Incarcerated Women's Perceptions of the Role Model Prison Officer as Procedurally Just.

Studies applying procedural justice to the prison context have largely been quantitative and sampled men. These studies have explored prisoner's procedural justice perceptions of the police and courts, but whether and to what extent their perceptions of the prison officer are associated with procedural justice is unknow. This study extends this research by qualitatively exploring how a sample of women incarcerated in an American prison perceive the role model prison officer and if their perceptions of the model officer are in line with the tenants of procedural justice theory. Findings reveal women's perceptions of the model prison officer as procedurally just and point to the value of correctional officers developing strategies that enhance the procedural justice aspects of their encounters with women in prison.

Effects of personality disorder and impulsivity on emotional adaptations in prison among women offenders.

The present study sought to better understand the influence of personality disorders and impulsivity on women's ability to adapt to incarceration. We analyzed the influence of personality disorders as screened with the structured clinical interview for personality disorders, and impulsivity as assessed with the Barratt impulsivity scale on depression and anxiety, sleeping problems, and feeling afraid of being attacked in prison among a large sample of women incarcerated in a Virginia prison. Results from regression models indicated that schizotypal, borderline, avoidant and dependent personality disorders and cognitive impulsivity were significant predictors of symptoms of anxiety and depression net of demographic covariates. Women possessing a diagnosis of paranoid personality disorder were at increased odds of having difficulty sleeping in prison and borderline, dependent, and paranoid personality disorder were at increased odds of experiencing fear in prison. Women who had been in prison before were significantly less likely to experience these problems. Implications of study findings for policies and practices involving women offenders are discussed.

Patterns of aggressive behavior and peer victimization from childhood to early adolescence: a latent class analysis.

The developmental period characterized by the transition from childhood and elementary school to early adolescence and middle school has been associated with increases in aggressive behavior and peer victimization. Few longitudinal studies, however, have examined the stability of aggression and victimization during this critical transition. This study uses latent class analysis (LCA) to examine patterns of aggressive behavior and victimization during the transition to middle school among urban, public school students (N = 458; Girls = 53%; Latino/a = 53%; M age at t1 = 10.2 years). Independent LCA models were conducted using self-reported data assessing subjects' involvement in aggressive conduct and victimization during the spring semesters of grades four, five, and six. Elementary school students in the fourth grade initially belonged to one of four groups identified as aggressor, victim, aggressor-victim, and uninvolved latent classes. Contrary to prior research, membership in these classes changed significantly by the time students completed their first year of middle school with most youth participating in episodes of aggression and victimization during the transition. Six common paths that describe patterns of aggressive behavior and victimization from the last two years of elementary school to the first year of middle school were found. Findings are discussed in the context of social dominance theory and prior research that has found greater stability in aggression and victimization among early adolescents.

Comparing Women's and Men's Sexual Offending Using a Statewide Incarcerated Sample: A Two-Study Design.

This study identifies the characteristics that distinguish between women's and men's sexual offending. We compare women and men currently incarcerated for a sex offense in one state using two data sources: administrative data on sex offenders in the state prison (N = 9,235) and subsample surveys (n = 129). Bivariate and logistic regressions were used in these analyses. Women account for a small proportion (1.1%, N = 98) of incarcerated sex offenders. In the population, women and men were convicted of similar types of sex offenses. The subsample was demographically similar to the population. In the subsample, women were more likely than men to have a child victim, be the parent/guardian of the victim, have a co-offender, and repeatedly perpetrate against the same victim. Findings suggest that women convicted and sentenced for a sex offense differ from their male counterparts, with predictive factors being dependent upon the age of their victim(s). Sex offender treatment interventions developed for men are poorly suited to and may have limited efficacy for women.

Enhancing Risk Detection Among Homeless Youth: A Randomized Clinical Trial of a Promising Pilot Intervention.

Homeless youth frequently experience victimization, and youth with histories of trauma often fail to detect danger risks, making them vulnerable to subsequent victimization. The current study describes a pilot test of a skills-based intervention designed to improve risk detection among homeless youth through focusing attention to internal, interpersonal, and environmental cues. Youth aged 18 to 21 years ( N = 74) were recruited from a shelter and randomly assigned to receive usual case management services or usual services plus a 3-day manualized risk detection intervention. Pretest and posttest interviews assessed youths' risk detection abilities through vignettes describing risky situations and asking youth to identify risk cues present. Separate 2 (intervention vs. control) × 2 (pretest vs. posttest) mixed ANOVAs found significant interaction effects, as intervention youth significantly improved in overall risk detection compared with control youth. Post hoc subgroup analyses found the intervention had a greater effect for youth without previous experiences of indirect victimization than those with previous indirect victimization experiences.

Reentry Programming for High-Risk Offenders: Insights From Participants.

The mass increase in imprisonment of the last two decades has led to an increasing number of adults released from prison. Scholarly accounts of prisoner reentry have demonstrated that incarcerated individuals face barriers on release from prison and that intervention programs are necessary to assist their transition to the community. Here, we build from the insights of previous research by examining how high-risk offenders perceive a reentry program. Using a qualitative approach, our findings suggest that procedural and substantive justice affect their satisfaction and involvement with the program. This study highlights the importance of providing employment opportunities, social support, and fair and respectful delivery of services to assist incarcerated individuals transitioning to the community.

Inhalant use, inhalant-use disorders, and antisocial behavior: findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC).

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have explored the topography of antisocial behavior in a nationally representative sample of inhalant users. We examined (a) the lifetime prevalence of 20 childhood and adult antisocial behaviors in inhalant users with inhalant-use disorders (IUD+) and without IUDs (IUD-); (b) the nature and strength of associations between inhalant use, IUDs, and specific antisocial behaviors in multivariate analyses; and (c) the relationships between inhalant use, IUDs, and antisocial behaviors in a national sample of adults with antisocial personality disorder. METHOD: The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions was a multistage national survey of 43,093 U.S. residents. Respondents completed a structured psychiatric interview. RESULTS: IUD+ and IUD- respondents were significantly younger and more likely to be unemployed, to be male, to have never married, and to report family and personal histories of alcohol and drug problems than inhalant nonusers. Family histories of alcohol problems and personal histories of drug problems were significantly more prevalent among IUD+ respondents, compared with IUD- respondents. In bivariate analyses, IUD+ and IUD- respondents evidenced significantly higher lifetime levels of all childhood and adult antisocial behaviors than inhalant nonusers. IUD+ respondents were significantly more likely than their IUD- counterparts to report bullying behavior, starting physical fights, using dangerous weapons, physical cruelty to people, staying out all night without permission, running away, and frequent truancy in childhood, as well as greater deceitfulness, impulsivity, irritability/aggressiveness, recklessness, and irresponsibility in adulthood. Multivariate analyses indicated that IUD+ respondents had a significantly elevated risk for childhood and adult antisocial behaviors, compared with inhalant nonusers, with the strongest effects for using dangerous weapons, physical cruelty to animals, and physical cruelty to people. Similarly, IUD+ respondents differed significantly from their IUD- counterparts primarily across measures of interpersonal violence. Among persons with antisocial personality disorder, inhalant use and IUDs were associated with greater antisocial behavior, albeit with fewer and weaker effects. CONCLUSIONS: Respondents with IUDs had pervasively elevated levels of antisocial conduct, including diverse forms of early-onset and interpersonally violent behavior.

Enhancing Self-Awareness: A Practical Strategy to Train Culturally Responsive Social Work Students.

A primary goal of social justice educators is to engage students in a process of self-discovery, with the goal of helping them recognize their own biases, develop empathy, and become better prepared for culturally responsive practice. While social work educators are mandated with the important task of training future social workers in culturally responsive practice with diverse populations, practical strategies on how to do so are scant. This article introduces a teaching exercise, the Ethnic Roots Assignment, which has been shown qualitatively to aid students in developing self-awareness, a key component of culturally competent social work practice. Practical suggestions for classroom utilization, common challenges, and past student responses to participating in the exercise are provided. The dissemination of such a teaching exercise can increase the field's resources for addressing the important goal of cultural competence training.

Runaway and pregnant: risk factors associated with pregnancy in a national sample of runaway/homeless female adolescents.

PURPOSE: Homeless youth are at particularly high risk for teen pregnancy; research indicates as many as 20% of homeless young women become pregnant. These pregnant and homeless teens lack financial resources and adequate health care, resulting in increased risk for low-birth-weight babies and high infant mortality. This study investigated individual and family-level predictors of teen pregnancy among a national sample of runaway/homeless youth in order to better understand the needs of this vulnerable population. METHODS: Data from the Runaway/Homeless Youth Management Information System (RHY MIS) provided a national sample of youth seeking services at crisis shelters. A sub-sample of pregnant females and a random sub-sample (matched by age) of nonpregnant females comprised the study sample (N = 951). Chi-square and t tests identified differences between pregnant and nonpregnant runaway females; maximum likelihood logistic regression identified individual and family-level predictors of teen pregnancy. RESULTS: Teen pregnancy was associated with being an ethnic minority, dropping out of school, being away from home for longer periods of time, having a sexually transmitted disease, and feeling abandoned by one's family. Family factors, such as living in a single parent household and experiencing emotional abuse by one's mother, increased the odds of a teen being pregnant. CONCLUSIONS: The complex problems associated with pregnant runaway/homeless teens create challenges for short-term shelter services. Suggestions are made for extending shelter services to include referrals and coordination with teen parenting programs and other systems of care.