Strength-based approaches, originating in juvenile justice as early as the late 1800s, situate the work of juvenile correctional facilities as assisting youth in utilizing their strengths and competencies to understand how they can be applied their lives to affect change and growth. While strengths-based approaches might have originated…

Carl Upchurch was born and raised in Philadelphia in the 1950's. His mother, uncle and grandmother socialized him during his early childhood. His grandmother was his primary caregiver and a prostitute, his father drifted in and out of his life, and his uncle died in a gunfight. All this shaped Upchurch as a person and led to his development of the…

This project examines the early educational experiences of 6 young African American males (ages 18-25) who attended urban schools in San Diego, California. All 6 men were incarcerated for at least 1-year before participating in a pre-release program. The participants were part of a pre-release program in San Diego, California, which was selected…

By picking up this guide, you have already taken an important step towards continuing your education. Going back to school will require hard work and dedication. The process will be both challenging and frustrating. But if you stick with it, continuing your education can bring you tremendous rewards. Earning a General Education Development…

Data about the quality of attachment between infants and parents in high-risk populations suggests that early intervention may be advantageous for positive developmental outcomes for the child. Mothers in prison represent a high-risk parenting population in terms of both attachment histories and economic and social risk factors. New Beginnings was…

The purpose of this study is to examine the problem behavior and self-medication models of alcohol abuse in incarcerated male adolescents. Male adolescents (N = 56) incarcerated in a juvenile correction facility were administered a battery of psychological measures. Approximately 84% of adolescents with clinically significant alcohol-related…

To understand experiences of incarcerated pregnant women, 25 pregnant women in a state prison were interviewed. Responses were coded for frequency and intensity of narrative themes. Psychological distress and recall of past relationships with mothers were assessed using questionnaires. Participants reported moderate depression and high hostility…

Sex offenders have used the Internet to identify and contact minors for sexual exploitation (Armagh, 1998; Hernandez, 2000; Lamb, 1998; Lanning, 1998). Yet little is known about how these individuals select their online victims. In order to gain a better understanding of this behavior, the online activity of 31 men who perpetrated or attempted to…

The purpose of the Youth Level of Service Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) is to assess, classify, and assist agencies with developing treatment and service plans according to the offender's criminogenic risk factors. Given the limited research in the predictive validity for this instrument, the current study attempts to examine this issue on a…

Laura Bates, an associate professor of English at Indiana State University, teaches college courses at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, but her Shakespeare workshop is a rarer undertaking, with a startling history. About six years ago, an inmate in one of her college-degree courses was sent from the general population to the "SHU"--the…

The prevalence of offenders with learning difficulties and learning disabilities is not agreed upon. What is clear, however, is that, regardless of actual numbers, many offenders have learning difficulties that reduce their ability to cope within the criminal justice system, for example, not understanding fully what is happening to them in court…

Background: Evaluative studies have shown that special units for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) who have challenging behaviour have advantages and disadvantages. There has been no survey of their number or characteristics for nearly 20 years. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all National Health Service trusts that had ID inpatient…

Social workers have long been involved in identifying resources and making final arrangements for clients who die without an estate or have no heirs, who may be institutionalized or unknown to the community, or whose body may be unclaimed for burial. Absent quick intervention, these individuals are often at risk for an anonymous potter's field…

This paper presents data supplementing previous reports of elevated incidence of left handedness for the mentally retarded. The new data confirm a positive relationship between degree of retardation and incidence of left-handedness. (GO)

The study was designed to determine whether 16 aggressive mentally retarded adults could reduce their resting electromyographic (EMG) levels through relaxation training techniques. Ss were selected from a large state institution. Ss were divided into two groups--the experimental group received six training sessions which included whole body…