Substance use is pervasive among youth, particularly among those involved in the juvenile justice system. Juvenile drug courts (JDCs) are a promising approach for delinquent youth with substance abuse issues. However, research regarding JDCs has shown inconsistent effects, and little is known about the specific components associated with positive outcomes. The current study examines data from interviews of JDC judges and team member focus groups in six JDCs from two contiguous southeastern states to identify stakeholders’ perceptions about what places youth at risk for involvement in JDC and the factors that may contribute to successful outcomes. In addition, we examine these stakeholders’ perceptions of the strengths and challenges facing their JDCs. Our findings highlight the importance of parents and specific strategies implemented by JDCs in influencing the outcomes of youth in JDCs and the importance of interagency collaboration and access to treatment and community resources for the overall success of JDCs.

Purpose As society becomes more technology oriented, cyberstalking is becoming an increasing concern. The purpose of this paper is to compare US state and federal statutory and case law to a survey of public perception of cyberstalking to examine if cyberstalking laws reflect public opinion. Design/methodology/approach A national sample of 303 participants ranging in age from 18 to 69 years (M=33.35, SD=10.45) completed a novel cyberstalking survey and demographic questionnaire. The survey encompassed participants’ perceptions about the scope of cyberstalking as a crime, views on punishment of cyberstalking, and behaviors they have engaged in online or experienced from others that could constitute cyberstalking. Findings Findings indicated numerous areas of disagreement between public perception and statutory case law, such as a public preference that cyberstalking be treated as a separate offense from stalking, that a threat of violence is not required for behavior to constitute cyberstalking, and that there should be a private civil cause of action for cyberstalking. Findings also indicated that a substantial minority of participants had engaged in or been the victim of cyber actions that could be considered cyberstalking, and that the public preferred sanctions other than incarceration for cyberstalking. Originality/value This is the first study to examine whether cyberstalking policy in the USA reflects public perception of cyberstalking.

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An individual's risk for future violent behavior may be considered in various legal contexts, including civil commitment, criminal sentencing, or suitability for parole. Among the assessment tools forensic evaluators use to assess violence risk are the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG; Quinsey, Harris, Rice, & Cormier, ) and the Historical Clinical Risk Managment‐20 (HCR‐20)/Historical Clinical Risk Management‐20, Version 3 (HCR‐20V3) (Webster, Douglas, Eaves, & Hart, and Douglas, Hart, Webster, & Belfrage, , respectively). Previous surveys and case law research suggest that these measures are widely used and perceived to be useful in aiding forensic clinicians. This study provides an update to Vitacco, Erickson, Kurus, and Apple () and examines the use of the HCR‐20 and VRAG in United States case law. A LexisNexis review revealed 134 cases decided between 1 January 2010 and 21 December 2016 that included the HCR‐20, VRAG, or both. Results revealed that these measures are typically introduced by the prosecution to inform opinions regarding general violence risk. In addition, consistent with previous research, these data suggest the introduction of the HCR‐20 and VRAG is rarely challenged and, when challenged, these challenges are rarely successful. However, data suggest that courts and parole boards may focus on specific risk factors (e.g., lack of insight) at the expense of other, more objective factors. Finally, we offer suggestions for clinicians who have transitioned to the newest version of the HCR‐20.

Training counselors in empirically-supported treatments (ESTs) far exceeds the ever-decreasing resources of community-based treatment agencies. The purpose of this study was to examine outpatient substance abuse group counselors' (n=19) adherence and competence in communicating and utilizing concepts associated with empirically-supported relapse prevention treatment following a brief multimedia toolkit (RoadMAP Toolkit™) training. Moderate or large baseline to post-training effect sizes for counselor adherence to toolkit content were identified for 13 of 21 targeted behaviors (overall d range=.06-2.85) with the largest gains on items measuring active skill practice. Post-training adherence gains were largely maintained at the 6-month follow-up, although no statistically significant improvements were identified over time for counselor competence. This study provides important preliminary support for using a multi-media curriculum approach to increase empirically-supported relapse prevention skills among group counselors. Future research should focus on finding ways to improve counselor skill level and to determine the impact of the Toolkit on client outcomes.