Testing a Multilevel Preventive Intervention in Youth Courts

描述(由申请人提供)：服务不足的城市社区的青少年不成比例地参与少年司法系统。青少年参与法院系统是一个严重的公共卫生问题。近年来，少年司法专业人员已开始用一种称为“积极青年司法”的基于资产的观点来补充传统的惩戒和惩罚努力。毅进计划的方法鼓励年轻的法庭参与者在现有优势的基础上，通过在同龄人团体、家庭和社区内发展亲社会的关系，学习和掌握新的生活技能。这些“核心资产”被认为是促进成功进入青壮年的重要因素。这项拟议的研究申请是对PA-12-171“为预防药物滥用试验做准备的试点和可行性研究”的回应。这项提议要求提供资金，以适应和测试青少年法庭环境的多层次干预，这将极有可能减少药物使用和犯罪，同时促进初犯成功和健康地过渡到青壮年。[的初始组件 该项目将包括从全美具有代表性的青年法院样本中采访项目主任，目的是获得关于后勤和规划需求的形成性反馈。拟议研究的第二部分旨在促进系统一级的变革，包括对青年法院服务提供者进行工作人员发展培训的可行性试验。讲习班将侧重于毅进计划模式的概念和实用指导方针，并将培训提供者促进青年参与者的亲社会依恋和社区参与。]第三个组成部分旨在提高青年的个人技能水平，由生活技能培训(LST)计划改编而成，该计划与毅进计划模式紧密结合，教授个人自我管理技能、社交技能、拒绝药物技能和其他生活技能，这些技能是成功驾驭发展任务、提高复原力和促进健康心理社会发展所必需的。一些青年法院已经独立采用了LST，这表明它满足了人们所认为的需要，在这种情况下是可行的。然而，LST从未在青少年法庭上经过严格的测试。我们将在哥伦比亚特区青年法院(YCDC)进行LST的随机疗效试验，这是全国最大的青年法院。我们将使用通过多个信息者收集的定量数据来测试拟议的青少年干预措施的有效性。将使用定性和定量方法对工作人员培训进行评估。通过与青少年法庭参与者和工作人员进行干预，拟议的多层次干预可以 对风险和保护性因素产生广泛影响，在多个层面上产生影响。将制定拟议的干预部分，为随后在全国1200多个青年同伴法庭系统进行联合干预的随机对照试验做准备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Adolescents in underserved, urban communities are disproportionately involved in the juvenile justice system. Youth involvement in the court system is a serious public health concern. In recent years, juvenile justice professionals have begun to supplement traditional efforts aimed at discipline and punishment with an asset- based perspective referred to as "positive youth justice" (PYJ). The PYJ approach encourages young court participants to build upon their existing strengths, while learning and mastering new life skills, through development of pro-social relationships within their peer groups, families, and communities. These "core assets" are posited to promote the successful entry into young adulthood. The proposed research application is being submitted in response to PA-12-171 "Pilot and Feasibility Studies in Preparation for Drug Abuse Prevention Trials." This proposal requests funding to adapt and test a multi-level intervention for the youth court setting, which wil have strong potential to reduce substance use and delinquency while promoting a successful and healthy transition into young adulthood for first-time offenders. [The initial component of the project will involve interviewing program directors from a representative sample of youth courts throughout the US with the purpose of gaining formative feedback about logistical and programming needs. The second component of the proposed research is designed to promote system-level change and consists of a feasibility trial of a staff development training for youth court service providers. The workshop will focus on the concepts and practical guidelines of the PYJ model and will train providers to promote pro-social attachment and community involvement for youth participants.] The third component is designed to enhance individual-level skills among youth and consists of an adaptation of the Life Skills Training (LST) program, which is strongly aligned with the PYJ model and teaches personal self- management skills, social skills, drug refusal skills, and other life skills needed to successfully navigate developmental tasks, increase resilience, and facilitate healthy psychosocial development. Some youth courts have already independently adopted LST, suggesting that it meets a perceived need and is feasible in this setting. However, LST has never been rigorously tested in the youth court setting. We will conduct a randomized efficacy trial of LST in the Youth Court of the District of Columbia (YCDC), the largest youth court in the nation. We will test for efficacy o the proposed youth intervention using quantitative data gathered through a multi-informant approach. The staff training will be evaluated using qualitative and quantitative methods. By intervening with both youth court participants and staff, the proposed multi-level intervention can have a broad impact on risk and protective factors at multiple levels of influence. The proposed intervention components will be developed in preparation for a subsequent randomized controlled trial of the combined intervention in the over 1,200 youth peer court systems across the country.