This committee report contains the results of an investigation by young reporters (aged 10-17) from the Children Express magazine into the inappropriate incarceration of neglected or abused children and status offenders not charged with crimes. The hearings include the statements of 25 expert witnesses, researchers, and formerly incarcerated…

To promote the deinstitutionalization of mentally retarded individuals, a three-phase assessment prescription system has been developed. It conceptualizes return to the community as a series of transfers from a restrictive non-programmatic environment (phase one) through specialized short-term program-oriented rehabilitation (phase 2) to the least…

Both clinicians and patients can easily become entangled in the "rights versus rites" debate--that is, the effort to strike a balance between mandated "right to treatment" and emerging "right to refuse treatment." This paper examines legal and psychiatric precedent and practice in those areas and suggests a practical, prudent and palatable middle…

Various quantities and types of services are provided by public and private agencies for older developmentally disabled persons living in the Midwest. Of the 639 questionnaires mailed to public agencies, private agencies, consumer-oriented agencies, nursing homes, and educational institutions, 325 were returned for a response rate of 55%. Overall,…

The paper examines the surrogate parent program at Forest Haven, the District of Columbia's institution for the mentally retarded. The program provides seven major services among which are its function as an advocate for educational, court, and other personal programing and as a monitor of the educational placement of clients. Problems in the…

This paper examines the impact of organizational factors on the rate at which juvenile courts commit referred youth to institutions. Analyzing a national sample, the paper demonstrates that both the rate at which cases are handled informally and the rate at which judges commit those youth who appear before them independently influence the overall…

This study of women's correctional programs identifies programs and services for women incarcerated in jails and prisons, and also outlines the range and types of community-based programs available to them. In addition it also profiles the typical women inmate, providing information on the age distribution, marital status, number of children,…

Disadvantaged adults who need the information a library can provide include those who are poor, in the minority, aging, institutionalized, or handicapped. Methods used to recruit these potential patrons may include the media, mailings, exhibits, posters and billboards, personal contact, classes, bookmobiles, speakers, and advisory committees. Some…

This study evaluated the impact of structured and unstructured marathon therapy on institutionalized female narcotic addicts. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of five groups: two structured therapy groups, two unstructured therapy groups, and a no-treatment control group. The Personal Orientation Inventory, the Adjective Check List, and a…

Iowa has four state institutions organized so that each one handles differing categories of neglected and delinquent youth. This booklet is the annual evaluation report which covers all four of the institutions. The first part of the booklet covers the state operation and services in general, and the major problem areas. Part Two covers each…

The experienced-based textbook on institutional issues for the group worker's training defines the current state of goals and methods of group work as it can apply to the institutional field. Following a discussion of institutions in modern society, social group work in institutions for children, unmarried mothers, handicapped children, juvenile…

Little is presently known of the implications and consequences of rehospitalizations of former mental patients. This research attempts to assess the consequences of rehospitalization for the patient, his family and for the professional (his psychiatric social worker) who attempted to serve him while he lived in the community. It examines the ways…

Fifteen institutionalized profoundly retarded Ss, median age 7 years, who received no intervention training program, were assessed on the Balthazar Scales of Adaptive Behavior (BSAB), Sections I and II to determine whether social coping behavior would improve spontaneous maturation during a 6-month period. The Ss were recommended by nursing…

The major findings and recommendations of a study to develop a comprehensive plan for library services for the blind and physically handicapped of Pennsylvania are presented. The study was undertaken at the request of the Pennsylvania State Library, and was financed by funds provided through Title IVB of the Library Services and Construction Act.…

Lexical development in mentally retarded and normal children was indexed using the Free Word Association Task. Approximately 170 institutionalized and noninstitutionalized retarded children and 59 normal children were administered the 40-word stimulus list consisting mainly of adjectives and nouns. Responses were categorized according to apparent…