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Rebuilding Character: The Practices Of Positive Youth Development Teachers In A Youth Correctional Setting, Edward Anthony Cope

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a worldwide call for alternatives to current systems focused on restorative justice. The United States currently has a process but no plan in implementing effective programs for rehabilitating youth offenders. For many years, the prevailing idea in youth corrections has been that nothing works as studies continued to have difficulty pinpointing effective programs. Yet, over the last several decades, prison populations have risen dramatically, as have penal housing costs.

Positive Youth Development (PYD) offers a different framework focused on developing youth assets and promoting positive adolescent development. Derived from research in behavioral sciences, PYD programs promote the development …