In this update, the author notes the passage of the "Second Chance Act" by Congress--signed into law by the President on April 9, 2008. Programs created in law may or may not be immediately funded and implemented. The criminal justice community will be watching the appropriation process with interest to learn what Second Chance programs will be…

Effective methods of identifying potential juvenile offenders are critical when developing prevention programs within both state and national juvenile justice systems. The characteristics of juvenile offenders in a large juvenile justice system are examined in this study. Participants live in a Midwestern city with a high rate of crime as…

Sex offender civil commitment (SOCC) has been enacted in 16 states amid widespread controversy. A critical component of civil commitment is the risk assessment process that determines recommendations for civil confinement once a prison term has expired. This study analyzes the first stage of a two-stage risk assessment process that determines…

Despite having drawn from empirical evidence and cumulative prior expertise in the formulation of research questions as well as study design, each study is treated as a stand-alone product rather than positioned within a sequence of cumulative evidence. While results of prior studies are typically cited within the body of prior literature review,…

In chapter IV, the authors focused on their findings on the developmental course of deprivation-specific psychological patterns (DSPs). The authors rediscussed the syndrome concept in the light of two main considerations. First, the findings indicated substantial overlap among the four postulated DSPs at 15 years including CI and I/O before…

There is a growing awareness of the incidence of mental disorders among women involved in the criminal justice system. Two hundred and eighty-three women were participants in a federally-funded study and all met "DSM-IV" criteria for at least two Axis I disorders, including one substance abuse diagnosis. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder…

In 2005, the United States Supreme Court, judging it to be cruel and unusual punishment, ended the execution of juvenile offenders. But the practice of sentencing juveniles to prison for life without the possibility of parole presents a much more widespread problem. Presumably future courts will revisit the question of whether growing up in prison…

Few studies reported in the literature have addressed the long-term trend of the use of medical care for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in institutions. The subject cohort in this study was made of 168 individuals with ID in a public residential facility from 1999 to 2002 in Taipei, Taiwan. The average age of participants was 19.3…

The appropriateness and justification of physical restraint procedures in secure learning disability settings is an emotive issue. This paper examines the views of service users (n = 10) from secure residential facilities who are restrained frequently. Using a semi-structured interview schedule, Service users were interviewed about their restraint…

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) data were obtained from 125 male veteran alcoholic inpatients. Results showed five clusters exist among MCMI profiles and statistically significant relationships exist between MCMI profiles and MMPI scale scores. Findings support an alcoholism…

Behavior modification programs undertaken in institutions for mentally retarded persons are often done inconsistently or incorrectly. Initial remedies should emphasize basic principles of applied behavioral analysis in graudate training and the development of programs addressing more than simple reinforcement contingencies. (CL)

It is proposed, among other things, that the field of behavioral disorders begin to give support and advocacy to a social systems and group process approach to work with incarcerated youth. (DLS)

Studied determinants of rehospitalization of elderly people with longitudinal sample of 264 older adults. Seventeen percent of subjects were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Controlling for health and socioeconomic factors, main determinant of readmission was discharge placement; those placed back into community for home care were more…

Examined suicides in Bridgewater (Massachusetts) State Hospital for persons formerly labeled "criminally insane." Found variation in suicide rate by historical period. Post-1968 rate of 232 per 100,000 was comparable to data reported in studies of psychiatric suicides, suggesting that forensic hospital populations have suicide rates…