A Research Framework for Understanding the Practical Impact of Family Involvement in the Juvenile Justice System: The Juvenile Justice Family Involvement Model

Abstract

Family involvement is recognized as a critical element of service planning for children's mental health, welfare and education. For the juvenile justice system, however, parents' roles in this system are complex due to youths' legal rights, public safety, a process which can legally position parents as plaintiffs, and a historical legacy of blaming parents for youth indiscretions. Three recent national surveys of juvenile justice-involved parents reveal that the current paradigm elicits feelings of stress, shame and distrust among parents and is likely leading to worse outcomes for youth, families and communities. While research on the impact of family involvement in the justice system is starting to emerge, the field currently has no organizing framework to guide a research agenda, interpret outcomes or translate findings for practitioners. We propose a research framework for family involvement that is informed by a comprehensive review and content analysis of current, published arguments for family involvement in juvenile justice along with a synthesis of family involvement efforts in other child-serving systems. In this model, family involvement is presented as an ascending, ordinal concept beginning with (1) exclusion, and moving toward climates characterized by (2) information-giving, (3) information-eliciting and (4) full, decision-making partnerships. Specific examples of how courts and facilities might align with these levels are described. Further, the model makes predictions for how involvement will impact outcomes at multiple levels with applications for other child-serving systems.

Family-Centered Care in Juvenile Justice Institutions: A Mixed Methods Study Protocol

“…The Dutch government and the JJIs are convinced that outcomes for detained adolescents are more improved if their parents are allowed to meet and to talk with their child more often, to have direct and extensive contact with JJI staff, to join parent meetings organized by the JJI, and to have a say in decisions regarding their child. As research supports these notions [ 3 , 8 - 10 , 13 , 45 ], this calls for drastically revising current JJI programs [ 12 , 18 , 19 ]. Two JJIs in the Netherlands combined efforts with universities, colleges, and mental health centers within the Academic Workplace Forensic Care for Youth (AWFZJ) to introduce family-oriented care in their institutions.…”

“…Family therapy reduces criminal behavior of adolescents [ 4 ], and also improves family functioning [ 5 - 7 ]. Therefore, intervention programs for delinquent adolescents should focus not only on the youth but also on the family in order to have the adolescent abstain from criminal activities [ 3 , 8 - 10 ]. Such family-centered intervention programs could include family therapy [ 11 ].…”

“…Whereas family problems are related to youth delinquency, the protective effects of positive parenting should not be ignored [ 10 ]. Involving parents during their child’s detention is important for improved outcomes for youth [ 12 ].…”

“…Involving parents during their child’s detention is important for improved outcomes for youth [ 12 ]. Parental engagement and emotional support help to improve outcomes for youth in terms of treatment engagement, well-being, behavior, and recidivism [ 10 , 13 ]. Additionally, recidivism rates decline if parents are more involved with their children in juvenile court [ 14 ].…”

Families and the Juvenile Justice System

“…While a few national surveys have been conducted, the literature focusing on the experience of the family of youth in the juvenile justice system (versus adults) is not as well developed. 24,33–35 Within the limited published literature and reports, substantial family difficulties are documented. These challenges include struggling to stay connected to their youth during incarceration and structural barriers in meeting the terms of probation.…”