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The popularity, demand, and increased federal and private funding for after-school programs have resulted in a marked increase in after-school programs over the past two decades. After-school programs are used to prevent adverse outcomes, decrease risks, or improve functioning with at-risk youth in several areas, including academic achievement, crime and behavioral problems, socio-emotional functioning, and school engagement and attendance; however, the evidence of effects of after-school programs remains equivocal. This systematic review and meta-analysis, following Campbell Collaboration guidelines, examined the effects of after-school programs on externalizing behaviors and school attendance with at-risk students. A systematic search for published and unpublished literature resulted in the inclusion of 24 studies. A total of 64 effect sizes (16 for attendance outcomes; 49 for externalizing behavior outcomes) extracted from 31 reports were included in the meta-analysis using robust variance estimation to handle dependencies among effect sizes. Mean effects were small and non-significant for attendance and externalizing behaviors. A moderate to large amount of heterogeneity was present; however, no moderator variable tested explained the variance between studies. Significant methodological shortcomings were identified across the corpus of studies included in this review. Implications for practice, policy and research are discussed.

This paper sought to synthesize what is currently known about mentally ill offenders in American jails and prisons based upon the most recent government and congressional reports and relevant literature review. The primary goal is to provide a detailed picture of the status of mentally ill offenders—including prevalence, basic demographic information, bio-psycho-social status, mental health, and family histories—and also to identify the problems, conditions, and obstacles faced while under the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system. Mentally ill offenders are constitutionally guaranteed basic mental health treatment. A review of the literature indicates that this constitutional guarantee is not being adequately fulfilled. Implications and suggestions for change are discussed.

Objective: This study examined whether and to what extent researchers addressed intervention fidelity in research of after-school programs serving at-risk students. Method: Systematic review procedures were used to search, retrieve, select, and analyze studies for this review. Fifty-five intervention studies were assessed on the following components of intervention fidelity: strategies to enhance fidelity, measurement of fidelity, and use of fidelity data in data analysis and interpretation. Results: Of the 55 studies examined, only 55% reported well-defined intervention procedures, 42% used an intervention manual, 33% provided training on the intervention, 24% provided supervision for the implementers, 29% measured fidelity, only 4% used fidelity data in their analysis, and no studies reported the reliability of fidelity measures. Conclusion: Findings indicate an overall lack of attention to and reporting of intervention fidelity in after-school intervention studies. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.

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Studies of women offenders with respect to the continuing salience of two co-occurring and pernicious characteristics-mental health (including traumatic experiences) and substance abuse (including HIV)-were reviewed. Findings indicated that research on these interrelated phenomena bears directly on a population that has been historically understudied and poorly serviced. As findings on women offenders are inadequately integrated and lack conceptual direction, a biosocial dynamic framework is introduced as a potentially useful organizing tool for future research and practice. The authors conclude that as the correctional system continues to be a repository for persons afflicted with mental health and substance use disorders, sound empirical knowledge is particularly needed with respect to future service allocation for women offenders.

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