Trauma and Gang Affiliation Increase Likelihood of Committing Assault among Juveniles Admitted to Secure Custody.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the prediction of involvement in serious physical assault from risk factors collected during routine screening of juveniles admitted to secure custody with a focus on trauma and gang affiliation and an exploration of gender differences in risk. METHODS: We analyzed administrative data collected on 879 juvenile offenders (93% boys; M age = 17 years; 71% Black, 19% Hispanic, 9% White, 1% other race/ethnicity), including extensive data on histories of trauma exposure and other risk as well as gang affiliation. RESULTS: We found that participation in serious assault was linked to gender, gang affiliation, and both witnessing and experiencing various traumatic events. Contrary to predictions, we did not observe a significant interaction between trauma histories and gang affiliation in predicting serious physical assault. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma and gang affiliation are critical yet understudied aspects of violence perpetration in the justice-involved youth population, particularly among clinical child and adolescent psychologists. These results underscore the importance of continued efforts by clinical psychologists to enhance research and practice related to these issues for this population.

Trauma Exposure and Mental Health Needs Among Adolescents Involved With the Juvenile Justice System.

Justice-involved adolescents typically report high levels of lifetime trauma exposure, although research on juvenile justice system-wide screenings is limited. Further, there is little evidence from research on the psychological and substance abuse treatment related needs of youth relative to the trauma levels or types of trauma experienced by justice-involved adolescents. We documented lifetime exposure to traumatic events and its relation to psychological and substance use concerns in a sample of adolescents admitted to custody in the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission. This study examined lifetime exposure to traumatic events experienced by justice-involved adolescents (N = 627) using negative binomial regression modeling and zero-inflated negative binomial regression modeling to identify which adolescents have the greatest trauma exposure, and determine how cumulative types of trauma relate to youths' mental health and substance use needs. Adolescents reported experiencing an average of 4 of 17 traumatic exposures on the Life Events Checklist. The most common traumas experienced directly and indirectly were physical assault and assault with a weapon. Considering particular traumas, there were differences in exposures based on race and ethnicity, sex, child welfare involvement, and gang affiliation. Higher levels of some types of traumatic exposure were consistently related to higher levels of mental health needs. Results indicate that adolescents enter the juvenile justice system with high levels of polytraumatization. These adverse events are associated with elevated mental health and substance use needs that should be considered in case planning.

Mentors' experiences of mentoring justice-involved adolescents: A narrative of developing cultural consciousness through connection.

Mentoring provides a relational intervention that can promote positive youth development among adolescents who are involved in the juvenile justice system. The perspectives of mentors engaging these youth, particularly insights considered through a cultural humility lens, have been largely absent from the literature to date. This study examined predominately White, middle- to upper-class adult mentors' experiences mentoring racially diverse, working-class youth. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were completed with 23 mentors participating in a community-based mentoring program. Themes were derived from inductive content analysis. Emergent themes illustrative of the mentoring process included (a) establishing a connection despite differences, (b) identifying mentees' personal and environmental challenges, and (c) raising consciousness around structural issues. Despite coming from different backgrounds and experiences, mentors who worked with justice-involved adolescents were motivated to connect with their mentees. Mentors developed a greater awareness of structural challenges influencing adolescents by learning about the multifaceted experiences and needs of their mentees.

Considerations for Pursuing Multiple Session Forensic Interviews in Child Sexual Abuse Investigations.

Multiple session forensic interviews (MSFI) are a useful tool in the field of child sexual abuse forensic interviewing given the complexity of disclosures and the variety of child-centered needs observed in practice. This paper focuses on the Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas (CACTX) model for conducting MSFIs, illustrated by a description of the statewide training models offered to member centers and enumeration of the MSFI protocol guidelines implemented by one center. A brief history and review of the single session forensic interview (SSFI) is provided followed by considerations for MSFIs in order to establish the development of current and new practices. Clarification of terms are outlined with examples of cases to distinguish between multiple sessions and subsequent sessions. The MSFI guidelines presented demonstrate how an MSFI can fit with the SSFI model.

Searching for Truth: The Forensic Interviewer's Use of an Assessment Approach While Conducting Child Sexual Abuse Interviews.

This study examined the assessment approach interviewers use while conducting interviews to assess truth as narratives are gathered in children's disclosure statements by examining 100 forensic interviews completed at a Children's Advocacy Center. A descriptive review was used to examine the steps engaged by interviewers as they followed a protocol and content analysis was used to identify interviewers' questioning strategies as they assessed children's disclosure narratives during interviews. Findings indicate that interviewers apply a protocol in order to support advancing to a phase of eliciting details in children's narratives. Questioning strategies included using a variety of question types to progress from general to specific, incorporating interview aids sparingly as necessary, and integrating multidisciplinary team feedback. Findings suggest that an assessment approach is inherent to the process of actively conducting a forensic interview. Rather than assessment beginning strictly upon completion of children's narratives, this paper describes how interviewers incorporate an assessment framework throughout interviewing.

CHOICES-TEEN: Reducing Substance-Exposed Pregnancy and HIV among Juvenile Justice Adolescent Females.

OBJECTIVE: The feasibility and acceptability of CHOICES-TEEN - a 3-session intervention to reduce overlapping risks of alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP), tobacco-exposed pregnancy (TEP) and HIV - was assessed among females in the juvenile justice system. METHODS: Females 14-17 on community probation in Houston, Texas were eligible if presenting with aforementioned health risks. Outcome measures - obtained at one- and three-months post baseline - included the Timeline Followback, Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8, session completion/checklists, Working Alliance Inventory-Short, and open-ended questions. Twenty-two participants enrolled (82% Hispanic/Latina; mean age=16). RESULTS: The results suggest strong acceptability and feasibility with high client satisfaction and client/therapist ratings, 91% session completion, and positive open-ended responses. All youth were at risk at baseline, with the following proportions at reduced risk at follow-up: AEP (90% 1-month; 71.4% at 3-months; TEP (77% of smokers (n=17) at reduced risk at 1-month; 50% at 3-months); and HIV (52.4% 1-month; 28.6% at 3-months).

Legal decision-making in child sexual abuse investigations: A mixed-methods study of factors that influence prosecution.

Prosecution of child sexual abuse cases is an important aspect of a community's response for holding perpetrators accountable and protecting children. Differences in charging rates across jurisdictions may reflect considerations made in prosecutors' decision-making process. This mixed-methods, multiphase study used data from a Children's Advocacy Center in a suburban county in the Southern United States to explore the factors associated with child sexual abuse cases that are accepted for prosecution and the process followed by prosecutors. Data were sequentially linked in three phases (qualitative-quantitative-qualitative), incorporating 1) prosecutor perceptions about what case characteristics affect charging potential, 2) 100 case records and forensic interviews, and 3) in-depth reviews of cases prosecuted. Content analysis was used to identify influential case elements, logistic regression modeling was used to determine factors associated with a decision to prosecute, and framework analysis was used to further confirm and expand upon case factors. Overall, findings indicate that prosecution is most strongly predicted by caregiver support and the availability of other evidence. The decision to prosecute was found to include a process of ongoing evaluation of the evidence and determination of a balanced approach to justice. The decision to prosecute a case can be influenced by strong and supportive investigative practices. An important implication is that interaction among multidisciplinary professionals promotes communication and efforts, further enhancing discretion about potential legal actions.

Impact of Repeated Questioning on Interviewers: Learning From a Forensic Interview Training Project.

Forensic interviewers have a difficult job with high risk for career burnout and secondary trauma. Few studies have addressed how new forensic interviewers or trainees experience repeated questioning and multiple interviews. This study simulated the process of training new forensic interviewers through the creation of two interview videos in which social work graduate students participated as actors portraying the roles of interviewer and child. These films served as instructional aids preparing graduate social work students for professional child welfare roles while promoting research-based approaches to interviewing children about sexual abuse allegations. Qualitative data from two cohorts of student actors were collected to analyze interviewers' perspectives on repeated questioning and interviews in child sexual abuse cases. Two themes were extracted from the subjects' experiences: "It is emotionally taxing" and "Navigating the interviewer role is unexpectedly complex." Exposure to repeated questions and multiple interviews affected the performance and confidence of the interviewers.