1,720,971 research outputs found
Juvenile Risks and Needs Assessment : An Examination of the Predictive Validity of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory for Juvenile Justice and Dual System-Involved Youth
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Criminal Justice - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Research has long found that youth with current or prior histories of contact with child welfare (CW) systems are overrepresented in juvenile justice (JJ) systems. Referred to as \u201cdual system\u201d youth, these youth have complex risks and needs and high rates of recidivism relative to JJ youth without CW contact. The unique characteristics of DS youth pose difficulties for juvenile risks and needs assessments (JRNAs) used in JJ systems to aid in decision-making and the development of case plans. JRNAs are designed to predict recidivism and identify the needs of youth similar to those whom the tool was validated on, and as DS youth are often considered a \u201cspecial\u201d population, researchers have expressed concern that JRNAs may not effectively predict recidivism for these youth. DS youth may face disparate treatment in JJ systems if the JRNA used to assist in decision-making possesses this \u201cdifferential\u201d predictive validity. Yet, very few researchers have examined this. The primary goal of this dissertation was to examine whether the predictive validity of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI), a population JRNA used by JJ systems across the world, differs between JJ and DS youth.The present dissertation used administrative data from a sample of 1,662 youth on probation in a mid-size Midwestern county-level Family Court (the Family Court) to address four research questions: 1) identify the prevalence of DS youth in the jurisdiction; 2) investigate differences in risk, as measured by the YLS/CMI, and two-year general recidivism between DS and JJ youth; 3) identify the predictive validity of the YLS/CMI in the Family Court; and 4) compare the predictive validity of the YLS/CMI between DS and JJ youth. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses and the derived Area Under the Curve (AUC) statistic were conducted to assess predictive validity in the full sample, JJ subsample, and DS subsample, and DeLong tests were conducted to compare the predictive validity of risk scores and levels within the full sample and subsamples, and between the subsamples. Logistic regressions were conducted predicting two-year recidivism by YLS/CMI risk scores and levels to supplement the ROC analyses, and interactions between risk scores or levels and DS contact were probed. The results indicate that just under 20% (N = 327) of all youth had current or prior CW contact in the jurisdiction. These DS youth had significantly higher average YLS/CMI risk scores and greater criminogenic needs in the areas of prior offenses, education, peer relations, substance abuse, family circumstances and parenting, pro-criminal attitudes and orientation, and antisocial personalities and behaviors, but were no more likely to recidivate than JJ youth. The ROC results from the full sample indicate that YLS/CMI risk scores and levels exhibit small to moderate predictive validity in the Family Court under study (Score AUC = .672; Level AUC = .610) and that the risk score AUC was significantly higher than the risk level AUC. Risk scores and levels both significantly predicted recidivism in logistic regressions even after controlling for other variables. The results from the ROC analyses by DS contact provide preliminary evidence that the YLS/CMI as a whole does not differentially predict recidivism for DS youth relative to JJ youth, as the AUC statistics are not significantly different between the groups for either risk score or risk level, but the difference in sample size between the two subgroups may have limited statistical power. The results from the logistic regressions testing for interactions between risk and DS contact also found that the effects of neither risk scores nor levels was conditional upon DS contact. The results do suggest that predictive validity, particularly of risk levels, would nonetheless benefit from being adapted by DS contact. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Exploring the relationship of criminogenic need, risk of recidivism, official recidivism, and gang status in youth offenders
Get PDF"Research indicates that gang-involved youth are at risk for numerous negative outcomes, including elevated risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system. While many studies have examined the differences between gang-involved youth and their non-gang, non-delinquent peers, differences among non-gang and gang-involved juvenile delinquents have been less explored. This study explored the relationship of areas of criminogenic need, risk of recidivism, and official recidivism between gang and non-gang justice-involved youth using the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI). Results from regression analyses suggest gang status is positively associated with scores of criminogenic needs, risk of recidivism, and official recidivism. However, gang status was not found to moderate the predictive validity of the YLS/CMI for official recidivism. These results indicated it is important for justice system practitioners to consider gang status when making programming and intervention decisions. Limitations and future directions are also discussed."--Page ii.(M.S.)--Michigan State University. Criminal Justice, 2017Includes bibliographical references (pages 64-70
Needs Assessment of a Regional Human Trafficking Task Force
No full textHuman trafficking is a global crime involving the use of force, fraud, and coercion to exploit individuals for commercial sex and labor. Survivors of human trafficking have physical health, mental health, and other life needs that must be addressed to give them opportunities to rebuild their lives. There are few organizations that offer comprehensive services to meet all these needs which forces survivors to seek out services from multiple organizations in the community and puts them at risk for not having their needs met. Organizations that assist human trafficking survivors face many barriers that must be identified and addressed to facilitate optimal service provision and coordination. This study conducted a needs assessment of organizations serving human trafficking victims to identify barriers and generate potential solutions to service provision challenges. According to Altschuld & White\u2019s analytic process, there is low overall service availability for survivors of human trafficking and organizations in this area should prioritize Youth & Family, Health, Substance Abuse, and Education / Vocation services. Organizations in this study experienced structural barriers, such as limited connections to other agencies and difficult referral processes, when serving human trafficking survivors. Service providers also faced organizational barriers, such as lack of staff that specialize in treating survivors of human trafficking and having services available on-site. Implications of these findings include more prevention services, such as a youth drop-in center and educational interventions, a more centralized referral process, and human trafficking-specific funding streams as part of ideal service provision when working with survivors of human trafficking.Thesis (M.A.)--Michigan State University. Psychology - Master of Arts, 2018Includes bibliographical reference
A Life-Course Perspective on Gang Membership in Indigenous Communities
Get PDFThesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University. Criminal Justice - Master of Science, 2024\u201cTurning points\u201d are life events that can positively or negatively change the trajectory of one\u2019s criminal behaviors, attitudes and lifestyle (i.e., persisting, accelerating or desisting from crime). Through research, gang membership is a turning point that not only affects one\u2019s trajectory into offending but also has detrimental effects on one\u2019s health and well-being. Due to the historical and contemporary placement of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas brought on by settler colonialism, there are health and well-being disparities that negatively affect these populations. However, current research shows how Native Americans can use resiliency and strength as tools in combatting these disparities through cultural connection. The present study seeks to understand the relationship between Native gang members and their cultural ties while also seeking to better understand the impact gang membership may have on Native youth\u2019s health and well-being. Using binary logistic regressions, the present study did not find support that gang membership and culture are connected, or that gang membership increases the likelihood of self-harm, suicidal ideation and school dropouts. But the results support previous literature that emphasize culture ties and strength as a buffer for Native health and well-being disparities which encourages further efforts to enculturate Native youth in their Native ways of life. Also, evidence shows that location (i.e., full-time on/off or part-time on tribal lands) may matter for Native youths\u2019 engagement in gang activity which encourages further exploration of Native youth\u2019s living arrangements in relation to their behaviors and identities. In conclusion, it is important to understand how historical trauma and current oppression have not only impacted Native youth\u2019s health and well-being but in addition, have limited the cultural protections available to Native youth, especially those involved in gangs.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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