A study examining the effectiveness of wilderness therapy programs for rehabilitating delinquent adolescents analyzed 23 programs using meta-analysis. Moderate effect sizes in favor of wilderness therapy programs were found with respect to enhancing self-esteem/self-concept, improving interpersonal skills, and promoting behavior changes. A small…

The eighth part of a 10-part series, this report was compiled by the Educational Development Center at Wilkes College. The series deals with various aspects of the treatment of delinquents and is intended as a summary of research findings in each of the areas treated. Each report was prepared by a scholar-practitioner and is presented in a way…

Describes Project Adventure's Legacy program, a 12-bed, 10-month residential program for juvenile sex-offenders in Georgia. Most offenders started as victims, so the program must address their early sexual trauma. Adventure-based counseling, with its emphasis on the total mind-body experience, is especially suited for this. Sidebars present the…

A young man who completed Project Adventure's Legacy Program for young sex offenders in Georgia explains how group therapy and adventure programming help participants understand their behaviors and develop empathy for their victims. A follow-up program uses adventure to develop healthy living habits, requires completion of high school or GED, and…

The Sexual Abuse Counselling Service is a unit within the Department of Families, Youth, and Community Care in Queensland, Australia, that operates a counseling program for adolescent sexual offenders. Clients are expected to participate in individual and group counseling sessions, and family counseling sessions where appropriate. The group…

A benefits-based management approach will enable outdoor adventure therapy programs for male adolescent offenders to be built around desired outcomes such as building connections to community, enhancing self-esteem, and establishing intergenerational relationships. Outdoor programs must maintain informal environments, involve participants in…

Studied 340 former inmates of two reform schools. One school emphasized psychological treatment; the other school stressed harsh punishment. Results suggested that "milieu therapy" works in adolescence, but has no discernible effect after age 24. Ethnicity had a powerful effect on recidivism. (JAC)

In 1995, Project Adventure began a 12-bed, 10-month residential program called Legacy, which uses adventure-based counseling and treatment with juvenile sex offenders in Georgia. Clients must pass through a four-level system for successful completion of the program. Passing to a higher level is contingent on following the behavioral norms in the…

Presents data regarding an approach to delinquency rehabilitation involving 24-hour residential care, various types of counseling, and individualized instruction within the adolescent's community. (Author/DB)

Te Whakapakari Youth Programme on Great Barrier Island, New Zealand, is a Maori initiative initially designed to help young Maori, particularly those involved in drug abuse. The program now accepts adjudicated youth, aged 13-18, from many cultures who experience drug, physical, or sexual abuse and exhibit antisocial or violent tendencies. The…

This paper reviews the literature on the secondary prevention of delinquency, examining the commonalities that characterize successful programs. The first part reviews standard approaches to secondary prevention of delinquency, such as diversion of responsibility for delinquents from the juvenile justice system to family, school and…

Project Adventure has seven programs for at-risk and adjudicated youth in Georgia, all using adventure counseling to help youth confront and manage their behaviors. Some programs are day programs for suspended students that involve family counseling and work. Others are residential programs for drug addicts, sexual offenders, and other adjudicated…

Identifies intervention practices, based on Kohlberg's just community, used at the Berkeley Academy (California) to treat moral misbehavior in severely, emotionally disturbed, adolescent females. Examines three predominant patterns (the rebel, the martyr, and the professional orphan) and their underlying disorders. Describes successful approaches…