Cultural Brokering and Bicultural Identity: An Exploratory Study

Abstract: Cultural brokering refers to a process where individuals mediate between two parties that are experiencing some type of cultural misunderstanding. Our exploratory study indicates that cultural brokering is a diverse experience that spans the boundaries of one’s family and includes various norms, values and traditions

Examining Education Outcomes for Justice-involved Youth

School is one of several critical points for breaking the cycle of offending. Although probation officers are addressing issues related to youths’ schooling at a greater rate than other – perhaps more pressing – criminogenic needs with which youth may present, there is limited empirical evidence to inform such practices, including what academic achievement looks like for justice-involved youth. In this dissertation I examined the school characteristics of 721 14-19-year old justice-involved youth serving probation sentences in Ontario, Canada, including relationships between demographic, criminal justice system, and school variables. Using Latent Class Analysis (LCA), I examined whether there were distinct classes of youth characterized by academic and behavioural at-risk indicators, and – if so – whether classes differed in terms of demographics, criminal justice system, and school variables. Using linear mixed effect modelling, I examined the longitudinal pattern of achievement over time, including whether achievement changed over the time spent on probation. Results indicated that youths struggled academically from the start of grade 9, with little improvement throughout high school. By age 17 they had earned, on average, a third of the credits required to graduate, and – of those old enough – only 27% actually graduated, compared to the provincial average of 82%. Compared to youth who did not complete high school, youth who graduated had fewer difficulties with family and substance abuse, more productive use of leisure time, lower levels of procriminal/antisocial attitudes, lower levels of involvement with criminally- involved peers, and less justice system involvement. Using risk indicators for school dropout found within the broader education literature, the LCA produced three classes of school risk. Classes differed in intensity of criminogenic needs and total credits earned in school. The effect of probation on credits earned over time was moderated by levels of substance abuse and antisocial peer relationships. Implications for case management of youth on probation include the potential usefulness of prioritizing criminogenic needs outside of (but related to) school in order to improve school outcomes.Ph.D

Making ‘What Works’ Work: Issues Relevant to Addressing Youths’ Needs during Probation Services

Semi-structured interviews with 29 probation officers were conducted about their experiences addressing youths’ criminogenic needs in accordance with the Risk-Need-Responsivity framework. Probation officers discussed barriers they face at the individual, organizational, and systemic level (‘environmental’ issues that transcend – but impact on – the individual youth). Results revealed that challenges probation officers faced included ambiguity with respect to their role addressing certain risk-need domains, waitlist for services, having to prioritize certain noncriminogenic needs, involving parents, and the prevalence of mental illness (particularly concurrent diagnoses). Probation officers also discussed systemic barriers that they felt were out of their control but significantly impacted youths’ risk. Results are discussed in terms of implications for theory, research, policy, and practice.MAS

Making “What Works” Work: Examining Probation Officers’ Experiences Addressing the Criminogenic Needs of Juvenile Offenders

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10509674.2014.980485This study qualitatively explored frontline perspectives on the challenges of addressing youths’ criminogenic needs within a risk–need–responsivity (RNR)-based case management framework. Twenty-nine probation officers from Toronto, Canada participated in semistructured interviews. Emergent themes included the importance of targeting “high impact” criminogenic needs (needs that—when effectively addressed—also have an impact on other need domains in addition to a direct impact on criminogenic risk), the salience of specific responsivity factors in case management, the lack of evidence-based programming available to youth, and respondents’ uncertainty regarding their role in addressing criminogenic needs. Results highlight the need for research examining the interrelationship of criminogenic needs, specific responsivity factors, and educational outcomes of youth on probation. Findings also support recent initiatives that provide concrete training to probation officers around implementation of the need and responsivity principles in effective case management of justice-involved youth

Examining Implementation of Risk Assessment in Case Management for Youth in the Justice System

Published by SAGE PublicationsResearch on implementation of a case management plan informed by valid risk assessment in justice services is important in contributing to evidence-based practice but has been neglected in youth justice. We examined the connections between risk assessment, treatment, and recidivism by focusing at the individual criminogenic need domain level. Controlling for static risk, dynamic criminogenic needs significantly predicted reoffense. Meeting individual needs in treatment was associated with decreased offending. However, there is ‘slippage’ in the system that reduces practitioners’ ability to effectively address needs. Even in domains where interventions are available, many youth are not receiving services matched to their needs. Implications and limitations of findings are discussed

Mental Health in the Context of Canada’s Youth Justice System

The high prevalence rate of mental health difficulties in youth involved in the justice system raises concerns as well as numerous questions for research, policy, and practice. In this article we examine several aspects of the intersection between mental health and Canadian youth justice policy and practice, with a particular focus on describing models of the relationship between mental health problems and justice system involvement and considering the implications of these models for the effective assessment and treatment of justice-involved youth. Our review highlights that research examining this relationship has suffered because of lack of communication between clinical and correctional researchers, and that the assumption regarding the causal role of mental health issues in offending behaviour needs much more attention. Recommendations following this review include widespread mental health screening for justice-involved youth, greater uptake on the available sections of the Youth Criminal Justice Act that allow for specialized assessments and sentencing for youth with mental health concerns, and a research agenda that focuses on the relationship between mental health concerns and criminal behaviour in both boys and girls

Making “What Works” Work: Examining Probation Officers’ Experiences Addressing the Criminogenic Needs of Juvenile Offenders

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10509674.2014.980485This study qualitatively explored frontline perspectives on the challenges of addressing youths’ criminogenic needs within a risk–need–responsivity (RNR)-based case management framework. Twenty-nine probation officers from Toronto, Canada participated in semistructured interviews. Emergent themes included the importance of targeting “high impact” criminogenic needs (needs that—when effectively addressed—also have an impact on other need domains in addition to a direct impact on criminogenic risk), the salience of specific responsivity factors in case management, the lack of evidence-based programming available to youth, and respondents’ uncertainty regarding their role in addressing criminogenic needs. Results highlight the need for research examining the interrelationship of criminogenic needs, specific responsivity factors, and educational outcomes of youth on probation. Findings also support recent initiatives that provide concrete training to probation officers around implementation of the need and responsivity principles in effective case management of justice-involved youth