Appendix F -- Section 5: Break the Cycle of Violence by Addressing Youth Victimization, Abuse, and Neglect
Introduction | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4 | Section 5
Section 6 | Section 7 | Section 8 | ConclusionAddressing Confidentiality of Records in Searches for Missing Children. 1995 (February). Final Report. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 155183.
This report is designed to assess and make recommendations about law enforcement access to children's records held by schools, hospitals, child welfare agencies, and shelters. It also includes a State-by-State breakdown of the various legal restraints on and requirements for the release of agency record information in missing children cases.
Bank, L., G.R. Patterson, and J.B. Reid. 1987 (Spring). Delinquency prevention through training parents in family management. Behavior Analyst 10(1):75-82. NCJ 111563.
This article examines how parental attitudes about and involvement in crime affect the attitudes and behavior of children. Children whose parents are aggressive and who witness or are victims of violence in the home are likely to become aggressive and violent adolescents and young adults. Programs that prevent parents from becoming involved in crime could prevent their children from becoming criminals.
Barthel, J. 1992. For Children's Sake: The Promise of Family Preservation. New York, N.Y.: Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. NCJ 136387.
The family preservation movement is based on the premise that children need permanent, safe families. This report examines characteristics of family preservation programs, program evaluation, child welfare legislation efforts, and funding for child welfare services.
Bastian, L.D., and B.M. Taylor. 1994 (December). Young Black Male Victims. Crime Data Brief. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 147004.
This brief reviews the findings of the National Crime Victimization Survey that show that young African-American males have a significantly higher probability of being victims of violent crime than other members of the population.
Bergquist, C., G. Pope, and K. Corliss. 1995 (June). Evaluation of Michigan's Families First Program. Summary Report. Lansing, Mich.: Michigan Department of Social Services. NCJ 160072.
This analysis reports on the effectiveness of the Families' First Program that offers an alternative to out-of-home placement of children. In this program, private contractor social service agencies provide time-limited in-home family services designed to strengthen and preserve the family unit. The evaluation found that the program was well-supported, effective in preserving families, and cost effective when compared with foster care services.
Bridging the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems. 1995 (June). Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 152155.
This bulletin highlights the coordination of Federal efforts focusing on family preservation, early intervention, delinquency prevention, and improvement of the court's response to children's needs.
Cantelon, S.L. 1994 (March). Family Strengthening for High-Risk Youth. Fact Sheet #8. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ FS009408.
This fact sheet summarizes Strengthening America's Families: Promising Parenting Strategies for Delinquency Prevention, written in September 1993. (See annotation under K. Kumpfer in this section.)
CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children . . . A Child's Voice in Court. 1988. Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 111392.
This bulletin describes the CASA program of providing volunteers to act as advocates before the court system for allegedly abused, neglected, or abandoned children. CASA volunteers can effectively and inexpensively investigate placement needs for these children and articulate those needs before the court.
Checkoway, B., and J. Finn. 1992. Young People as Community Builders. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Center for the Study of Youth Policy, School of Social Work, University of Michigan. NCJ 146437.
This report presents the results of a pilot study of community-based youth initiatives. Case studies on each initiative include background information on the initiative, description of activities and achievements, and analysis of factors affecting participation. The report identifies common themes found in these programs.
Child Abuse: Prelude to Delinquency? 1985. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 104275.
This report examines and synthesizes empirical research on the link between child abuse and juvenile delinquency and offers recommendations for policy and future research.
Child Maltreatment 1992: Reports From the States to the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. 1994. McLean, Va.: National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. NCJ 149527.
This report presents data collected from child abuse and neglect reports investigated by State agencies in 1992 and provides trend data for 1990 through 1992. Figures, appended tables, and State-by-State program information are included.
Collier, W.V., and R.H. Hill. 1993 (June). Family Ties, Intensive Family Preservation Services Program: An Evaluation Report. New York, N.Y.: Department of Juvenile Justice, City of New York. NCJ 145613.
This evaluation reports on the effectiveness of the Family Ties program that is designed to avert juvenile placements and reduce recidivism. The findings show that the program averted from placement 65 percent of the juvenile cases referred by the Family Court, reduced recidivism by 80 percent for the first 12 months, was highly cost-beneficial, and was liked by the youth and parents who entered the program.
Dawson, J., and P. Langan. 1994. Murder in Families. Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 143498.
This document provides a survey of homicide cases disposed in courts in 33 large urban counties in 1988. Findings show that 16 percent of murder victims were members of the defendant's family; 64 percent were murdered by friends or acquaintances; and 20 percent were killed by strangers.
Delany-Shabazz, R. 1995 (June). VOCA: Helping Victims of Child Abuse. Fact Sheet #26. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ FS009526.
This fact sheet highlights the Victims of Child Abuse (VOCA) Act and the development and implementation of regional and local children's advocacy centers.
Delinquency Prevention Works. 1995 (May). Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 155006.
See introduction for annotation.
Eron, L.D., J. Gentry, and P. Schlegel, eds. 1994. Reason to Hope: A Psychosocial Perspective on Violence and Youth. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. NCJ 158633.
See section 2 for annotation.
Family Strengthening in Preventing Delinquency: A Literature Review. 1994. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 150222.
This report examines literature on family structure and its relationship to the development of delinquency in juveniles. It also reviews family strengthening approaches and models and the current status of family strengthening programming.
Farrington, D.P., et al. 1990. Advancing knowledge about the onset of delinquency and crime. In B.B. Lahey and A.E. Kazdin, eds. Advances in Clinical Child Psychology. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 146110.
This chapter shows that the best predictors of adolescent aggression and subsequent violent and criminal behavior were measures of economic deprivation, family criminality, poor child-rearing, school failure, hyperactivity, attention deficit, and anti-social child behavior.
Goldstein, A.P., et al. 1989. Reducing Delinquency: Intervention in the Community. Fairview Park, N.Y.: Pergamon Press. NCJ 128560.
This book describes the components and administration of Aggression Replacement Training, which is designed to alter the behavior of delinquent juveniles to facilitate their positive functioning in the community.
Hardin, M. 1992. Judicial Implementation of Permanency Planning Reform: One Court That Works. Washington, D.C.: American Bar Association. NCJ 160073.
This book describes the Hamilton County Juvenile Court in Cincinnati, OH, which is considered a state-of-the-art court for efficient case management, strong administration, sufficient resources, thorough hearings, and a high level of judicial expertise. This book discusses costs, staffing, organization, and the court's hearing process.
Helping Victims and Witnesses in the Juvenile Justice System: A Program Handbook. 1991. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 139731.
This handbook offers guidance in establishing and operating victim/witness assistance programs in the juvenile justice system. It identifies model programs and provides resources for additional information.
Howell, J.C., ed. 1995 (May). Guide for Implementing the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 153681.
See introduction for annotation.
Hwalick, M. 1992 (August). 1992 Evaluation of Teens, Crime, and the Community. Bingham Farms, Mich.: Social Program Evaluators and Consultants, Inc. NCJ 160074.
This report describes the Teens, Crime, and the Community (TCC) program, analyzing its effectiveness in preventing juvenile crime.
Jencks, C. 1992. Rethinking Social Policy: Race, Poverty, and the Underclass. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. NCJ 160075.
This book critiques equal opportunity and affirmative action plans; considers ghetto culture, the politics of heredity, and growth of the African-American underclass; and states that the safety net for single mothers undermines traditional social norms about work and marriage and that welfare in its current form is a social policy error.
Johnson, C. 1990. Youth service: Beyond noblesse oblige. School Safety 1990 (Winter):12-14. NCJ 122435.
This article details expansion of youth involvement in community service activities by describing programs that involve youth from a variety of economic backgrounds. Descriptions and addresses of 3 programs and addresses of 10 resource organizations are included.
Justice Programs on Family Violence. 1995 (June). Unpublished. Washington, D.C.: Family Violence Working Group, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 160076.
This unpublished report from the Family Violence Working Group in DOJ's Office of Justice Programs outlines the efforts of the various Federal Family Violence Program offices to identify issues, coordinate planning and funding, and disseminate information about violence against spouses and children.
Kaye, C.B. 1989. Community service with a smile. School Safety 1989 (Spring):4-7. NCJ 119224.
This article indicates that a growing number of organizations and school-based youth community service programs is helping students develop individual and social responsibility. It includes examples of programs and guidelines for starting a project.
Klaus, P.A., and M.R. Rand. 1984 (April). Family Violence. Special Report. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 093449.
This report looks at the findings about family violence from the National Crime Survey and considers the difficulties in estimating the extent of family violence in the United States. Victims describe experiences with family violence in response to questions not specifically designed to explore the subject.
Kumpfer, K. 1993 (September). Strengthening America's Families: Promising Parenting Strategies for Delinquency Prevention: User's Guide. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 140781.
See section 4 for annotation.
Lake, E.S. 1993 (Spring). Exploration of the violent victim experiences of female offenders. Violence and Victims 8(1):41-52. NCJ 145798.
This article examines violent childhood and adult experiences of 83 female inmates. It explores the possible links between victimization and offenses, and it measures physical abuse by parents, sexual assault by relatives, physical assault by spouse or live-in partner, physical assault by stranger, sexual assault by stranger, and robbery.
Lally, J.R., and M.M. Segal. 1994. Infants, toddlers and violence: Developing a community response. In J.D. Osofsky and E. Fenichel, eds. Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Violent Environments: Hurt, Healing, and Hope. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 145969.
This paper provides guidelines for the development of a child-care program that provides a safe haven for children living in violent communities. Findings are taken from the Family Development Program, sponsored by Syracuse University.
Mendel, R.A. 1995. Prevention or Pork? A Hard-Headed Look at Youth-Oriented Anti-Crime Programs. Washington, D.C.: American Youth Policy Forum. NCJ 153371.
See section 4 for annotation.
Moone, J. 1994 (June). Juvenile Victimization: 1987-1992. Fact Sheet #17. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ FS009417.
See introduction for annotation.
A Nation's Shame: Fatal Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States: A Report of the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect. 1995. Washington, D.C.: Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NCJ 157013.
This report contains 26 recommendations of the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, which was asked to recommend a national policy to reduce and prevent child abuse.
National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. 1993. Working Paper 2: 1991 Summary Data Component. Washington, D.C.: National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NCJ 143998.
This document details data collected by State child protective services agencies that were recorded on the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) Summary Data Component Form for 1991. Collected between August and October 1992, data were used to develop and refine the approach to collecting national information on child maltreatment.
National Commission on Children. 1991. Beyond Rhetoric: A New American Agenda for Children and Families. Final Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. NCJ 132443.
This report provides a basis for developing national policy on America's children and families. Published by the National Commission on Children, a bipartisan group established by Public Law 100-203 "to serve as a forum on behalf of the children of the Nation," the report focuses on problems of children and their families by examining the relationships among health, education, income security, and other forms of support at each stage of a child's development. It sets forth recommendations for individual action, public- and private-sector policies, and program development.
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. 1991. Recommendations for a Model Family Court: A Report from the National Family Court Symposium. Reno, Nev. NCJ 137883.
The Council advocates a justice system capable of addressing problems in dysfunctional families. In this report, it recommends integrating separate court divisions charged with adjudicating these problems into one court division to effect a more efficient and humane court operation.
Nelson, K.E. 1990. Family-based services for juvenile offenders. Children and Youth Services Review 12(3):193-212. NCJ 129914.
This article examines family characteristics, service characteristics, and treatment outcomes for 159 families referred for status offenses or juvenile delinquency to 8 family-based placement prevention programs. Findings support use of family-based services for juvenile justice problems.
Nelson, K.E., and M.J. Landsman. 1992. Family-based services for juvenile offenders. In K.E. Nelson and M.J. Landsman, eds. Alternative Models of Family Preservation: Family-Based Services in Context. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas. NCJ 143831.
This chapter details research that has indicated that family- and community-based alternatives are essential to the successful treatment of juvenile offenders. Data were examined to evaluate the effectiveness of these forms of treatment.
Olds, D.L., et al. 1993. Effect of prenatal and infancy nurse home visitation on government spending. Medical Care 31(2):155-174. NCJ 159027.
See section 4 for annotation.
Olds, D.L., et al. Forthcoming. The potential for reducing anti-social behavior with a program of prenatal and early childhood home visitation. Denver, Colo.: Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health and Home Visitation 2000. NCJ 160077.
This unpublished document considers the impact of home visitation on three risk factors for conduct disorder, anti-social behavior, and violence. Home visitation has been documented as reducing maternal substance abuse during pregnancy; reducing child maltreatment; and reducing family size, closely spaced pregnancies, and chronic welfare dependence.
Parent Training and Family Life Catalog. 1994. Studio City, Calif.: Center for the Improvement of Child Caring. NCJ 151286.
This catalog highlights a variety of parenting-related publications, training materials, and other products available from the Center for the Improvement of Child Caring (CICC). It also presents a schedule of CICC-sponsored parenting instructor training workshops.
Preserving families to prevent delinquency. 1992 (April). OJJDP Model Programs. Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 136397.
This bulletin describes elements of three programs found suitable for State and local replication and inclusion in OJJDP training and technical assistance programs. Programs are Targeted Outreach, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and Permanent Families for Abused and Neglected Children. The bulletin also specifies criteria used to identify model delinquency prevention programs.
ProKids: Speaking Up for Abused and Neglected Children in Hamilton, Ohio (brochure). 1994. Cincinnati, Ohio: ProKids. NCJ 160078.
This brochure describes the ProKids organization, which develops volunteer programs for court appointed special advocates in the Cincinnati area and nationwide.
Rubin, H.T., and V.E. Flango. 1992. Court Coordination of Family Cases. Williamsburg, Va.: National Center for State Courts. NCJ 140642.
This report analyzes families who come to court for divorce, juvenile delinquency, or child abuse and neglect matters. It reveals that a significant portion of these families had been to court for another family-related matter during the previous 5 years. It indicates the need to establish single forums for addressing family matters and to coordinate court actions in family cases.
School Crime: A National Crime Victimization Survey Report. 1991 (September). Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 131645.
This document presents a summary of responses to the National Crime Victimization Survey.
Schwartz, I.M., J.A. Rendon, and C.-M. Hsieh. 1994 (September/ October). Is child maltreatment a leading cause of delinquency? Journal of the Child Welfare League of America 73(5):639-655. NCJ 151432.
Exploring the assumption that child maltreatment is a major cause of juvenile delinquency, the authors conclude that existing research is inconclusive and flawed. To formulate a coherent strategy for solving the juvenile crime problem, quality research is needed, including the use of matched control groups for comparison purposes, control for socioeconomic factors in study samples, and separation of abuse categories and status offenses from other criminal offenses.
Snyder, H. and M. Sickmund. 1995 (August). Juvenile Offenders and Victims: A National Report. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 153569.
See introduction for annotation.
Speaking of Kids: A National Survey of Children and Parents. 1991. Washington, D.C.: National Commission on Children. NCJ 160079.
This report is based on the National Commission on Children's national opinion research project. The report examines changes in family life and documents perceptions of family life, parent-child relationships, time pressures, family structure matters, worries and fears, and support for teenagers. It concludes with recommendations for supporting and strengthening families, ensuring income security, supporting the transition to adulthood, and creating a moral climate for children.
Study Findings: Study of National Incidence and Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect. 1988. Washington, D.C.: National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NCJ 120295.
This study shows that the increase in child abuse and neglect reporting between 1980 and 1986 is probably not due to an actual increase in these areas but to greater recognition of the problem by community professionals.
Teenage Victims: A National Crime Survey Report. 1991 (May). Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 128129.
This report summarizes the National Crime Survey data obtained from household interviews. It estimates that 1.9 million violent victimizations were sustained by 28.1 million teenagers in 1988. It indicates that teenagers are more vulnerable than adults to both violence and property crime.
Thornberry, T.P. 1994 (December). Violent Families and Youth Violence. Fact Sheet #21. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ FS009421.
This fact sheet uses data from the Rochester Youth Development Study to analyze the relationship between juveniles who had been direct victims of child maltreatment and subsequent involvement in violence. Incidence of violence among this group is significantly higher than that of subjects who were not maltreated. Adolescents growing up in homes that have violence between the partners, generalized hostility, or child maltreatment also have higher rates of self-reported violence.
Thornberry, T., D. Huizinga, and R. Loeber. 1995. The prevention of serious delinquency and violence: Implications from the program of research on the causes and correlates of delinquency. In J.C. Howell et al., eds. Sourcebook on Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications. NCJ 157405.
See section 1 for annotation.
Toby, J., and A. Scrupski. 1991 (Winter). Community service as alternative discipline. School Safety 1991 (Winter):12-15. NCJ 128474.
This article concludes that community service is an appropriate intermediate sanction for delinquent behavior in schools, being more severe than afterschool detention or in-school suspension and less severe than long-term suspension or expulsion.
Tolan, P., and N. Guerra. 1994 (July). What Works in Reducing Adolescent Violence: An Empirical Review of the Field. Boulder, Colo.: The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, University of Colorado. NCJ 152910.
See section 1 for annotation.
Using Agency Records To Find Missing Children: A Guide for Law Enforcement. 1996. Program Summary. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 154633.
This guide contains information and ideas designed to assist law enforcement officers in obtaining and using records from various human service providers in order to locate missing children. It discusses mandated and voluntary access to records from schools, medical care providers, child welfare agencies, and shelters.
When a Child Reports a Crime: Encouraging Children To Report Crime and Responding Appropriately When They Do. 1992 (August). Washington, D.C.: National Crime Prevention Council. NCJ 139302.
This handbook seeks to help members of the law enforcement community as well as professionals in other fields who work with young people. It includes sections on citizen reporting obligations, how to encourage appropriate reporting, cultural sensitivity, and how to teach children sound reporting practices.
Widom, C.S. 1995 (March). Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse -- Later Criminal Consequences. Research in Brief. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 151525.
This document examines the criminal consequences in adulthood of childhood sexual abuse. It tracks individuals who experienced sexual abuse, using official records of arrest and juvenile detention to examine their subsequent criminal behavior. The study found that although all types of abuse and neglect in childhood put people at greater risk for arrest at a later time, victims of sexual abuse are no more likely than other victims to become involved in crime.
Widom, C.S. 1992 (October). The Cycle of Violence. Research in Brief. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 136607.
This document examines the hypothesis of an intergenerational transmission of violence, drawing on data from the disciplines of psychology, sociology, psychiatry, social work, and nursing. Although physical abuse experienced as a child leads significantly to later violent behavior, findings failed to show that every abused or neglected child will become delinquent, criminal, or violent.
Widom, C.S. 1989 (July). Child abuse, neglect, and adult behavior: Research design and findings on criminality, violence, and child abuse. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 59(3):355-367. NCJ 120866.
This article compares a large sample of physical and sexual abuse cases with a matched control group. Findings showed that although there were not higher rates of adult arrests for child abuse and neglect, there were more instances of adult criminality and violent offenses when compared with the control group.
Widom, C.S. 1989. Does violence beget violence? A critical examination of the literature. Psychological Bulletin 106(1):3-28. NCJ 142384.
This article presents a critical examination of several hypotheses regarding the cycle of violence. The author concludes that existing knowledge of the long-term consequences of abusive home environments is limited and makes recommendations for further research.
Wilson, J.J., and J.C. Howell. 1993. Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders. Program Summary. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 143453.
See introduction for annotation.
Wright, K.N., and K.E. Wright. 1994 (May). Family Life, Delinquency, and Crime: A Policymaker's Guide. Research Summary. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 140517.
This summary describes how positive parental involvement deters delinquency, while its absence or negative involvement fosters misconduct. Children who are rejected by their parents, who grow up in homes with considerable conflict, or who are inadequately supervised are at greatest risk of becoming delinquent.
Zingraff, M.T., et al. 1993 (May). Child maltreatment and youthful problem behavior. Criminology 31(2):173-202. NCJ 142584.
This article describes the research design that examined the correlation between child maltreatment and serious youth problem behavior that attracts the attention of juvenile justice authorities. Overall experience of maltreatment, but not the specific type or frequency, places children at a statistically higher risk of problem behavior.
Contents | Foreword | Acknowledgments | Introduction | Summary
Figures | Objectives | Conclusion | Appendixes