Digital Commons Network^™

The Parolee Experience: An Analysis Of Pre-Incarceration, Incarceration, And Post Incarceration, Karen Ann Torres

Theses Digitization Project

This study found that the adjudicated juvenile offender population may have insight into barriers and obstacles that will impede their reintegration into society. If these issues were recognized and addressed, juvenile offenders could have a better experience as parolees when they were released.

Characteristics Of Independent Living Program Participants And Non-Independent Living Program Participants, Raymond Acevedo

Theses Digitization Project

This study identify foster youth characteristics that were more likely to lead to independent living program (ILP) participation against those foster youth who did not participate in ILPs.

Factors That Contribute To Resiliency In Former Foster Youth, Deanna Nicole Reyes, Phillip Parra

Theses Digitization Project

This research study focused on resilient, former foster youth. Given the vulnerabilities of children in foster care, what factors lead to participant resilience? Data was obtained from ten participants who were receiving independent living services in San Bernardino County.

Factors That Contribute To The Reluctance Of Mental Health Treatment Seeking Among African Americans, Natalie Nicole Majors-Stewart

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to perform an in depth examination of the major factors that increase the reluctance among African Americans to seek mental health treatment.

Merging Task-Centered Social Work And Motivational Interviewing In Outpatient Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Treatment: Model Development For Social Work Practice, Andreas Fassler

Theses and Dissertations

To advance social work practice and decrease the research practice gap, this dissertation followed a model development paradigm consisting of several phases. Based on the task-centered model of social work practice and motivational interviewing, a new combined model was construed. The two underlying models were analyzed and synthesized, using technical eclecticism as the integrative approach. The resulting combined model was described by guidelines and manualized. To test the combined model in an applied setting, a study was designed in collaboration with social workers at a substance abuse counseling center. There, the combined model intervention was implemented in an outpatient medication …

Teaching Parenting Skills In A Methadone Treatment Setting, Randy R. Gainey, Kevin P. Haggerty, Charles B. Fleming, Richard F. Catalano

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Family factors significantly affect children’s risk of substance abuse, delinquency, and other problem behaviors (Arthur, Hawkins, Pollard, Catalano, & Baglioni, 2002). Children of substance abusers represent a particularly high-risk population. Prenatal exposure to addictive substances and the medical complications that may arise are important factors that, from conception, place this population at high risk of drug abuse and other problem behaviors (Griffith, Azuma, & Chasnoff, 1994). As children of substance abusers mature, their lives are characterized by exposure to continued drug and alcohol abuse by family members, recurrent or chronic illnesses, frequent moves, financial troubles, legal conflicts, family disorganization, and …

Victims' Perspectives On The Process Of Seeking A Protective Order: Predictors Of Perceived Empowerment, Sara-Beth Plummer

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined victims' perceived sense of empowerment during the process of seeking a Preliminary Protective Order. A cross sectional survey design with stratified sampling was used to gather information from women seeking Preliminary Protective Orders in Richmond City, Virginia. During a six month period 89 women agreed to participate, for a response rate of 83 percent. In general, the sample consisted of women who identified themselves as African-American, single, with either a high school/GED degree, and/or some college education.Overall, the women found the steps during the process of seeking an Order, either easy or very easy. In general, the …

The Multiple Meanings Of Domestic Violence: A Constructivist Inquiry, Monica Rene' Leisey

Theses and Dissertations

Spurred by the work of the Battered Women's Movement, domestic violence has been responded to since it emerged as a problem in the 1970s. At first the response was providing places for victims to stay and recover from the violence while also providing opportunities for consciousness raising and empowerment work. As domestic violence became a more recognized problem, policies were created and enacted to end the problem. Through the 1980s and 1990s, changes in federal policies in regards to domestic violence were incorporated. The criminal justice system began incorporating such policies as mandatory arrest and no-drop prosecution policies as well …

Analysis Of The Association Between Socio-Demographic Variables, Juvenile Offending, And Formal Vs. Informal Juvenile Justice System Handling In A Non-Urban Sample, Stephen W. Phillippi, Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

PURPOSE: This study compares and contrasts first-time juvenile offenders enrolled in a community-based intervention program whose cases were processed either informally or formally, and examines empirically- and conceptually-relevant contributors to re-offending. METHODS: This is a longitudinal, secondary analysis of 1072 male and female offenders. The study includes descriptive univariate analyses; chi-square bivariate analyses of each independent variable with the dependent variables (level of processing and recidivism at both one and three years); and binary logistic regression analyses to identify significant predictors of the dependent variables. Independent variables include age, gender, race, family structure, marital status of biological parents, family income, …

The Theoretical Basis For Addressing Poverty Through Mixed-Income Development, Mark L. Joseph, Henry S. Webber

Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the theoretical foundations upon which the rationale for mixed-income development as a strategy to confront urban poverty is built. The authors focus on four propositions that draw from theories on social networks, social control, culture and behavior, and the political economy of place. They assess available evidence about the relative importance of the four theoretical propositions. They conclude that the most compelling propositions are those that suggest that some low-income residents may benefit from a higher quality of life through greater informal social control and access to higher quality services. They find less evidence that socioeconomic outcomes …

Fairness Issues In Law And Mental Health: Directions For Future Social Work Research, Jose B. Ashford, Jane Holschuh

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Concepts from the procedural justice literature in social psychology are examined that offer useful guidance for social work researchers with interests in investigating informal adjudications, speciality treatment courts, and other areas of the administrative process previously neglected in mental health services research. These theoretical concepts are offered as an alternative to the therapeutic jurisprudence framework being adopted by some social workers in the field of law and mental health. The issues outlined in this paper also draw on the health services and psychotherapy literature to highlight issues involving process and procedure as social justice and their significance for advancing a …

Economic Well-Being And Intimate Partner Violence: New Findings About The Informal Economy, Loretta Pyles

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between intimatep artnerv iolence (IPV) and women's participationin the informal economy (both legal and illegal) and their impact on economic well-being. This research was part of a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) study that was concerned with women's survival of childhood and adult abuse. For the 285 women that were in this sample, there were positive, medium correlations between IPV and various types of informal economic activity. Illegal informal economic activity, institutionalized informal economic activity, incarceration and physical abuse negatively impacted women's economic well-being.

Illicit Drug Policies, Trafficking And Use The World Over. Cathrina Gouvis Roman, Heather Ahn-Redding And Rita J. Simon., Sean R. Hogan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Caterina Gouvis Roman, Heather Ahn-Redding and Rita J. Simon, Illicit Drug Policies, Trafficking, and Use the World Over. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005, $75.00 hardcover.

Ua61/5 Social Work Newsletter, Wku Social Work

WKU Administration Documents

Social Work newsletter includes articles:

• BSW Scholarship: Engaging Students for Success in a Global Society
• Note from the Department Head
• Graduate Student Organization
• Meet Our New Faculty & Staff – Melanie Randolph
• Departmental Faculty: Scholarly Activities – Suzie Cashwell, Muh-Bi Lin, Cindy Snyder, Saundra Starks
• Phi Alpha Honor Society Inducts New Members
• Save the Date! – National Institute on Social Work & Human Services in Rural Areas
• Thank You . . . & Best Wishes – Serena Britt
• Focus on Field: Field Supervisor, Todd Hazel

The Severely-Distressed African American Family In The Crack Era: Empowerment Is Not Enough, Eloise Dunlap, Andrew Golub, Bruce D. Johnson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Numerous African American families have struggled for generations with persistent poverty, especially in the inner city. These conditions were further strained during the 1980s and 1990s by the widespread use of crack cocaine. For many, crack use became an obsession, dominated their lives, and superseded family responsibilities. This behavior placed additional pressure on already stressed kin support networks. This paper explores the processes prevailing in two households during this period. In the 2000s, children born to members of the Crack Generation are avoiding use of crack but face major deficits from their difficult childhoods. This presents both challenges and opportunities. …

Clients In A Mandated Treatment Program: A Needs Assessment, Sabrina Gail Eisner, Adriana Vazquez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of the study was to acknowledge legally mandated client's needs in their substance abuse treatment. De Jong and Berg (2001) found that practitioners could begin to build cooperation with their mandated clients by focusing on what the clients want. However, there are no specific treatment modalities for legally mandated clients.

Motivational Levels And Abstinence Rates In Substance Abuse Clients, Stephen Sean Borchers

Theses Digitization Project

Analyzes the motivation of clients beginning a drug and alcohol treatment program to see if their level of motivation affects their success in the program, as measured by drug screens. Thirty-six participants from the Perris Valley Recovery Program (PVRP) in Southern California took a motivation for treatment questionnaire reflecting their levels of motivation for treatment. Results of the study found significant relationships between clients' motivation to be in substance abuse treatment and clean or dirty drug screens.

How Youth In Transitional Housing Perceive The Independent Living Program And Aftercare Services At Cameron Hill, Savannah Vankummer, Richard Vela

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to explore how emancipated youth, who are clients of the aftercare ILP (Independent Living Program) and transitional housing program with Cameron Hill, evaluate those services.

Falling Through The Cracks: A Look At Factors Contributing To Non-Participation In Independent Living Program Services, Cheryl Joy Babb, Holly Sue Ninneman

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to identify the youth who do not participate in Independent Living Program (ILP) services and, if possible, to ascertain if any characteristics or factors appear to affect participation in ILP services. The study utilized a quantitative research method to assess ILP participation by extracting data from existing case records via a data extraction form created in conjunction with the San Bernardino County Legislation, Research and Quality Support Services Unit.

Child Sexual Abuse: Understanding This Multigenerational Phenomenon, Ana Maria Stockwell, Maria De La Luz Santana

Theses Digitization Project

This study examines the experiences of mothers who were sexually abused as children and who were later faced with their own daughters' sexual abuse.

Hiv/Aids Service Providers' Views Of Spirituality As A Mechanism For Client Coping, Jody Lynn Reimer

Theses Digitization Project

This study will contribute to the profession of social work by assessing services provided to persons with HIV/AIDS in regards to spirituality as a coping mechanism. A goal of this study is to encourage social workers to examine their own viewpoints regarding spirituality as a coping mechanism for clients with HIV/AIDS and how well they integrate this method of coping into treatment. Service providers within this population will be able to evaluate and improve their use of a client's spirtual world view as a tool for coping with iving with HIV/AIDS.

Domestic Violence And Its Link To Child Mental Health Issues, Vickie Lynn Sanderlin, Abraham Cruz Diaz

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to identify mental health disorders in children with exposure to domestic violence within their family.

An Evaluation Of The Impact Of Maternal Substance Abuse On Infant And Child Attachment, Rachel Clare Caudillo

Theses Digitization Project

This study examined the impact and extent to which drugs and alcohol, consumed by mothers prenatally and perinatally, has affected their capacity to attach to their children. It examined the role the dependent variables measured (i.e. drug(s)/substance(s) abused, demographic information) played in the attachment process. Data was collected from mothers currently participating in the perinatal substance abuse treatment at the San Bernardino County Rialto program.

Factors Of Effectiveness In Kentucky Nonprofit Social Welfare Organizations, Peggy J. Proudfoot Harman

Social Work Faculty Research

This dissertation is an exploratory, mixed methods study using grounded perspective to examine how stakeholders (including consumers, administrators, and practitioners) in social welfare organizations perceive effectiveness in the nonprofit social welfare sector. Focus groups were held in eight regions constituting the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) in Kentucky. A total of 25 people participated in the study. A theoretical framework of nonprofit social welfare organizational effectiveness emerged from the data indicating that the five most significant factors identified by stakeholders as constituting effectiveness in the nonprofit social welfare sector in Kentucky were (a) client services, (b) organizational structure (c) workplace …

The Inaugural Issue Of The Journal Of Knowledge And Best Practices In Juvenile Justice And Psychology

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Research Into Integrated Crime Prevention Strategies For Rail Station Environs: Final Report, Trudi Cooper, Terence Love, Erin Donovan

Research outputs pre 2011

The initial impetus for this project arose from concerns about responses to ‘anti-social behaviour’, especially by young people, in and around rail stations. The primary goal of the research was to develop a collaborative approach that provided a more constructive and integrated response that would produce benefit for local communities, for the Public Transport Authority, and for the young people themselves. In practical terms, this involved:

• Development of interagency collaboration processes to support agencies with diverse goals to participate constructively without loss of autonomy;

• Identification at a local level of the common issues of concern, their causes, and …

How The Justice System Responds To Juvenile Victims: A Comprehensive Model., David Finkelhor, Theodore P. Cross, Elise N. Cantor

Crimes Against Children Research Center

The justice system handles thousands of cases involving juvenile victims each year. These victims are served by a complex set of agencies and institutions, including police, prosecutors, courts, and child protection agencies. Despite the many cases involving juvenile victims and the structure in place for responding to them, the juvenile victim justice system model presented in this Bulletin is a new concept. Although the juvenile victim justice system has a distinct structure and sequence, its operation is not very well understood. Unlike the more familiar juvenile offender justice system, the juvenile victim justice system has not been conceptualized as a …

An Exploratory Study Of Neighborhood Choices Among Moving To Opportunity Participants In Baltimore, Maryland: The Influence Of Housing Search Assistance, James X. Bembry, Donald F. Norris

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examined the neighborhood choices of 150 families who participated in the Moving To Opportunity Program (MTO) in Baltimore, Maryland. The MTO program, utilizing an experimental design, provided intensive housing search and counseling services to the experimental subjects. This study found that the counseling services were instrumental in altering the subject's cognitive maps, and they were more likely to move to neighborhoods that were more racially integrated, safer, and, also, had higher levels of satisfaction with their new neighborhood. The authors conclude that the MTO program in Baltimore represents a clear case of public policy that, at least in …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 32, No. 4 (December 2005)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• THE ROLES OF BUDDHIST TEMPLES IN THE TREATMENT OF HIV/AIDS IN THAILAND - Tomoko Kubotani and David Engstrom
• QUANTIFYING SOCIAL ENTITIES: AN HISTORICAL-SOCIOLOGICAL CRITIQUE - Julian Neylan
• COPYING FAILURE: AMERICAN-STYLE WELFARE REFORM IN OTHER COUNTRIES LONE MOTHERS AND WELFARE-TO-WORK POLICIES IN JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES: TOWARDS AN ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE - Aya Ezawa and Chisa Fujiwara
• WORKFARE IN TORONTO: MORE OF THE SAME? A RESEARCH NOTE - Ernie Lightman, Andrew Mitchell, and Dean Herd
• FROM SELF-SUFFICIENCY TO PERSONAL AND FAMILY SUSTAINABILITY: A NEW PARADIGM FOR SOCIAL POLICY - Robert Leibson Hawkins
• AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF NEIGHBORHOOD CHOICES …

How Has The Violence Against Women Act Affected The Response Of The Criminal Justice System To Domestic Violence?, Hyunkag Cho, Dina J. Wilke

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study uses an interrupted time series design to examine the association between the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) and several different dimensions of the criminal justice system's involvement in violence against women. These include examining the domestic violence incidence rate, and rates of police notification, arrest, and judicial authorities' involvement. Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey from 1992 to 2003 is used. Results suggest that overall the incidence of domestic violence has decreased while police notification and perpetrator arrest have increased over time. Further, victim involvement with judicial authorities significantly increased after enactment of the VAWA. …