NCJ Number
139572
Journal
Criminal Justice Journal Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: (Summer 1992) Pages: 29-49
Date Published
1992
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article describes phases in the development of a HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) policy seminar for Cook County Juvenile Court (Chicago) staff and representatives of its adjunctive agencies.
Abstract
The seminar's first phase collected information through a needs assessment survey designed to provide the information necessary for the development of the seminar's curriculum and agenda. In the second phase, the researchers conducted and evaluated the seminar, which instructed participants about HIV and prepared them for HIV policy development and implementation. The third phase investigated whether or not participants had any success in implementing HIV policies in their respective agencies. The evaluation determined that a single educational seminar is an effective tool for increasing participants' knowledge about HIV and assessing their basic interests and needs in the HIV policy arena. Although the curriculum should include both medical and legal topics, legal issues bear more directly on court staffs' daily activities. Two primary lessons were demonstrated from the seminar. First, the content of the seminar should be tied to juvenile court procedures. Second, it is important to combine into small policy work groups representatives from different juvenile court agencies. In the third phase, follow-up interviews with participants 6 months after the seminar found that 6 of the 11 agencies represented at the seminar had begun development of new HIV policies. Some of the obstacles encountered are identified. The next phase of the project will assist court participants in the establishment of an effective HIV program within their agencies. 24 footnotes