This study aimed to describe the social, behavioural and offence characteristics of all convicted perpetrators of homicide aged 17 and under; to examine their previous contact with mental health services, and to discuss strategies for homicide prevention. An eight-year (1996-2004) sample of 363 juvenile homicide perpetrators in England and Wales…

While delinquency has multiple causes, deviant peer affiliation is one of the strongest. In fact, a high proportion of violence, drug use, and other deviant behaviors are committed in groups, rather than in isolation. This article explores how practices within educational, mental health, juvenile justice, and community programs can lead to deviant…

Analyzes data from an evaluation of system-of-care community mental health services to identify correlates of conviction. Female adolescents with a reported history of criminal conviction were compared to three other groups. The conditional odds of reporting a high number of child correlates was found to be significantly greater for females with a…

Team Child is designed to provide civil legal representation for very troubled delinquent youth to improve their access to needed education programs, mental health services, and family services. Better provision of these services is intended to reduce delinquency and potentially avoid the long-term incarceration of these youth. This article uses…

Objective: To examine the patterns of inhalant use and correlates of the progression from inhalant use to abuse and dependence among adolescents aged 12 to 17. Method: Study data were drawn from the 2000 and 2001 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse. Multinominal logistic regression was used to identify the characteristics associated with…

This study uses a historical perspective to examine the interface of the Maryland Juvenile Justice Department and the Mental Hygiene Administration in their efforts to provide services to youth involved with the juvenile justice system who were found to have mental disorders. A time line was constructed documenting developments from the 16th…

"SAMHSA News" is the national newsletter of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Published six times a year (bimonthly) by SAMHSA's Office of Communications, SAMHSA News contains information about the latest substance abuse and mental health treatment and prevention practices, recent statistics on mental health and…

This issue of "Residential Group Care Quarterly" includes the following articles: (1) "Residential Treatment: Finding the Appropriate Level of Care" (Shay Bilchik); (2) "Family-Centered Practices" (Rodger McDaniel and Brenden McKinney); and (3) "Can the Community Serve Sex Offenders?" (Point/Counterpoint--Daniel Wallach and Wayne D. Parks).…

This report describes lessons learned over the initial 3 years of the implementation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's SafeFutures Program To Reduce Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Violence, a 5-year demonstration initiative designed to prevent and control juvenile delinquency through a continuum of care in communities.…

Adventure-based Counseling (ABC), and in particular low-element challenge courses (LECC), are group-oriented programs that help participants learn to share responsibility, develop cooperative problem-solving skills, and increase self-confidence and well-being. Proposes that an intentional combination of the two programs offers a unique opportunity…

"Recidivism of Discharges from the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility--1974 to 1978" (Zych, 1984) was a research project which examined characteristics of the recidivist as a juvenile, such as sex, commitment offense, and age at commitment. A study was undertaken to supplement that research project by examining additional variables…

Social-historical lineages of adolescent alcohol and other drug use prevention programs are examined, tracing risk factor research from assumptions of deviance regarding the mentally ill and considering patterns that have inhibited advances in prevention. To achieve program success, protective factor and harm reduction approaches must be explored.…

The Governor's Task Force on the Mental Health of Juvenile Offenders in the state of Pennsylvania conducted a statewide survey of facilities for the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age. The Task Force surveyed mental hospitals, community-based services, private psychiatric treatment centers, youth…

This study examined demographic, clinical, and criminal histories as they related to whether 244 youth (ages 12-18) referred for mental health services at a juvenile corrections facility were repeat or first-time offenders. The population of 244 patients included 144 first-time offenders and 100 repeat offenders. Results of the study found that…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that examined the mental health referral patterns of youth referred to a public sector mental health system as the result of a judicial consent decree. The study included two samples of youth ages 13-17 from the entire state of South Carolina. The first group included incarcerated youth recruited from…