The Risk for Readmission to Juvenile Detention: The Role of Trauma Exposure and Trauma-related Mental Health Disorders.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of childhood trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder, and trauma-related comorbid diagnoses on the risk for readmission to juvenile detention among youth in a large metropolitan area ( = 1282). The following research questions were addressed: 1) Does a greater number of childhood traumas increase the risk for readmission to detention following release? 2) Does the risk for readmission differ by type of trauma? 3) Do PTSD and other co-morbid diagnoses increase the risk for readmission? and 4) What role do demographic factors play in the relationship between trauma-related variables and risk for readmission? This study utilized the screening results of 1282 youth who were voluntarily screened for PTSD, depressive symptoms and substance use during their initial intake to detention. More than half of the sample was readmitted during the three-year study period, with readmissions most likely to occur within one year of release.

Impact of a Trauma-Informed Intervention for Youth and Staff on Rates of Violence in Juvenile Detention Settings.

The majority of youth in the juvenile justice system have experienced multiple traumatic events in their lives, including community violence, physical abuse, neglect, and traumatic loss. These high prevalence rates, coupled with the known negative consequences of trauma in childhood and adolescence, have led to a greater emphasis on implementing trauma-informed services and practices within juvenile justice settings. However, although many stakeholders and government entities have expressed support for creating more trauma-informed juvenile justice systems, there is still limited empirical knowledge about which interventions are most effective at improving outcomes, particularly at the organizational or facility level.

Post-traumatic stress and related symptoms among juvenile detention residents: Results from intake screening.

Background: Juvenile justice-involved youth have high rates of trauma exposure, physical and sexual abuse and PTSD. Several factors have been found to be related to PTSD symptoms in youth including number and chronicity of traumatic events.

Objective: To simultaneously examine the relationships between allostatic load (defined here as number of traumatic experiences), poly-victimization (exposure to two or more forms of victimization based on 5 of the 6 categories in Ford et al.

Targeting evaluations of youth development-oriented community partnerships.

Community-based partnerships (CBPs) focused on youth development (YD) have the potential to improve public health outcomes. These partnerships also present opportunities for the design and implementation of innovative, community-level change strategies, which ultimately may result in new capacities for positive YD. Evaluation-driven learning and improvement frameworks facilitate the achievement of these partnership-related benefits.

Selecting statewide youth development outcome indicators.

This article presents the process used to develop a set of statewide positive youth development (YD) outcome indicators to complement existing adolescent well-being indicators in New York State (NYS). Intended uses included program and community-, county-, and state-level planning; grant writing; evaluation; and outcome monitoring in coordination with national YD-oriented initiatives. A common set of metrics, if adopted, would promote consistency and information sharing across levels and purposes.

Capacity-building for youth workers through community-based partnerships.

Although positive youth development (PYD) is increasingly influential in the field of youth programming, core knowledge and competencies for youth workers continue to be defined. Youth serving agencies throughout the United States face serious obstacles in the creation of a stable and well-trained workforce, despite the presence of many talented and resourceful individuals who work with youth in the community. One strategy for organizational and staff development is through PYD-oriented, community-based partnerships designed to enhance youth worker knowledge and competence.