Critically examines and integrates studies that have evaluated social-skill functioning in delinquent and substance-abusing youth utilizing role-play assessment. Distinguishes the meaning of "social skills," describes "role play assessment," and discusses the relationship of illicit drug use and conduct disorder among adolescents. (Author/EMK)

Investigated the magnitude of juvenile violence in Pennsylvania in terms of victimization and perpetration. Used archival data on violent crimes in Pennsylvania during 1993 to develop cost estimates reflecting the costs incurred by society for both victims and perpetrators. Overall, violence against children and adolescents proved to be a much…

Using merged data on adolescents (N=860), research looks at how community resources affect adolescent risk-taking attitudes and problem behavior. Determined that among high-risk adolescents, selected community resources have significant associations with adolescent outcomes. Residential stability decreases both adolescent risk-taking attitudes and…

Fear over violence in schools has prompted increased requests for psychologists, educators, and law enforcement professionals to assist in preventing future school violence incidents. Attempts to lay a foundation for developing effective assessment and prevention approaches by first distinguishing planned school-based attacks from other forms of…

The hypothesis tested in this study was that the presence of enuresis and cruelty to animals in juvenile firesetters would be significantly related to recidivistic firesetting. No relationship was found between firesetting recidivism and enuresis. However, juveniles who were identified as being cruel to animals were more likely to engage in…

All too often, one behavioral intervention is used universally to handle a variety of problem behaviors, regardless of the function of the misbehavior. This article describes how a functional assessment of behavior can be used to identify the purpose of misbehaviors and plan effective behavioral interventions. (Author)

This chapter presents additional stories and interpretations by John Korsmo, Molly Weingrod, Joseph Stanley, Quinn Wilder, Amy Evans, Rick Flowers, Arcelia Martinez, and Pam Ramsey. The stories and interpretations are presented as teachable moments that are examples of how people are learning to understand youthwork and, as such, are open to…

The psychotherapy literature has much to offer as educators strive to develop deeper and more nuanced understandings of the relationships youth form with mentors and other nonparental adults in community- and school-based settings. At the center of both psychotherapy and relationship-based interventions such as mentoring is a human connection, the…

In the wake of a U.S. Justice Department investigation that found widespread use of excessive force by staff at upstate psychiatric care facilities for mentally ill children, this new edition of Child Welfare Watch identifies shortcomings in mental health services and explores possible solutions, including the expansion of alternatives to…

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth are disproportionally burdened by high rates of sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancy, heightening their need for sexual health interventions that are aligned to their unique culture and social context. Media technologies, including the Internet, cell phones, and video games, offer new…

The "Ohio Youth Problems, Functioning, and Satisfaction Scales" (Ohio Scales) are a recently developed set of measures designed to be a brief, practical assessment of changes in behavior over time in children and adolescents. The authors explored the convergent validity of the Ohio Scales by examining the relationship between the scales and…

The size of the runaway and throwaway population is alarming. Two primary reasons explain why programs for adolescent runaways have failed and each one is embedded historically in American culture. The first is that strict discipline and reform have been seen throughout history as the most appropriate manner by which to control youth. The second…

This document is one of eight in a series of guides designed to help teach and counsel troubled youth. It presents 20 lessons that focus primarily on building self-esteem and learning to like oneself. The first lesson introduces students to the concept of self-esteem, the second helps students to determine their own level of self-esteem, and the…

The National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) analyzed records in the Center's National Juvenile Court Data Archive to examine how the juvenile courts handled runaway cases. NCJJ examined 40,000 records of runaway cases processed between 1985 and 1986 in 611 jurisdictions from 12 states representing about one-quarter of the U.S. youth population…

Comparative research in juvenile delinquency provides criminal justice professionals with a mechanism for better decision-making. This study analyzed juvenile probationer arraignments and the offender risk/need classification assessment to better understand juvenile court careers and probation recidivism. Analyses were based on data generated by…