Factors Associated with Youths’ Failure to Appear at Supervision Review Hearings

Although thousands of youths across the country are placed under community-based supervision by juvenile courts, little research has examined how well youths perform under supervision or how their performance might be predicted. Recent investigation of probation practices in one jurisdiction provided relevant outcome data and identified failure to appear at a review hearing as a behavior strongly associated with subsequent probation revocation. This study examined probation department records for 200 youth under pre- and/or post-adjudication supervision in a large, mid-Atlantic county to determine whether prior findings replicated in a new jurisdiction, whether differences in factors associated with revocation emerged for youth under pre- and post-adjudication supervision, and whether any youth characteristics or behaviors were significantly related to failure to appear at a review hearing. In addition to identifying several similarities and differences between these two jurisdictions, results revealed significant relationships between youths’ AWOL status and both failure to appear at the next review hearing and probation revocation at the next review hearing. Further, important differences emerged in the factors preceding revocation of pre- and post-adjudication supervision in this jurisdiction. These results add nuance to existing understanding of youths’ performance under community-based supervision and implicate several potential avenues for further investigation.Ph.D., Psychology -- Drexel University, 201

Using Third-Party Information in Forensic Mental-Health Assessment: A Critical Review

T he use of psychological and psychiatric evaluations for the courts has grown considerably in the last three decades.1 For the purposes of this article, we will refer to such an evaluation as a forensic mental-health assessment (FMHA). There are two important components to the definition of FMHA. First, such activity involves evaluations conducted in the context of criminal or civil proceedings.2 Second, it includes certain kinds of tasks—such as reconstructing a past mental state and linking it with the functional-legal capacities specified in a given legal test (such as insanity at the time of the offense) or evaluating a current mental state and appraising the extent to which it affects such functional legal capacities (such as those described in competence-to-stand trial evaluations).3 We begin by discussing FMHA in greater detail. This discussion includes broad foundational principles applicable to all such evaluations, as well as a brief description of 17 commonly evaluated types of FMHA. In this context, we then turn to the use of third-party information, or TPI (collateral interviews, records, and other documents or digital evidence), in FMHA. This discussion will address the importance, the value and limitations, and the current legal and professional status of TPI in forensic assessment

Using Third-Party Information in Forensic Mental-Health Assessment: A Critical Review

T he use of psychological and psychiatric evaluations for the courts has grown considerably in the last three decades.1 For the purposes of this article, we will refer to such an evaluation as a forensic mental-health assessment (FMHA). There are two important components to the definition of FMHA. First, such activity involves evaluations conducted in the context of criminal or civil proceedings.2 Second, it includes certain kinds of tasks—such as reconstructing a past mental state and linking it with the functional-legal capacities specified in a given legal test (such as insanity at the time of the offense) or evaluating a current mental state and appraising the extent to which it affects such functional legal capacities (such as those described in competence-to-stand trial evaluations).3 We begin by discussing FMHA in greater detail. This discussion includes broad foundational principles applicable to all such evaluations, as well as a brief description of 17 commonly evaluated types of FMHA. In this context, we then turn to the use of third-party information, or TPI (collateral interviews, records, and other documents or digital evidence), in FMHA. This discussion will address the importance, the value and limitations, and the current legal and professional status of TPI in forensic assessment

Gathering Diverse Perspectives to Tackle “Wicked Problems”: Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality in Educational Placement

Among students receiving behavioral health and special education services, racial/ethnic minority students are consistently overrepresented in settings separate from general classrooms. Once separated, many young people struggle to improve academically and face significant difficulty upon trying to return to a general education setting. Given the complex, ongoing, and multifaceted nature of this challenge, racial/ethnic disproportionality can be identified as a “wicked problem,” for which solutions are not easily identified. Here, we describe our community-engaged research efforts, eliciting perspectives from relevant partners in an ongoing dialogue, to better integrate diverse stakeholders’ perspectives when attempting to address such disparities. We conducted focus groups and qualitative interviews with members of three stakeholder groups: community-serving organizations, individuals with lived experience of behavioral health conditions, and state-level policymakers, with a shared interest in addressing racial and ethnic disparities. Participant responses illustrated the “wickedness” of this problem and highlighted the need for additional supports for students, families, and school personnel, increased collaboration across relevant systems and agencies, and reduced barriers related to funding. Overall, this methodology bridged differing perspectives to develop, in concert with our partners, a shared language of the problem and a core set of issues to consider when seeking to effect change

Reimagining Restitution: New Approaches to Support Youth and Communities

Courts began ordering youth restitution in the 1960s as a less restrictive sanction than probation or incarceration for mostly white youth. Since then, restitution has been linked to higher recidivism rates and heightened racial and economic disparities in the juvenile justice system. This report provides an overview of the historical and current landscape of restitution imposed on youth, the impact of restitution on youth, victims and communities, and provides recommendations for how jurisdictions can reimagine restitution

Identifying Predictors of Juvenile Probation Violation and Success

Probation is the most common disposition for adjudicated juveniles, but little is known about specific requirements imposed on juveniles, which requirements are most commonly violated, and how requirements might relate to probation outcomes. This study gathered basic information about juvenile probation and investigated the relationship between certain youth characteristics and probation violation, as well as whether the imposition of any particular probation requirements predicted violation. Results from 120 youths’ archived public defender files identified 29 probation requirements imposed by judges and 18 common reasons youth violated probation. Chi square analyses demonstrated that prior probation violation and race were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of having violated probation. Logistic regression results also revealed a significant relationship between receipt of two specific probation requirements—Drug Tests and Drug and Alcohol Counseling—and probation violation. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.M.S., Clinical Psychology -- Drexel University, 201