Johanna M. Thomas

Therapeutic Communities for Youths in Secure Care: Participant Characteristics and Predictors of Treatment and Postrelease Supervision

ABSTRACT The current cross-sectional, descriptive study utilized services data to examine the characteristics, treatment, and postrelease outcomes of 226 male (64.6%) and female (35.4%) youths in therapeutic communities (TCs) housed within three secure-care facilities in one Southern state. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that approximately 21% of the variance in amount of TC services received was predicted by demographic, psychosocial, and institutional variables. Girls received less TC treatment than boys, and participants with disciplinary tickets received more treatment than those without tickets. The binary logistic regression model distinguished between youths who were and were not placed under supervision upon release, with relevant predictors explaining about 40% of the variance. Implications for practice and research with youths in institution-based TCs are discussed.

Identifying Unmet Needs: Recommendations for Creating a Model Kinship Subsidy Program

More than 2.7 million children are being raised by grandparents and other relatives (kinship care) across the United States because their parents are unable, for a variety of reasons, to care for them. Caregivers face a number of physical and socioeconomic challenges and their access to services to address these problems is limited. Many states and social service agencies are exploring and struggling with policies and approaches to serve kinship families, especially those uninvolved with formal child welfare systems. This article describes the outcome of a study completed on behalf of a public welfare serving agency in a small southern state charged with determining how to best serve kinship families, given the States existing resources and congruent with best-practice models. The final recommendation to the State resulted in a three-phase program with a 5-year implementation strategy. Benefits to this discussion include an illumination of the process and critical factors to explore for program and policy developments that are generalizable to other states and systems working with informal kinship families.

Predicting program success for adult offenders with serious mental illness in a court ordered diversion program

ABSTRACT Individuals with mental illnesses are disproportionately involved with the criminal justice system and are now being diverted from jails to community-based supervision. This study examines secondary data from a state hospital, mental health diversion program. Logistic regression was used to examine risk factors that best predicted successful program completion. Results indicate that non-whites are more likely to complete. Participants in supervised housing, ever been re-hospitalized, diagnosed with a depressive or psychotic disorder or who had their probation revoked were less likely to complete. Findings indicate practitioners should provide a holistic and individually oriented treatment approach for success.

Assessment of a State TANF Funded IDA Initiative: A Case Study

Abstract Individual development accounts (IDAs), wealth-building programs for the working poor, have existed since the late 1980s. Current research suggests that IDA programs benefit families while contributing to local and state economies. This program evaluation assessed the impact of one state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)-funded IDA initiative. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from four agencies chosen using cluster sampling across the state. Agency programmatic and participant data from the last year of operation (N = 160) were examined. Agencies also provided contact information for three participants who had graduated and three who exited the program prematurely in the past year of operation. In person, interviews were held with agency directors (n = 6) and IDA participants (n = 11) were interviewed by telephone. Results indicate that 69% (n = 111) of IDA enrollees successfully completed the program. IDA participants who exited the program prior to completion also expressed benefits associated with the time in which they were involved. Programmatic and individual benefits and challenges reported guide recommendations for improving IDA marketability, participant outcomes, and organizational performance rates. A critical implication of the findings is the need to expand the use and design of IDA programs legislatively to better serve historically oppressed and working poor families more effectively.

Exploring the Generality of the Influence of Institutional Isolation among Youth on Crime

ABSTRACT Prior research indicates that institutional isolation among youth is a strong correlate of levels of crime across large units of analysis. The generality and robustness of these findings, however, remain an open empirical question that requires drilling down to a smaller unit of analysis. The current study advances the extant literature by examining the salience of institutional attachments among youth to violent and property crime relying on a level of aggregation that more accurately estimates a “neighborhood effect.” Results of our census tract level analyses suggest that institutional isolation among youth explains 35–56% of variation in property and violent crime across neighborhoods.

Letters to Children: Findings of a Program to Enhance Communication of Incarcerated Mothers and Their Children

ABSTRACT There is a scarcity of studies exploring treatment modalities specifically designed for the incarcerated mother. This paper presents findings from a program designed to help incarcerated mothers develop their ability to communicate and subsequently bond with their children by engaging in group discussions during a letter-writing process. Using mixed research methods from 16 incarcerated mothers, the participants reported (1) gaining insight into personal emotions and strengths around parenting, (2) strengthening of positive parenting strategies, (3) increasing ability to empathize with their children, and (4) increasing tools to enhance communication. The quantitative data showed significant improvement in the areas of seeing themselves as better parents and decreasing anxiety around parenting issues. The participants gave feedback for models developed for incarcerated mothers.