Category: PYJ — Library

Corrections, Jeffrey Butts, Other Products, Positive Youth Justice, PYJ -- Library

It’s Not About the Art; It’s About the Artist

We actually need young people who are bold, willing to challenge conventional thinking, and to break rules, but we also need them to respect others, to rely on logic rather than force, and to appreciate the corrosive effects of violence and exploitation. In short, our communities need powerful and creative young people who want to improve us and not simply to fight us. These should seem like obvious concepts to anyone working around the youth justice system, but it is often surprisingly difficult to implement them in practice. Continue reading It’s Not About the Art; It’s About the Artist

JohnJayREC
1, Community Interventions, Evaluation, Jeffrey Butts, Monographs, PYJ -- Library

Recidivism Reconsidered

Jeffrey A. Butts and Vincent Schiraldi Recidivism is not a robust measure of effectiveness for community corrections agencies. When used as the sole measure of effectiveness, recidivism misleads policymakers and the public, encourages inappropriate comparisons of dissimilar populations, and focuses policy on negative rather than positive outcomes. Policymakers who focus on recidivism as evidence of justice effectiveness are confusing a complex, bureaucratic indicator of system … Continue reading Recidivism Reconsidered

JohnJayREC
1 slider, Community Interventions, Emily Pelletier, Evaluation, Jeffrey Butts, JohnJayREC Products, Lila Kazemian, Monographs, Policy & Practice Reforms, PYJ -- Library

Positive Outcomes

This report reviews a number of prominent frameworks that are available to help youth justice systems rely on positive outcomes rather than recidivism to measure their effectiveness. These include the Developmental Assets model, the 5Cs model, the Youth Program Quality Assessment model, the Positive Youth Justice model, and the Youth Thrive framework. Each model or framework aligns with the key principles of positive youth development as well as the large body of research on desistance from crime, which is also presented in this report. Continue reading Positive Outcomes

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PYJ -- Library

Chronicle of Social Change

The Chronicle of Social Change published a series of articles on applications of the Positive Youth Justice model. In the first summary article, John Kelly points out that the youth justice system tries to intervene in many areas of a young person’s life. Substance abuse, serious mental health disorders, family problems and a history of abuse. These are the problems that current policies assume fuel … Continue reading Chronicle of Social Change

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PYJ -- Library

PYJ in the UK

Positive Youth Justice: Children First, Offenders Second This topical book moves beyond established critiques to outline a model of positive youth justice: Children First, Offenders Second (CFOS). Already in use in Wales, the proposed model promotes child-friendly, diversionary, inclusive, engaging, promotional practice and legitimate partnership between children and adults which can serve as a blueprint for other local authorities and countries. Setting out a progressive, … Continue reading PYJ in the UK

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PYJ -- Library

Adolescent Risk Perception

Shulman, Elizabeth P. and Elizabeth Cauffman (2013). Reward-Biased Risk Appraisal and Its Relation to Juvenile Versus Adult Crime. Law & Human Behavior, 37(6): 412-423. Journal site Patricia Zapf provides this helpful this helpful summary. The authors note that “the nature of adolescent risk perception may not only increase the chances of criminal behavior, it may interfere with the deterrent intent of legal sanctions. If, as … Continue reading Adolescent Risk Perception

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