This report concludes a 15-month research project examining the role that minority status (African American, Hispanic, Asian Pacific Islander, Native American) plays in the processing of youth by the juvenile justice system. The research began with a review and summary of existing research on the issue. A strategy was then developed for…

Drawing from Public/Private Ventures (P/PV's) five years of hands-on experience designing and implementing Amachi programs around the country, "Building From The Ground Up" describes best practices for planning, developing and managing a mentoring-children-of-prisoners program. This guidebook is essential for learning the professional procedures,…

This resource guide for teachers contains readings, investigative sources, and first-hand accounts of the actions of the present military regime in Burma, a regime which retained power even after it lost the 1990 national elections, and which sponsors repression of pro-democracy forces in the country. The first section, an introduction, includes…

Injustice affects us all, whether we are directly or indirectly touched by it. For example, if a rapist is never convicted of his crime because the victim has a disability and is not considered a credible witness in court, he will not be prosecuted and will go on raping without fear of the consequences... and the next victim could be your child,…

This bulletin is adapted from the third panel of three at a Manhattan Institute conference. The focus of this paper is on the re-entering ex-offender population. Howard Husock introduces the people who are on the front lines, working day-to-day with people coming out of prison, thinking about what are the right strategies. These people include…

This bulletin is adapted from the second panel of three at a Manhattan Institute conference. The focus of this paper is on the explosion of prison population and the inevitability of people reentering society from prison. Clarence Page believes this has a particularly brutal impact on the African-American community, and raises questions about how…

Empirical data show that there are more negative consequences for youth offenders committed to institutional rather than community-based programs. However, public policy, governed by political factors rather than knowledge of the relative effectiveness of alternative programs, favors punishment and retribution over rehabilitation goals.…

This article describes Options for Justice, an agency that provides education and training to professionals and direct services to offenders with developmental disabilities. Recommendations for developing and implementing similar programs are offered. Areas addressed include assessing need, funding, selection of program services, staffing, the…

In this paper, we explore the continuing decline in employment and labor force participation of nonenrolled Black men between the ages of 16 and 34 who have a high school education or less in the 1980s and 1990s. We focus on two fairly new developments: (1) the dramatic growth in the number of young Black men who have been incarcerated and (2)…

Using the story of death row inmate Charles Singleton, who developed paranoid schizophrenia while in prison awaiting execution, this case study explores the relationship between a society's concept of mental illness and its treatment of people who are mentally ill. Students are asked to identify the model of mental illness assumed by each of the…

We examined factors predicting severity of first offense, adjudication, incarceration, and repeat offenses for first time juvenile offenders. The sample consisted of 12,468 juveniles, all born in 1985. Each of the juveniles had been assigned to the South Carolina Juvenile Justice System (SCDJJ) on at least one occasion ("referral"). Analysis on…

Assessments and case plans that identify and build upon the strengths of clients, their families and communities are increasingly being used in many fields of practice, but are only beginning to be introduced in juvenile justice settings. This article describes a strengths-based assessment tool developed specifically for use in juvenile justice…

A 40-hour education program covering the impact of crime on victims and their families was offered to sentenced offenders in a statewide prison system. Questionnaire responses from 339 males, ranging in age from 21-45 years, were examined. Results indicated that the program increased knowledge of victim rights, facts of victimization, and…

Mentally ill offenders represent a substantial proportion of jail and prison inmates. Despite the fact that confining mentally ill offenders can and often will exacerbate their mental illness, the quality of mental health services available to them remains poor and insufficient. Up to date, only a few cities and counties have considered a more…