Detention Reform: An Effective Approach to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice (pdf)
"By prioritizing the reduction of racial and ethnic disparities as a core detention reform strategy, Casey’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative has reduced the odds of detention typically faced by African-American and Latino teens. This Detention Reform Brief details JDAI’s efforts at reducing the over-representation of minorities in detention."
Juvenile Suicide in Confinement: A National Survey (pdf)
"This report provides the results of a survey on juvenile suicides occurring in confinement between 1995 and 1999. The study examined the demographic characteristics and social history of each victim, the characteristics of the incident, and the features of the juvenile facility in which the suicide took place. The report provides suggestions for addressing the problem and recommendations for prevention planning."
"This article discusses the challenges that Hispanic immigrant families face and reviews the potential negative consequences of these challenges for Hispanic adolescents. The article outlines the theoretical background, goals, and intervention components of Familias Unidas, a substance-abuse-prevention program for poor immigrant Hispanic adolescents and their parents. Familias Unidas is an ecodevelopmentally based, parent-centered intervention delivered by way of parent participatory-learning groups, parent-adolescent discussion circles, and periodic home visits."
Psychiatric Disorders of Youth in Detention (pdf)
"This Bulletin presents information that can help the juvenile justice system detect youth psychiatric disorders and respond with an integrated system of services. It examines the prevalence of alcohol, drug, and mental disorders among youth at the Cook County (Illinois) Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, by gender, race/ethnicity, and age. Drawing on research conducted by the Northwestern Juvenile Project, this Bulletin finds that nearly two-thirds of males and three-quarters of females studied met diagnostic criteria for one or more psychiatric disorders."
School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors Among Youth (pdf)
"This longitudinal study found that family, school, and individual factors such as school connectedness, parent-family connectedness, high parental expectations for academic achievement, and the adolescent’s level of involvement in religious activities and perceived importance of religion and prayer were protective against a range of adverse behaviors. School connectedness was found to be the strongest protective factor for both boys and girls to decrease substance use, school absenteeism, early sexual initiation, violence, and risk of unintentional injury."
Substance Abuse Among Southeast Asians in the U.S.: Implications for Practice and Research
"The literature on Asian-American substance use has shown a general increase in consumption and related problems due, in part, to the effects of acculturation toward U.S. drinking norms. Southeast Asians arc the most recent of Asian groups to come to the U.S., and have done so following an immigration and refugee experience that was among the most traumatic in recent memory resulting in significant levels of psychosocial distress. The combined influences of mental health disorders, which frequently co-occur with substance abuse, and acculturation pressures suggest that a significant increase in substance abuse problems may be in progress for Southeast Asian immigrants. The current article outlines the literature on substance abuse among Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians in the U.S., and makes tentative recommendations for assessment, treatment and future research."
Trauma-Focused Interventions for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System (pdf)
"Numerous studies document that many of the youth in the juvenile justice system have been exposed to myriad traumatic events, either as victims or as witnesses. Because of this exposure, many of these youths have developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other stress-related disorders. This document reviews trauma-focused, family-based, and group-based interventions that show promise for use with youth in the juvenile justice system."