Transcript Schools, Families, and Juvenile Justice: Systemic

Schools, Families, and Juvenile Justice:
Systemic Responsiveness and
Delinquency
February 6, 2008
Janay B. Sander, Ph.D.
Jill D. Sharkey, Ph.D.
Roger Olivarri, Jr.
Diane Tanigawa
NASP 2008: New Orleans, LA
University of Texas at Austin
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Texas at Austin
University of California, Santa Barbara
Thank you
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Counties where participants were recruited
Society for the Study of School Psychology
Students at University of Texas at Austin and
University of California, Santa Barbara
Colleagues and experts who provided
guidance: Ed Emmer, Ph.D., Tim Keith,
Ph.D., Clara Hill, Ph.D.
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Rationale
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Juveniles are responsible for disproportionate
number of overall arrests
Multiple areas of functioning in various contexts are
related to delinquency
Juveniles are involved with several systems that
respond to their behavior
Need to address multisystem interaction that
influences youth (Valois et al., 2002)
Need an exploratory approach to identify themes
and create a model for further testing
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Research Questions
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What were the emotional, learning, or
behavioral needs of kids?
How did various systems respond to those
needs over time?
What are theoretical optimal responses to
reduce delinquency?
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Study Participants
Region
7 in California; 9 in Texas
Gender
4 girls; 12 boys (Age Range: 13-17)
Ethnicity
Latino (Mexican or Mexican-American) =7; White= 6; Latino/AfricanAmerican = 1; White/Mexican = 2
Mental
Health
ADHD (5); Depression (2); PTSD (1); Oppositional Defiant Disorder (1);
Bipolar (1); Alcoholism (1).
Parent’s
Living/
Education
Homeowner = 8
Homeless = 1
Unknown =3
Renting = 5
Offenses
Assault (3), Possession of a Controlled Substance (2), Graffiti (2),
Criminal Trespass (2), Possession of Marijuana (1), Arson (1),
Explosive Device (1), Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle (1), Curfew
Violation/Fighting (1), Theft (1), Truancy (1)
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Parent education: college degree+ = 4
training post high school = 7
high school diploma = 3;
< High school = 1
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Consensual Qualitative Research Process
Based on Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997
Initial Steps
Develop Research Questions
Choose and Structure Team
Select Target Population
Design and Pilot Interview
Additional Measures
BASC-2
Family Assessment Scale
Resiliency Youth Development
Module
Santa Barbara Assets and
Risks Assessment
Recruit Participants
Student Engagement Survey
Collect Data
(41 Interviews Total)
Complete and Check Transcripts
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Consensual Qualitative Research cont.
Develop and code domains within cases
Argue to consensus
Code Development
Grounded Theory Approach
Examples: PAR, DY, FT
Construct core ideas within cases
Argue to consensus
Auditor reviews domains
and core ideas
Revise Domains and Core Ideas
for each case
Add more cases
until stability is achieved
Within and Cross
Case Analysis
Develop Categories within domains
across cases
Auditor Review
Revise Categories
Examine Patterns
Audit
Revise
Develop Narrative
across cases
Describe illustrative cases
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What do kids need?
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Safety (freedom from gangs,
discrimination, abuse)
Education and skills to be
successful
Experiences of success and
mastery
Healthy, supportive
relationships
Positive, constructive, fun
leisure time
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Encouraging delinquency
Safety
Gangs, parental mental illness, low monitoring by
responsible adults, passivity or bystanders allowing
teasing, pressure and stress on administrators but
absence of clear solutions add to problem
Education
Boring classes, lecture style teaching, material
unsuitable to learner skills, rigid curriculum, large
classes and teachers who are overburdened.
Success/
mastery
Discouraging messages for different learners, few
mastery and discovery learning approaches,
intolerance for different strengths or weaknesses
Healthy
Shunning by community, separation from wholesome
relationships peer groups, adults who are stressed or unavailable
Leisure
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Cost prohibitive, unsafe areas, low monitoring, low
skills, no opportunities
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Systemic Experiences: Child
Schools
separate
child from
“good” peers
Child
develops
“bad”
reputation
Child has
behavior or
learning
challenge
Child is
stigmatized
and seeks
acceptance
Alienated
from school
and healthy
peers
Finds
“acceptance”
in gang or
drug crowd
Acts out,
probation,
skips school,
into drugs
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Systemic Experiences: Adult Roles
Leaders
offer
support
Teacher
willing to
help
School is
positive
Parent
wants to
support
child
Parents
trust
schools
Child has
challenge
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Teachers
feel
supported
Child
gets
support
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Increase
monitoring,
mastery and
success
promote positive,
engaging school
environment and
healthy relationships
(peers and adults)
Intervention /
juvenile justice
individualized
plans
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Maintain and
monitor access
to healthy peers
and activities
Schools
separate
child from
“good” peers
Child
develops
“bad”
reputation
Identify
challenge
early and
provide
support
Support parents and
teachers to address
child needs and
prevent escalation
Child has
behavior or
learning
challenge
Child is
stigmatized
and seeks
acceptance
Alienated
from school
and healthy
peers
Finds
“acceptance”
in gang or
drug crowd
Acts out,
probation,
skips school,
into drugs
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Foster, model
and monitor
healthy
relationships in
peers and adults
Accept the individual
(not the behavior) and
lessen need for
delinquency
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What was helpful to promote positive
choices?
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Adults who took the time to attend to
individual needs (classroom or probation).
Parents who persisted (cared, monitored and
had consequences) when kids made poor
choices.
Adults who were flexible within larger
systems to best address individuals.
Adults who had other adults supporting
common ideas, goals, and relationships.
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Systemic Responsiveness Theory:
Delinquency
Adult interest
in caring for
teen
Teen
level
of
need
Severity of
delinquency
Teen’s peers level
of needs
Adult skills to
see and
address the
need
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Colleagues/
peers to
support adult
role
Adult options
to address
child need
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Systemic Responsiveness Theory: “Angie”
Mom dedicated;
Teachers not
know Angie well
Angie:
social and
academic
needs
Some gang
influence in peers;
disinterested in
school
Mom insists on I.E.P.,
Angie truant to be near
“friends” at alternative
school
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School staff was
reluctant to help
initially
Truant and
probation
Schools
followed
letter of
rules
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Systemic Responsiveness Theory: “Angie”
outcome
Mom formed
respectful relationship
with P.O. and asst.
principal
Mom dedicated
and unwavering
Angie:
social and
academic
needs
Found new
friends thru
constructive
activities
Mom asked for different
approach at school and
with probation
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On positive
track now, no
new incidents
P.O.
adjusted
requirements
to fit needs
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Conclusions
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Every member of the
environment has impact.
Supportive and respectful
relationships are key for all
members of a system
Unmet needs exacerbate
problems throughout
Indirect resources can still
provide relief from stress
and challenges
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Limitations
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Current study is not in-depth of any single
case, so relationships between these
parents, their probation officers, and any
specific teachers cannot be assessed from
multiple perspectives.
The researchers are subject to bias, even
though precautions were taken, and the test
of the model in future data sets is necessary.
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Future Directions
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Further direct test of the theory proposed here.
Examination of the systems themselves, the community, work
or school climate as predictor of recidivism in juvenile justice
or alternative placements.
Focus on ways to enhance quality of interactions throughout
any systems and between all persons, not funding as only
solution.
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Student Research Assistants
Roger Olivarri
Laura Amoscato
Christen Holder
Tory Mauseth
Shasta Ihorn
Rick Morley
Summer Lane
Katie Trundt
Jenny Herren
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Undergrads:
Diane Tanigawa
Ana Auger
Yasmin Chacko
Shabnam Shirazian
Lizbeth Chavez-Lopez
Kim Hill
Elizabeth Norris
Ivonne Estrella
Laura Sass
Shereen Naser
Emily Biggs
Sarah Solomon
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For More Information Contact:
Janay B. Sander, Ph.D.
Jill D. Sharkey, Ph.D.
[email protected]
[email protected]
(512) 471-0279
(805) 893-3441
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