Predictors of Disciplinary Problems within a Juvenile Correctional Facility Michelle Painter Hanover College
Incarcerated Juveniles Indiana: 2386 (2010) 286 were female, 2100 were male Theft, battery, resisting law enforcement
Predicting Outcomes Some incarcerated juveniles receive few disciplinary reports and punishments and have a short stay, whereas others receive many disciplinary reports and punishments and have a long stay. What accounts for the difference?
Facility All girls maximum security correctional facility Average daily population: months (Median: 152 days) Restorative Justice Program (Dhami et al., 2009) Reduce re-offending Improve self-esteem and pro-social skills
Archival Data Approval of the Department Of Corrections (DOC) 2 databases: DOC (e.g., disciplinary reports) and Medical Services (e.g., medication) DOC numbers used to match across databases but then removed Sample: All inmates that were released from the facility between June 1 st and December 31, 2010 Goal: identify predictors of disciplinary outcomes within the facility.
Participants 111 females Age Ethnicity 60% Caucasian 26% African American 12% Hispanic 1% Mixed Ethnicity
Predictors Facility Therapy Visitation Individual Differences Mental Health Medication Ethnicity Age Disciplinary Problems JCR’s per month Segregation per month 2 outliers removed JCR's and Segregation are correlated r=.77 Standardized and averaged together
Predictors of Disciplinary Problems VariableEstimate p-value Age-0.41<.001 *** Disturbances of Conduct * Number of Medications * Adjusted R F16.95 p-value<.001 *** Note: ***p<.001, **p<.01, *p<.05,.p<.10
Age and Disciplinary Problems
Disturbances of Conduct Combination of CD, ODD, and other “disturbances of conduct” 93% were diagnosed with a mental disorder Previous Research Mental disorders were strongest predictor for delinquency in females (Welch-Brewer et al, 2011)
Disorders of Conduct and Disciplinary Problems
Medication 66% were on at least one medication 59% antidepressants 32% antipsychotics 27% mood stabilizers
Medications and Disciplinary Problems
Predictors of Disciplinary Problems VariableEstimate p-value Age-0.41<.001 *** Disturbances of Conduct * Number of Medications * Adjusted R F16.95 p-value<.001 *** Note: ***p<.001, **p<.01, *p<.05,.p<.10
Limitations and Future Directions Self-report jeopardizes accuracy: Trauma, drug use Qualitative Research Exploration of other facilities Examine the effects of time Direction of Influence Policy recommendations for predictors Examine medications in more detail Socioeconomic Status
Questions?
As medications increased, so did the amount of JCR’s
History of Abuse 30% experienced some type of abuse 20% experienced Sexual Abuse 10% experienced Physical Abuse 6% experienced Emotional Abuse This did not predict any of the outcomes
Visitation Visitation had no noticeable effect 29% of this sample received visitations Therapy Not a predictor 80% participated in at least one therapy session