Significant needs exist for increased and better substance abuse treatment services in our nation's prisons. The TCU Organizational Readiness for Change (ORC) survey has been widely used in community-based treatment programs and evidence is accumulating for relationships between readiness for change and implementation of new clinical practices.…

In this study the authors report on an investigation comparing the recidivism and other variables of two similar offender populations in a western Pennsylvania county. The two groups were comparable in offense type, size (N = 63 for each) and other variables such as sex, race and age range. One group represented offenders who received a sentence…

The number of women under community-based criminal justice supervision in the U.S. has reached an all-time high. Because of this, there is an increased need for programs meant to address the unique needs of reentry women. In this article we examine a sample of 155 such programs to determine whether currently available reentry programs in the 10…

Probation and parole supervision of undocumented immigrants in the United States presents numerous complications for state level community supervision agencies. States receive no budgetary assistance from the federal government for these offenders who may experience special difficulties such as language barriers in communication and understanding…

Over the past several years practitioners in the field of Criminal Justice have begun to reaffirm, recognize, and implement the tenets of the rehabilitative ideal within their daily operations. However, despite scholarly research showing that offender rehabilitation can have marked positive affects upon recidivism, many practitioners remain…

Examined effects of electronic monitoring on family's contribution to external constraint of felony offenders under community supervision. Data from probationers and parolees (n=121) indicated that reported levels of family control did not change significantly during three months of electronic monitoring. Demographic variables, offense type, and…

Provides evaluative data from one community demonstrating the success of its diversion program. Individuals (n=99) who successfully completed shoplifting diversion program were randomly selected from larger population of 246 completers. During two-year period, 4 percent of group were rearrested, compared to rearrest rates of approximately 25…

Overcrowded correctional systems transfer thousands of prison inmates to community-based correctional programs. Compared 63 community treatment center residents with 163 house arrestees in terms of their characteristics and rates of success/failure during program and for one year after release. Nonresidential program of house arrestees showed…

Examined behavioral changes subsequent to participation in community-based juvenile delinquency prevention program. Surveyed parents (or parent-surrogates) of 18 juvenile clients. Improved school achievement was reported by 77.8% of parents; 72.2% saw increase in children's interest in school. Other areas perceived as improved included willingness…

Reviews juvenile community treatment alternative to long-term state institutionalization and presents means of monitoring participant progress through five-step Individual Developmental Treatment Alternative program. Analysis of 3 years of staff-generated residential behavior data on 30 participants revealed differentiation in response to…

Investigates changes in psychological functioning as a result of participation in Alternative Community Intervention, a community-based drug and alcohol prevention program for at-risk children (N=23). Results show that socioeconomic status and grades were associated with significant change after the program. Socioeconomic status and fair grades…

The Exodus Group is a volunteer community agency in Salt Lake City, Utah that provides emotional and material support for both ex-offenders and their families, and indirectly addresses reintegration and stigma issues. Descriptive statistics are provided to assess the characteristics of recidivists and non-recidivists, and to explain the recidivism…

Violence among adolescent boys in impoverished urban areas is a major public health problem. We assessed violence-related attitudes and beliefs and exposures among 29 delinquent, 22 truant and 12 dependent of the state adolescent boys who attended an urban publicly funded extended day program. One purpose of this study was to assess violence…

Examines a youth service bureau over a 20-year period, with a total client population of some 47,000 during this period. Findings indicate that this agency maintained its emphasis on diversion of juveniles from the traditional juvenile justice system not because of funding agency pressure, but because diversion is sound policy. (LKS)

A new program in California partners the California Department of Corrections with a non-profit drug treatment agency on behalf of pregnant or parenting women who are drug offenders with substance abuse histories. The women are sentenced to the family foundations facility for one year and receive a range of special services to prepare for…