Obtaining informed consent is the foundation of ethics in clinical research involving human participants. Individuals who provide informed consent acknowledge they understand all aspects of the research including the nature of the study, the risks and benefits of participation, the participants' rights, study procedures, research duration,…

In this article, the authors utilize C.W. Mills' Racial Contract Framework as a tool to unpack how racial power dynamics manifested in a mixed-race focus group interview designed to understand the participants' insights on race, incarceration, and community. The focus group interview included four research participants: Two White women, one Black…

This article presents findings from a participatory evaluation of alumni groups--Think Tanks--affiliated with the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Think Tanks are cocurricular settings wherein participants develop and apply skills and capacities valuable within and beyond the context of meetings. Data come from nine focus groups convened in…

Music therapy can help social workers deal with negative behaviors and symptoms of dementia in older adults without drugs or physical restraints, thereby improving the quality of care. This study tested the effectiveness of music therapy activities for improving agitated behavior in older adults with dementia living in long-term care institutions.…

A very small number of young people enter youth custody between age 16 and 18 (about 4 in 1000 males), yet the consequences are severe. They spend an average of 7 months in youth custody and such incarceration has been related to negative outcomes in the longer term even if they can establish themselves in the labour market. In this paper, we…

Institutionalized adults with profound intellectual disabilities (ID) face significant challenges to having their choice-making cultivated and supported. Based on observational and interview data from an institutional ethnographic study, this article explores how choice-making during mealtimes is acknowledged and problematized by staff. First, we…

When Mikayla Helton, Stephanie Baer's preservice art education student, first asked what she thought about her creating and teaching a summer art class at a youth residential treatment center, Baer was intrigued and fearful. Nichols and Sullivan (2016) described the importance of experiencing dissonance as a young teacher, encountering contexts…

This research was inspired by allegations of censorship of college curricula in an Illinois state penitentiary. This example highlights the confusion and controversy that may ensue when disagreements arise over what students in prison-based college programs are permitted to read and learn. Following this, my research considers these relevant…

Reentry, also referred to as transition, is a critical component in preparing at-risk youth in juvenile justice facilities for successful postrelease outcomes. However, successfully preparing these youth for reentry into the community and back to traditional K-12 schools is still difficult for many justice facilities. With the continued calls for…

Currently, there is limited empirically published Australian studies on effective rehabilitative programs in youth justice. This study used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the Healthy Relationships program which was designed to challenge attitudes relating to intimate partner violence for male adolescents in detention in Western Australia.…

The National Science Foundation's Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Alliance STEM Opportunities in Prison Settings (STEM-OPS) has been working to impact the system of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by radically shifting learning opportunities in prisons and access to STEM (broadly defined) for those who are directly impacted…

In 2023, Federal Pell Grant funding was reinstated for learners who are incarcerated, and new regulations were released to govern the eligibility of higher education in prison programs for such funding. This has driven increased interest in higher education in prison programming, as programs look to help their students access Pell grants and…

Formerly incarcerated students comprise a population that has been largely overlooked, when it comes to the recognition of their higher education promise and potential (Strayhorn et al., 2013; U.S. Department of Education, 2021). This lack of recognition contributes to the perpetuation of race- and class-based inequities and discounts the talents…

Recent research on the school-to-prison pipeline has exposed the disciplining and punishment of Black and Brown youth in today's school system. Given the convergence of racism and capitalism in the prison system, various marginalized community groups have called for its abolishment. Using teacher practitioner inquiry, this article asserts prison…

This study examines associations between recidivism rates and groups/programs for legally mandated education, behavioral, and mental health services that court-ordered juvenile youth ("juveniles") with identified emotional disturbance or related conditions receive in secure-care juvenile facilities. Using statewide agency data in…