State and Institutional Correlates of Reported Victimization and Consensual Sexual Activity in Juvenile Correctional Facilities

This article uses multi-level analysis to model the effects of both institutional and state characteristics on juvenile reported sexual behavior (both consensual and forced) in 118 juvenile correctional facilities across 36 states. Data are taken from the 2012 National Survey of Youth in Custody (NSYC). We examine three dimensions of reported sexual contact including: forced sexual contact between juveniles and other institutionalized juveniles; forced sexual contact between juveniles and staff; and alleged consensual contact between juveniles and staff. At the institutional-level, facility capacity is the most consistent significant predictor of reported sexual contact. Findings also indicate that state-level variables such as median income and state-level violent crime rates are significantly associated with some types of reported incidents. Privacy protections of the available data make it impossible to look at individual level factors; however, we suggest this as a future step in important research.     

Delinquency Interrupted: Research into and Inside of Juvenile Correctional Facilities

Incarcerated juveniles are a largely invisible population in the United States. Research into training schools and other juvenile correctional facilities has uncovered a sordid history of good intentions and bad practices. Juvenile correctional facilities are generally considered a less harmful environment for serious delinquents than adult prisons but a much more severe sanction than alternative community programs or treatment would be. Studies have shown that juveniles in confinement face similar deprivation and many of the same pains of imprisonment ( Sykes 1958 ) as adult prisoners, but the more pressing threat to adolescent inmates may be to their psychological selves rather than their physical being. New research on adolescent brain development is garnering attention and sparking questions about the culpability and punishment of juvenile offenders, even as public opinion research suggests that there is fairly widespread support for rehabilitation and a social‐welfare oriented juvenile justice system. By listening and giving voice to incarcerated youth and their “keepers,” investigating the conditions of confinement, and continuing to evaluate programs and outcomes, researchers are positioned to play a key role in the future of juvenile justice and juvenile correctional facilities.     

RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AMONG ADOLESCENTS: An Individual-Level Analysis

Building on the Durkheimian legacy's emphasis on social integration as a determinant of suicidal behavior, many macrolevel studies have observed an association between aggregate rates of geographical mobility and suicide, but little research has explored this connection at the individual level. We use data from 9,594 respondents who participated in two waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine the effect of recent residential mobility on attempted suicide one year later and to explore the mechanisms that potentially transmit this effect. We find that among adolescent girls, recent movers are about 60 percent more likely than nonmovers to report having attempted suicide during the following year and that this difference cannot be readily explained by mover versus nonmover differences in preexisting demographic and family background characteristics. Some of the apparent effect of residential mobility on females' risk of attempting suicide operates through higher rates of victimization and delinquency, lower levels of school attachment, higher rates of social isolation, and a tendency for movers to associate with peers who exhibit delinquent behaviors and who themselves have attempted suicide. In contrast, we find no evidence that mobile female adolescents' deficit of parental social capital or lower levels of school engagement can account for the difference in attempted suicide risk between movers and nonmovers. We also find that residential mobility is not significantly associated with suicide attempts among adolescent males.     

Testing a path model of relationships between gender,age, and bullying victimization and violent behavior,substance abuse,depression, suicidal ideation,and suicide attempts in adolescents

The goal of this study was to test a path model for the relationships between age, gender, traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization, and violent behavior, substance abuse, depression, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in adolescents. A hypothesized path model was fit to data from the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) on a nationally representative sample of 15,425 high-school students from across the United States. Results suggested that the effects of traditional and cyberbullying victimization on suicidal thinking, suicide planning, and suicide attempts were mediated by violent behavior, substance abuse, and depression. Results also suggested reciprocal paths between substance abuse and violent behavior. There were statistically significant indirect paths from both traditional and cyberbullying victimization to suicide attempts without the involvement of depression, suicidal thinking, or suicide planning, findings suggesting a model for spontaneous, unplanned adolescent suicides. Results suggested that female adolescents who reported cyberbullying victimization also reported higher rates of depression and suicidal behaviors compared to their male counterparts, and that as adolescents got older, depression and substance abuse tended to increase, while violent behavior and suicidal thinking tended to decrease. The implications of these findings for social workers, school counselors, and others who work with adolescents are considered.     

Gambling Among Prison Inmates: Patterns and Implications

There is an absence of research on gambling among prison inmates during their incarceration. Little is known about how prisoners organize gambling activities or the potential risks they face from gambling. Similarly, no empirical attention has been given to how correctional institutions respond to inmate gambling. This study employed interviews with 55 male prisoners and self-administered surveys with 159 correctional officers and staff, at two medium security prisons in Ohio. Data were gathered on prevalence and patterns of inmate gambling, perceived hazards of gambling, and perceived institutional responses to prisoner gambling. Findings suggest that inmate gambling is common and constitutes an important feature of the underground economy of prisons, yet little is done to deter or prevent this activity. Suggestions are made for more effective institutional responses.     

Suicide Attempts by Adolescent Latinas: An Exploratory Study of Individual and Family Correlates

Epidemiological data show high rates of suicide attempts among adolescent Latinas. Few studies have addressed the psychosocial, cultural and family correlates of suicide attempts among this age group of a rapidly growing population. The authors studied 31 adolescent Hispanic females who were receiving mental health services; 14 girls had attempted suicide in the previous five years and 17 had never attempted suicide. The two groups of girls did not differ significantly with respect to demographic profiles, levels of depression, family type, acculturation, or self-esteem. However, as hypothesized, the mutuality between girls and their mothers was lower among suicide attempters. Maladaptive coping skills of withdrawal and wishful thinking were more commonly used by attempters, and non-attempters used emotional regulation and problem-solving more frequently. Findings are discussed within the context of the empirical and theoretical literature and implications for practice are considered.     

Availability of treatment to youth offenders: Comparison of public versus private programs from a national census

Across the United States, the availability of mental health, substance abuse, and recidivism reduction programs in the juvenile justice system (JJS) varies from none or few to a rich variety of programs. Within the last decade, prison privatization in the adult correctional system has influenced the onset of privatization in the JJS. The differences between public and private sectors in their availability of mental health services and treatment programs to juvenile offenders are understudied. In this article, a secondary analysis of a national census of 3163 juvenile facilities was conducted to determine differences in treatment availability as well as the impact of treatment accessibility on the event of a suicide. Results indicate private facilities more likely to offer treatment services and schedule mental health personnel more frequently. Those facilities reporting family counseling treatment programs were less likely to have reported a suicide event. Policy implications and a review of progress towards improvement in the JJS are presented.     

Multiple‐Family Group Intervention for Incarcerated Male Adolescents Who Sexually Offend and Their Families: Change in Maladaptive Emotion Regulation Predicts Adaptive Change in Adolescent Behaviors

The multiple‐family group intervention is an effective, yet affordable, 8‐week treatment that is conducted in a juvenile correctional institution in Alabama with adolescents who sexually offend and their families. Data from 115 incarcerated male adolescents and their male and female caregivers collected at pre‐, post‐, and 1‐year follow‐up were used to determine that problem behaviors (internalizing, externalizing) decreased over pre‐ and posttest and the significant decreases in maladaptive emotion regulation predicted those changes. Adolescent‐reported anxiety over abandonment and attachment dependence on parents increased significantly; these changes were predicted by decreases in maladaptive emotion regulation. Linear growth models were also fit over the 3 time points and indicate decreases in adolescent problem behavior and maladaptive emotion regulation.     

Positive Social Support,Negative Social Exchanges,and Suicidal Behavior in College Students

Abstract

Objective: Risk for suicide is often higher among college students, compared to same-age noncollegiate peers, and may be exacerbated by quality of social support and interactions. The authors examined the independent contributions of positive social support and negative social exchanges to suicide ideation and attempts in college students. Participants: Participants were 439 volunteer undergraduate students, who were primarily female (71%). Methods: Cross-sectional, survey design. Participants completed measures assessing positive social support, including emotional, informational, and tangible support; negative social exchanges; and suicidal behavior, including ideation and attempts. Results: Positive social support, particularly tangible support, and negative social exchanges were significantly predictive of greater suicidal behavior. Conclusions: Practical manifestations of support may buffer against suicide risk for college students, whereas conflict-based interactions may contribute to increased risk. At the institutional, parental, and peer levels, promotion of supportive relationships may be an important suicide prevention strategy.     

Evaluating correctional health care. The lessons of New York City.

New York City's correctional health care system is a complicated one, with many component parts. Correspondingly, the task of developing an evaluation process to assess this system turned out to be complex as well. The major responsibility for developing such a process and for keeping it in motion lies with the Contract Evaluation Unit of the Department of Health. Our experiences in meeting these challenges, as well as the historical and institutional factors that have influenced our efforts, should be of interest to professional groups facing similar tasks in other localities and to readers curious about how particular health service evaluation approaches take form. This article describes our method, how it emerged, and that it entails, with an eye toward identifying what might usefully be applied to the study of other correctional health care services and settings.     

The social archeology of a juvenile facility: Unobtrusive methods in the study of institutional cultures

The structure and culture of inmate societies have been studied using a variety of research methods. Neglected among these have been unobtrusive research methods which can provide independent sources of data to test theories or challenge existing research findings. This study uses content analysis of graffiti collected from the walls of an abandoned Massachusetts juvenile correctional facility. Informant interviews and newspaper accounts of the institution provide supplemental data. Drawing on studies of graffiti from other settings, this research attempts to reconstruct historically aspects of confinement at the Bridgewater Institute for Juvenile Guidance by focusing on dimensions which include the formation of informal groups and the changes inmates experience as they progress through sections of the institution. The analysis of graffiti provides insight into the process of socialization in correctional communities as well as attests to the usefulness of unobtrusive research methods in criminal justice.     

Suicide ideation,attempts and abuse among incarcerated gang and nongang delinquents

The present study examines suicide ideation and attempts as well as reported levels of physical and sexual abuse among gang and nongang-involved incarcerated youth. The self-report survey data were collected from 334 males and 61 females who were incarcerated in Nevada youth correctional facilities in the summer of 1994. Over half (58.3 percent) of the males and nearly half (45.2 percent) of the females reported being gang members. Surprisingly high rates of abuse (more than 70 percent for both physical and sexual abuse) were found among the incarcerated females of this study. Females reported significantly more suicide attempts and were more likely to have been physically and sexually abused than males. Nongang males reported significantly more suicide attempts and were more likely to report sexual abuse than gang-involved males. Among the gang-involved delinquents, females reported significantly more suicide attempts than males. In addition, gang members who reported sexual abuse were more likely to have higher levels of suicide ideationand to have attempted suicide. Implications for youth correction specialists and social workers are discussed.The data for this study were collected under Grant #000616 from the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Relationships of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse to emotional and behavioral problems among incarcerated adolescents

This study examined the relationships of sexual, physical and emotional abuse to emotional (internalizing) and behavioral (externalizing) problems among incarcerated girls and boys. Participants were youth who were remanded to the correctional facilities within a statewide juvenile correctional system in a southern state in the United States of America. Each participant completed a structured interview regarding abuse history, emotional and behavioral difficulties, and demographic characteristics. Multiple regression analyses indicated that girls were more likely than boys to internalize their problems. The only abuse variable that was positively and significantly associated with emotional problems was emotional abuse. Greater behavioral problems were significantly related to youths being younger in age, white ethnicity, history of sexual abuse, and history of physical abuse. There were overall gender differences for internalizing problems, but not for externalizing problems among incarcerated adolescents. Furthermore, physical and sexual abuses were related to externalizing problems but not to internalizing problems. Thus, different types of abuse appear to have different effects on adolescent behavior. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

A review of school-based suicide prevention interventions in South Korea, 1995–2015

Adolescent suicide behavior is a serious social concern in South Korea, and there is a current lack of knowledge regarding the overall strengths and weaknesses of school-based suicide prevention interventions (SPI) for this group. The aim of this study was to review the benefits of and barriers to effective implementation of existing SPI for adolescents in South Korea. A review of school-based SPI was performed using the PsycINFO, PubMed, ERIC, KoreaMed, RISS, KISS, and NDSL electronic databases. Among the identified publications, 18 were subsequently included in this review and were classified into three approach types: universal (seven studies), selective (four studies), and indicated (seven studies). Major health outcomes associated with adolescent suicide have been suggested, but different outcomes from SPI have been found. The health-related benefits of these interventions were decreases in suicide risk from depression, aggression, and suicide ideation, and increases in the protective factors of self-esteem, confidence, social relationships, and respect for the value of life. Barriers to successful implementation of SPI included less consideration of the effectiveness of SPI treatment duration, minimal or no follow-up monitoring, low participation due to parents' prejudices against mental health, and underdeveloped referral systems. The findings from this review suggest that there is a need to revise existing SPI programs in the future to take into account of cultural sensitivity. The resulting programs should be useful to researchers, therapists, school staff, parents, and legislators in South Korea.     

Relationships of Sexual,Physical, and Emotional Abuse to Emotional and Behavioral Problems Among Incarcerated Adolescents

ABSTRACT

This study examined the relationships of sexual, physical and emotional abuse to emotional (internalizing) and behavioral (externalizing) problems among incarcerated girls and boys. Participants were youth who were remanded to the correctional facilities within a statewide juvenile correctional system in a southern state in the United States of America. Each participant completed a structured interview regarding abuse history, emotional and behavioral difficulties, and demographic characteristics. Multiple regression analyses indicated that girls were more likely than boys to internalize their problems. The only abuse variable that was positively and significantly associated with emotional problems was emotional abuse. Greater behavioral problems were significantly related to youths being younger in age, white ethnicity, history of sexual abuse, and history of physical abuse. There were overall gender differences for internalizing problems, but not for externalizing problems among incarcerated adolescents. Furthermore, physical and sexual abuses were related to externalizing problems but not to internalizing problems. Thus, different types of abuse appear to have different effects on adolescent behavior. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

Experimental and pragmatic approaches to the incidence of adolescent suicide

Since the early 1960s, the incidence of adolescent suicide has been increasing at an alarming rate. In response, social science researchers working in both the experimental and pragmatic epistemological paradigms have been studying the processes involved in this phenomenon and developing suicide prevention and suicide response programs in schools. In this article we review general issues involved in the contrasting and, at times, conflicting approaches taken by experimental and pragmatic researchers to adolescent suicide. These issues are then illustrated in a case study in which experimental and pragmatic proponents worked together on an evaluation of a school-based suicide education program.     

The power of irony in an adolescent residential psychiatric program

This 1-year ethnographic study, conducted in an inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit, was guided by the research question, "What is it like for patients, families, and staff to be participants in an adolescent psychiatric program?" Verbal irony was observed to be a prominent communicative behavior among the staff and patients, suggesting a general freedom of expression and flexible boundaries. This form of expression, using nonliteral language skills encompassing a variety of humor and sarcasm, was found to promote professional solidarity and adolescent self-esteem, accelerate adolescent social skills, and offer a means of coping with the stigma of emotional and behavioral disorders.     

“We Have Closed Our Eyes and Sealed Our Lips”: Black Women’s Accounts of Discussing Suicide within the Black Community

Conversing about suicide with an at-risk individual can be enough to save a life. Given the rise of suicidal behavior among African American subgroups (i.e., youth and male), advocates are urging blacks to have candid conversations about the issue. The current study highlights black women’s experiences discussing suicide. Findings suggest that widespread beliefs that suicide is an insignificant issue among blacks make conversing about suicide especially challenging. These findings reveal problematic implications for African Americans contemplating suicide in their communities. Suicide may be a phenomenon for which communal support is less prevalent.     

Collective efficacy, family attachment, and urban adolescent suicide attempts

The suicide rate among American adolescents between the ages of 14-25 has dramatically increased during the last 50 years, and this fact has been the focus of extensive social-scientific investigation. To date, however, research focusing on the joint effects of mental health, family, and contextual-level predictors on adolescents' suicidal behaviors is scarce. Drawing on Durkheim's classic macro-level approach to suicide and collective efficacy theory, we use data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) to examine the effect of informal social controls on adolescents' suicide attempts. Analyzing reports from 990 youth, we examine the hypothesis that neighborhood-level collective efficacy and family-level integration and social control independently affect suicide attempts. We also examine the extent to which they interact in their effects on suicidal behavior. Overall, results from multilevel logit models support the Durkheimian expectation that family attachment reduces the probability that adolescents will attempt suicide. The effect of collective efficacy is interactive in nature. Specifically, we find that collective efficacy significantly enhances the protective effect of family attachment and support on adolescent suicidal behaviors. We discuss findings within the context of social control theory.