The school-to-prison pipeline represents an educational environment that allows public schools to push many at-risk children out of school and into the juvenile justice or the adult criminal justice system. Consequently, this study explores the disproportionate rates of discipline when comparing Black and White female students in the national…

On a given day, more than 43,000 youths who largely identify as students of color and are disproportionately male are held in residential placement facilities as a result of involvement with the juvenile justice system. More than two-thirds of youths living in placement facilities who participated in a national survey shared aspirations to…

Youth in the juvenile justice system need access to high-quality educational services and supports in order to reduce their risk of reoffending and increase their likelihood of further participation in education and the workforce. However, states have historically struggled to provide effective educational services to youth who are incarcerated.…

The use of mental health-related intake assessments by juvenile correctional facilities as predictive measures of confinement behavior has seen limited use in recent years. This study employs the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2) and How I Think Questionnaire (HIT) as measurement tools on the same data set to assess the…

This brief illustrates how digital learning opportunities and technology can significantly increase access to high-quality learning materials, curricula, and effective online learning tools to help youth in secure care settings develop expertise in shaping personalized learning and future goals. The brief also offers takeaways that practitioners,…

This brief is a compilation of lessons learned from the American Youth Policy Forum's (AYPF's) last two years of work focused specifically on systems-involved youth. Following a discussion about the education and workforce barriers these youth face, their outcomes, and the policies that affect them, this brief is organized into three key lessons…

A new class of financial tools is being developed to promote human capital investments that benefit society. Social innovation financing (SIF) entails raising private capital to support promising social interventions, with the expectation that those providing the funding will eventually be repaid. Funds are allocated based on service providers'…

Thousands of juveniles with mental health disorders enter the juvenile justice system every year. The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2) is often used to assess them. The disproportionate numbers of African American youth in the juvenile justice system and the large numbers of youth with mental health needs necessitate…

The Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) is a special entity within the National League of Cities (NLC). The YEF Institute helps municipal leaders take action on behalf of the children, youth, and families in their communities. The YEF Institute's first-ever report on The State of City Leadership for Children and Families…

Objective: As awareness of the high prevalence of mental health problems among juvenile offenders has grown, researchers and practitioners have recognized the need for reliable and efficient methods of assessing such problems among large numbers of offenders to ensure that limited treatment resources are applied to those with the greatest need.…

Objective: To examine associations between the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Second Version (MAYSI-2) and Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Present State Voice Version (DISC-IV) and the extent to which they overlap in identifying youths with mental health concerns. Method: Among 325 New Jersey and South Carolina correctional…

Examines the decline of rehabilitation in juvenile justice since the 1970s in favor of the justice model within the states of Washington, Utah, Massachusetts, and California. Evidence shows that the institution-based system has failed, and rehabilitation should be reaffirmed as the foundation for a progressive agenda in juvenile justice. (GLR)

Discusses some general statistics and findings about violent juvenile offenders and presents a profile of a typical juvenile male brought to the attention of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. Urges thoughtful moral reasoning about at-risk children and the conditions that create the personal traumas that result in their conduct. (SLD)

In many U.S. jurisdictions, the choice of placement for delinquent offenders is determined by both the provider and level of education available. Although state level juvenile justice agencies are the primary providers of educational services to youth in state operated programs, public schools are responsible for educating most youth in the…

Traces the development and history of reform of the Massachusetts State Department of Human Services, which departed abruptly from a tradition of institutionalizing young offenders. The Massachusetts approach demonstrates the elements of successful intervention with young offenders through intensive services, community-based programs, small case…