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Objectives: Study objectives were to (a) understand juvenile justice staff members' experiences with engaging families in youth substance use services and (b) identify staff‐perceived barriers to family engagement across steps of substance use service provision. Background: Lack of family involvement in juvenile justice system substance use (SU) services is a key barrier to successful treatment of justice‐involved youth. Method: From June through November 2015, 33 focus groups were conducted at juvenile justice system probation sites across seven states. There were 263 participants, which included juvenile justice probation and behavioral health staff. Results: Strategies to engage families in services were highly variable across the 33 juvenile justice sites. Juvenile justice staff members identified barriers to family engagement in SU services including family discomfort, distrust of juvenile justice staff, lack of family service compliance, difficulties accessing SU services, lack of transportation, insurance and cost barriers, low perceived need for treatment, lack of SU education, and SU treatment stigma. Conclusion and Implications: Barriers to family engagement directly impact the success of SU service provision in juvenile justice settings. Implementation of strategies to engage families of justice‐involved youth (e.g., providing tangible, informational, and emotional support to families, and involving families in juvenile justice policy and care decisions) are critical to improving SU outcomes among this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Given high rates of substance use among justice-involved youth, justice systems have attempted to monitor use through drug screening (DS) procedures. However, there is discretion in deciding who is screened for substance use, as not every youth who encounters the system is screened. The aim of the current study was to examine factors associated with selection for and results of oral DS among justice-involved youth assigned to probation to better inform potential DS policy. Electronic court records from 4,668 youth with first-incident records assigned to probation in a midwestern urban county’s juvenile justice system between 2011 and 2016 were included in the analytical sample. Race/ethnicity, gender, age, number of charges and charge type for the current incident were included as independent variables. Results Multivariable hierarchical logistic regression analyses indicated that males were more likely to be assigned to DS (aOR = 0.40, 95%CI [0.34, 0.46]), and more likely to test positive for use (aOR = 0.43, 95% CI [0.34, 0.54]) than females. As age increased, youth were less likely to be assigned to DS (aOR = 0.91, 95% CI [0.87, 0.94]), with non-significant differences in DS results. Greater number of charges were associated with a higher likelihood of being assigned to DS (aOR = 1.55, 95% CI [1.43, 1.68]). Youth with violent offenses were more likely to be assigned to DS than those with other offense types (property offenses, drug offenses, statutory offenses, disorderly conduct, and all other offenses), but less likely to test positive for use. Conclusions Many factors were associated with differences in DS, but these factors were not always associated with differential DS results. Demographic or charge-based decisions may not be appropriate for DS assignment.

Background: Given high rates of substance use among justice-involved youth, justice systems have attempted to monitor use through drug screening (DS) procedures. However, there is discretion in deciding who is screened for substance use, as not every youth who encounters the system is screened. The aim of the current study was to examine factors associated with selection for and results of oral DS among justice-involved youth assigned to probation to better inform potential DS policy. Electronic court records from 4,668 youth with first-incident records assigned to probation in a midwestern urban county's juvenile justice system between 2011 and 2016 were included in the analytical sample. Race/ethnicity, gender, age, number of charges and charge type for the current incident were included as independent variables. Results: Multivariable hierarchical logistic regression analyses indicated that males were more likely to be assigned to DS (aOR = 0.40, 95%CI [0.34, 0.46]), and more likely to test positive for use (aOR = 0.43, 95% CI [0.34, 0.54]) than females. As age increased, youth were less likely to be assigned to DS (aOR = 0.91, 95% CI [0.87, 0.94]), with non-significant differences in DS results. Greater number of charges were associated with a higher likelihood of being assigned to DS (aOR = 1.55, 95% CI [1.43, 1.68]). Youth with violent offenses were more likely to be assigned to DS than those with other offense types (property offenses, drug offenses, statutory offenses, disorderly conduct, and all other offenses), but less likely to test positive for use. Conclusions: Many factors were associated with differences in DS, but these factors were not always associated with differential DS results. Demographic or charge-based decisions may not be appropriate for DS assignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite fundamental distinctions between the ideals of juvenile and criminal justice, little research has sought to establish the extent to which juvenile probation and parole officers' orientations differ from those of their adult counterparts. Further, of the few studies that have explored this area of study, none have examined the role that organizational context may play in predicting professional orientation. Thus, this study aims to fill the gap in the literature by utilizing a sample of probation and parole officers drawn from three different types of agencies: juvenile-only supervision, adult-only supervision, and combined supervision. The results show that the system within which officers work is associated with professional orientation. Distinctions, however, are not as large or consistent as would be expected from strict adherence to the traditional ideals of the juvenile justice system versus the criminal justice system. The implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of COVID-19 placed immediate pressure on the juvenile justice system to adapt to changes in case processing and decision-making practices. Juvenile probation agencies were tasked with quickly altering their policies and practice to abide by local public health measures. As probation supervision is the most common disposition in the juvenile justice system, there is both an empirical and practical need to understand the impact that COVID-19 has on a variety of issues surrounding the supervision and provision of services for juveniles. Using self-report survey data from juvenile probation directors across the United States, the current study examines (a) the biggest challenges faced by juvenile probation agencies during the pandemic, (b) the strategies implemented in response to these challenges, and (c) the most pressing issues currently facing the field of juvenile community corrections. Results have the potential to inform future agency decision-making when adjusting juvenile probation policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background This study examined the national availability of substance use prevention (SUP) within juvenile justice (JJ) and their primary behavioral health (BH) providers, and the relationships between the availability of SUP and agency-level measures of organizational structure, staffing, and youth characteristics. A three-stage national probability sampling process was used to select participants for a national survey that included, among other facets of community supervision (CS) and BH practices, questions on agency characteristics, youth characteristics, whether the agency/provider directly provided SUP services, and whether the agency/provider directly provided substance use and/or mental health treatment. This paper focuses on SUP services along with agency/provider and youth characteristics related to providing SUP. Results The response rate for both CS agencies (n = 195) and BH providers (n = 271) was 96%. Complex samples logistic regression initially examined univariate associations of each variable and identified candidates for a final multivariate model. Overall, only one-third of CS and BH providers reported offering SUP services, with BH providers being significantly more likely than CS agencies to provide SUP services. In addition, likelihood of SUP was significantly lower among agencies where the substance use distribution of the caseload was below the median. Controlling for master’s level staff and the substance use distribution, CS agencies were about 67% less likely to offer SUP when compared to BH providers. Conclusions Given the high rates of substance use among justice-involved youth and that substance use is an established risk for several negative behaviors, outcomes, and health conditions, these findings suggest that evidence-based prevention services should likely be expanded in justice settings, and perhaps included as part of CS programs, even when youth do not initially present with SU service needs.

The majority of justice‐involved youth are placed on probation; however, many of those same youth struggle to comply with probation requirements and are subsequently confined. In Baltimore, 20% of newly committed youth were detained for violations of probation. While there are various reasons youth fail to comply with probation requirements, there have been recent calls to consider the impact of structural and spatial barriers to accessing probation programs and services. Centering the goals of community psychology, we aim to identify how existing structural barriers in Baltimore City may be contributing to social injustice through inequitable access to probation services for youth and their families. In this study, we take a novel, interdisciplinary approach to identify structural or spatial barriers facing justice‐involved youth in Baltimore, MD. Specifically, we explore transportation barriers (i.e., vehicle access) and spatial disparities between youth residences and probation office locations. Our findings suggest that there are several barriers facing Baltimore's justice‐involved youth that may impact access to and engagement with juvenile probation. Specifically, we found that 1 in 3 youths reside in areas with extremely low levels of vehicle access and where the median household income is 25% below the city median. We also find that the majority of youth live beyond walking distances; many would require lengthy transit commutes. These findings highlight the structural and spatial barriers facing justice‐involved youth that may impact access to and engagement with probation services. Highlights: A novel, interdisciplinary approach to explore systemic disparities impacting system involved youth.We use GIS methods to explore structural and spatial barriers that may hinder youth responsivity.Justice‐involved youth are faced with various spatial and structural barriers to probation services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although interorganizational relationships (IORs) are essential to the effective delivery of human services, very little research has examined relationships between juvenile justice agencies and behavioral health providers, and few studies have identified the most critical organizational and individual-level characteristics influencing IORs. Across 36 sites, juvenile probation officials (n = 458) and community behavioral health providers (n = 91) were surveyed about characteristics of their agencies, themselves, and IORs with each other. Generalized Linear Mixed Models were used to analyze the data. The strongest predictors included Perceived Organizational Support and individual Adaptability. Implications for research, theory and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probation plays a central role in the juvenile justice system, and probation officers are often involved in numerous decisions made in juvenile courts. This study examines the views of probation staff from 23 jurisdictions, some of which participated in an Annie E. Casey Foundation–funded juvenile justice reform effort intended to safely and significantly reduce the use of out-of-home placements, especially for youth of color. We survey juvenile probation staff members at two waves and describe changes in reported practices and principles relating to individualized case planning, youth engagement, family and community engagement, and racial and ethnic equity and inclusion as well as beliefs about the purposes of out-of-home placement. Reform sites reported slightly more frequent use of practices and principles addressing community engagement and racial and ethnic equity and inclusion in the second wave than in the first wave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study examined the national availability of substance use prevention (SUP) within juvenile justice (JJ) and their primary behavioral health (BH) providers, and the relationships between the availability of SUP and agency-level measures of organizational structure, staffing, and youth characteristics. A three-stage national probability sampling process was used to select participants for a national survey that included, among other facets of community supervision (CS) and BH practices, questions on agency characteristics, youth characteristics, whether the agency/provider directly provided SUP services, and whether the agency/provider directly provided substance use and/or mental health treatment. This paper focuses on SUP services along with agency/provider and youth characteristics related to providing SUP. Results: The response rate for both CS agencies (n = 195) and BH providers (n = 271) was 96%. Complex samples logistic regression initially examined univariate associations of each variable and identified candidates for a final multivariate model. Overall, only one-third of CS and BH providers reported offering SUP services, with BH providers being significantly more likely than CS agencies to provide SUP services. In addition, likelihood of SUP was significantly lower among agencies where the substance use distribution of the caseload was below the median. Controlling for master's level staff and the substance use distribution, CS agencies were about 67% less likely to offer SUP when compared to BH providers. Conclusions: Given the high rates of substance use among justice-involved youth and that substance use is an established risk for several negative behaviors, outcomes, and health conditions, these findings suggest that evidence-based prevention services should likely be expanded in justice settings, and perhaps included as part of CS programs, even when youth do not initially present with SU service needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors of the original Balanced Approach, Dennis Maloney, Dennis Romig, and Troy Armstrong, outlined a philosophy of balanced attention to the principles of community protection/public safety, youth accountability, and competency development through individualized assessment and treatment and holding the system accountable to the community and the youth served. A majority of states' juvenile code purpose clauses reflect this approach, later known as Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ). Presented here are excerpts from the 1988 Juvenile & Family Court Journal issue 39 (3) that first presented the Balanced Approach and a brief overview of key features of juvenile justice at the time to lay a foundation for the other articles in this special issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juvenile probation officers (JPOs) are increasingly using risk/needs assessments to evaluate delinquency risk, identify criminogenic needs and specific responsivity factors, and use this information in case planning. Justice-involved youth are exposed to traumatic events and experience traumatic stress symptoms at a high rate; such information warrants attention during the case planning process. The extent to which JPOs identify specific responsivity factors, in general, and trauma history, specifically, when scoring risk/need assessments is understudied. In the current study, 147 JPOs reviewed case vignettes that varied by the adolescents' gender (male vs. female), traumatic event exposure (present vs. absent), and traumatic stress symptoms (present vs. absent), and then scored the YLS/CMI and developed case plans based on that information. JPOs who received a vignette that included trauma information identified a higher number of trauma-specific responsivity factors on the YLS/CMI. Despite an overall high needs match ratio (57.2%), few JPOs prioritized trauma as a target on case plans. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating trauma screening into risk/needs assessment and case planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of juvenile probation officers (JPOs) involves a balancing act between “child saving” and community safety activities. In this study, we examine JPOs’ supervision strategies and how these fit within a juvenile justice framework. Using surveys and latent class analysis, we examine the extent to which JPOs engage in a variety of case management and supervision strategies. Findings reveal little evidence supporting a purely law enforcement role and identified a new class of JPOs that does not fit within the traditional role definitions but focuses on a pro forma role that was nonengaged in case management and supervision activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Principles of adolescent development have accelerated positive changes to the juvenile justice system. These changes have been most pronounced in reducing reliance on incarceration and in approaches to sentencing of youth tried as adults. While juvenile probation has made some developmentally friendly adjustments, it remains an area that is fertile for reform. Many of the principles and goals in this paper have been endorsed by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), which “supports and is committed to juvenile probation systems that conform to the latest knowledge of adolescent development and adolescent brain science,” and which “recommends that courts cease imposing ‘conditions of probation’ and instead support probation departments’ developing, with families and youth, individualized case plans that set expectations and goals.” NCJFCJ's July, 2017 resolution in support of developmentally appropriate juvenile probation services built on earlier NCJFCJ policies. From the time NCJFCJ adopted Juvenile Delinquency Guidelines in 2005, those policies have grown increasingly robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined whether parental monitoring buffers the negative effects of communtity violence exposure on probation youth's substance use and sexual risk behaviors. Among a sample of 347 Chicago youth on probation, ages 13-17 years, parental monitoring did not moderate the relationship between community violence exposure and probation youth's sexual risk and substance use. However, parental monitoring was independently associated with less engagement in sexual risk and substance use, and community violence exposure was independently associated with more risk behavior among probation youth. The present study contributes to the growing literature on the impact of community violence exposure and parenting on adjudicated youth risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Justice-involved youth endorse high rates of mental health problems. Juvenile probation is the most common disposition in the justice system and juvenile probation officers (JPOs) are crucial for connecting justice-involved youth with appropriate care. We examined the role of mental health competency on the use of self-report case management strategy types (deterrence, restorative justice, and treatment) by JPOs and whether jurisdiction-level differences were relevant. Results suggest that mental health competency predicted use of restorative justice and treatment strategies and all three strategy types varied at the county level. The role of mental health competency in use of treatment strategies is relevant to connecting justice-involved youth to mental health care. Furthermore, a substantial amount of the variance predicting the use of all three strategies was accounted for at the county level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although experiences of trauma and adversity are highly prevalent among juvenile justice-involved youth, few studies examine the heterogeneity of these histories across individuals. This study seeks to inform practitioners of the distinct patterns of adversity among this vulnerable population, using an expanded measure of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Latent Class Analysis was employed to test for meaningful subgroups of youth based on histories of childhood adversity. The sample (N = 5,378) consisted of youth on probation in a western United States county. The best-fitting model contained six classes, described as: Low All (40.3%), Parental Substance Use and Incarceration (12.0%), Poverty and Parental Health Problems (13.2%), High Family Conflict and SES (socioeconomic status) (15.3%), High Maltreatment (11.0%), and High All (8.1%). Additional testing revealed significant differences across classes in terms of age, gender, race/ ethnicity, and living situations. Results strongly support the need to incorporate a traumainformed framework into both juvenile justice and community service settings as well as to tailor interventions to meet heterogeneous needs of court-involved youth. Striking variation in the forms and levels of childhood adversity argue for the value of screening for ACEs in conjunction with poverty and working to interrupt problematic trajectories in adolescence and the transition to adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assumption underlying juvenile detention alternatives is that youth on probation receiving programming or treatment are less likely to recidivate, whereas youth in detention will be more likely to recidivate. Under a coordinated justice reform effort, a juvenile justice court system serving two southeastern counties in Washington state developed a program (the FAST program) for probation violators that offered 2 sessions of accountability skill development to address targeted criminogenic needs in lieu of a formalized hearing and a subsequent stay in detention. The goal of the FAST program for participating youth was to reduce future probation violations and detention stays. This paper presents an evaluation of the FAST program using propensity score modeling of 434 juvenile probation violators. A comparison of matched groups shows the program does not reduce recidivism or future probation violations among participants, though it does produce the same result as those who received detention. Our explanation makes the case for increasing the dosage (number of sessions) of violator programs, which may be what is necessary to provide a more effective alternative to detention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The socializing power of the prison is routinely discussed as a prisonization process in which inmates learn to conform to life in the correctional facility. However, the impact that identities socialized in the prison may have outside of the institution itself remains an under-researched aspect of mass incarceration's collateral consequences. In this article, I use ethnographic data collected over IS months in two juvenile justice facilities and interviews with 24 probation youth to examine how the identities socialized among Latino prison inmates spill over into high-incarceration Latina/o neighborhoods. Strict segregation practices in California's prison system categorize and separate Latino inmates as coming from either Northern, Southern, or Central California, respectively institutionalizing Norteno, Sureno, and Bulldog collective identities in the process. I argue that these identities have come to frame how criminalized Latina/o youth understand the prison's influence on their community. As youth enter the juvenile justice system, they encounter facilities that have appropriated the prison's sorting practices by categorizing youth and policing the boundaries between them. Carceral group identities become instrumental in young people's daily lives in this context, mirroring what they have heard from the experiences of incarcerated loved ones and confirming where they would fit in the prison's social order. This process not only labels youth as gang members but instills in them identities and worldviews that rationalize their own incarceration, extending the prison's ability to categorize people as carceral subjects far beyond the penitentiary gates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study sought to examine the impact of two Teen Courts operating in Los Angeles County, a juvenile justice system diversion program in which youths are judged by their peers and given restorative sentences to complete during a period of supervision. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to compare youths who participated in Teen Courts ( n = 112) to youths who participated in another diversion program administered by the Probation Department (the 654 Contract program) ( n = 194). Administrative data were abstracted from the probation records for all youths who participated in these programs between January 1, 2012 and June 20, 2014. Logistic and survival models were used to examine differences in recidivism, measured as whether the minor had any subsequent arrest or arrests for which the charge was filed. Results: Comparison group participants had higher rates of recidivism than Teen Court participants, after controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and risk level. While the magnitude of the program effects were fairly consistent across model specifications (odd ratios comparing Teen Court [referent] to school-based 654 Contract ranging from 1.95 to 3.07, hazard ratios ranging from 1.62 to 2.27), differences were not statistically significant in all scenarios. Conclusions: While this study provides modest support for the positive impact of Teen Court, additional research is needed in order to better understand how juvenile diversion programs can improve youth outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although most justice-involved youth receive probation as a community-based alternative to residential facility placement, many of these youth are later committed to residential facilities when their probation dispositions are revoked at probation review hearings. The limited research investigating predictors of facility placement following juvenile probation revocation has focused primarily on youth-specific factors rather than on factors that can change from hearing to hearing, such as noncompliance with court-imposed probation conditions. The current study addressed this gap, using generalized estimating equation analyses with 77 youths' archived public defender files-providing data from 268 review hearings-to evaluate the role of both youth-specific factors (e.g., demographic characteristics) and hearing-specific factors (e.g., noncompliance with imposed probation requirements) in residential facility commitment. Results revealed that youth who were absent from the examined review hearing, were rearrested, failed to comply with school-related probation requirements, or failed to appear as directed at the prior review hearing were more likely to have probation revoked and be placed in a juvenile correctional facility. Such findings might help identify groups of youth at greater risk for facility commitment and might inform the guidance provided to juvenile probationers by their families, attorneys, and probation officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice has implemented a disposition matrix to guide recommendations made by juvenile probation officers to the court. This study examines whether recidivism rates for dispositions/placements made within the suggested range of this matrix differ from those outside of the suggested range. Using a sample of 38,117 juvenile offenders, we found that the dispositions/placements within the suggested range had an average recidivism rate of 19.4%, whereas those whose dispositions were outside the range had an average recidivism rate twice as high (38.7%). Furthermore, dispositions/placements that were the least restrictive option within the suggested range performed best. Dispositions above the suggested range (more restrictive) performed poorly, although those below the suggested range (less restrictive than suggested) performed the worst. These results held for males and females, across race/ethnicity, and across risk to reoffend levels. Policy Implications Implementation of structured decision-making tools leads to questions from stakeholders and front-line staff charged with using those tools regarding their effectiveness. Research and theory-based justifications do not hold the weight actual data from the implementation population provide. These tools help control costs, facilitate planning, and can improve outcomes. Monthly monitoring of adherence rates, development of override and management oversight protocols, and regular feedback to front-line staff are critical components of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The movement towards family focused justice emphasizes families, especially parents, as a critical component of juvenile offender rehabilitation, especially probation. However, there is a dearth of research on how probation officers involve the parents of juvenile offenders. This qualitative investigation attempts to fill that gap by exploring probation officers' practices with parents. Using a grounded theory approach, a conceptual model of the ideal parent of juvenile justice involved youth was developed. Probation officers explained that the ideal parent was able to support their child, accept their parental authority, and partner with probation officers in the probation process. The use of juvenile justice practices that fostered a parental ideal are discussed in light of emerging family justice approaches that embed youth in family and community contexts. The application of these findings for juvenile justice and other youth serving agencies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research analyzes changes made by a juvenile court over five years toward the progressive inclusion of victims as "stakeholders" within the implementation and development of restorative justice practices. Beginning in 1999, the Clark County Juvenile Court (CCJC) in Washington State introduced a Victim Offender Mediation (VOM) program. Subsequently, the court altered diversion and probation practices in ways that provided several significant services to victims, and afforded victims increased decision-making capacity. In doing so, the court also amended how offenders fulfilled their diversion or probation requirements at the court, particularly in relation to its use of VOMs. This research follows the initial inclusion of victims as "stakeholders" within the use of VOMs beginning in 1999, and explicates how and where these stakeholder roles were amended over time until 2005, when the court had largely finalized the structure of victim involvement and participation. The ensuing discussion describes the rationale for the court's changes, and the effects of these changes on how victims were able to participate and make decisions in both diversion and probation cases. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these changes as they involve the role of victims as stakeholders within restorative justice as used in formal justice settings, and in particular the possible limits of such roles when enacted through justice agencies such as juvenile courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two complimentary studies were conducted to investigate the inter-rater reliability and performance of juvenile justice personnel when conducting the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk for Youth (SAVRY). Study 1 reports the performance on four standardized vignettes of 408 juvenile probation officers (JPOs) and social workers rating the SAVRY as part of their training. JPOs had high agreement with the expert consensus on the SAVRY rating of overall risk and total scores, but those trained by a peer master trainer outperformed those trained by an expert. Study 2 examined the field reliability of the SAVRY on 80 young offender cases rated by a JPO and a trained research assistant. In the field, intra-class correlation coefficients were 'excellent' for SAVRY total and most domain scores, and were 'good' for overall risk ratings. Results suggest that the SAVRY and structured professional judgment can be used reliably in the field by juvenile justice personnel and is comparable to reliability indices reported in more lab-like research studies; however, replication is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the content of supervision sessions between probation officers and their clients and the extent to which supervisors make use of effective practice skills. It summarises the literature which suggests that when probation officers use particular skills, those under their supervision are likely to have lower recidivism rates than the clients of probation officers who do not use these skills. It discusses the few studies which have directly considered the extent to which probation officers make use of effective practice skills. It then outlines a research project which involved personal observation of 119 interviews between youth probation officers and their clients in Juvenile Justice in NSW with a view to identifying the content of interviews and the extent to which probation officers used effective practice skills. The findings suggest that probation officers are strong on relationship and pro-social modelling skills but make less use of role clarification, problem solving and cognitive behavioural skills. The implications of this are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A growing literature emphasizes the importance of strengthening organizational contexts to support the adoption and use of best practices in correctional environments. The current study examines the relationships between organizational factors and use of current best practices in a juvenile correctional agency. Using survey data for 393 probation officers and supervisors in 33 field offices in a statewide juvenile correctional agency, the authors examined the relationships between staff’s self-reported use of service-oriented supervision practices and their perceptions of organizational functioning within their offices. The results from a hierarchical model demonstrated that lower levels of staff cynicism for change, more favorable perceptions of supervisory leadership, and greater integration with community-based service providers were significantly related to greater use of service-oriented practices among supervision staff. Office climate and integration with the judiciary and mental health agencies are not significant. Findings and their implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study documents patterns of contact between juvenile probation officers and parents and examines factors associated with officer judgments about parental cooperation. Data for the study was derived from a Web-based survey of probation officers (N = 308) who reported their use of probation strategies with specific youths identified from their caseloads. Results showed that parent contacts were predicted by parent and youth drug use, parent and youth cooperation, and officer attitudes favoring punishment. Parental cooperation with probation processes was predicted by youth and parent drug use problems, parent offending history, youth cooperation, and race. Results of this study point to the need for evidence-based strategies to promote parental involvement for high risk and high need families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project Connect is a multilayered county-specific program aimed at linking juvenile probationers to needed mental health and substance use services. In four NY counties, the intervention included cooperative agreements between probation and mental health authorities, program materials to facilitate referral, in-service training for probation officers, and systematic screening for mental health needs. Charts for 583 Baseline youths were reviewed and compared with 594 youths undergoing intake under Project Connect. Compared to Baseline, under Project Connect, referred youths were 2.7 times as likely to access services, regardless of youth or county characteristics, service availability, or when the intervention took place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study which examines the juvenile probation officers' mental health decision making. In the study, 583 juvenile delinquency records were reviewed in which 14.4% received mental health or substance use services at case opening and 24.9% were identified during probation contact. Policy implications for promoting identification of mental health needs and improving linkage to community service providers are also discussed.

This study examines staff perceptions of juvenile intensive supervision program goals and frequency of offender violations. It identifies factors staff consider in pursuing revocation and alternatives they use to avert revocation. Staff prioritized rehabilitation behind other goals. Regardless of whether they considered probated or aftercare cases, technical violations were perceived as the most frequent violation, and these weighed heavily in revocation decisions. Other factors given most weight included seriousness of prior and current offenses as well as substance abuse. Alternatives to revocation most likely to be pursued were oriented more toward control than rehabilitation. Implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the emergence of forensic social work from the Progressive Era and the founding of the first juvenile court in 1899 to present day policies and practices with victims of violent crimes and with juvenile and adult offenders. Although social workers have been providing outreach to at-risk youths, gang members, offenders, and crime victims for a century, the term "forensic social work" has not previously been widely used. A unifying definition of forensic social work is provided. This article examines the most significant federal initiatives that have provided funding for forensic social workers to reach out to at-risk youths, offenders, and crime victims. It emphasizes the role of forensic social workers in different settings: police departments, juvenile courts, probation departments, adult corrections, and domestic violence and victim assistance programs. This article also includes a discussion of the unique contribution of forensic social workers in advocating for the social service needs of crime victims as well as of offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The link between substance use and involvement in the juvenile justice system has been well established. Justice-involved youth tend to have higher rates of drug use than their non-offending peers. At the same time, continued use can contribute to an elevated risk of recidivism, which leads to further, and oftentimes more serious, involvement with the juvenile justice system. Because of these high rates of use, the juvenile justice system is well positioned to help identify youth with substance use problems and connect them to treatment. However, research has found that only about 60% of juvenile probation agencies screen all youth for substance involvement, and even fewer provide comprehensive assessment or help youth enroll in substance use treatment.Method: This paper describes an integrated training curriculum that was developed to help juvenile justice agencies improve their continuum of care for youth probationers with substance use problems. Goal Achievement Training (GAT) provides a platform for continuous quality improvement via two sessions delivered onsite to small groups of staff from juvenile justice and behavioral health agencies. In the first session, participants are taught to identify goals and goal steps for addressing identified areas of unmet need (i.e., screening, assessment, and linkage to treatment services). In the second session, participants learn principles and strategies of data-driven decision-making for achieving these goals. This paper highlights GAT as a model for the effective implementation of cost-efficient training strategies designed to increase self-directed quality improvement activities that can be applied to any performance domain within juvenile justice settings. Efforts to monitor implementation fidelity of GAT within the specific context of the juvenile justice settings are highlighted.Discussion: Challenges to setting the stage for process improvement generally, as well as specific hurdles within juvenile justice settings are discussed, as are next steps in disseminating findings regarding the fidelity to and effectiveness of GAT in this unique context.Trial registration: Clinical Trials Registration number - NCT02672150. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]