The use of computer-based interventions in cognitive behavioral therapy: policy implications for violence and delinquency prevention in community corrections

Abstract: This thesis tests the applicability of computer-based cognitive behavioral therapy for building skills that prevent deviancy and delinquency among youth. This is accomplished by first understanding cognitive behavioral therapy through an extensive literature review and then through data analysis of the SMART program which emphasizes anger management and conflict resolution skills using a pre- and post-test questionnaire. This thesis uses the SMART program as a self-administered cognitive behavioral intervention with youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who are on juvenile probation with a juvenile delinquent status. This is an innovative way of using the SMART program from previous studies. Results of this effort reveal that participants exhibited modest improvements from pre-test to post-test, although results were statistically insignificant. However, this thesis finds that there are important applications for computer-based methods of cognitive behavioral therapy in juvenile delinquency prevention which are currently underutilized as exemplified in Monroe County, New York. It is suggested that the local community corrections consider implementing cognitive behavioral programs using an action research model which emphasizes youth, family and community collaboration

Can Systemic Interventions Designed to Reduce Reoffending by Youth also Reduce their Victimization?

Previous research indicates considerable overlap between populations of boys who are victimized and boys who victimize others. This study was concerned with whether a systems-focused treatment program designed to address individual and systemic risk factors associated with the perpetration of sexual and violent crimes might also be successful in reducing boys’ victimization by others. Boys adjudicated for sexual offences who received ‘treatment as usual’ (TAU; n = 335) were compared with similarly adjudicated boys who completed the treatment program (n = 200) on their histories of contact with police either as offenders or victims. Despite their higher rates of pre-intervention victimization, the treatment group were victimized less frequently post-intervention than the TAU group. Continued offending was the strongest predictor of victimization post-intervention. These findings suggest that offending and victimization share common risk factors that may be addressed simultaneously within offence-focused treatment

Deconstructing the LGBT-Victimization Association: The Case of Sexual Assault and Alcohol-Related Problems

Research on lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) students has been gaining traction in the fields of criminology, victimology, and education, but available data lag behind the demand for studies on this underserved population. While LGBT students are often perceived to face greater risk of victimization and subsequent health problems than their counterparts, little research has investigated the mechanisms behind problematic outcomes for LGBT students. This research uses data from a Southeastern University to examine sexual assault among LGBT students and their experiences with alcohol-related problems. The results show that LGBT youth are at an increased risk for sexual victimization but that LGBT status does not have a direct effect on alcohol-related problems

How Prepared are Online Schools to Identify and Respond to Student Abuse?: Not Well, but There is Hope

In our rapidly-advancing technological world, little is known about school safety planning in online school settings. We expanded the Crisis Event Perception Survey (CEPS) to the Sustainable, Accessible, Feasible, and Effective (SAFE) Crisis Event Perceptions Survey to assess verbal, physical, relational, and cyberbullying prevalence and administrator preparedness in online school settings. We found that almost half of school administrators assessed were untrained in responding to physical (48%) and relational (43%) bullying and approximately one-third of school administrators surveyed felt unprepared to address physical and/or relational bullying in online schools. Furthermore, we found that only about half of administrators are trained about physical and sexual abuse. These results could be used to inform prevention and intervention methods for various types of bullying and abuse that occur in online school settings. We suggest an integrated, multisystemic approach to address familial, social, school, and community risk factors

Improving risk management for violence in mental health services: a multimethods approach

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Exposed and Vulnerable: The Consequences of Violence and What Schools, Families, and Communities Can Do to Keep Children Healthy

This Lecture was given at Georgia Southern University by Chad Posic