This study investigated the differences among youth offenders for family engagement (as measured by the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales--III) and conduct-disordered behaviors (as measured by "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" [4th ed., text revision] criteria) by means of the Youth Comprehensive…

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…

Meaningful professional development (PD) for correctional educators is not frequently addressed, though they work with students who are most at-risk in terms of academic success. In addition to the challenges that the students themselves face, there are obstacles inherent in administering educational programs in correctional facilities whose goals…

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…

The National Adult Literacy Survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Education in 1992 and 2003, included federal and state prisoners. One finding of the 2003 survey was that prisoners with a GED scored higher in reading skills than persons in the general population with the equivalent education. In an attempt to explain that unexpected…

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…

This bulletin presents findings from the fifth Annual Survey of Jails. The survey was developed to provide an estimate of the country's jail inmate population in the years between National Jail Censuses which are conducted every 5 years, the last being in 1983. These findings are summarized: (1) at midyear 1987 local jails held 295,873 inmates, an…

A survey explored the opinions of citizens on correctional centers in Alberta, as well as their self-ratings of knowledge about correctional education programs. There was strong support for basic education, life skills, and preapprenticeship courses, even in times of financial restraint. (SK)

A former inmate of Attica discusses the importance of good library services to prisoners. (SJ)

Describes People, Animals and Love (PAL), organization dedicated to bringing people and pets together and PAL program implemented in one correctional facility. Notes that PAL program has given prisoners opportunity to learn vocational trade while improving their quality of life by showing compassion and understanding to animals. (Author/NB)

Before he was wrongly sent to death row for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in 1984, Kirk Bloodsworth enjoyed the life of a Chesapeake Bay waterman. Convicted largely on the testimony of a seven- and a ten-year-old eyewitness, by 1989 Johnson had exhausted almost every legal option available--after winning a new trial, he was convicted…

A 50-state analysis of postsecondary correctional education policy conducted by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) in 2005 found that 68 percent of all postsecondary correctional education is provided by community colleges. The IHEP findings were the basis for this review of partnerships between community colleges and prisons. This…

This report projects the amount Colorado would need to spend to maintain state services at 2007 levels through fiscal year 2012-13 and the amount of revenues that will be generated to pay for them. The costs of services were estimated based on factors that drive the budget, such as the number of students in college, inflation rates and the number…

This article offers a case study of a graduate class in communication research methods with a service-learning approach. Students were engaged in evaluating the public information campaign of a nonprofit organization exposing human rights abuses in US prisons. They gained hands-on experience in the use of a variety of basic research methods and…