This paper reviews 27 studies of parental attitudes on the deinstitutionalization of a family member with disabilities. Studies of existing institutional placements found high levels of satisfaction and opposition to deinstitutionalization, whereas studies of community placements found high levels of satisfaction with community placements and…

Reviews 10 studies in which psychiatric patients considered seriously ill were randomly assigned to either inpatient care or some alternative mode of outpatient care. Finds that in no case were the outcomes of hospitalization more positive than alternative treatment. (Author/GC)

The family is once again being asked to assume its major function as care-giver for the long-term mentally ill. Is the family able to support chronic mental patients? Is it willing to assume responsibility for these patients? Addresses and discusses implications of family policy for community care. (Author)

A review of 33 studies of residential service outcomes found that almost all of the studies found statistically significant increases in overall adaptive behavior scores associated with deinstitutionalization of individuals with mental retardation. Three studies reported statistically significant improvements in challenging behavior associated…

The report summarizes 27 research studies which examined the attitudes and perspectives of parents of currently or formerly institutionalized people with mental retardation concerning movement from institutional to community placements. Several trends were evident. Parents whose offspring were living in institutions at the time of the survey were…

The article briefly reviews the history of deinstitutionalization and supports the development and use of a comprehensive evaluation process to evaluate the human and environmental factors that affect the potential for successful placement of handicapped persons in community-based residential facilities. (JW)

A significant challenge facing the juvenile justice system is the task of transitioning and reintegrating juveniles from youth corrections facilities back into the community. This challenge, in part, is related to determining whether the referred community programs are effective. This article summarizes the literature on the effectiveness of…

The problem is well known to every parent of a teenager, every high school teacher, every clinical practitioner, and every social policy maker: vulnerable adolescents risk becoming more deviant through association with deviant peers and peer groups. Deviant peer influences are among the most potent factors in the development of antisocial…