NCJ Number
208324
Journal
Offender Programs Report Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: November /December 2004 Pages: 51-53
Date Published
November 2004
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This study provided baseline data on what Arizona juvenile secure-school treatment staff know about the juveniles they supervise and inquired about reasons why the staff at one facility might have more such knowledge than staff at another facility.
Abstract
The questionnaire was composed of items pertinent to the following factors known to be related to juvenile delinquency: gang membership, school attendance, religious attendance, problem solving skills, level of responsibility, medical issues, family dynamics, relationship with mother, relationship with father, suicide history, impulse control, judgment skills, substance abuse history, history of violent behavior, family environment, and abuse history. The sample consisted of 102 randomly selected staff who represented various types of staff jobs, excluding staff whose jobs were unrelated to treatment. Staff participants in the study were asked to indicate their knowledge of the characteristics of selected juveniles whom they were supervising. Their answers were compared with information in the files of these youth. The staff were found to be most knowledgeable about school attendance, which was not surprising, given Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections emphasis on education. A significant number of staff (66.1 percent) knew the substance abuse histories of the juveniles and their gang affiliation (56.7 percent), but they were largely unaware of their histories of violence (25.5 percent). Youths' family histories were known to just over half of the staff surveyed, and a similar portion of staff knew the youths' medical histories. Staff knew the least about abuse histories, judgment skills, and impulse control. The implications of these findings for improving staff knowledge of juvenile residents they supervise are discussed. 8 references