Primary Care to the Rescue, Again! Autopsy and the Death Certificate

An pre and post testing, an educational module, a presentation, and a dot phrase were developed to improve providers\u27 knowledge of the hospital autopsy and the correct completion of death certificates.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1317/thumbnail.jp

Douglas County Youth Impact Successes Evaluation Report

Douglas County Youth Impact! is a practice model designed to prevent “crossover” youth from moving further into the child welfare or juvenile justice systems. The target population for this initiative is youth that meet the following criteria: 1) the youth must have been referred to the County Attorney’s office for: a) a status offense, or b) a law violation; and 2) the youth has a child welfare case which is: a) open, b) closed within the last 12 months, c) voluntary, or d) court-involved

Douglas County Youth Impact Challenges Evaluation Report

Douglas County Youth Impact! is a practice model designed to prevent “crossover” youth from moving further into the child welfare or juvenile justice systems. The target population for this initiative is youth that meet the following criteria: 1) the youth must have been referred to the County Attorney’s office for: a) a status offense, or b) a law violation; and 2) the youth has a child welfare case which is: a) open, b) closed within the last 12 months, c) voluntary, or d) court-involved

STATUS OFFENDERS AND THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM

Status offenses are noncriminal acts that are considered law violations because the offender is a minor; status offenders in the juvenile justice system are often first-time offenders and pose low-risk to society. Status offenders become involved in the justice system primarily by displaying problem behaviors that result in school personnel or law enforcement response, which may lead to a referral to the County Attorney. Once the juvenile has been referred, they may be diverted or further entrenched in the system. Net widening occurs when low-risk youth are brought under the purview of the court and juvenile system – this punishment a) is often more severe than the crime, b) does not accurately reflect the juvenile’s risk for future offending, and c) may make it more difficult to get out of the system. Impact of net widening and formal system involvement: aggravation of juveniles’ mental health problems, promote further criminal offending, deepen the level of systeminvolvement, and increase the odds of negative outcomes as an adult. Recommended best practice standards for status offenders: 1. Non-intervention for low-risk, status offenders 2. Limiting the restrictions placed on low-risk youth in the system, as these often raise the risk of technical violations 3. Implementing evidence-based programs that focus on preventio

RESTRICTED HOUSING AMONG JUVENILE POPULATIONS

Restricted housing among juvenile populations – the social and physical isolation of certain youth from other juveniles, recreational time, and educational materials – is a punitive method employed by juvenile correctional facilities that restricts youths’ physical movement for a prolonged period of time. Nebraska houses the third highest per capita number of juveniles residing in detention, correctional, or residential facilities in the United States, and many facilities across the state report using restricted housing for much longer period than surrounding states. Due to their age and associated developmental needs (e.g., brain development, social interactions, etc.), juveniles are at higher risk for experiencing negative effects of restricted housing, such as psychosis, suicidal ideation/attempts, depression, and anxiety. Further, the use of isolation may exacerbate existing mental and emotional problems among juveniles. Restricted housing is strongly linked to suicide attempts, in situations where juveniles are unattended and unmonitored. Moreover, juveniles in restricted housing are unable to access positive and prosocial activities or educational programming, and are thus “doubly punished” while in isolation. Due to the negative effects of restricted housing among juveniles, NCJR recommends the adoption of best practice standards for the use of restricted housing for juveniles in NDCS: 1) use restricted housing only as a temporary response to behavior that threatens immediate harm to the youth or others, 2) limit the time juveniles spend in restricted housing, and monitor them every 15 minutes, 3) prior to using restricted housing, staff should use less restrictive techniques and rehabilitative efforts, 4) explain the reasons for isolation to juveniles and the fact that they will be released upon regaining self-control, 5) assess youth at intake for mental health, suicide, or other risk factors that may be exacerbated by the use of restricted housing, 6) keep designated restricted housing areas suicide resistant and protrusion-free, 7) and better understand the unique developmental needs of juveniles so as to minimize the employment of tactics (such as restricted housing) that can negatively affect healthy development

Responding to Crossover Youth: A Look Beyond Recidivism Outcomes

Crossover youth are involved in both child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) promotes collaboration between these systems to inform decision making between the two agencies and better serve these youth. Yet, few outcome evaluations of the CYPM exist, especially those that assess outcomes beyond recidivism, such as case dispositions, case closure, or placement or living situations. This study examined whether the CYPM (n = 210) decreased recidivism and increased system/case responses and positive outcomes among youth within 9–18 months after the youth’s initial arrest relative to a comparison group of crossover youth (n = 425) who were arrested 1 year before the CYPM was implemented. Overall, the findings suggest that the CYPM in the jurisdiction under study dismisses or diverts crossover youth more often, closes delinquency cases more often, and leads to more home placements than was previously done in the jurisdiction, but it does not significantly reduce recidivism

Supporting Department Chair Development: Learnings from the Leadership Cohort

This best practice presentation will highlight key features, benefits and challenges of a cohort-based leadership development program for chairs. We’ll engage with sample materials and activities used during cohort meetings and share recommendations for those looking to initiate leadership development programs on their campus

Rape and Mental Health Outcomes Among Women: Examining the Moderating Effects of “Healthy” Fear Levels

This study examined the mediating and moderating impact of fear of victimization on the relationships between forcible and vicarious rape on depression and PTSD among college women. Forcible and vicarious rape positively affected PTSD and depression symptomology, but fear did not mediate these relationships. Fear moderated the impact of forcible rape on PTSD, but was not a moderator for depression. Findings suggest that there may be “healthy” levels of fear in the aftermath of victimization where having too little fear may leave women unnecessarily vulnerable to victimization, while having too much fear may lead to social isolation and withdrawal

Factors associated with reporting of sexual assault among college and non-college women

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine factors impacting college and non-college women reporting sexual assault to police. The goal is to increase knowledge regarding differences in the rates of reporting and reasons for reporting across these two groups. Design/methodology/approach Participants were drawn from a national telephone survey of US women and a sample of US college women. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine factors influencing the reporting of sexual assault to police. Findings Non-college women were more likely than college women to report to police. Women who perceived their victimization as rape were much more likely to report to the police and women who had contact with a helping agency were also much more likely to report their assault. Contacting a helping agency is more relevant to non-college women’s reporting to police, while considering the assault a rape is more important for college women. Practical implications The results suggest that significant work is needed to encourage women in college to view sexual assaults as worthy of reporting. Boosting victim awareness and access to services is paramount. Providing education and empowerment to student victims to inform their perceptions about the definition of rape is vital, as women perceiving sexual assault as rape are more likely to report the incident. Originality/value The research significantly adds to the literature indicating differences in rates of reporting and the factors that impact reporting uniquely for college vs non-college women

The Importance of Interagency Collaboration for Crossover Youth

Crossover or dually-involved youth are youth enmeshed in the child welfare (CWS) and juvenile justice systems (JJS). Given their dual status and high needs, attention has recently focused on how to best respond to them in an integrated, interagency fashion. The Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) is designed to facilitate interagency collaboration between the CWS and JJS in order to enhance services and diversion to these youth. This study reports on the benefits and challenges that the JJS and CWS, as well as the personnel working within them, experience by participating in a CYPM effort in a Midwestern county, and provides recommendations for continued improvements in interagency collaborations for crossover youth