The criminalization of school discipline and its resulting consequences for students, particularly students of color, has been widely studied. While results from previous research have shown racial and gender differences in punitive school experiences like suspension, school-based arrest, and school-based referrals to juvenile justice systems,…

The Miami Youth Development Project (YDP) had its beginnings in the early 1990s as a grassroots response to the needs of troubled (multiproblem) young people in the community (Arnett, Kurtines, & Montgomery, 2008, this issue). YDP is an important outcome of efforts to create positive youth development interventions that draw on the strengths…

A spate of deaths among young people around the country in the past year has brought further media attention to an asphyxial activity known as "the choking game." But the subject is a sensitive one for schools. Some administrators have actively enlisted in efforts to inform students and parents about the risks of practices like the…

This report describes lessons learned from the Broward Detention Initiative (BDI) in Broward County, Florida, a successful detention reform effort that led to attempts at replication. Chapter 1, "The Predecessor Program: The Broward Detention Initiative," explains key factors in BDI's success (e.g., the site was ready, problems were…

Reports the results of a study examining the preliminary screening, assessor staff service recommendations, and service utilization outcomes of 143 youths processed at the Hillsborough County, Florida Juvenile Assessment Center. Results indicate that assessors were making recommendations that were meaningfully associated with the youths' potential…

Although adolescents face many potentially life-threatening choices, schools are ill equipped to offer comprehensive guidance for developing personal survival skills. This article outlines four conditions militating against schools' acceptance of this role, advocates collaboration between schools and community-based youth organizations, and…

Describes the results of an experiment in Florida in which jurisdiction over juvenile status offenders (i.e., runaways, truants, or incorrigibles) was transferred from the juvenile justice system to the child welfare system. (BD)

The primary areas in which Broward County, Florida visiting teachers (one for about 6000 children) serve the schools are student welfare and attendance. Student welfare problems usually fall into one or more of these categories; financial, emotional, scholastic, health. Student attendance problems fall into two categories: truancy and…

Analyzes screening data on arrested youths (n=361) at the Hillsborough County, Florida Juvenile Assessment Center in November 1993. Results provide support for the effectiveness of the Detention Risk Assessment Instrument in differentiating among youths released to the community unsupervised, youths placed on home detention, and youths placed in…

Study of 100 adolescent males incarcerated in a secure residential training school found no statistical differences in frequency or intensity of sexual or physical victimization between groups divided according to the crimes they committed. Findings suggest that the relationship between sexual or physical abuse victimization and subsequent…

The results of a performance review of educational programs for youth in residential commitment facilities are presented including background, methodology, and findings. Most juvenile justice students enter residential programs performing below their grade level in reading and math but improve by at least one grade level during their stay.…

Schools can no longer act alone as surrogate parents. First appearing in Florida's innovative legislation, the full-service school concept is catching on in several other states. Full-service schools integrate education, medical, social, and/or human services to meet families' needs in easily accessible locations. Primary health centers are key…

This document contains findings of a study that examined the relationship between the use of disciplinary actions in Florida schools--in particular, out-of-school suspension, expulsion, and corporal punishment--and juvenile crime and delinquency. The primary data source was a random sample of 43,397 students in grades 6-12 enrolled in Florida…

For many decades communities have been troubled by the criminal activities of youth gangs. This report looks at almost 30 years of information collected on gang problems in nearly 4,000 communities. The number of localities reporting gang problems increased between the 1970s and the 1990s, representing a tenfold increase in the number of cities…

Reviews studies of adolescent pregnancy since 1982 and relates them to a study of teen pregnancy in Duval County (Florida). Discusses incidence, causes and health, social and economic consequences. (FMW)