Adam Dobrin

Can Juvenile Justice Detention Facilities Meet the Call of the American Academy of Pediatrics and National Commission on Correctional Health Care? A National Analysis of Current Practices

OBJECTIVE. Despite the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics, just 53 of the ∼3500 juvenile justice residential facilities in the United States have received voluntary accreditation for facility health care from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. This suggests either that facilities do not meet the standards of care or do not seek accreditation. This study describes whether and under what conditions juvenile detention facilities (a narrowly defined subset of all facility types) adhere to some of the standards outlined by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and promoted by the American Academy of Pediatrics. METHODS. Data from 2 national censuses of juvenile justice residential facilities (n = 726) were used to describe detention facility performance in terms of 10 types of service provision, ranging from health screening to communicable-disease testing. Multivariate models predicting high levels of service provision were estimated. RESULTS. Juvenile detention centers partially meet some of the minimum standards. Most services can be garnered at some level; however, they tend to be provided on an ad hoc basis for portions of the population rather than systematically for the whole population. Detention centers most likely to provide a higher tier of services tend to be those that have longer average lengths of stay, are larger, and are government owned. There are also geographic and racial differences in quality and scope of health services. CONCLUSIONS. Juvenile facilities have been provided a single set of standards for a diverse system with tremendous variation across and within facility types. Detention centers are just one specialized type. Very few detention centers meet a minimum standard of care, which suggests that standards are simply not being met (hence the low levels of accreditation). The findings of this study call into question whether detention facilities with little in the way of health care infrastructure can benefit from National Commission on Correctional Health Care standards as they are currently packaged, regardless of whether accreditation is the ultimate goal.

What is known and not known about volunteer policing in the United States

Volunteer police have always been a part of policing, and currently field approximately 20% of the numbers of full-time paid officers in the United States. Given this long history and significant participation, it is surprising how little is known about this aspect of policing. This article reviews what is known about modern volunteer police in the United States, then explores what is not known. The implications for future research include a discussion of what researchers “need to know” and “should know” in order to have valuable evidence to guide evidence-based decision making for relevant stakeholders and policy-makers.

An exploratory international comparison of professional confidence in volunteer policing

Police volunteers are an important asset to communities and policing agencies but have been relatively understudied. Similar models of police volunteers have developed in the United States and the United Kingdom but these differ in the level of their preparedness and training. This current study utilises vignettes to examine the confidence of volunteer police officers from two agencies, one in the US and one in the UK. Results show that while both groups in the study are confident in their professional ability to handle issues at a policing scene, UK volunteer officers feel less confident about interviewing and administrative paperwork than their US counterparts.

State-level estimates of the number of volunteer police in the United States

To effectively develop and evaluate policing policies and practices, researchers and stakeholders need to know the numbers of volunteer police officers. Limited national estimates exist in the United States, but have shortcomings. This study collects state-level counts of volunteer police from all 50 states (and the District of Columbia), and finds that relying on state-level counts of volunteer police officers is not an effective way of capturing this information. The implications are discussed and a solution is suggested.

Risk of Suicide in Juvenile Justice Facilities The Problem of Rate Calculations in High-Turnover Populations

Two recent publications have reported vastly different rates of suicide in juvenile-justice residential facilities using the same data. Similarly, divergent rates were calculated on juvenile suicides while in custody using the same data in the 1980s. Using data from the Juvenile Residential Facility Census and the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, this article demonstrates the underlying differences in the suicide rate calculations by drawing on the historical and epidemiological literature. It highlights the arithmetical relationships between the rates and suggests which methods are best depending on the purpose of the exercise. Facility administrators may find beds-based rates more meaningful for comparisons on rates of suicide across facilities, whereas mental health professionals may prefer person-based rates to describe the risk of suicide in the juvenile justice population.

Examining the Relationships Between Jail Detention Deputies and Promotional Opportunities: Perceptions Across Racial Groups

Prior research regarding the relationship between officer race and job satisfaction in correctional environments has revealed mixed findings. Additionally, the link between perceptions of the promo...

Volunteer Police: What Predicts Confidence in Training?:

Volunteer police are used in both the United States and the Unite Kingdom to expand the services provided by full-time police personnel. The models of volunteer policing that have developed in the United States and the United Kingdom are based on the same concept, but differ in their level of operational preparedness and training. The utilization and confidence of these volunteer police in performing the functions of the police has been understudied. This current study builds on previous studies to develop a broader understanding of the confidence in training of part-time volunteer police officers by using a convenience sampling of three U.K. Northern Police Forces and three U.S. Florida Sheriff’s Offices. Results show the impact of individual-level variables on confidence in training preparation, with time since initial training having the largest impact. Later formal professional training appears to have little to no impact on confidence. Limitations and policy implications are discussed.

Public Health Data

Relying on coroners’ reports instead of police submissions, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics National Vital Statistics System presents another large system to report homicides. This chapter will describe the system, its benefits, and offers some comparisons to police data on murders.