionnaires developed by Rohner, data on perceived parental acceptance-rejection were collected from 72 families with adolescents 12-14 years old, representing approx. 75% of all households with children in this age group in the shantytown. Besides self-report questionnaires, each adolescent's main caregiver replied to several standardized questionnaires developed by Garbarino et al., eliciting demographic and social- situational data about the family, neighborhood, and wider community. The results of the study paint a complex portrait of the social living conditions of the parents and children. Despite many difficulties, most parents seemed to raise their children with loving care. The results from the self-report questionnaires indicate that the majority of the adolescents perceived substantial parental acceptance. The adolescents' experience of greater or lesser parental acceptance-rejection seems to influence their emotional and behavioral functioning; it also seems to be related to their school attendance. Much of the variation in degree of perceived acceptance-rejection seems to be related both to characteristics of the individual adolescents and their main caregiver(s) and to influences from the social and environmental context in which they and their caregivers interact and live their lives. Details: Stockholm: Stockholm University Department of Social Work, 2007. 246p. Source: Internet Resource: Studies in International Social Work, 1651-0291 ; 7Accessed April 21, 2017 at: http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:197529/FULLTEXT01.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Brazil URL: http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:197529/FULLTEXT01.pdf Shelf Number: 145066 Keywords: At-Risk YouthParentingPovertySlumsSocioeconomic Conditions |
Author: Chowdry, Haroon Title: Disadvantage, Behaviour and Cognitive Outcomes: Longitudinal Analysis from Age 5 to 16 Summary: The importance of children's social and emotional skills for life outcomes is well established, as is the link between these skills and family income. The combination of both of these can serve to entrench the cycle of inter-generational disadvantage. Previous work has shown that poorer children exhibit more behavioural and emotional problems on average than their wealthier peers, and that this gap appears early in childhood; less is known about the reasons why this might be and how long it persists for. There is also limited evidence on what might drive the interplay between early behaviour and later cognitive skills such as literacy and numeracy. In this report we present findings from new research on the following questions: (1) What is the relationship between economic disadvantage and child behavioural and emotional problems? Our analysis shows that there is a higher prevalence of behavioural and emotional problems among disadvantaged children. We also find that this discrepancy can be fully accounted for by differences in maternal psychological well-being and parental education. This does not mean that economic disadvantage does not matter. However, it does suggest that it is factors associated with disadvantage, rather than economic disadvantage itself, that lead to the social gradient in child behavioural and emotional problems. Poor maternal psychological well-being explains around half of the socioeconomic disparity in behavioural and emotional problems. However, its association with these problems is only present in low- medium-income families, and the effect is strongest for children in poverty. This suggests that higher family income (or factors associated with it) may act as a protective factor against the risks from poor maternal psychological well-being, or that factors associated with poverty may amplify those risks. There is a lower incidence of behavioural and emotional problems in children with highly educated parents. It is likely that parental education is capturing a range of influences, such as the quality of parenting, of the home learning environment and of parent-child interactions. All of these factors may contribute to children's socio‐ emotional development and behaviour throughout childhood. (2) How do child behavioural and emotional problems influence later cognitive skills and attainment? Children with higher levels of behavioural and emotional problems at age 5 do less well, on average, in cognitive assessments - specifically, literacy and numeracy scores - at age 10 and age 16. This correlation remains, but to a lesser extent, after taking into account other individual and family factors that may contribute to this relationship. For example, parental education and maternal psychological well-being together explain half of the correlation between age 5 behavioural and emotional problems and age 10 cognitive skills. There is a statistically significant link between behavioural and emotional problems at age 5 and cognitive scores at age 16. However, this is fully explained when we control for cognitive scores and behavioural and emotional problems at age 10. In other words, after this is taken into account, there is no independent link between behavioural and emotional problems at age 5 and cognitive skills at age 16. One potential way to interpret this is that early childhood behavioural and emotional problems need not present a risk for future educational attainment if they can be turned around by age 10. Higher parental education is associated with higher cognitive scores, even after taking into account earlier cognitive scores and behaviours. This may reflect ongoing features of the home environment or parenting style that continue to influence children's learning and ability even into adolescence. Our findings highlight the interplay between cognitive and non‐cognitive outcomes, and the family-level factors that may contribute to these outcomes. Parental education and poor maternal well-being contribute to higher behavioural and emotional problems and lower cognitive scores, especially in early childhood. Behavioural and emotional problems at age 5 then contribute to behavioural and emotional problems and lower cognitive scores at age 10, which in turn contribute to lower cognitive scores at 16. As a result these factors can cast 'long shadows' into adolescence and early adulthood, if unaddressed through interventions or additional support. Details: London: Early Prevention Foundation, 2017. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 29, 2017 at: http://www.eif.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/disadvantage-behaviour-cognitive_Mar2017.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.eif.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/disadvantage-behaviour-cognitive_Mar2017.pdf Shelf Number: 145200 Keywords: Anti-Social BehaviorAt-Risk YouthCognitive SkillsDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged YouthEmotional DevelopmentSocioeconomic Conditions |
Author: Skemer, Melanie Title: Reengaging New York City's Disconnected Youth Through Work: Implementation and Early Impacts of the Young Adult Internship Program Summary: For many young people, the time between one's late teenage years and early twenties encompasses several important milestones, including graduating from high school, attending college, entering the workforce, and beginning to establish economic independence. However, 12.3 percent of young people in the United States between the ages of 16 and 24 - 4.9 million young people in total - are neither in school nor working. These "disconnected" or "opportunity" youth face serious challenges to achieving success in the labor market and self-sufficiency in adulthood. The Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP) is intended to help reengage young people who have fallen off track, thereby reducing their risk of long-term economic hardship. The New York City Center for Economic Opportunity and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development oversee the program and community-based provider organizations throughout the city deliver it. YAIP offers young people a 10- to 12-week paid internship, along with various other services, including job-readiness workshops and activities; individual support, counseling, and assessments; case management; and follow-up services. MDRC is conducting a random assignment evaluation of YAIP to determine whether the program makes a difference in the lives of the young people it serves. The study is part of the larger Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration, sponsored by the Administration of Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From July 2013 to March 2014, nearly 2,700 young people were assigned, at random, to either a program group, which was offered YAIP services, or to a control group, which was not offered those services. The study will measure outcomes for both groups over time to assess whether YAIP services led to better outcomes for the program group compared with the control group. This is the first major report in the YAIP evaluation. It provides a detailed description of the YAIP model, assesses its implementation, and examines whether the program improved key outcomes during the first year after young people were enrolled in the study. Main findings include: Overall, YAIP was well-implemented. The program was delivered very similarly across providers with a high degree of fidelity to the program model as designed. Participation rates were high: over three-fourths of young people assigned to the program group worked in a subsidized internship and 86 percent of those young people completed the internship. Program group members were more likely than control group members to report receiving employment services, as well as advice or support and mentorship from staff members at an agency or organization. However, substantial numbers of control group members also reported receiving help in these areas. Program group members were more likely than the control group members to work in the year following random assignment, but the quarterly employment rates of the two groups converged after the YAIP internships ended. The program group also had higher earnings than the control group; while largest during the time when program group members were working in paid internships, impacts on earnings persisted throughout the follow-up period, suggesting that program group members may have obtained better jobs compared with their control group counterparts. Details: New York: Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2017. 140p. Source: Internet Resource: OPRE Report 2017-22; Accessed May 4, 2017 at: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/STED_YAIP_Final_FR-Web.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/STED_YAIP_Final_FR-Web.pdf Shelf Number: 145300 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDisconnected YouthEmployment ProgramsJobs |
Author: Shortt, Joann Wu Title: Predicting Intimate Partner Violence for At-Risk Young Adults and Their Romantic Partners Summary: Intimate partner violence (IPV) in young men and women's romantic relationships is widely recognized as a significant public health problem due to its high prevalence, consequences for physical and mental health, and persistent nature. Work is needed on identifying both the developmental precursors to IPV and the pathways by which early risk increases susceptibility to IPV in order to develop targeted, timely, and effective interventions. The work funded under this National Institute of Justice award combined a prospective longitudinal component on how developmental risk factors in childhood predicted IPV in young adulthood with a proximal component on how concurrent contextual risk factors were related to IPV. Study Aims were tested using data collected over a 15-year period. Secondary analyses with 323 young adults (184 women, 139 men; average age 21 years) and their romantic partners (146 women, 177 men; average age 22 years) participating in the community-based Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers (LIFT) Study were conducted to examine pathways (i.e., prospective mediational models) predictive of IPV. The models were based on Dynamic Developmental Systems theory, which specifies how family, peer, and adolescent adjustment factors, and how couple and young adult adjustment factors (proximal associations), are related to IPV. The long-term impacts of the LIFT preventive intervention, which was intended to prevent aggression during and following elementary school, on IPV were also examined. Results Findings from five major sets of analyses were presented in journal articles. Areas of interest included examining pathways to IPV from childhood (i.e., prospective mediational risk models) with family and peer risk factors, examining young adult (proximal) IPV associations with substance use and relationship quality, as well as investigating the long-term effects of the LIFT intervention on IPV. Couples' IPV prevalence rates were relatively high. Most IPV was bidirectional or mutual, with men and women both perpetrating and being victims of IPV. Findings on developmental risk factors in childhood supported the intergenerational transmission of violence hypothesis. Childhood experiences of interparent IPV and experiences of coercive parenting (i.e., unskilled parenting) in the family-of-origin heightened the risk of IPV involvement in young adult romantic relationships. Findings also suggest that intergenerational processes and developmental pathways may be gendered. Pathways from family risk factors to IPV were via increased likelihood of problematic development in the youth, such as adolescent antisocial behavior, particularly for young men. Association with delinquent peers during adolescence was identified as a pathway to later IPV. Findings on contextual risk factors within young adulthood suggest important partner influences, such that partner characteristics of antisocial behavior and delinquent peer association also predict IPV above and beyond childhood risk factors. Men and women within couples were similar in levels of substance use, and there were associations between substance use and IPV particularly for men and for poly-substance users. Lastly, although the LIFT prevention program improved children's social and problem-solving skills and reduce physical aggression during childhood, the LIFT intervention did not appear to prevent IPV during young adulthood. Details: Eugene, OR: Oregon Social Learning Center, 2016. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 4, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250668.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250668.pdf Shelf Number: 145301 Keywords: Anti-Social BehaviorAt-Risk YouthDrug-Related CrimeIntimate Partner ViolencePeer InfluencesYoung Adult Offenders |
Author: Bovarnick, Silvie Title: Direct Work with Sexually Exploited or At Risk Children and Young People: A Rapid Evidence Assessment Summary: This review is intended to provide Barnardo's with an overview of what 'direct work' with young people entails in the context of CSE. Part one explores the nature, types and contexts of direct work and gives an overview of the range of risks and vulnerabilities that direct work typically addresses. Part two focuses on the journey of direct work with young people in greater detail and outlines six core elements of direct interventions: 1. Engagement and relationship building 2. Support and stability 3. Providing advocacy 4. Reducing risks and building resilience 5. Addressing underlying issues 6. Enabling growth and moving on The discussion of each component is informed by what we know from research evidence to work in direct interventions with young people. We also give some practice examples to illustrate effective models of direct work. Part three provides a brief summary of the key features that underpin effective direct work with young people. Direct work with young people can entail a variety of activities with the general goal of 'enabling young people to live constructively and to develop and grow' (Aldgate and Simmonds 1988; Robson 2010). It can be undertaken one-to-one or involve group work and may take place in a project or clinic, a school or a young person's home. The majority of direct work involves face-to-face interaction between a young person and a worker but it can be conducted via SKYPE or other forms of virtual media. Duration of work may vary from a few weeks to a year or more. Much direct work with young people focuses on experiences of trauma, disruption, rejection and abandonment in their lives (Simmonds 1988; Scott and Skidmore 2006). At the therapeutic end of social work, there is a tradition of working with young people on their life histories in order to help them work through their feelings and understand the issues that may result from their life experiences. Such work often addresses trauma and attachment issues and may include working with a parent or foster carer as well as with the child. The majority of direct work is referral-based, with referrals coming from another agency, schools, parents/carers or through self-referral. Depending how much information is available at the point of referral, direct work typically starts with a comprehensive needs and risk (and occasionally a resilience) assessment (e.g. ASSETPlus; YJB 2014). There is usually a longer or shorter period of relationship building involving some informal contact. Following this engagement period, direct work is usually based on a verbal or written agreement between a young person, the service, and any others involved, that maps out a programme of work tailored to the young person's specific needs. Interventions can comprise psychosocial education and prevention work, safety work, advocacy and recovery/therapeutic work - with different kinds of input sometimes provided by different agencies or by different professionals. For instance, youth workers may deliver socio-educative direct work in informal settings while structured, therapeutic work is more often undertaken by mental health or counselling services Details: London: Barnardo's, 2017. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 16, 2017 at: http://www.barnardos.org.uk/work_with_exploitated_or_at_risk_rea.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: http://www.barnardos.org.uk/work_with_exploitated_or_at_risk_rea.pdf Shelf Number: 146205 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual Exploitation |
Author: Armytage, Penny Title: Youth Justice Review and Strategy: Meeting needs and reducing offending Summary: This youth justice review and strategy, commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), delivers on an Andrews Government election commitment and marks the first attempt at systematic reform of youth justice services since 2000, when A Balanced Approach was released. The Review provides an opportunity to redesign the system to create an evidence-based response to youth offending and youth crime that is reflective of the needs and attitudes of young people and the broader community. This report details the significant challenges and issues affecting the Victorian youth justice system at the community and custodial levels, as well as issues and shortcomings of the underpinning legislative framework, governance and administration. It provides a detailed account of the current cohort of young people in youth justice and offers a set of observations and recommendations necessary to recalibrate and refocus the system on what it must do: meet the needs of young people to address their offending behaviour and stop them from further offending. Although the task will be challenging, the Review team is encouraged by the unwavering and enduring commitment to the rehabilitation of young offenders by stakeholders. The observations and recommendations have been enriched by the valuable contributions of many. The Review met with a cross-section of youth justice workers. Although workforce challenges are significant, the Review was heartened by the commitment of many workers, some of whom had worked in youth justice for more than two decades. The Review also encountered employees new to the system who are looking to dedicate their careers to helping young people turn their lives around. Finally, special mention must be made of the young people involved in the Review through centre visits, focus groups, workshops and the survey, which received more than 1,000 responses. Young people have a strong desire to be directly involved in approaches to addressing youth crime. The Review team heard many distressing stories about the experiences of some young people but, more importantly, heard stories of hope and determination to improve their lives and the lives of their friends and families. Young people must be at the centre of everything the youth justice system does. The project was sponsored by the Honorable Jenny Mikakos, Minister for Families and Children and Minister for Youth Affairs. The Secretary to DHHS appointed the independent reviewers: Penny Armytage and James Ogloff AM. The Project Advisory Group, co-chaired by the Minister and Secretary (established in September 2016), was a valuable forum and facilitated expert advice and dialogue in relation to the emerging challenges, directions and opportunities for improvement. An internal advisory group of program and policy executives also provided advice and consultation to the Review and met on two occasions. The terms of reference of the Review included DHHS's youth justice programs and services (either provided directly or funded) relating to youth support, youth diversion and youth justice. The Review also considered key interfaces between in-scope services and programs and other programs and services within DHHS and across government, such as education, employment and policing. The objectives of the Review were to: - create an overarching policy framework for the development of a contemporary youth justice system and accompanying service delivery model - aim to understand the needs of cohorts of young people, and segments of young offenders, that are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and at high risk of involvement with the youth justice system - deliver a strategy to enhance and position the department's youth support, youth diversion and youth justice services to respond to the needs of vulnerable cohorts into the future. Several other significant pieces of work that focused on the youth justice system occurred at the same time as the Review: the Parliamentary Inquiry into Youth Justice Centres still underway; the report by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, released in March 2017, on the use of isolation, separation and lockdowns in the Victorian youth justice system; and reviews into various incidents at Parkville and Malmsbury. This Review has the widest scope, focusing on the entirety of Victoria's statutory youth justice system and picks up aspects of the other work completed. The Review used a blended project methodology to develop the foundations for a new strategic policy framework. This included three key aspects: a review and analysis of data and documentation; a formal literature review and review of service models; and extensive stakeholder consultation and engagement. To the extent possible, the Review addressed all aspects of the terms of reference, with two exceptions. Young people in custody were only consulted informally due to ethical considerations and constraints, so too the family members of young people involved with Youth Justice. Young people with knowledge of the youth justice system were included in workshops, and more than 1,000 young people provided their input via a youth justice survey. It was not possible to undertake a functional or efficiency review and cost-benefit analysis at the time the Review was conducted due to the rapidly changing environment, including announcements to increase staffing, new program funding and expansion, in-sourcing of functions and the announcement of a new facility. The report has been prepared in two parts. The first part includes the background information considered in the Review, including an introduction to the Review (Chapter 1); an overview of Victoria's youth justice system (Chapter 2); a snapshot of the delivery of youth justice services (Chapter 3); youth offending, needs and backgrounds (Chapter 4); and broader youth trends affecting youth justice (Chapter 5). Part 2 provides the analyses, observations and recommendations arising from the Review, including: system-level issues (Chapter 6); community supervision challenges (Chapter 7); custodial operating model and challenges (Chapter 8); and realigning the future system (Chapter 9). Details: Melbourne: State of Victoria, 2017. 2 vols; executive summary Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 21, 2017 at: http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/home/justice+system/youth+justice/youth+justice+review+and+strategy+meeting+needs+and+reducing+offending Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: Shelf Number: 146804 Keywords: At-Risk YouthJuvenile Justice Reform Juvenile Justice Systems Juvenile Offenders |
Author: Hopkins Matt Title: A Review of YOTs and Children's Services' Interaction with Young Offenders and Young People at Risk of Offending Summary: This report presents the findings of a study by Matrix Evidence, commissioned by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) to review Children's Services provision for young offenders and young people at risk of offending. The research aimed to address gaps in the YJB's current knowledge and, more specifically, to understand: 1. The proportion of young people within the Youth Justice System (YJS) receiving assistance from Children's Services. 2. The characteristics of young people involved in the YJS in need of provision from Children's Services. 3. The differences between provision for young offenders, those at risk of offending, and young people on remand, and to understand who falls through the gaps and why. 4. The interaction between youth offending teams (YOTs) and Children's Services to highlight examples of good practice and effective partnerships. 5. To ascertain how effective1 Children's Services are in dealing with young offenders or young people at risk of offending. The work was completed in three stages: 1. A national online survey of YOT managers and Children's Services directors - the primary aim of the survey was to assess the relationship, the levels of interaction and the strengths and weaknesses in the current working relationship between YOTs and Children's Services. 2. Case file data analysis - case file data from more than 4,000 remanded/convicted young people were collected and analysed across 14 YOT areas. The aims of the analyses were to further understand the characteristics of young people in the YJS in need of Children's Services provision and the proportion of young people with Children's Services contact. Data were also collected and analysed from a sample of more than 3,000 young people at risk of offending from three YOT areas. 3. Semi-structured interviews with practitioners - a number of semi-structured interviews were conducted with practitioners in five YOT areas. The aim of these interviews was to gauge practitioners' views about the relationship between YOTs and Children's Services. A small number of interviews were also completed with young people who had current experience of Children's Services. Details: London: Youth Justice Board for England Wales, 2010. 132p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2017 at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1322/1/Review%20of%20YOTs%20and%20Childrens%20Services.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1322/1/Review%20of%20YOTs%20and%20Childrens%20Services.pdf Shelf Number: 131667 Keywords: At-Risk YouthJuvenile Justice ProgramsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Andersen, Lars Hojsgaard Title: The Impact of Paternal Incarceration on Boys' Delinquency: A New Method for Adjusting for Model-Driven Bias Summary: Existing research is likely to have underestimated the mediating role of confounders, such as abilities, for the association between the delinquency of fathers and sons. Measures of sons' delinquency are often dichotomous, indicating whether a son experiences incarceration, for example, and scholars of criminology often apply nonlinear probability models to analyze such outcomes. But in so doing, we show, scholars involuntarily make their estimates vulnerable to model-driven bias. In this paper, we introduce to scholars of criminology a recent advance in the modeling of nonlinear probability models, the "KHB method", which corrects for model-driven bias. We use data from the NLSY97 to illustrate that existing strategies for estimating the impact of paternal incarceration on son's delinquency when mediating factors are taken into account produce biased estimates, and we use high quality registry data from Denmark to show that this is true even in administrative data and across length of incarceration. We also present and discuss the relationship between delinquency and abilities among sons, by paternal incarceration experience and by country, thereby adding to the burgeoning research on uneven consequences of paternal incarceration for children. Details: Copenhagen: ROCKWOOL Foundation Research Unit, 2017. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Study Paper No. 120: Accessed August 28, 2017 at: http://www.rockwoolfonden.dk/app/uploads/2017/06/STUDY-PAPER-120-the-impact-of-paternal-incarceration-WEB.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: http://www.rockwoolfonden.dk/app/uploads/2017/06/STUDY-PAPER-120-the-impact-of-paternal-incarceration-WEB.pdf Shelf Number: 146905 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChildren of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesIntergenerational Transmission |
Author: Berk-Seligson, Susan Title: Impact Evaluation of USAID's Community-Based Crime and Violence Prevention Approach in Central America: El Salvador Country Report Summary: El Salvador, and its neighboring countries in Central America, Guatemala and Honduras, are among the most criminally violent nations in the world. The USAID Missions (specifically, Democracy and Governance (DG) and other offices within the Missions) in five Central American countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama) have administered and overseen the execution of the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) interventions-a set of programs with the objective of reducing crime rates and improving security in Central America by strengthening community capacity to combat crimes and creating educational and employment opportunities for at-risk youth. USAID/Washington, via its Cooperative Agreement with the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) at Vanderbilt University, asked LAPOP to design and carry out an impact evaluation of the CARSI interventions in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama, as part of a broader effort to establish the effectiveness of USAID democracy and governance interventions through scientifically rigorous studies such as those recommended in the comprehensive study by the National Academy of Sciences (National Research Council 2008). LAPOP has had more than 20 years of experience in carrying out policy-relevant surveys in Latin America, having conducted hundreds of country-based surveys, including many specialized studies designed to evaluate programs. This impact evaluation was designed to measure the overall impact of the interventions, not to distinguish among the specific types of interventions, nor to evaluate the implementing partners, per se. To have done so would have required a very different (and more costly) research design, and most likely would have duplicated at least some of the evaluation efforts involved in each implementing partner's contract with USAID. Nonetheless, as noted later in this report, statistical tests performed clearly suggest that the impacts found were generalizable and not confined to one implementing partner versus the other. Ultimately, however, the initial decision made to limit each implementing partner's scope to specific, non-overlapping municipalities makes it impossible to disaggregate statistically the impact of the partner's efforts vs. the conditions of the municipalities in which it operated. That is to say, all of the treated communities in a given municipality experienced the same treatment approach, while all of those of a different municipality received a different partner's treatment. Thus municipal conditions and implemention are indistinguishable. Moreover, because a variety of interventions were used in the neighborhoods (some of which were used by both implementing partners), it is impossible to disentangle the effect of each type of intervention from any other. Details: Nashville, TN: The Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), Vanderbilt University , 2014. 299p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 6, 2017 at: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/carsi/El_Salvador_v22_English_W_2_04.08.15.pdf Year: 2014 Country: El Salvador URL: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/carsi/El_Salvador_v22_English_W_2_04.08.15.pdf Shelf Number: 147037 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Community-Based Programs Crime Prevention Violence Violence Prevention Violent Crime |
Author: Berk-Seligson, Susan Title: Impact Evaluation: Panama Country Report Summary: Central America, especially Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, are among the most criminally violent nations in the world. The USAID Missions (specifically, the Democracy and Governance (DG) and other offices within the Missions) in five Central American countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama) have administered and overseen the execution of the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) interventions-a set of programs with the objective of reducing crime rates and improving security in Central America by strengthening community capacity to combat crimes and creating educational and employment opportunities for at-risk youth. USAID/Washington, via its Cooperative Agreement with the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) at Vanderbilt University, asked LAPOP to design and carry out an impact evaluation of the CARSI interventions in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama, as part of a broader effort to establish the effectiveness of USAID democracy and governance interventions through scientifically rigorous studies such as those recommended in the comprehensive study by the National Academy of Sciences (National Research Council 2008). LAPOP has had more than 20 years of experience in carrying out policy-relevant surveys in Latin America, having conducted hundreds of country-based surveys, including many specialized studies designed to evaluate programs. The CARSI approach has been focused on community -based violence prevention, of which the CARSI program in Panama that is the subject of this report, is an example. Two factors, however, made the CARSI impact evaluation LAPOP conducted in Panama different from the impact evaluations carried out elsewhere in Central America. First, unlike in the "northern triangle" countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, the level of crime in Panama is not especially high for the Latin American region. Therefore, since the starting base for crime is so much lower in Panama than in the other countries included in this impact evaluation, crime rates there have far less to fall, and impact will, of necessity, be lower. Second, the sample size of communities for the quantitative data obtained from the treated Panamanian communities is too small to justify treating the Panama sample as adequate for country-level analysis. In the other countries covered by the LAPOP CARSI impact evaluation, the minimal sample size of communities was met or exceeded, and therefore justified a country-level analysis of the quantitative data, and for each of those countries, such a report was written and is available on-line at www.LAPOPsurveys.org. In the case of Panama, the quantitative data obtained there have been added to the Central Americawide pooled data base and are reported on only in the regional report of the LAPOP impact evaluation. Third, program implementation lagged in Panama, and in some of the treatment communities the central treaments had not been applied by the end of the impact evaluation surveys. For this reason alone, measurement of impact in those communities would not have meaning. Finally, a number of the key elements of the community-based violence prevention programs initiated by CARSI in the other countries in which this evaluation has taken place were already in place by the time the baseline data were collected, put there by the govnment of Panama and cooperating agencies and NGOs. Therefore, a baseline of "untreated" communities was less meaningful than in the other countries. Details: Nashville, TN: The Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), Vanderbilt University , 2014. 241p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 6, 2017 at: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/carsi/CARSI_Panama_v3_FinalV_W_02.17.16.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Panama URL: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/carsi/CARSI_Panama_v3_FinalV_W_02.17.16.pdf Shelf Number: 147038 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Community-Based Programs Crime Prevention Violence Violence Prevention Violent Crime |
Author: Day, Laurie Title: Evaluation of the Sefton Community Adolescent Service (CAS): Research report Summary: In December 2014, Sefton Council was awarded $1.1m from the Department for Education as part of the Children's Social Care Innovation Programme, to establish a new multi -professional service dedicated to vulnerable adolescents aged 12 to 25 years - the Sefton Community Adolescent Service (CAS). The project received a further L3.9m from the Council and local partner organisations, with the aim of bringing about a step change in support for vulnerable young people, and achieving better outcomes. In March 2015, Ecorys (UK) was appointed to undertake an independent evaluation of the CAS. A mixed methods design was deployed, incorporating desk research, qualitative interviews with key stakeholders within the CAS service and partner organisations; qualitative interviews with young people and their families, and a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). The work took place between summer 2015 and autumn 2016. Key findings - overall, the project achieved mixed success. The original plan was overly ambitious, incorporating too many sub-pilots, and the CAS was rolled out while management and supervisory structures were still under development. Nonetheless, a boost to management capacity in early 2016 and a new joint protocol, helped to establish a niche for the CAS, bridging Early Help and Children's Social Care (CSC) - the CAS was characterised by its organisation into multi-professional co-located team(s), underpinned by social pedagogy and restorative practice, and combining a key worker model with a residential short-term breaks unit. While bearing some resemblance to Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST), the CAS was wider in scope, with less focus on youth justice issues and a greater emphasis on family reunification - the ability to capture and measure outcomes was hindered by a lack of centralised data held on individual young people referred to the CAS and their families. This situation arose as a result of delays in establishing a fit-for-purpose case recording system, and limited access to data from partner organisations. The changing structure of the CAS, and the shift towards a co-working arrangement with CSC in the later stages of the project, also meant that cases from different periods were not always comparable - the available management data provides a broadly positive overall picture of the CAS. Approaching two thirds (65 per cent) of CAS cases were closed because the original aims in the family plan were achieved. A smaller proportion of cases were closed due to withdrawal of consent (26 per cent), or moving out of area (9 per cent) - around 5 per cent of young people who were the subject of a CAS episode went on to become LAC at some point afterwards. The main factors identified by CAS teams included the complexity of some of these cases, and the young people's long history of involvement in the care system. CAS practitioners considered that some young people were referred too late for the CAS to offer an alternative to becoming LAC - young people and families consistently self-reported positive changes to their lives through the qualitative interviews. These included improvements to self confidence, family relationships, engagement in education, healthier lifestyles and behaviours, and being able to remain at home safely. The trust in the relationship with the key worker, and participation in setting goals, were particularly valued by young people, although they often had high expectations of the accessibility of their key worker - a wide range of outcomes were also reported indirectly by practitioners, although the format of the CAS assessment and case management tools meant that these were not always recorded systematically. Practitioners had routinely observed: stronger relationships between family members; re-engagement with education; reductions in missing episodes; reductions in levels of illegal substance misuse; securing access to temporary accommodation for homeless young people; facilitating access to specialist assessments (e.g. SEND, mental health); - there was some evidence of savings arising from service improvements, including reduced numbers of different professionals involved per individual CAS case, and streamlining of administrative processes. Quantifiable savings also accrued from a reduced incidence of missing episodes, and cases stepped down from CIN or CP plans. These savings were offset by the costs of young people who became LAC Details: London: Department of Education, 2017. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Children's Social Care Innovation Programme Evaluation Report 39 Accessed September 9, 2017 at: http://cdn.basw.co.uk/upload/basw_74516-6.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://cdn.basw.co.uk/upload/basw_74516-6.pdf Shelf Number: 147197 Keywords: AdolescentsAt-Risk YouthSocial Services |
Author: Moncrieffe, Joy Title: Tracer Study of Beneficiaries of Youth-targeted Social Prevention Programs: The Case of RISE in Jamaica Summary: The Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) Office of Evaluation and Oversight Office (OVE) is conducting comparative assessments of citizen security in Central America and the Caribbean to better understand what has worked more and less well during project implementation, as well as the reasons for variations in outcomes. Jamaica's Citizen Security and Justice Program (CSJP) is included in the comparative study. In order to improve understanding of CSJP's youth targeted interventions, the OVE commissioned a tracer study of participants in one of these programmes; that is, one administered by Rise Life Management. The objective of the tracer study is to assess to what extent the social services provided by RISE to the youth in volatile communities in Kingston have made a difference in the lives of beneficiaries in terms of employment and satisfaction with life. The outcome will be compared with a control group of youth from the same communities who enrolled in the program but dropped out shortly after joining. The study will differentiate outcomes in terms of duration of participation in the activities so as to evaluate if permanence in the program makes a significant difference in outcome. . Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, 2013. 115p. Source: Internet Resource: DISCUSSION PAPER No. IDB-DP-307: Accessed September 28, 2017 at: https://publications.iadb.org/bitstream/handle/11319/5771/IDB-DP-307_Tracer_Study_of_Beneficiaries_of_Youth-targeted_Social_Prevention_Programs.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2013 Country: Jamaica URL: https://publications.iadb.org/bitstream/handle/11319/5771/IDB-DP-307_Tracer_Study_of_Beneficiaries_of_Youth-targeted_Social_Prevention_Programs.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 131644 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency Prevention Juvenile Delinquency |
Author: Pierce, Barbara Title: Roca's High Risk Youth Intervention Model: Initial Implementation Evaluation Report Summary: It is estimated that 15 percent of the population between ages 16 and 24 is disconnected. While there are some variations in the definition of this concept, there appears to be some general agreement that disconnected youth are those young people between 16 and 24 who are not in school and not employed (others have added that they are also not married). The United States Government Accountability Office defines disconnected youth as "youth aged 14 to 24 who are not in school and not working, or who lack family or other support networks." A longitudinal study by MaCurdy et. al. using National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth show that 93 percent of those who disconnect for the first time reconnect within three years. This is promising except that subsequent disconnection episodes are likely, particularly among youth in disadvantaged families. More than 16 percent of males disconnect again in a year, 33 percent in 2 years, and 44 percent within three years. The figures for young women show that one in ten disconnects a second time by the one year mark, one quarter by the end of two years and a third by year three. It is clear that longer term interventions are needed for those most at risk. The greatest concern is for those young people who are disconnected for extended periods of time. It is this group which in adulthood is more likely to have lower incomes, no health insurance, difficulty obtaining and retaining employment, and to contribute to increased crime rates and a greater number of children living in poverty. In addition, young women who remain disconnected for three or more years are more likely to receive public assistance in adulthood.6 While it has been determined that young people who "participated in some sort of job training, job search, or school‐to‐work program during their high school years were less likely to experience disconnection than youth who did not participate in this type of program," we know that there are many young people who will not and do not participate in such programs even when available. In a July 2009 article published in Child Trends, Hail et. al. suggest that recruiting and holding on to this group, the group which does not participate, may "require stronger and more persistent outreach, more intensives services, and more long‐term participation." Roca, Inc., a community‐based organization in Chelsea, Massachusetts has developed a High Risk Youth Intervention Model to address the issues discussed above. It serves the areas of Chelsea, Revere, and East Boston, Massachusetts, and surrounding communities, in which the risk factors for disconnection occur in relatively high concentrations. The risk factors related to disconnection include family poverty level, single‐ parent homes or young people not living with either parent, parental unemployment, lower educational achievement of parents and welfare receipt. Three‐quarters of Roca's participants live in the cities of Chelsea and Revere. Twenty‐four percent of Chelsea residents had incomes below poverty level (compared with 10% statewide); Revere's rate is 11 percent. In the first quarter of 2009, Both Chelsea and Revere had higher unemployment rates than Massachusetts as a whole. Forty‐one percent of Chelsea's residents have less than a high school education; the figure for Revere is 23 percent (compared with 15% statewide).12 Roca purposely seeks out those young people who do not and will not participate in school or other community programs which may prevent or repair disconnection. Roca recognizes that the young people are not participating and engages them in relationships designed to work with them over the course of up to five years so that they can benefit from life skills, educational, and employment programming. They outreach to these young people multiple times per week each week not only for recruitment but to retain them and support them until they are sustaining reconnections to education and employment. In addition to targeting disconnected youth, Roca targets disengaged youth, those still in school, but who are on the verge of dropping out, and refugees, immigrants and others who are only tenuously connected to educational and social institutions. It is engagement with these institutions that assist a young person along the pathway to productive adulthood. Wald and Martinez estimate that 20 of every 100 youth are at risk before age 25, "yet, only five to seven percent will reach age 25 without connecting in a meaningful way to employment and social support systems." It is the five to seven percent with whom Roca works. This report provides a brief history of Roca and where Roca is today. Next there is an overview of the core components of the High Risk Youth Intervention Model and a description of the evaluation of the model. The initial, descriptive implementation evaluation findings follow and are organized according to the logic model. First is a description of the inputs or resources necessary for the implementation of the intervention model. Next is a description of both the organizational level and client level strategies. Lastly is a brief overview of next steps for the implementation and impact evaluation of the High Risk Youth Intervention Model. Details: Boston: Crime and Justice Institute, 2009. 71p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October October 13, 2017 at: http://www.socialimpactexchange.org/files/Roca_Interim_Implementation_Evaluation_Rpt_Dec09.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.socialimpactexchange.org/files/Roca_Interim_Implementation_Evaluation_Rpt_Dec09.pdf Shelf Number: 147681 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDisadvantaged youthDisconnected YouthIntervention ProgramsYoung Adult Offenders |
Author: Texas Appleseed Title: Young, Alone, and Homeless in the Lone Star State: Policy Solutions to End Youth Homelessness in Texas Summary: Texas Appleseed became interested in systemic problems that fuel youth homelessness as a result of its work on other child- and youth-focused projects. We frequently saw children and young people whose juvenile justice involvement or problems at school were the result of homelessness or housing instability. We met former foster youth who reported that they were inadequately prepared for adulthood when they aged out and, consequently, ended up on the streets for some period of time. And our fair housing work has revealed to us the difficulties that communities and families across the state struggle with caused by the lack of affordable and safe housing. Our interest led to a partnership with the Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS), an organization that also has a long history of advocating for young people in Texas. Their membership of service providers and partnership with the state on Youth Count Texas!, a statewide look at youth homelessness mandated by the 84th Texas Legislature, make them experts in the issue. In the summer of 2016, Texas Appleseed and TNOYS began our research for this report, assisted by pro bono partners Vinson & Elkins LLP. Our research included: - Over 100 interviews with young people who had experienced or were experiencing homelessness in Texas. - More than 50 interviews conducted by Vinson & Elkins' team of pro bono volunteers with school homeless liaisons, juvenile justice stakeholders, members of law enforcement, foster care stakeholders, and service providers. - Data requests to Texas agencies that serve youth or touch on issues related to youth homelessness. - Research around existing programs and best practices. What we discovered over the course of this research is that the issue of youth homelessness is one that is called by different names depending on the system the youth touches. If a Texas youth is on the street, is picked up by law enforcement, and is under the age of 17, she is a "runaway," a status offender who is referred to the juvenile justice system for rehabilitation. If the youth instead appears in a shelter and the shelter contacts the child welfare system, she may be deemed a victim of abuse or neglect and placed in the foster care system for protection. Thus the same youth, depending on which system she encounters first, is either a victim or an offender. If a young person is not living on the street but is "doubled up" and living with friends or relatives, whether or not she is deemed homeless depends on which system of services she tries to access. Her school would count her as homeless, entitling her to educational services and protections, but the community organization her school might refer her to for services may not, making her ineligible for their help. The same youth is in one setting "homeless" and in another is not. This is perhaps one of the clearest findings from the hours of interviews, data analysis, and exhaustive research flowing from this report: A disjointed policy and funding approach to youth who are without a home results in disjointed services. Reducing or resolving the issue of youth homelessness and improving outcomes for young people is going to require a cohesive approach that brings all child-serving systems together to provide a full continuum of services. Finding solutions is critical. Research shows that young people who encounter homelessness are at high risk of poor outcomes, including: - Educational failure. Youth experiencing homelessness are more likely to be retained a grade or drop out altogether. - Juvenile or criminal justice contact. Criminalization of homelessness and survival behavior may lead to justice system contact, which heightens the risk for ongoing homelessness. - Victimization. Youth experiencing homelessness are at high risk for becoming victims of crime, including human trafficking. - Health and mental health problems. The goal of this report is to identify multi-system policy solutions that could prevent youth homelessness or provide better interventions to ensure youth who encounter homelessness get back on their feet quickly. We hope to shed light on what C.F. asked us to consider: how policymakers and stakeholders, understanding the reality that homelessness could happen to any one of us, can better open ourselves to compassionate, caring responses that are not only better for young people but better for our communities as a whole. Details: Austin, TX: Texas Appleseed and Texas Network of Youth Services, 2017. 186p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 17, 2017 at: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/YoungAloneHomeless_FullReport_fin.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/YoungAloneHomeless_FullReport_fin.pdf Shelf Number: 148501 Keywords: At-Risk YouthHomeless PersonsHomelessnessRunawaysStatus Offenders |
Author: Antrobus, Emma Title: The Risk and Time Preferences of Young Truants and Their Parents Summary: We use an incentivized experiment to measure the risk and time preferences of truant adolescents and their parents. We find that adolescent preferences do not predict school attendance and that a unique police-school partnership program targeting school absences was most effective in reducing the truancy of adolescents with relatively risk-averse parents. Details: Bonn: Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), 2017. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: IZA Discussion Paper Series No. 11236: Accessed February 2, 2018 at: http://ftp.iza.org/dp11236.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: http://ftp.iza.org/dp11236.pdf Shelf Number: 148986 Keywords: At-Risk YouthTruancy Truants |
Author: Sieckelinck, Stijn Title: Formers and Families: Transitional journeys in and out of extremisms in the United Kingdom, Denmark and The Netherlands Summary: This report presents the outcome of research conducted as part of "Formers and Families", a two-year project made possible financially by the European Union, the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice, the UK Home Office and the Danish Ministry of Integration, Immigration and Housing. To investigate the possible role that family members play in the processes of radicalisation and de-radicalisation of adolescents and young adults, researchers from the UK, Denmark and the Netherland collaborated to study whether the development of radicalisation is influenced by the pedagogical climate within the family, and by the responses of parents and other 'educators' during the process of radicalisation. Due the extreme difficulty of reaching the target group, much of research into radicalisation is based on secondary sources, such as intelligence reports. Research which actually allows the voices of parents to be heard is particularly rare. The 'Formers and Families' study aims to fill this hiatus: 30 cases were investigated in the three participating countries, with around 60 interviews conducted with individuals who had left active radicalism behind them, as well as with at least one of their close family members. Although the qualitative character of the study forestalls any claim to representativeness, the research does present enriching insights which lead to a better understanding of the radicalisation process itself and further social, pedagogical and policy responses to this phenomenon. In the past years, research on radicalisation has neither lead to unequivocal conclusions in determining the primary the causes of radicalization nor successfully identified the main factors that enable predictions on the outcome for any particular individual. For example, no correlation was found between poverty or social deprivation, and the membership of an extremist organisation. Instead, various studies have pointed out that affiliation with radical organization is often driven by the need of adolescents and young adults for ready-made answers with regard to identity-issues, or even a sense of kinship as a substitute for troubled family ties (most often father-son relationships). Outcomes such as these underline the importance of supplementing the security perspective, from which radicalisation is most commonly regarded, with a pedagogical perspective. The latter was first applied some years ago in the (Dutch) research programme 'Ideals Adrift'. Interviews conducted with young radicals and their parents conveyed an image of youngsters with - on the one hand - dangerous, anti-democratic ideas, but - on the other - also manifesting themselves as budding active citizens, with a strong drive to counter perceived social injustices. It turned out, however, that parents, teachers and other 'educators' were hardly able to counterbalance the extremism of the youngsters. Many schools, for instance, ended up simply forbidding or punishing extremist expressions. Internet and social media proved to be virtual meeting spaces for these young persons. Here, they could not only find their favored information without contradictions, but they also felt ideologically supported and emotionally at home. 'Ideals Adrift' concluded that i) the development of ideals is an essential part of adolescence, and ii) this development needs a powerful pedagogical environment to prevent ideals from 'going adrift'. However, it is this necessary mentoring of adolescents in the process of identity formation - against the backdrop of the temptations of extremism - that turns out to be extremely difficult for educators. The 'Formers and Families' research can be seen as an international exploration and deepening of this line of reasoning. It consists of three studies, executed by Dutch, Danish and British researchers, each with their own emphasis. The Dutch study focusses mainly on the interaction between parents and children. The Danish reports zooms in on the development of youngsters and how this is influenced by persons and organisations who try to win them over for their ideology. Finally, the British report situates the process of radicalisation against the backdrop of the larger social and political context. In total, the interviews make clear that there is no linear relationship between certain types of family or child raising practices and radicalisation. In very rare cases, interviewed persons have pointed towards the family as the main source of radicalisation or de-radicalisation. With respect to the latter: personal choices ('agency'), detention, and educational study were mentioned as the most important factors. Although almost no one sees family as the direct cause of radicalisation, many interviews show all sorts of problems in the family environment. About two thirds of the families interviewed have to cope with divorce, an absent father, lack of emotional support, psychiatric issues, illness or death. In addition, a number of families witnessed violence and abuse. Our conclusion is that such circumstances do not in themselves explain the process of radicalisation, but can form a fertile breeding ground for it. For instance, the rage that some youngsters feel about the role their (absent) father did - or did not - play in their childhood, can make them extra sensitive for recruitment by extremists. However, it appears that other factors need to be in play, such as a sense of humiliation or disappointment in the institutions of society. Each story chronicled in this study is unique, with its own complex play of factors and circumstances. Having said that, a number of 'routes' can be discerned that lead in and out of radicalisation. These routes, or ideal-typical 'journeys', contain common elements describing a series of transitions that youngsters undergo in their development from child to adult. A journey which usually requires a large amount of navigation - by the choices that each youngster makes, as well as with the help from the surrounding family and educators. These routes should not be regarded as fixed patterns into which each radical youngster will fit, but rather as an attempt to order a complex reality which in fact differs in each case. In real life, elements of the described journeys will interweave. Grouped by their prevailing 'leitmotiv', the three most important journeys are: 1. Being pushed away: pushed away from problems in the family and/ or neighbourhood, a polarized environment, experienced lack of emotional support. Pushed towards a surrogate family, towards authority figures with ideals that seem to give an answer to tensions and insecurities. Eventually, de-radicalisation is set into motion because the person has had enough of the hatred, the negativism, and the common violence in such movements. 2. Being pulled towards: pulled towards the magnetic force of extremist movements. Growing up in a warm and stable family context. Intelligent, ambitious youngsters, with a strong emotional response to injustice. A desire for depth, meaning and a clear goal in life. Because the family cannot meet this specific need, these persons break away and find a new destination in the radical movement. Ultimately, de-radicalisation is often triggered by boredom or sudden insight into the hypocrisy of the extremist organisation. 3. Passionate personalities: certain youngsters are drawn to special and extreme challenge, of whatever nature. Family and social environment cannot fulfill their powerful desires for which they will go to extremes. For example, such individuals are known to have memorized religious or ideological books word by word. In the end, de-radicalisation starts with dissatisfaction about the simplified content of these studies and of the extremist ideal. The connection between these three journeys is the search for identity, described by almost all the interviewed 'formers'. In very different ways, every 'former' was in search for meaning: what is my role in life, where do I belong, what really matters? What the family context could not provide was provided for by the radical groups: a clear sense of identity, a secure hold, a clear purpose and a sense of belonging. In the past years, a number of countries have developed intervention-programmes geared towards families with a radical or radicalising son or daughter. However, our research points out that parents are only very rarely a direct cause for radicalisation, just as they are almost never a direct trigger for de-radicalisation. Nevertheless, the family - together with other 'educators' like school, youth-work, church or mosque - can and must play an important role in the search of a young persons for identity and a place in society. It is in precisely this area of identity development that a major hiatus occurs. Policy and action is therefore needed in five areas: 1. Strengthen authoritative coalitions between parents, schools and others involved. The forces working upon the youth are often too powerful and complex for individual parents and teachers to handle. Together, adults surrounding the youth can offer the moral authority that these youngsters need. 2. Support adolescents in their search for identity, on the basis of the insight that even radical identities are still in development. 3. Develop educational programmes to raise awareness around the issue of radicalisation. Focus not only on building resilience, but also teach youngsters how they can fight for their ideals in a peaceful way. 4. Offer radicals and their parents support in the exit from extremist organisations. 5. Offer young radicals alternative options for standing up for their ideals. Instead of condemning or forbidding ideals, pedagogical coalitions need to help adolescents shape their ideological or political involvement, so that they can deploy their energy and will-power in constructive ways. Obviously, extremism is linked to public safety and security. The cases in this study show that the security perspective in itself is not the whole story. Behind radicalisation there are real and important needs having to do with the challenges of the transition between youth and adulthood. A pedagogical perspective demonstrates the interconnectedness of psychological mechanisms and ideological narratives at this life stage. A pedagogical contribution to understanding and dealing with issues of radicalisation and extremism will have to negotiate precisely this complex developmental reality. Details: The Hague: National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism, Ministry of Security and Justice, 2015. 104p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 15, 2018 at: https://www.ris.uu.nl/ws/files/15886833/end_report_formers_and_families_tcm126_610120.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Europe URL: https://www.ris.uu.nl/ws/files/15886833/end_report_formers_and_families_tcm126_610120.pdf Shelf Number: 149156 Keywords: At-Risk YouthCounter-terrorism De-radicalization Extremist Groups Extremists Radical Groups Radicalization Terrorism Violent Extremism |
Author: Gavrielides, Theo Title: Young, marginalised but not radicalised: A comparative study of positive approaches to youth radicalisation Summary: Prevention and control have been dealt with as top down responsibilities of governments, but young people believe that it is now time that they have their say. YEIP was created in response to the lack of effective youth policies that can enhance young people's social inclusion and minimize the risk of radicalization with greater 'buy in' from youth themselves. The conference will launch the book "Young, marginalised but not radicalized: A comparative study of positive approaches to youth radicalization". This is the outcome of research that was carried out in the UK, Italy, Romania, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece and Sweden. It features the national findings written in native languages as well as their comparative analysis and summaries written in English. Details: London: IARS International Institute, 2018. 359p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 9, 2018 at: http://yeip.org/awareness-raising-material/yeip-ebooks/ Year: 2018 Country: Europe URL: http://yeip.org/awareness-raising-material/yeip-ebooks/ Shelf Number: 149412 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Counter-terrorism ExtremismRadicalization Restorative Justice Violent Radicalism Youth Empowerment |
Author: El-Murr, Alissar Title: Problem sexual behaviours and sexually abusive behaviours in Australian children and young people: A review of available literature Summary: This paper presents a review of available literature on problem sexual behaviours (PSBs) and sexually abusive behaviours (SABs) exhibited in Australian children and young people. It provides an overview of those behaviours and the conceptual frameworks that inform legal and therapeutic interventions. The paper draws attention to the complexities regarding definitional categories and gaps in research regarding the prevalence and nature of PSBs and SABs, and the lack of evaluations of therapeutic treatment programs, in the Australian context. Key messages Sensitive definitions of PSBs and SABs that externalise the behaviour from the individual are important to guiding policy and practice. It can be harmful to categorise children and young people based on rigid or pathologising definitions regarding age-appropriate sexual behaviour. Australian studies find that 30-60% of all experiences of childhood sexual abuse are carried out by children and young people who exhibit PSBs and SABs; however, accurate statistics are difficult to obtain due to the hidden nature of abusive sexual experiences in childhood and adolescence. Other reasons for the lack of data may include ineffective reporting or referral pathways. Children and young people who demonstrate such behaviours are themselves in need of therapeutic support. Early therapeutic intervention strategies for children and young people who exhibit PSBs and SABs can maximise chances of rehabilitation. Treatment modalities must be flexible enough to meet the needs of diverse groups of children and young people. A combination of individual and family therapy, informed by an ecological approach, is found to effectively treat children and young people who display PSBs and SABs. There is inconclusive evidence about the extent to which causal or correlative risk factors for PSBs and SABs can be clearly identified. Clinicians in specialised services find while children with PSBs and SABs often present with complex and intersecting challenges in their lives, it is also the case that only a small number of children and young people with adverse childhood experiences will exhibit PSBs and SABs. Details: Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2017. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: CFCA Paper No. 46: Accessed March 16, 2018 at: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/sites/default/files/publication-documents/46_problem_sexual_behaviours.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/sites/default/files/publication-documents/46_problem_sexual_behaviours.pdf Shelf Number: 149491 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild Sex Offenders Sex Offenders |
Author: Dodsworth, Jane Title: An examination of the perspectives and experiences of police officers working with children and young people at risk of, or involved in, child sexual exploitation Summary: In April 2014 Norfolk and Suffolk Constabulary commissioned The Centre for Research on Children and Families (CRCF) in the School of Social Work at the University of East Anglia to undertake a research study to explore the perspectives and experiences of police officers working in Norfolk with young people involved in, or at risk of, involvement in sexual exploitation (CSE). The objective was to increase understanding of what works well, what works less well and to identify any gaps in policy, procedure or practice, in order to inform service provision Key Findings: What Works Well - Four areas stood out as particular strengths in police officers' work with children and young people involved in CSE. These included officers': - Sense of commitment to and passion for CSE work - Awareness of the vulnerability of young people involved in CSE, including awareness of the links between victimisation and offending - Recognition of three categories of young people involved in internet abuse; 'naive' victims 'wise' victims and 'naive' offenders. - Understanding that prevention and proactive early intervention is key Conclusion Although this study has shown that there are identifiable difficulties, pressures and tensions for police officers in Norfolk working in this complex area, what is clearly evident is the high level of commitment to safeguarding, listening to and understanding children and young people at risk of child sexual exploitation. Details: Norwich, UK: Centre for Research on Children and Families University of East Anglia, 2014. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2018 at: http://www.uea.ac.uk/documents/3437903/4264977/Police+Perspectives+Research+Nov+14.pdf/2f6eafec-9093-44bb-938c-c46c3d88cf32 Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.uea.ac.uk/documents/3437903/4264977/Police+Perspectives+Research+Nov+14.pdf/2f6eafec-9093-44bb-938c-c46c3d88cf32 Shelf Number: 149666 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild ProstitutionChild ProtectionChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual ExploitationOnline victimizationPolice Officers |
Author: Muggah, Robert Title: Youth, Security and Peace: Brazil Revisited Summary: Brazil is not facing so much a conventional "armed conflict" as a systemic crisis of public security. Its high levels of insecurity are not due to a single cause but rather a combination of individual, household and societal factors; concentrated disadvantage and fragmented families together with limited access to quality education, employment and other opportunities all play a role. Yet there are also remarkable efforts underway to prevent and reduce violence at national, state and municipal levels. Brazil features a rich, if understudied, ecosystem of interventions to promote youth safety and security that offer lessons to the world. The following report is designed to offer insights for the Youth, Peace and Security review. It considers first the scope and scale of youth violence. It then turns to the key perpetrators. Next, it explores the underlying risks giving rise to youth insecurity. The report closes with a review of national, state, city and civil society animated measures to prevent and reduce violence. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarape Institute, 2018. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2018 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Youth-Security-and-Peace-Brazil-Revisited-Robert-Muggah.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Brazil URL: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Youth-Security-and-Peace-Brazil-Revisited-Robert-Muggah.pdf Shelf Number: 150024 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDisadvantaged YouthPreventing Youth ViolencePublic SecuritySocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeYouth Violence |
Author: Klima, Noel Title: Local cooperation in youth crime prevention Summary: Youth crime prevention often takes place on a local level. Preventive measures taken by only one partner are often too limited and have a high risk of failure. The past decennia, more and more initiatives have been taken including different partners to bundle forces to approach youth crime. The police often plays a role in these partnerships. The cooperation can focus on one or more levels of prevention (primary prevention, secondary prevention, tertiary prevention). Furthermore, the focus of the joint projects and actions can be the offender, the situation and/or the victim. Due to the fact that much cooperation takes place on the local level, the exchange of good practices and its evaluation with other localities and regions is still rather limited. There is a need to bring the existing knowledge together and inspire the exchange of experiences within Europe. The EUCPN plays a central role in facilitating this exchange. This toolbox combines academic research, good practices and expert knowledge gathered from several European countries, to support local policy makers and practitioners in the field. This toolbox aims to inform, support and inspire local practitioners and policy makers on actual knowledge in local cooperation in youth crime prevention. To reach this goal, this toolbox contains a variety of tools collected from different sources such as academic literature, existing good practices and expert opinions from different EU Member States to bundle the knowledge and present it to local practitioners and policy makers. It is an easyto-read document, providing an introduction to the topic of local cooperation in youth crime prevention. Details: Brussels: EUCPN, 2012. 102p. Source: Internet Resource: Toolbox 1: Accessed May 3, 2018 at: http://eucpn.org/sites/default/files/content/download/files/toolbox1_localcooperationinyouthcrimeprevention_1.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Europe URL: http://eucpn.org/sites/default/files/content/download/files/toolbox1_localcooperationinyouthcrimeprevention_1.pdf Shelf Number: 150049 Keywords: At-risk YouthCommunity ProgramsCrime PreventionDelinquency Prevention |
Author: Amnesty International Title: Trapped in the Matrix: Secrecy, stigma, and bias in the Met's Gangs Database Summary: Over the past decade, the concept of 'gang association' has emerged as a measure for assessing potential harm to public safety from young people. It crops up not only in police strategies to tackle violent offending, but across a range of public sector services: from local authorities to the criminal justice system, from schools to the UK Visas and Immigration authority. Underpinning the increased use of the gang label by public agencies is a police intelligence system that purports to identify and share data about individuals who are considered to be linked to gangs. In London, this is most clearly institutionalised in the Metropolitan Police Service Gangs Violence Matrix - a database of suspected gang members in London which went into operation at the beginning of 2012. The highly charged context for the establishment of the Gangs Matrix was the England riots of Summer 2011. In the wake of the riots Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London, was quick to conflate those arrested during the riots with 'gangs', telling the press 'this is an opportunity to deal with gang crime'. In the days immediately after the riots, Prime Minister David Cameron promised a 'concerted, all-out war on gangs and gang culture' and within six months both the Home Office and the Mayor's Office had announced flagship new antigang strategies, including the launch of a reconfigured Trident Gang Command in London. Politically, the Gangs Matrix was set up to provide the government with some clarity on the extent of gang activity. At an operational level, it provided the Metropolitan Police with a risk-assessment tool to assess and rank London's suspected gang members according to their 'propensity for violence'. Individuals on the matrix are known as 'gang nominal' and each is marked in a traffic-light scoring system as red, amber or green. 'Red nominals' are those the police consider most likely to commit a violent offence; 'green nominals' pose the least risk. In October 2017, the Metropolitan Police reported that 3,806 people were on the Gangs Matrix. Less that 5 per cent were in the 'red' category, with 64 per cent marked as 'green'. In July 2016, a more detailed demographic breakdown of those on the matrix revealed that 87 per cent were from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds (78 per cent were black). Eighty per cent were between the ages of 12 and 24, and 15 per cent were minors (the youngest was 12 years old). Ninety nine per cent were male. Amnesty International has been conducting research on the Gangs Matrix for the past year and has met with more than 30 professionals who use, or are familiar with, the Gangs Matrix. They come from the police, the voluntary sector, and local authorities in several London boroughs - including staff from three borough Gangs Units. We have also asked community members and young people affected by the Gangs Matrix to tell us their experiences. Our research shows that the Gangs Matrix is based on a vague and ill-defined concept of 'the gang' that has little objective meaning and is applied inconsistently in different London boroughs. The Matrix itself and the process for adding individuals to it, assigning 'risk scores' and sharing data with partner agencies appears to be similarly ill-defined with few, if any, safeguards and little oversight. Not only does this data collection amount to an interference with young people's rights, but the consequences could be serious for those labelled as 'gang nominals', more than threequarters of whom are black boys and young men. Data sharing between the police and other government agencies means that this stigmatising 'red flag' can follow people in their interaction with service providers, from housing to education, to job centres. It is important to examine the impact this has on their rights. We believe further investigation by the appropriate authorities - the Information Commissioner's Office, the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, and the Metropolitan Police - is necessary to ensure the rights of these young people are respected. Amnesty International's research shows that: - While it purports to be a risk management tool focused on preventing serious violence, 40 per cent of people listed on the matrix have no record of involvement in any violent offence in the past two years and 35 per cent have never committed any 'serious offence'. - The concepts of the 'gang' and 'gang member' are vague and ill-defined, and the process for adding people to the matrix or removing them from it appears to lack clear parameters, thresholds and criteria; this leads to over-broad and arbitrary identification of people as gang members. - Many of the indicators used by the Metropolitan Police to identify 'gang members' simply reflect elements of urban youth culture and identity that have nothing to do with serious crime. This conflation of elements of urban youth culture with violent offending is heavily racialised. The result is that the matrix has taken on the form of digital profiling; 78 per cent of individuals on the Gangs Matrix are black, a number which is disproportionate both to the black population of London (13 per cent of the whole) and the percentage of black people among those identified by the police as responsible for serious youth violence in London (27 per cent). 'Youth violence' refers to violent offences against people below the age of 20. - There are no clear processes for reviewing the matrix, or for correcting or deleting outdated information. There is no formal process to notify individuals that they are on the matrix and no official system through which they can challenge their inclusion or have their named removed. - Data sharing between the police, housing associations, schools, job centres, the criminal justice system and the Home Office appears to lack safeguards; there is therefore a risk that these services will discriminate against already marginalised young people, with disproportionate impact on black boys and young men. Community activists, young people and family members all told Amnesty International that they felt the Gangs Matrix unfairly profiled and stigmatised black youth, further entrenching distrust in the police and isolating at-risk individuals. Although the police may be pursuing a legitimate aim when they collect data on gang members, the Gangs Matrix is an excessive interference with the right to privacy that affects the rights of black boys and young men disproportionately. The weak data governance and lack of safeguards that characterize the database show that it was designed and put to use without sufficient regard for the rights of those listed on it. Amnesty International believes that the Gangs Matrix is unfit for purpose: it puts rights at risk, and seems not only ineffective but also counter-productive. Systems for gathering and sharing intelligence on individuals suspected of violent crime must be fair, implemented in accordance with human rights law, and have robust oversight mechanisms. We expect the Mayor's Office and the Metropolitan Police to establish clear and transparent measures to ensure that this is the case. They must dismantle the matrix unless they can demonstrate that it has been brought into line with international human rights law, in particular the right to non-discrimination. Measures must also be taken to ensure that in future, systems that aim to gather and share intelligence on individuals suspected of violent crimes are fair and implemented in accordance with human rights law, with robust oversight mechanisms in place. Details: London: AI, 2018. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 14, 2018 at: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/2018-05/Inside%20the%20matrix.pdf?x_Q7G4ar5uHbWLAklmQ9NSuLFMzrwSyq Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/2018-05/Inside%20the%20matrix.pdf?x_Q7G4ar5uHbWLAklmQ9NSuLFMzrwSyq Shelf Number: 150175 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGangsYouth Gangs |
Author: Young, Tara Title: Risky Youth or Gang Members? A contextual critique of the (re)discovery of gangs in Britain Summary: The aim of this body of work has been to explore the anti-social behaviour and criminality of disaffected young people. In particular, my focus has been on how the perception of young offenders as 'youth at risk' needing guidance has metamorphosed into one of 'gang' membership requiring a punitive response. My work examines how community agencies and the criminal justice system have responded to this shift and focuses on the consequences for young people. Theoretically, this body of work has been influenced by a constructionist epistemology and incorporates a feminist methodology. The research work upon which this body of work rests consists mainly of qualitative research with marginalised young people, family members and practitioners working with them. My findings, detailed in various publications, have challenged assumptions about anti-social youngsters, the nature of collective offending by young people and the role the family plays in 'gang-related' offending. Most notably, they have sought to shape academic and political discourse in Britain by adopting a critical position against the prevailing view that 'gang-related' offending is the primary driver for the rise in violent offences. The work has contributed to the conceptualisation of 'gang' groups as they exist in contemporary Britain. It has influenced public policy on the gang, particularly in relation to defining the gang, on crime control and it has rerouted the debate about the involvement of girls and young women in street-based groups. Details: London: London Metropolitan University, 2016. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 17, 2018 at: http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/920/1/YoungTara_RiskyYouthOrGangMembers.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/920/1/YoungTara_RiskyYouthOrGangMembers.pdf Shelf Number: 150252 Keywords: Anti-Social BehaviorAt-Risk YouthGangs (U.K.)Youth Gangs |
Author: Tesfaye, B. Title: "If youth are given the chance": Effects of education and civic engagement on Somali youth support for political violence. Summary: Understanding and addressing the root causes of conflict to promote long-term stability is a perennial focus of development programs, yet policymakers still struggle to find proven, effective solutions. Underlying this challenge is a dearth of evidence regarding violence-reduction approaches. Though an increasing number of empirical studies have focused on evaluating the impact of development programs on attitudes and behaviors related to violence (including Mercy Corps' research in Somaliland and Afghanistan), questions remain about the relative effectiveness of different types of interventions and about the conditions under which some interventions may or may not succeed in reducing violence. The motivation behind this research study is to help fill these knowledge gaps. In particular, this research seeks to test the impact of two common violence-reduction approaches- education and civic engagement-on youths' level of support for armed violence. By expanding our previous study from Somaliland to examine education, civic engagement, and political violence in South Central Somalia and Puntland, this study also allows us to understand whether the effects of the same education and civic engagement interventions persist across different contexts. Somalia faces many challenges and opportunities when it comes to violence reduction. Though the nation is striving to move beyond decades of unrest and violent conflict and toward stability and broad-based development, the security situation remains tenuous. The two truck bombs that exploded on October 14, 2017, killing more than 500 people in Mogadishu, highlight both how deadly armed opposition groups continue to be and Somalia's continued vulnerability to violence. Armed groups have proven repeatedly how resilient they can be, constantly adapting to new threats- both internal and external-to ensure their own survival. A steady source of resilience for armed opposition groups is a large pool of frustrated youth whom they can recruit and indoctrinate. To promote stability, several youth development programs in Somalia seek to engage vulnerable youth and address their needs, including Mercy Corps' Somali Youth Learners Initiative (SYLI), which focused on increasing access to secondary education and civic engagement opportunities for youth. Evaluating the SYLI program provided an opportunity to better understand if and how improved access to formal secondary education and increased opportunities for civic engagement can reduce young Somalis' support for armed groups and the use of violence to achieve political aims. Details: Washington, DC: Mercy Corps, 2018. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 30, 2018 at: https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/If%20Youth%20Are%20Given%20the%20Chance_LR_FINAL.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Somalia URL: https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/If%20Youth%20Are%20Given%20the%20Chance_LR_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 150404 Keywords: At-Risk YouthEducation and CrimeInterventionsPolitical ViolenceRadicalizationTerrorismViolence Prevention |
Author: Wilson, David B. Title: Police-initiated diversion for youth to prevent future delinquent behavior: A systematic review Summary: Police-led diversion of low-risk youth reduces their future contact with the justice system Police-led diversion of low-risk youth who come into contact with the justice system is more effective in reducing a youth's future contact with the justice system compared to traditional processing. What is this review about? Youth misconduct and misbehavior is a normal part of adolescence and that misbehavior sometimes crosses the line from disruptive or problematic to delinquent. Nationally representative surveys of youth in the USA have indicated that minor delinquent behavior is normative, particularly for boys. The normative nature of minor delinquent behavior raises the question of how police should respond to minor delinquent behavior in a way that is corrective, but also avoids involving the youth in the criminal justice system beyond what will be effective in reducing future misbehavior. Police diversion schemes are a collection of strategies police can apply as an alternative to court processing of youth. Diversion as an option is popular among law enforcement officers, as it provides an option between ignoring youth engaged in minor wrongdoing and formally charging such youth with a crime. Police-led diversion has the potential to reduce reoffending by limiting the exposure of low-risk youth to potentially harmful effects of engagement with the criminal justice system. This review examined whether police-led diversion and traditional processing of youth have different effects on rates of official delinquency. Details: Oslo: Campbell Collaboration, 2018. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: A Campbell Systematic Review 2018:5: Accessed June 5, 2018 at: https://campbellcollaboration.org/library/police-initiated-diversion-to-prevent-future-delinquent-behaviour.html Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://campbellcollaboration.org/library/police-initiated-diversion-to-prevent-future-delinquent-behaviour.html Shelf Number: 150466 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile DelinquentsJuvenile Diversion |
Author: Lamble, Ian Title: It's never too early, never too late: A discussion paper on preventing youth offending in New Zealand Summary: Executive Summary 1. The number of offenders in the youth-justice system is decreasing. Much of what the youth-justice system is doing is seen as effective and innovative, but we need to prevent young people engaging with the youth-justice system in the first place. This is a discussion paper with the purpose of using findings from current science to prompt informed reflection on issues related to youth justice in New Zealand. This Executive Summary raises issues that are further discussed and referenced in the main body of the report. 2. Victims of crime need support and trauma-recovery services. Before they start offending, most such children and young people have experienced high rates of criminal abuse, neglect and violence, often from infancy, and have also been witnesses to crime and violence - they need support and trauma-recovery services before offending begins. 3. Understanding youth offending. Those aged 15 to 24 years (14% of the population) account for as much as 40% of criminal-justice apprehensions. Those aged 17 to 24 years offend more than all other age groups. Scientific evidence is showing that adolescent development extends into the mid-20s. As a result, factors such as peer influence (heightened by the use of social media), impulsive risk-taking, lack of self-regulation, lack of awareness of the consequences of one's actions and psycho-social immaturity all contribute to this bulge. And for young offenders, these issues are compounded by their experiences of abuse, trauma, victimisation and disadvantage. Responses different from those required for prepubertal children or mature adults are needed, as this age-group can be particularly hard for many state agencies to work with. 4. Use developmental crime prevention. The developmental, social, community and family environments, and intra-family and social relationships of children and young people, have a major impact on their potential for offending and need to be addressed early, by families, friends, neighbours, communities, and across education, health, cultural and social services. This is the essence of "developmental crime prevention". The younger the child at intervention, the more effective it is likely to be. 5. Get children off the prison pipeline. There are evidence-based steps to get young people off the "prison pipeline", the seemingly inevitable journey from early offending to eventual adult prison. Developmental crime prevention views the prison pipeline - and the chance to change the trajectory - as beginning with the previous generation (e.g., parents who have experienced violence and trauma and are in the justice system) and extending from birth through countless opportunities to support non-criminal environments and lives. 6. Work on the risks shown in NZ's own longitudinal studies. Robust evidence of risk-creating and protective factors for the development of severely challenging behaviour (an early step on the pathway to offending) is well-established, including from NZ's world-leading longitudinal studies, from birth to middle age, in Christchurch and Dunedin. This includes the effects of poverty, disadvantage and trauma (such as violence, abuse and neglect) on children's offending. Family and extended family/whānau are at the heart of a child's world and need to be supported to foster each child's development and well-being. 7. Scale-up evidence-based programmes and also evaluate local cultural solutions. Wellbeing and resilience can be broadly fostered for all, from infancy throughout early childhood education and school, with more targeted support then applied as soon as issues are detected. There are individual, family, school and community programmes with a strong evidence base for effectiveness; many have been adapted for New Zealanders but have been only partially adopted and therefore need to be scaled up. Culturally appropriate research also needs to be supported so as to evaluate introduced programmes and locally targeted solutions. Details: Auckland, NZ: Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, 2018. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 19, 2018 at: http://www.pmcsa.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Discussion-paper-on-preventing-youth-offending-in-NZ.pdf Year: 2018 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.pmcsa.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Discussion-paper-on-preventing-youth-offending-in-NZ.pdf Shelf Number: 150577 Keywords: At-risk YouthCrime PreventionEvidence-Based ProgramsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Mendolia, Silvia Title: The Effect of Religiosity on Adolescent Risky Behaviors Summary: We investigate the relationship between religiosity and risky behaviors in adolescence using data from a large and detailed cohort study of 14 year olds who have been followed for seven years. We focus on the effect of the self-reported importance of religion and on the risk of youths having early sexual intercourse, drinking underage, trying cigarettes, trying cannabis, and being involved in fighting at ages 14-17. We use school and individual fixed effects, and we control for a rich set of adolescent, school, and family characteristics, including achievements in standardized test scores at age 11, parental employment, and marital status. We also control for information on personality traits, such as work ethic, self-esteem, and external locus of control. Our results show that individuals with low religiosity are more likely to engage in risky health behaviors, whatever their combination of personality traits. These effects are robust to separate estimations for boys and girls and to the control variables used. Moreover, the results are essentially unchanged when we use Inverse Probability Weighted Regression Adjustment estimation methods - which provide causal estimates conditional on selection on observables only. Details: Bonn: Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), 2018. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: IZA Discussion Paper Series No. 11566: Accessed July 2, 2018 at: https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/11566/the-effect-of-religiosity-on-adolescent-risky-behaviors Year: 2018 Country: Australia URL: https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/11566/the-effect-of-religiosity-on-adolescent-risky-behaviors Shelf Number: 150749 Keywords: Anti-Social BehaviorAt-Risk YouthJuvenile DelinquentsReligion and Delinquency |
Author: Moreno, Rafael Arturo Title: Mano Dura, Mano Amiga, and La Tregua: The Failures of Gang Policy Responses in El Salvador and Honduras Summary: In Central America, gang violence has reached endemic proportions. El Salvador has an estimated 60,000 gang members with a presence in 94% of the municipalities (Martinez, Lemus, Sontag 2016). In Honduras, membership estimates are as high as 36,000 according to US AID (Pachico 2016). Both El Salvador and Honduras have violence unpreceded in countries supposedly not at war, ranking first and third respectively in homicides per 100,000 citizens in Latin America (Gagne 2016). Gangs have long existed in Central America; bands of street youths have been part the urban environment of Honduras and El Salvador as early as the 1960s (Wolf, 2011). However, since the late 1990s the gangs have transformed into what today is referred to as "Maras" which are stronger, more cohesive, and more violent criminal gangs that have spread across both El Salvador and Honduras and created a major security crisis. This transformation is largely attributed to the increase in deportations throughout the 1990s which drastically changed the landscape of urban environments in Central America and brought the US gang culture particularly from Los Angeles back to El Salvador and Honduras (Valdez, 2011). The rise of deportation and the exportation of US Latino gang culture to Central America brought the more violent and sophisticated criminal activity seen in the more recent gang phenomenon and is the reason that the two largest gangs in both El Salvador and Honduras, MS13 and Barrio 18, both have their origin in Los Angeles. In response to this rise violence and expansion of gangs throughout the region, Central American governments have developed three policy responses. The most frequently used policy is harsh suppression through law enforcement, known throughout the region as Mano Dura (Iron Fist or Firm Hand). This policy includes increases in law enforcement and reforms to the penal code to criminalize the act of being a gang member and facilitate their arrest and prosecution (Holland, 2013). The second strategy introduced more recently is a gang truce. The first country to attempt one was El Salvador in March of 2012, where prominent prison leaders of the two major gangs, Barrio 18 and La Marasalvatrucha, negotiated a truce (Lohmuller, 2015). The truce was able to reduce homicides by 50% however it fell apart 18 months later and was followed by an intense upsurge in violence (Lohmuller, 2015). The least common strategy and often most holistic approach is known as Mano Extendida or Mano Amiga (Extended Hand or Friendly Hand) which focuses on the rehabilitation of ex-gang members and prevention work with at risk youth. These programs seem to have the most promise; however, their implementation is limited and often carried out by international NGOs rather than the governments themselves. Since the early 2000s, Central America has implemented these varied attempts at curtailing the presence and strength of these gangs, yet gang violence at best has remained constant and arguably worsened. The question that then arises is why have these policies failed to curb the violence or the strength of the gangs? Why have the three different approaches failed? With another tangential question of why are the suppression policies continually repeated after clear evidence of their failure? This thesis will explore each of the policies and analyze why they have failed. I will use a paired comparison study of anti-gang policy specifically in El Salvador and Honduras. These two countries both began with suppression policies in the early 2000s, experimented with gang truces, and have limited social and prevention programs for gangs. Along with that, they have similar levels of gang membership and levels of violence. Using both El Salvador and Honduras, I can draw conclusions on what has been ineffective about anti-gang policy in Central America. The thesis will begin with a brief overview of the literature on gang responses looking at the literature on the effectiveness of the three policy responses; suppression, truces, and prevention. The second chapter will examine Mano Dura in El Salvador and Honduras and demonstrate how the policy in fact strengthen the gangs instead of eradicating them and explore why both governments continuously reverted back to suppression. The third chapter will explore the gang truce and examine how the truce failed to create lasting peace in El Salvador and had a minimal effect in Honduras and also why the governments now have totally rejected any attempts of implementing another truce or any sort of negotiation with gangs. The fourth chapter will explore the limited prevention and intervention strategies and demonstrate how they have been ineffective and dominated by international donors. The fifth and final chapter will review the three policies from the earlier chapters and offer conclusions to why they have failed and why the governments continue to prioritize suppression strategies. Details: Haverford, PA: Haverford College Political Science Department, 2017. 79p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed July 2, 2018 at: https://scholarship.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/bitstream/handle/10066/19349/2017MorenoR.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2017 Country: Central America URL: https://scholarship.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/bitstream/handle/10066/19349/2017MorenoR.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 150750 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGang Truce Gang Violence Gang-Related Violence Gangs Homicides Violence Youth Gangs |
Author: Ngo, Hieu Van Title: Unravelling Identities and Belonging: Criminal Gang Involvement of Youth from Immigrant Families Summary: SETTING THE CONTEXT Foreign-born youth and Canadian-born youth from immigrant families have established a strong presence in Canadian society. They represent about 20% of all young Canadians under the age of 18, and are expected to reach 25% by 2016 (Canadian Council on Social Development, 2006). The future of Canada is intricately linked to their healthy development. In recent years, however, there has been growing public concern about criminal gang involvement of youth from immigrant families. Yet there is a notable lack of vibrant, informed public dialogue on criminal gangs in general, and on criminal gang involvement of youth from immigrant families in particular. The scanty research literature on children of immigrant families has not met the challenge of providing critical, in-depth information to inform public debate and policy and service development. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND DESIGN This research sought to answer (1) why and how some youth from immigrant families have become involved in criminal gang activity, and (2) what strategies can be used to effectively support high risk and gang involved youth from immigrant families. It adopted the participatory action research and grounded theory methodologies. The research involved the interplay of two processes: the participatory group process of the collaborative inquiry network made up of 39 representatives from the community, social service, education, government, justice, health and media sectors; and the parallel one-on-one inquiry into the lived experience of 30 gang involved youth and former gang members from immigrant families. PATHWAYS OF YOUTH FROM IMMIGRANT FAMILIES TOWARDS CRIMINAL GANG INVOLVEMENT AND OUT OF GANG LIFE The inquiry into the lived experiences of the gang involved participants illustrated the complex pathways towards criminal gang involvement and out of gang life followed by youth from immigrant families, and the detrimental effect on the wellbeing and behaviour of these young people consequent upon the unraveling of their sense of identity and belonging. The gang involved participants either directly experienced pre-migration vulnerabilities or were indirectly impacted by their parents' pre-migration histories. Their life experience in Canada involved gradual disintegration of their interaction with their families, schools and communities. Subsequently, the participants experienced crises of identity and belonging, which propelled them towards forming friendships with other socially disconnected peers. They became involved in social cliques, and progressed towards membership in criminal gangs. Confronted with various turning points, some participants eventually chose to leave their gangs. They worked towards exit from the gang and reintegration into their families and communities. PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR SUPPORTING HIGH RISK AND GANG INVOLVED YOUTH FROM IMMIGRANT FAMILIES Drawing upon their learning about the lived experiences of gang involved youth and former gang members, as well as their own professional experience and expertise, the members the collaborative inquiry network proposed a practical framework for supporting high risk and gang involved youth from immigrant families. The practical framework would promote collaboration among stakeholders of diverse sectors and communities to support youth from immigrant families who are at risk or have a history of criminal gang involvement to develop a positive sense of identity and to achieve a healthy sense of belonging at home, school, and in the community. It would be guided by a set of principles that focus on identity development, equity, multi-sectoral involvement, coordination and collaboration, multiple approaches to youth services, the need to address multiple needs with multiple interventions, and timeliness and responsiveness. The practical framework would address the specific issues facing high risk and gang involved youth from immigrant families prior to their involvement in social cliques and criminal gangs. It would also deal with the specific challenges pertaining to gang exit and reintegration of gang involved youth into their families and communities. This framework would promote coordination and comprehensiveness of home-based, school-based and community-based support for high risk and gang involved youth from immigrant families. RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS Grounded in the lived experience of gang involved research participants, this study has offered an in-depth understanding about the pathways of gang involved youth from immigrant families towards criminal gang involvement and out of gang life. It posits a practical framework for supporting high risk and gang involved youth from immigrant families, articulates a clear vision and guiding principles, and outlines specific strategies for home-based, school-based and community-based support that address prevention, gang exit and reintegration of former gang members into their families and communities. The groundwork of the collaborative inquiry network offers a solid start for sustainable and coordinated multisectoral collaboration to support youth from immigrant families in Calgary. As stakeholders move forward with the planned multi-sectoral symposium on criminal gang involvement of youth from immigrant families, and continue with post-symposium collaboration to support these young people, we would recommend that stakeholders consider the following next steps: 1. Acquire and clarify shared understanding about issues facing youth from immigrant families. 2. Adopt the suggested framework as a starting point for collaborative planning, and develop a citywide action plan to support gang involved and high risk youth from immigrant families. 3. Establish a sound multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral infrastructure with a clear mandate and adequate resources to support the implementation of the action plan, and to ensure effective communication, coordination and collaboration among participating stakeholders. 4. Ensure big picture, balanced emphases on prevention and interventions; family-based, school-based and community-based support; and policy, practice and research. 5. Address specific programming for youth from immigrant families, as well as their access to general services and resources in the community. 6. Integrate an explicit focus on support for the development of positive self-concept, strong Canadian identity and empowering ethnic identity in all services for youth from immigrant families. 7. Support youth- and family-focused institutions and organizations in all sectors: review existing policies and services to ensure an explicit focus on diversity, cultural competence and support for youth from immigrant families. 8. Involve youth from immigrant families and ethnic communities in all collaborative efforts. Details: Calgary, AB: Centre for Newcomers, 2010. 146p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 10, 2018 at: http://www.aaisalearns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/unravelling_identities.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://www.aaisalearns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/unravelling_identities.pdf Shelf Number: 150794 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGangs Immigrants Immigrants and Crime Youth Gangs |
Author: Finn, Julie Title: Fall River Youth Gang Community Assessment Summary: Fall River is the tenth largest city in Massachusetts, with a population less diverse than that of Massachusetts as a whole. Fall River lags behind the State in most measures of economic health, educational attainment, and residential stability. Service needs, as measured by enrollment in public assistance programs and unemployment, are generally higher in Fall River, as is the teen parent rate. Admissions for substance abuse treatment and unintentional opioid overdose death are much higher than average for the State. Fall River's law enforcement data presents some challenges. The gang database used by the Fall River Police Department (FRPD) does not permit data to be extracted in a way that permits analysis. FRPD uses an objective definition to identify gang members and controls who can add new records to the gang database. It is unclear if identified gang members are reviewed and purged from the database on a regular basis. Analysis revealed a total of 31 gangs and 431 gang members in the database - 29% of whom fell within the Shannon targeted age range. Gang crime varies, but is primarily focused on narcotics and firearms. As a proxy for tracking gang crime, the Shannon initiative tracks aggravated assaults, incidents, and arrests, which have declined over the study period. Fall River school data indicate higher rates of need on many measures. The percent of students indicated as high need is nearly 60% higher than the state as a whole. Fall River students also have poorer school attendance, lower 4-year graduation rates, and higher dropout rates than Massachusetts students as a whole. Fall River students were far more likely to be disciplined, and when they were disciplined, they were more likely to serve an out-of-school suspension. As part of the assessment, researchers conducted focus groups with teachers, school resource officers, youth, and staff from youth-serving agencies. While the different groups had varying perspectives on many aspects surrounding youth and gang violence, there were several areas of congruence. School resource officers and teachers disagreed on some of the reasons that youth join gangs, but both groups felt that a lack of social-emotional skills contributed to gang involvement. One element consistent across focus groups was the belief that Fall River youth are becoming involved in gangs at a younger age. Focus groups were also in agreement that more resources/services are needed in the city to decrease youth and gang violence. Results of a survey conducted as part of the community assessment revealed that a majority of respondents (who do not reflect a representative sample of the community) do not feel safer in their community than they did two years ago. The most common reasons cited for these feelings were an increase in drug dealing, burglary or robbery, and gang activity. Fall River has several long-standing non-law enforcement initiatives to address gang violence. In 1997, before the Shannon grant began, a school-based group called the Peaceful Coalition was formed to address gang and youth violence in Durfee High School. The Fall River Shannon Initiative began in 2006 and has gone through a number of changes, the principle of which being changes to the location and function of the youth outreach program. Finally, Fall River also participates in the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative, funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services to target 'proven risk' males involved in violence. The Fall River Shannon Initiative offers a full complement of services to youth identified as at risk for gang activity through an objective (but not validated) assessment instrument. Through Shannon, youth are offered case management services, mentoring, educational and vocational programming, employment assistance, and recreational opportunities. Community mobilization activities including National Night Out and the Peace By Piece summit are provided. The city maintains a youth violence partnership, which produces a newsletter, coordinates events, updates a website and social media, and hosts School Community Partnership meetings. Law enforcement also participates in the Shannon grant, sharing intelligence and information, collecting data, offering mentoring for individual's being released from jail, and engaging youth in programming when possible. Gaps and challenges identified include sustaining engagement of youth and families Details: Boston: Crime and Justice Institute, 2017. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2018 at: http://www.crj.org/assets/2018/05/Shannon-Fall-River-Community-Assessment-Report_20170829-final_public.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.crj.org/assets/2018/05/Shannon-Fall-River-Community-Assessment-Report_20170829-final_public.pdf Shelf Number: 151054 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGang Violence Gang-Related Violence Gangs Youth Gangs |
Author: Blagg, Harry Title: Diversionary pathways for Aboriginal youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder Summary: This article reports on a study undertaken in three Indigenous communities in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia (WA) intended to develop diversionary strategies for young people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Rates of FASD in the West Kimberley were comparable to those of high-risk populations internationally and there are concerns that youths with FASD are being enmeshed in the justice system. Further, under WA law they are at risk of being held in indefinite detention if found unfit to stand trial. Besides recommending legislative reform, the authors urge a 'decolonising' approach, meaning maximum diversion into community owned and managed structures and processes, able to offer a culturally secure environment for stabilising children with FASD. The study calls for reform of police diversionary mechanisms and the creation of mobile 'needs focused' courts, offering comprehensive screening and rapid entry into on-country programs with strong Aboriginal community involvement. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2018. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice, No. 557: Accessed September 7, 2018 at: https://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi557 Year: 2018 Country: Australia URL: https://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi557 Shelf Number: 151422 Keywords: Aboriginals At-Risk YouthFetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Indigenous Peoples |
Author: Cramer, Lindsey Title: Evaluation Report on New York City's Advocate, Intervene, Mentor Program Summary: This report presents the findings of an implementation and outcome evaluation of the Advocate, Intervene, Mentor (AIM) program, a court-mandated juvenile alternative-to-placement program serving probation clients ages 13 to 18 years with high criminogenic risk. The evaluation finds that AIM successfully helps participants avoid out-of-home placement and reduce recidivism, as well as pursue and achieve individualized goals to help reduce their risk of reoffending. Launched in July 2012 by the New York City Department of Probation (DOP) as a component of the New York City Young Men's Initiative (YMI) and with oversight from the Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity (NYC Opportunity), AIM seeks to reduce the use of costly out-of-home placement and to enhance community safety by increasing resiliency and reducing criminogenic risk factors for adolescents on probation. The program uses a one-on-one mentoring model with a paid advocate-mentor available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Advocate-mentors are credible messengers, defined as individuals who are respected in the communities served, typically coming from the same neighborhood and backgrounds as the participants. Advocate-mentors work to improve participants' criminal justice and personal outcomes through the co-creation of individualized service plans designed to transform attitudes and behaviors that have led to delinquent activity. The Urban Institute conducted the implementation and outcome evaluation, and collected data from September 2016 through March 2017. The evaluation documented AIM program operations, described participant outcomes and stakeholders' experiences with the program, identified best practices, and developed recommendations to address program challenges. The evaluation drew upon qualitative and quantitative data, including focus groups and interviews with participants and alumni, participants' caregivers, program staff, DOP staff, and Family Court actors and other stakeholders; review of program materials and participant case files; and analysis of program administrative data and criminal justice data, conducted in partnership with DOP. The Urban Institute found the following: - Over 90 percent of participants avoided felony rearrest within 12 months of enrollment-far exceeding the program target of 60 percent. - Over two-thirds of AIM participants completed the program without an out-of-home placement. When excluding out-of-home placements due to technical violations of probation conditions (for reasons other than rearrests or risk to public safety), this figure rises to over 80 percent. - Fewer than 10 percent of participants received a felony adjudication in Family Court (equivalent to being convicted in the adult context) and only 3 percent received a felony conviction in Criminal Court. While based on only a small number of youth participating in the program, these results indicate that AIM is a promising strategy to improve outcomes of justice-involved youth. Implementation findings indicate that participants, alumni, caregivers, program staff, and other stakeholders all had positive feelings about their experience with the AIM program. Participants value their one-on-one interactions with mentors, and caregivers value the program's family team meetings and mentors' responsiveness to participant needs. The report also identified challenges related to the program's enrollment criteria and process, the absence of formal aftercare services, and stakeholder communication and coordination at various stages throughout the program cycle. Based on these findings, the report presents recommendations to address identified challenges, including enabling provider input on enrollment decisions, expanding in-program services and establishing formalized alumni services following the completion of mandated enrollment, enhancing communication across stakeholders, and improving programmatic performance reporting. These findings and recommendations highlight valuable opportunities for enhancements to the AIM program model. NYC Opportunity and YMI will partner with DOP, AIM providers, and other stakeholders to carefully consider the programmatic recommendations presented in this report, with the goal of strengthening the AIM model and juvenile justice services more broadly. At the time of publication, the City is embarking upon multiple cross-cutting justice system reform efforts. Raise the Age legislation will significantly expand the number of youth eligible for juvenile justice services such as AIM, as 16 and 17 year olds transition to Family Court in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Given the demonstrated promise of AIM in serving the needs of youth with high criminogenic risk, the program is well positioned to support the success of Raise the Age reforms. Simultaneously, the City is moving forward with plans to replace the Rikers Island complex with borough-based facilities, a strategy that includes ongoing and significant reductions to the population of detained and sentenced individuals held in City custody. This evaluation builds evidence about what works in alternatives-to-placement programming for juveniles, and these findings can inform the development and implementation of alternative-to-incarceration programming necessary to fulfill the City's commitment to close Rikers. Finally, this evaluation follows after the Urban Institute's and NYC Opportunity's evaluation of the DOP Arches Transformative Mentoring program, which established credible messenger mentoring as an evidence-based approach with positive impact on young adult justice system outcomes. These findings contribute to that body of knowledge and can support the growing national momentum toward credible messenger approaches to human service provision for justice-involved populations and beyond Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2018. 86p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed Nov. 2, 2018 at: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/opportunity/pdf/evidence/AIM_Final_2018.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/opportunity/pdf/evidence/AIM_Final_2018.pdf Shelf Number: 153144 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationAt-Risk YouthJuvenile Mentoring ProgramsJuvenile OffendersJuvenile ProbationMentoring |
Author: Skemer, Melanie Title: Striving for independence: Two-year impact findings from the Youth Villages transitional living evaluation Summary: Young adults with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody often experience poor outcomes across a number of domains, on average, relative to their peers. While government funding for services targeting these groups of young people has increased in recent years, research on the effectiveness of such services is limited, and few of the programs that have been rigorously tested have been found to improve outcomes. The Youth Villages Transitional Living Evaluation is testing whether the Transitional Living program, operated by the social service organization Youth Villages, makes a difference in the lives of young men and women with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody. The program, which was renamed "YVLifeSet" in April 2015, is intended to help these young people make a successful transition to adulthood by providing intensive, individualized, and clinically focused case management, support, and counseling. The evaluation uses a rigorous random assignment design and is set in Tennessee, where Youth Villages operates its largest Transitional Living program. From October 2010 to October 2012, more than 1,300 young people were assigned, at random, to either a program group, which was offered the Transitional Living program's services, or to a control group, which was not offered those services. Using survey and administrative data, the evaluation team measured outcomes for both groups over time to assess whether Transitional Living services led to better outcomes for the program group compared with the control group's outcomes. This is the third major report in the evaluation. The first report provides a detailed description of the Transitional Living program model and assesses its implementation. The second report assesses whether the program improved key outcomes during the first year after young people were enrolled in the study. That report relies largely on survey data to analyze the program's impacts in the six domains that it was designed to affect: education; employment and earnings; housing stability and economic well-being; social support; health and safety; and criminal involvement. This third report uses administrative data to assess the program's impacts in three of the original six domains - education; employment and earnings; and criminal involvement - during the second year after study enrollment. Taken together, the one- and two-year results show that participation in the Transitional Living program had modest, positive impacts on a broad range of outcomes. The program boosted earnings, increased housing stability and economic well-being, and improved some outcomes related to health and safety. However, it did not improve outcomes in the areas of education, social support, or criminal involvement. These results indicate that the Transitional Living program can improve multiple outcomes for young adults with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody, a notable finding given how few other programs that serve these populations have been shown to have an effect. As a next step, Youth Villages aims to build on the areas where the program has already been successful by testing modifications to the YVLifeSet model; the hope is that such modifications will further improve young people's outcomes, particularly in domains where the program has not yet produced positive impacts. Details: New York: MDRC, 2016. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 13, 2018 at: https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/YV_2016_FR.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/YV_2016_FR.pdf Shelf Number: 153415 Keywords: At-Risk YouthFoster CareJuvenile AftercareJuvenile Justice ProgramsJuvenile OffendersJuvenile Reentry |
Author: Valentine, Erin Jacobs Title: Making Their Way. Summary Report on the Youth Villages Transitional Living Evaluation Summary: Young adults with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody experience poor outcomes across a number of domains, on average, relative to their peers. While government funding for services targeting these young people has increased in recent years, research on the effectiveness of such services is limited, and few of the programs that have been rigorously tested have been found to improve outcomes. The Youth Villages Transitional Living Evaluation tested whether the Transitional Living program, operated by the social service organization Youth Villages, makes a difference in the lives of young people with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody. The program, which was renamed "YVLifeSet" in April 2015, is intended to help young people make a successful transition to adulthood by providing intensive, individualized, and clinically focused case management, support, and counseling. The evaluation used a rigorous random assignment design and is set in Tennessee, where Youth Villages, which is committed to building evidence that could help improve its effectiveness, operates its largest Transitional Living program. Researchers worked with the program, which did not have the resources to enroll all the young people in need of its services, to randomly assign more than 1,300 eligible young people to either a program group, which was offered the Transitional Living program services, or to a control group that was not offered those services. Using survey and administrative data, the evaluation team measured outcomes for both groups over time to assess whether Transitional Living services led to better outcomes for the program group compared with the control group's outcomes. This report, which draws from earlier reports, summarizes the main findings from the evaluation. The Transitional Living program was well implemented, and a substantial portion of program group members received services at the expected dosage. The program group also received substantially more services than the control group. In the first year of follow-up, the program improved outcomes in three of the six domains that it was designed to affect. It boosted earnings, increased housing stability and economic well-being, and improved some outcomes related to health and safety. However, the program did not improve outcomes in the areas of education, social support, or criminal involvement. Longer-term data were only available to assess two-year impacts in three of the original six domains: education, employment and earnings, and criminal involvement. During the second year of follow-up, Transitional Living did not increase young people's average earnings, but it did have a modest, positive effect at some earnings levels and it led to modest increases in employment and earnings over the full two-year study period. Statistically significant impacts in the education and criminal involvement domains did not emerge in Year 2, spurring Youth Villages' ongoing efforts to strengthen its program offerings in these areas. These results indicate that the Transitional Living program can improve some short-term outcomes for young adults with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody, a notable finding given the paucity of documented positive effects for programs that serve these populations. It will be critically important to build on these initial successes to help secure the future life outcomes of participants. Details: New York: MDRC, 2018. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed Dec. 6, 2018 at: https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/Youth_Villages_Short_Report_2018_final_web.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/Youth_Villages_Short_Report_2018_final_web.pdf Shelf Number: 153922 Keywords: At-Risk YouthFoster Care Juvenile Aftercare Juvenile Detention Juvenile Justice Programs Juvenile Offenders Juvenile Reentry |
Author: Weissman, Marsha Title: Does Keeping Youth Close to Home Really Matter? A Case Study Summary: Background In 2012, with authorization from the Governor and New York State legislature, New York City took jurisdiction over children adjudicated delinquent (JDs) and ordered into placement by the court. Known as the Close to Home initiative (C2H), when youth from New York City are placed, it is now in small facilities near their home communities. C2H also expanded community-based, non-residential alternative to placement resources and required that the city's Probation Department utilize a risk-based system for making recommendations to the court. By keeping youth "close to home," it was theorized, they would remain connected to their families, their schools, and positive community activities, rather than being disconnected by placement in youth prisons distant from their homes. By 2016, New York City no longer had any JD-adjudicated youth in state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) facilities. The 182 youth who were placed out-of-home were placed into small (6 to 18 bed) C2H facilities in or near the city. In addition, the overall placements of youth dramatically declined following the implementation of C2H. Between 2012 and 2016, overall placements of JDs decreased by 68 percent. Through interviews with stakeholders involved in the planning, implementation and advocacy for C2H, and analysis of C2H and other juvenile justice outcome data from city and state sources, this case study documents the impact of the Close to Home initiative. It examines what Close to Home and other city juvenile justice reforms that preceded it represent within the larger context of juvenile justice reforms - at the national, state and city level. Details: Syracuse, NY: Columbia University Justice Lab, 2018. 5p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 17, 2019 at: http://justicelab.iserp.columbia.edu/img/forum_handout_final_3.12.18.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: http://justicelab.iserp.columbia.edu/closetohome.html Shelf Number: 154204 Keywords: At-Risk YouthClose to Home InitiativeCommunity-Based CorrectionsJuvenile DelinquentsJuvenile Justice ReformJuvenile OffendersRisk-Based System |
Author: Sill, Kaitlyn Title: Runaway Youth as Status Offenders Summary: Youth who run away are at increased risk of victimization, involvement in risky sexual activity, substance abuse, and delinquency; therefore, widespread agreement exists that running away should be prevented. When running away is habitual, the justice system may become involved. This brief outlines how the justice system in the District of Columbia intervenes with runaway youth, from how youth become eligible for judicial intervention through case disposition. Next, this brief reviews best practices and identifies models for providing services to runaway and at‐risk youth. Specifically, best practices suggest that the judicial system is not an appropriate avenue for intervention because of the detrimental consequences associated with justice system involvement; rather, young people and their families should be provided intensive individual and family services to address the root causes of running away. Finally, the brief provides an overview of the services the District offers runaway youth outside of the justice system consistent with these recommended practices. Details: Washington, DC: Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, 2018. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Brief: Volume 3, Issue 1: Accessed February 25, 2019 at: https://cjcc.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/cjcc/page_content/attachments/CJCC%20Research%20Brief%20-%20Runaway%20Youth%20as%20Status%20Offenders%20%28December%202018%29.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://cjcc.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/cjcc/page_content/attachments/CJCC%20Research%20Brief%20-%20Runaway%20Youth%20as%20Status%20Offenders%20%28December%202018%29.pdf Shelf Number: 154736 Keywords: At-Risk YouthRunaways Status Offenders Youth Runaways |
Author: Malik, Nikita Title: Radicalising Our Children: An Analysis of Family Court Cases of British Children at Risk of Radicalisation, 2013-2018 Summary: At least 156 children have been involved in family court cases in which concerns over extremism or radicalisation have been cited, according to a new study released by the Henry Jackson Society. Of the cases examined, the think tank found that 48% of families had one family member or more who joined IS. Nikita Malik, Director of the Centre on Radicalisation and Terrorism and the report's author, today warns that the UK's courts are not currently up to the task of handling a wave of women who joined the 'caliphate' returning with their children. The report concludes that the family court is frequently powerless to take steps to protect the welfare of children, even when the counter-terrorism division is aware that parents involved are often terrorists with extremist mindsets. The former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Lord Carlile, welcomed the report, and stated it is "apparent that the family court is not always able to take the appropriate steps to protect" the children of extremists. Meanwhile, Tim Loughton MP, the former Children's Minister, stressed that the Family Courts require "better protocols, guidance and support" to deal with this "increasingly urgent part of their role". Contrary to claims the girls of Islamic State were vulnerable brides, the report finds that, far more so than boys, girls who travel to the 'caliphate' made their own decisions. The author concludes that boys tended to join Islamic State under the influence of their families, whereas girls were more active and independent in seeking out extremist material - often online. All of the girls in cases analysed by the study who had self-radicalised were motivated in part by the possibility of marriage to a person of their choice. The study, which qualitatively analyses the 20 cases with the most comprehensive court records over recent years, also found that: 55% of cases had links to Al-Muhajiroun, the banned group founded by Anjem Choudary. 67% of families had a history of domestic abuse or a history of wider criminal conduct. Almost 20% of the children involved were home-schooled; while, 38% families contained children absent from school. In cases where gender was known, 64% of children involved in court actions were boys. The report calls for a bespoke set of powers for judges to use in cases of extremism involving children. Citing the high burden of proof required for the more traditional option of care orders, the report argues that the powers imbued with wardship have proved more suitable in many cases, to meet the growing and pertinent challenge of countering radicalisation. Details: London: Henry Jackson Society, 2019. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 5, 2019 at: https://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/HJS-Radicalising-Our-Children-Report-HR-web.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/HJS-Radicalising-Our-Children-Report-HR-web.pdf Shelf Number: 154812 Keywords: At-Risk YouthExtremismIslamic StateRadicalizationTerrorismTerrorist Recruitment |
Author: McHugh, Richard Title: Applied Performance Arts interventions within Justice Services: Moving 'Forward' Toward an Integrated Sustainable Evaluative Approach Summary: The work of Odd Arts focuses on engaging vulnerable groups in arts based programmes who may experience multiple forms of exclusion. This work is largely carried out with and within organisations associated with crime and criminal justice. Much of the work of Odd Arts utilises applied theatre and related performance and creative arts as a mechanism in exploring a range of issues relevant to the lives of beneficiaries. Odd Arts contracted the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies (Manchester Metropolitan University) to carry out a small scale study of the Forward programme within two criminal justice service settings. These two sites included a secure children's home and an adult supported housing project for ex-offenders. 1.2 Methodology -- The research required a multi-method approach, which consisted of the following four strands: i) literature review ii) interviews with young people who participated in the Forward programme within the youth secure estate iii) interviews with youth justice professionals who supported the interventions within the secure estate iv) interviews with adults living in supported accommodation for ex-offenders who participated in the Forward programme v) ethnographic observations of the Forward programme within one youth secure estate venue (secure children's home 1). 1.3 Literature review A literature review was conducted to provide a theoretical basis for the research and this assisted in the development of the research instruments used (interview schedules and ethnographic observation). The literature review examined English language literature published between 1994 and 2017, which focused on: applied theatre within the secure estate; forum theatre; applied arts provision within justice services. 1.4 Interviews - beneficiaries: young people The young people who were available to take part and chose to be involved in the follow up interviews (n. 9) presented a range of opinions about their experiences and perceptions of engaging with the Forward programme. Most prevalent amongst these opinions were themes including: - Appreciating the game elements of the programme - Having a sense of choice and agency within the programme - Opportunity to engage with a larger group of young people beyond the scope of everyday contacts It is important to note that all of the young people had some previous experience of engaging with Odd Arts interventions in some way. Likewise, it is noteworthy that in the follow up interviews, it was apparent that the young people had appeared, to varying degrees, to lose some enthusiasm for the programme. This latter point was a stark contrast to the observed levels of enthusiasm during the delivery of the intervention. 1.5 Interviews - beneficiaries: adult supported housing Interview responses from the adult service users living in the supported housing project closely aligned with those of the young people. Predominantly, respondents from the supported housing project described how they felt that the Forward programme had generally been a positive experience. However, more specifically, the participants described how the programme had significantly raised their confidence levels and provided a meaningful activity, which gave them something to look forward to. Moreover, the participants from the supported housing project explained that engaging in the Forward programme had provided a space in which the residents (who took part) could gain deeper mutual understanding, empathy and mutual peer support. 1.6 Interviews - practitioners: youth justice, resettlement and arts professionals Practitioner interviews yielded some similar themes to those of the beneficiaries. However, practitioners specifically referred to the Odd Arts approach as being unique and highly professional. Without exception supporting staff from within host organisations had complete confidence in Odd Arts and specifically the delivery staff. Additionally, supporting staff (as indicated earlier) were very keen to outline how they perceived huge value and potential in the idea of having an embedded and integrated planning and evaluation process which would be carried out collaboratively between Odd Arts and the host organisation(s). This, they felt, has the potential to further generate positive outcomes for beneficiaries in future interventions. Details: Manchester, UK: Manchester Centre for Youth Studies - Manchester Metropolitan University, 2018. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 14, 2019 at: http://www.artsevidence.org.uk/media/uploads/180213-odd-arts-moving-forward.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.artsevidence.org.uk/media/uploads/180213-odd-arts-moving-forward.pdf Shelf Number: 154966 Keywords: Arts ProgramsAt-Risk YouthCorrectional ProgramsPrison ProgramsTheatre Programs |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "Everyone Must Confess:" Abuses Against Children Suspected of ISIS Affiliation in Iraq Summary: Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities have arrested thousands of children for alleged affiliation with ISIS, used torture to coerce confessions, and have convicted hundreds of children of terrorism in hasty, unfair trials. Children may be prosecuted for any association with ISIS, including working as a cook or driver, or taking part in a religious training course. They may be detained in prison for years, with no access to rehabilitation or education. "Everyone Must Confess": Abuses against Children Suspected of ISIS Affiliation in Iraq is based on Human Rights Watch research conducted since 2016, including interviews conducted in November 2018 with 29 boys and youth who had been detained for alleged ISIS association by the KRG, family members of 8 other children who had been arrested by Iraqi authorities as ISIS suspects, child protection advocates, local lawyers, and other legal experts. The consequences of Iraqi and KRG punitive policies are profound, creating long-term stigma, family separation, displacement, and severely limiting youths' ability to reintegrate into society and support themselves. Once branded as ISIS, these children fear revenge attacks if they return home after their release from detention. Children who have been arrested and detained by Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq risk re-arrest by Iraqi forces if they return to areas falling under Baghdad's control. Some child ISIS suspects believe they have no option beyond living indefinitely in camps for displaced persons or leaving the country. Details: New York, NY: Human Rights Watch, 2019. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 21, 2019 at: https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/03/06/everyone-must-confess/abuses-against-children-suspected-isis-affiliation-iraq Year: 2019 Country: Iraq URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/iraq0319_web_1.pdf Shelf Number: 155141 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild AbuseChild ExploitationInternally Displaced PersonsIraqISISRecruitmentTerrorismTerrorist Organizations |
Author: Kincaid, Sarah Title: Children of Prisoners: Fixing a broken system Summary: Children of prisoners are at risk of significantly worse outcomes than children not affected by parental imprisonment. These include, amongst others, an increased risk of future offending, mental health issues, and poor educational attainment. The extent to which parental imprisonment is a specific and independent risk factor is contested. Nonetheless, recent research shows that parental imprisonment is associated with a fivefold increase in exposure to other adverse childhood experiences. Despite such findings, children of prisoners remain an 'invisible' group - currently, children are not systematically identified or assessed when a parent goes to prison. As a result, there is no record of who, or even how many of these children there are. Currently used estimations, based on data from 2008, put the number of children of prisoners in England and Wales at 200,000. However, new Crest research shows that there are significantly more children - an estimated 312,000 - affected by parental imprisonment than previously thought. This has profound implications for the development of sufficient and appropriate services for children of prisoners. Details: London: Crest Advisory, 2019. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 22, 2019 at: http://crestadvisory.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Children-of-Prisoners-full-report-web-version.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://crestadvisory.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Children-of-Prisoners-full-report-web-version.pdf Shelf Number: 155126 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild Welfare Children of Prisoners Families of Inmates |
Author: Modecki, Kathryn Lynn Title: Understanding delinquency during the teenage years: Developmental pathways of antisocial decision making among disadvantaged youth Summary: Aim -- In an effort to inform treatment and prevention of youth delinquency in Australia, this project explored several key questions in relation to developmental change in adolescents' delinquency involvement. We focused on the role of perceived rewards of antisocial behaviour, self-control, and emotions in driving youthful antisocial decision making, longitudinally over years and over days. Methods -- We leveraged two existing data sets focused on socio-economically disadvantaged youth in Australia to explore these questions. First, we used latent growth models to map developmental change in delinquency and perceived antisocial rewards over several years of high-school, and explored self-control (in the form of conscientiousness), as a moderator of these associations. Second, we used hierarchical linear modeling to assess within-person change in emotion, stressful events, and antisocial behaviour, and assessed whether reward bias and delinquency involvement conditioned these associations. We further explored our findings with an advisory panel of law enforcement personnel who helped provide an initial interpretation of results for informing delinquency prevention efforts for high-risk Australian youth. Results -- Our findings point to a relatively robust positive relation between reward sensitivity and delinquency in the early adolescent years. There was also some evidence that up-ticks in delinquency over the high-school years lead to subsequent increased reward perceptions. Self-control further conditioned these associations. In particular, low self-control (in the form of low conscientiousness) coupled with high perceived antisocial rewards represented a risk for especially high delinquency involvement. In addition to a robust predictive effect of rewards, our findings also highlighted emotional inflexibility as a risk factor for adolescent delinquency. Youth with a strong reward bias tended to engage in antisocial behaviour, regardless of their emotional states; whereas youth with low reward bias were "swayed against" antisocial choices on days they were especially worried. That said, they were also more likely to engage in antisocial behaviour on days they were particularly bored. Further, highly delinquent youth reported less variability in their emotional states, but simultaneously demonstrated increased reactivity to stressful events and set-backs. Thus, these youth tended to get "stuck" in negative emotions, while also over-reacting emotionally to hassles and challenges. Conclusion -- Including components to prevention programs that help youth weigh-up both the costs and benefits of delinquent behaviour may be especially important prior to and at the start of high-school. Low self-control (in the form of low levels of conscientiousness) coupled with high perceived antisocial rewards may be an especially salient risk, and youth who manifest poor self-organization and strong reward cognitions may require special consideration. Intervention and prevention programs that target emotional flexibility among at-risk and delinquent youth may be especially efficacious. Ideally, these programs might help youth to recognize their emotions, respond adaptively to different contextual demands, and, when appropriate, use their emotions to guide them away from problematic choices. Details: Canberra: Criminology Research Advisory Council, Australian Institute of Criminology, 2018. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 8, 2019 at: http://crg.aic.gov.au/reports/1819/13-1415-FinalReport.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Australia URL: http://crg.aic.gov.au/reports/1819/13-1415-FinalReport.pdf Shelf Number: 155343 Keywords: Adolescents Antisocial Behavior At-Risk YouthDelinquency Prevention Developmental Pathways Disadvantaged Youth Juvenile Delinquents Youthful Offenders |
Author: Anderson, Valerie R. Title: Estimating the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Ohio Summary: In response to growing recognition of trafficking offenses, the Ohio Attorney General's Office published results from its first human trafficking prevalence study in the same year the anti-trafficking legislation was passed (Williamson et al., 2010). To accomplish this, Williamson and colleagues integrated information from multiple sources and prominent research studies to inform their methods. The research team analyzed newspaper articles, governmental reports, and nongovernmental reports on human trafficking and related issues (e.g., sweatshop, labor trafficking, minors and prostitution, brothel, and massage parlor) in Ohio. They calculated the number of at-risk youth who were runaways, homeless, or had other indicators of vulnerability (e.g., potentially being involved in child protective services, foster care, abusive homes) that could make them susceptible to trafficking. Further, this study identified well-known models used in other state and national prevalence studies in the United States, relying heavily on the Estes & Weiner (2001) report for developing domestic trafficking estimations and Clawson et al. (2006) for foreign-born population estimations. Using these existing frameworks, the authors used estimates of population "pull factors" (e.g., total immigrant population, trafficking in neighboring states) for foreign national victims. For domestic citizens, they created estimates based on the number of youth who were runaways, homeless, or had other indicators of vulnerability (e.g., potentially being involved in child protective services, foster care, abusive homes). The end result of this research was a prevalence estimate tailored to Ohio: there were 1,078 American-born Ohio youth (aged 12 to 17) that were estimated to have been trafficked for sex over a one-year period. Since human trafficking was not criminalized by Ohio until 2010, the same year this report was published, there were no formal system estimates at that point in time to compare these estimates. However, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (later renamed the National Human Trafficking Hotline) reported 261 calls for Ohio between December 7, 2007 and December 31, 2009-71 of those calls were providing trafficking tips (Williamson et al., 2010). The study conducted by Williamson and colleagues was one of the first steps in shifting Ohio's response towards human trafficking. The estimate provided by the authors gave support that trafficking was likely a pervasive problem in the stateand demonstrated that it was going to require a concerted response. Prior to this report, there were only limited details on trafficking cases in Ohio and it focused on two cities-Columbus and Toledo (see Wilson & Dalton, 2008). Williamson and colleagues, however, were able to provide a state-level prevalence estimate based on the resources available at the time. Since this research was initially conducted, the state of Ohio has prioritized funding and created strategic policy efforts to combat human trafficking, including updating knowledge about the prevalence of human trafficking in Ohio. Both local and state agencies have improved data systems to identify and record human trafficking events. For example, the Governor's Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force (OHTTF) summarizes data available from state agencies and grant-funded service providers to provide information on individuals who are identified within these systems. Between 2014 and 2015, victims were identified by the Ohio Network of Children's Advocacy Centers (n = 165), child welfare (n = 112), the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services-Refugee services (n = 8), the Ohio Attorney General (n = 384), and the Health and Human Services Grant Partnership (n = 104) (OHTTF, 2017). Because these agencies do not share identifying information to determine if the same victim is receiving services from multiple agencies, there is no way to distinguish the number of duplicate victims across the frequency counts in the report. With more specific details from separate agencies, however, it is possible to establish a more precise prevalence estimate of known and at-risk victims based on existing agency records. As the support for this study indicates, the agenda to continue to study human trafficking within the state has persisted. Prior research, more generally and specifically within Ohio, has provided a foundation for the current initiative. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to fill gaps in knowledge about the prevalence of human trafficking in Ohio, with a focus on the number of youth victims. This study seeks to calculate more precise estimates of known victims and at-risk individuals who are minors or young adults. To extend prior literature, the current study focused on integrating existing agency records and reports of human trafficking events. The use and integration of state and local data is a first step in calculating more precise estimates of known victims and at-risk individuals who are vulnerable to trafficking in Ohio. To that end, we consider the typology of different data sources to contextualize these prevalence estimates. This report outlines our study findings including (1) the type of information available to measure human trafficking in Ohio, (2) estimates of known human trafficking victims and at-risk individuals in Ohio, (3) lessons learned regarding current capabilities and capacities to estimate human trafficking victimization, and (4) recommendations for future prevalence research, intervention efforts, and policy considerations. Details: Cincinnati: School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, 2019. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 15, 2019 at: https://humantrafficking.ohio.gov/links/Ohio_Human_Trafficking_Prevalence_Study_Full_Report.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://humantrafficking.ohio.gov/links/Ohio_Human_Trafficking_Prevalence_Study_Full_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 155417 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild Trafficking Human Trafficking Labor Trafficking Prostitution Sex Trafficking |
Author: Children's Commissioner for England Title: The characteristics of gang-associated children and young people. Technical report. Summary: This analysis aims to provide information on the scale of gang associated children and young people (CYP) identified by statutory services and their characteristics, with a particular focus on overlaps with other vulnerable groups. To do this we present analysis of two groups of CYP: - CYP assessed by children's services during the year to March 2018. This is taken from the Children in Need Census (CIN) collected by the Department for Education and is matched where possible to the National Pupil Database (NPD). - CYP receiving an Asset Plus assessment in the 12 months to September 2018. This is a bespoke collection from Youth Offending Teams (YOT) in England and received responses from 130 out of 137 areas. Both of these data sources have extensive information on the characteristics of the CYP assessed, including practitioner assessed markers of whether a child is gang associated or not. This allows us to examine the scale of children marked as being gang associated in both data sources and to examine differences between these gang associated CYP and other CYP assessed on other characteristics recorded in the datasets. Details: London: Author, 2019. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed June 14, 2019 at: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CCO-Characteristics-of-Gang-Associated-Children-and-Young-People1.1.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CCO-Characteristics-of-Gang-Associated-Children-and-Young-People1.1.pdf Shelf Number: 156423 Keywords: At-risk YouthGangs Youth Gangs |