Listening is Key When Working with Juvenile Offenders and Their Families

Criminal Justice

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Criminal Justice

Community Psychologists study the interactions between law enforcement, the legal system, and communities defined by geographic, socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, and religious identities. Community Psychologists facilitate research, discussion, collaboration, and action to promote better understanding of laws and law enforcement within these community contexts.

Preventing Future Crime by Addressing Childhood Sexual Abuse and Later Non-Consensual Sexual Experiences in a Community Context

Posted in: Criminal Justice, Mental Health
Published in: The Community Psychologist
Trauma history is linked with later criminal activity. Rehabilitation through the Justice System is limited when it does not address the sexual trauma history of inmates. More work needs to be done to address the cycle of sexual violence within the community.

Is it Any of Our Business? How Religious Leaders Understand and Respond to IPV

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Criminal Justice | Tags: Research
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
Silence surrounding interpersonal violence among church leaders is referred to as the “holy hush.”

Student Voice Project: Policy-Informed Research on Youth Perceptions of the Baltimore City School Police Force

Posted in: Criminal Justice, Education
Published in: The Community Psychologist
‘The Student Voice Project,’ sought to highlight how students’ perspectives could shape local policy related to school police in Baltimore City.

Driving Transformation through Collaboration: Reflections from a Police Widow

Posted in: Criminal Justice, Inspiration
Published in: The Community Psychologist
Police widow Kassy Alia talks about how her community psychology perspective influenced her response to her husband’s death and lead to the founding of the non-profit organization, Serve & Connect.

Untested Rape Kits…Why?

Posted in: Criminal Justice | Tags: Research
A team of community psychologists, lead by Rebecca Campbell, conducted research to understand why 11,000 sexual assault kits were warehoused and untested in Detroit. Their work has influenced how police departments handle sexual assault kits across the United States.

Incarceration of Undocumented Families: A Policy Statement by the Society for Community Research and Action: Division 27 of the American Psychological Association

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Criminal Justice, Immigrant Justice, Public Policy
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
Jessica Chicco, Patricia Esparza, M. Brinton Lykes, Fabricio E. Balcazar and Kevin Ferreira On April 5th Antonio Puente, President of the APA, sent a letter to the Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security raising concerns about the current policies regarding the incarceration of migrant families. That letter was based largely on the SCRA Statement. EXECUTIVE […]

How Specific Police Biases Influence Criminal Investigations of Rape

Posted in: Criminal Justice, Marginalized Groups
In 2009, about 11,000 sexual assault evidence collection kits were found in a police storage facility in a large, predominately Black Midwestern city. The majority of these kits had never been tested by a crime laboratory, meaning the potential evidence therein could not be used to investigate and prosecute the sexual assault. This begs the […]

Strengthening Schools by Building Community Partnerships with Law Enforcement, Behavioral Health Services, and Family Supports

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Criminal Justice, Education | Tags: Practice
Judith Meyers, Jeana Bracey, and Jeffery Vanderploeg, with Ashley Simons-Rudolph “By diverting youth from juvenile justice involvement and connecting them to resources that address the underlying issues that contribute to challenging behaviors, there is a triple benefit of better outcomes for youth, better outcomes for schools, and significant cost savings.” The Connecticut School-Based Diversion Initiative […]

Reducing Conflict and Promoting Community through Youth Gardening

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Criminal Justice, Environment
Published in: The Community Psychologist
The SCRA Social Justice Mini-grant program provided seeds for the development of a vegetable garden for youth at a detention center (Boy’s Totem Town) located St. Paul, MN. Beginning in May 2017, youth participated in a vegetable garden program that taught them the principles of environmental sustainability, healthful and nutritious diets, and responsible ecological practices.

Listening is Key When Working with Juvenile Offenders and Their Families

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Criminal Justice | Tags: Research
Youth who become involved in the juvenile justice system are at increased risk for a range of negative outcomes. With early interventions, such as Juvenile Drug Court (JDC), long-term outcomes are likely to improve.