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Using a sample of 580 juvenile offenders released from out-of-home placements, this study regressed 18-month recidivism on 33 possible predictors. Over 52 percent of juveniles had new adjudications. Only gender, age, victimization history, and presence of special education needs significantly predicted recidivism. When separate models were estimated for males and females, most of these variables remained significant for males, but none were predictive of female recidivism; the only variable predictive of the latter was previous out-of-home placements. Points of consistency and inconsistency with previous research are discussed, as are implications of the findings for aftercare programming and future research. (Contains 5 tables.)

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. (Contains 4 tables and 6 figures.)

In the past, juvenile gang researchers have focused primarily on the characteristics of gangs and the prevalence of gangs in communities and schools. One of the greatest limitations of this research, however, surrounds the lack of agreement on the definition of a gang and, consequently, the prevalence of gangs in the community and in schools. In this paper, we attempt to provide a new method to (1) define a gang, from a triangulation of the perspectives of law enforcement, school principals, and gang researchers and (2) estimate the prevalence of gangs in schools in a three-state region. We determine that the type of definition used dramatically impacts estimates of the prevalence of gangs in schools. The limitations and implications of this finding for school administrators and law enforcement are also discussed. In the past, juvenile gang researchers have focused primarily on the characteristics of gangs and the prevalence of gangs in communities and schools. One of the greatest limitations of this research, however, surrounds the lack of agreement on the definition of a gang and, consequently, the prevalence of gangs in the community and in schools. In this paper, we attempt to provide a new method to (1) define a gang, from a triangulation of the perspectives of law enforcement, school principals, and gang researchers and (2) estimate the prevalence of gangs in schools in a three-state region. We determine that the type of definition used dramatically impacts estimates of the prevalence of gangs in schools. The limitations and implications of this finding for school administrators and law enforcement are also discussed. (Contains 2 tables and 3 notes.)

We solicited offender-generated exchange rates between prison and several noncustodial sanctions from a sample of 588 offenders currently serving community-based punishments. We then regressed these exchange rates on demographic, attitudinal, and correctional experience indicators. Males, Blacks, older offenders, offenders with prison experience, and those who agree most strongly with reasons to avoid alternative sanctions are likely to serve less of a given alternative to avoid imprisonment. In addition, offender-generated exchange rates are used to develop a ranking of sanction severity that includes prison and nine intermediate sanctions. Implications of these findings for correctional policy, practice, and a theory of sentence severity are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 5 notes.)

This study used the Prison Social Climate Survey to measure perceptions of the work environment among staff employed in all group homes administered by a state department of juvenile justice. Work environment perceptions were favorable along six dimensions and in the moderate range on a seventh. The variables that most consistently predicted staff perceptions were facility location (rural, urban, mid-size city) and whether staff had previously worked at privately operated facilities. Combined with previous research, the findings suggest that variables that are predictive of staff viewpoints in more closed settings, such as prisons and juvenile institutions, are not necessarily predictive in open, community correctional settings. (Contains 2 tables.)

Interviewed officials from rural, urban, and suburban middle and high schools, as well as police and other juvenile justice officials, about interagency communication and interaction patterns in response to school crime. Findings revealed considerable interagency collaboration in the rural community, some communication in the suburban area, and minimal interaction in the urban setting. Communication between agencies was both enhanced and inhibited by cultural, bureaucratic, and individual level factors. (SM)

Investigated effectiveness of expanded juvenile court services (job preparation, outdoor experiential, and family skill building components) program versus traditional probation supervision in reducing probationer offense activities of adolescent offenders (n=45). Found intervention failed to yield desired effects although experimental subjects with extensive crime backgrounds displayed fewer offenses during follow up than comparable control subjects. (Author/CM)

In this paper, we discuss a single-pole perpendicular head design and process that is suitable for densities of the order of 100 Gb/[in.sup.2]. The single-pole write head was integrated with a narrow-track bottom spin valve reader. The design uses a single-turn coil to generate magnetomotive force in the head. Because of the very short yoke length that is achieved by using a single-coil turn, this writer design has a very low head inductance. Low magnetic impedance of the head makes it suitable for high data rate writing. Using the finite element model (FEM), the head geometry was optimized to write on media with coercivity ([H.sub.c]) of 5000 Oe. Because of the very efficient head structure, a write current below 100 mA was sufficient. As trackwidths are reduced, the field contours at the media show significant curvature, resulting in written-in transition curvature. Because of the very small yoke structure, no degradation of low-frequency amplitude up to [+ or -] 90 Oe of external field is observed. Index Terms--FEM, longitudinal recording, low inductance, micromagnetic model, perpendicular recording, single turn, SNR, stray field, thermal stability, transition curvature.

Staff are essential to running safe and humane correctional institutions. To this end, staff sometimes need to report coworker misconduct. Doing so requires a propensity to engage in whistleblowing, a topic that has received very little attention in the criminal justice literature. Using results from the Work Experiences Questionnaire (WEQ), an instrument designed to measure various features of correctional work environments, we found several exploratory variables to be significantly associated with individual whistleblowing propensity. Specifically, male staff, White staff, and staff with college degrees had higher propensity scores. Increases in job satisfaction and organizational whistleblowing propensity were also related to greater willingness to report wrongdoing, whereas affective organizational commitment had a negative effect. To the extent replicated, such findings can guide policy and practice concerning the reporting of correctional staff wrongdoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In literature on correctional staff, one poorly understood antecedent of job stress and other negative outcomes is perceived danger from the job. Survey results from 272 staff at a state-run Midwestern maximum security prison were analyzed with Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) Regression to determine the relationships between personal/work environment variables and perceptions of job danger. Analyses revealed the effects of the personal variables were conditional on staff position (custody vs. non-custody). Irrespective of position, two of seven work environment variables studied (less input into decision making and more daily contact with prisoners) were related to greater perceived risk of harm from the job. Also, greater organizational formalization was related to greater perceived risk among custodial staff. Perceived danger from the job is a real issue, and the current results indicate workplace factors play a role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though work–family conflict has been linked to negative outcomes for both correctional facilities and staff, little research has been conducted on how workplace factors may be related to it. This study tested nine hypotheses based on the job demand–resource model. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis of survey data from 160 staff revealed that while most job demand variables (i.e., the role stressors of role conflict, role overload, and perceived dangerousness) predicted work–family conflict, the same did not hold for job resource variables (i.e., the workplace factors of job autonomy, supervision, job variety, instrumental communication, and integration). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Job morale is often mentioned in literature on correctional staff, but its antecedents have seldom been investigated. In this study, survey data were collected from 975 facility and community staff working for the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice to determine the relationship of personal characteristics (educational level, gender, race, tenure, and age) and workplace variables (input into decision-making, job stress, organizational communication, perceptions of coworkers, workplace cooperation, and public support) with job morale. Type of staff (community or facility) had a non-significant association with job morale. In multivariate analyses controlling for nested data, educational level, race, tenure, age, input into decision-making, organizational fairness, perceptions of coworkers, and workplace cooperation each had a positive relationship with morale, while job stress had a negative association. Workplace variables accounted for far greater variance in the job morale variable than did personal characteristics, which holds implications for efforts to improve correctional staff morale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]