The Psychology of Moral Development

Given the recent research showing that being suspended even once in ninth grade is associated with a twofold increase in the likelihood of dropping out, from 16% for those not suspended to 32% for those suspended just once (Balfanz, 2013), the high number of students suspended, as presented in this report, should be of grave concern to all parents, educators, taxpayers, and policymakers. We are publishing this report because of the serious academic implications these statistics have for students who attend schools with high suspension rates. We believe greater awareness will help produce more effective approaches that create safe, healthy, and productive learning environments, which research indicates is best accomplished without resorting to frequent out-of-school suspensions. done well, efforts to reduce suspensions should also improve graduation rates, achievement scores, and life outcomes, while also decreasing the rate of incarceration for juveniles and adults. The findings of this report also highlight critical civil rights concerns related to the high frequency of secondary school suspensions. We focus on secondary schools because children of color and students from other historically disadvantaged groups are far more likely than other students to be suspended out of school at this level. Our prior report, released in August 2012, looked only at K-12 suspension rates across the entire grade span and contained no new analysis at the secondary school level. While the racial discipline gap has always been largest in middle schools and high schools, it has grown dramatically at the secondary level since the early 1970s. Our new analysis of the secondary school data shows disparate increases in suspension rates by race when compared to data from the 1970s…

Out of School and Off Track: The Overuse of Suspensions in American Middle and High Schools - eScholarship

OBJECTIVES: Care coordination and the medical home may ensure access to specialty care. Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) have higher rates of specialty care use and unmet need compared with the general pediatric population. We hypothesized that care coordination, regardless of whether it was provided in a medical home, would decrease unmet specialty care needs among CSHCN and that the effect of care coordination would be greater among low-income families. METHODS: Secondary data analysis of participants in the 2009–2010 National Survey of CSHCN who reported unmet specialty care needs and for whom care coordination and medical home status could be determined ( n = 18 905). Logistic regression models explored the association of unmet need with care coordination and medical home status adjusting for household income. RESULTS: Approximately 9% of CSHCN reported having unmet specialty care needs. Care coordination was associated with reduced odds of unmet specialty care need (without a medical home, odds ratio: 0.63, 95% confidence interval: 0.47–0.86; within a medical home, odds ratio: 0.22, 95% confidence interval: 0.16–0.29) with a greater reduction among those receiving care coordination within a medical home versus those receiving care coordination without a medical home. We did not find differences in the impact of care coordination by percentage of the federal poverty level. CONCLUSIONS: Care coordination is associated with family report of decreased unmet specialty care needs among CSHCN independent of household income. The effect of care coordination is greater when care is received in a medical home.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2014/05/20/peds.2013-2174.full.pdf

Care Coordination and Unmet Specialty Care Among Children With Special Health Care Needs

Health-care systems in the USA and most of western Europe face challenges in the coordination and integration of care for patients, particularly those with chronic conditions. In response to these problems, interest in the patient-centred medical home (PCMH) model has increased significantly in recent years in the USA, with PCMH implementation underway in a wide variety of practice settings across the country. Despite this enthusiasm, there have been relatively few attempts to examine the empirical evidence on the effects of PCMH on quality and access-related outcomes for patients. This article reviews findings from empirical evaluations of the effects of PCMH on patient-related outcomes and critically examines methodological and conceptual issues in the growing body of PCMH literature. The results of this review suggest that published evaluations are predominantly weighted towards findings that indicate that PCMH is associated with a wide range of positive patient outcomes. However, methodological and measurement issues present in much of this research should be considered when evaluating these findings. The article concludes with recommendations for future PCMH evaluation.

Does the patient-centred medical home work? A critical synthesis of research on patient-centred medical homes and patient-related outcomes.

We review original research about services for adults on the autism spectrum published from January 2013 through December 2018. The main aim is to characterize the topical and methodological aspects of research about services. We review research on services related to employment, living in the community, and social participation. We compare our results with those from a similar review published in 2012 to assess progress and identify where new directions in research about services for adults with autism are needed. We found the evidence base about services for adults on the autism spectrum remains very small and highly variable in aims and methods. There is wide variability in methods used to define sampling frames and recruit participants. Most studies focus on employment. Almost no studies examine the overall ecosystem of services serving autistic adults. Few studies use a conceptual framework for understanding access to, or improvement of, services. The small size of the extant research coupled with inconsistent quality prevents the accumulation of new knowledge in ways that would significantly inform the improvement of systems of care for the growing population of adults on the autism spectrum.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11920-020-1136-7.pdf

Services for Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systems Perspective.

The school-to-prison pipeline (STPP) refers to a path from the education system to the juvenile or adult criminal justice system. Over the past two decades, this path has grown significantly, and scholars attribute a myriad of contributing factors to this increase. Each factor has its own impact and consequences, which are covered in detail based on an extensive literature review and macro practice through Race Matters for Juvenile Justice. Prior to the STPP concept, education had largely been considered a protective factor for children and a route to success as opposed to a risk factor or track toward juvenile justice involvement. Staying in school and getting good grades were regarded as strategies that even at-risk students could use to overcome poverty, prejudice, and powerlessness. But since the 1990s, the approach to discipline in U.S. public schools has changed, and the effects of this change are only now becoming evident. This article explains the correlates of the STPP and its disparate outcomes, most notably for students of color; those with disabilities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students. The article concludes with implications for social workers in various settings and specific strategies for reducing the impact of the STPP.

The School-to-Prison Pipeline: A Primer for Social Workers.

This study examined legal and extralegal factors, specifically race, and their effects on processing and sanctions for 2,233 African American and Caucasian males in Virginia’s juvenile justice system. Qualitative findings from in-depth interviews with juvenile judges, Commonwealth’s attorneys, defense attorneys, police officers, juveniles and their families triangulate the quantitative findings. Crime severity was the only factor which affected the likelihood of diversion; whereas race, grade repeated, prior record, and crime severity increased the likelihood of incarceration through two logistic regression models. Stakeholders added discussion regarding family structure and education. As social work practice intersects with juvenile justice through multiple avenues, the implications of these findings are discussed.

Legal and Extralegal Factors Affecting Minority Overrepresentation in Virginia’s Juvenile Justice System: A Mixed-Method Study

Mental health diagnoses, substance abuse issues, and school problems are often cited as contributors to adolescents’ involvement with the juvenile justice system. Yet, few youth receive assessment, evaluation, or intervention prior to their involvement with the juvenile courts. This pilot study evaluated whether providing a randomized trial of wraparound forensic social work services in addition to court-appointed legal services would improve functioning, decrease motions for review, and lower recidivism for first-time juvenile offenders. Findings indicate statistically significant improvement for youth receiving wraparound services on six out of eight measures. A case study example is provided and implications for service provision are explored.

Holistic Representation: A Randomized Pilot Study of Wraparound Services for First‐Time Juvenile Offenders to Improve Functioning, Decrease Motions for Review, and Lower Recidivism

Social workers are needed but infrequently involved with criminal justice systems. One way to increase the number of social workers in the criminal justice system is by exposing students to work in these settings. This study examined the number, types, and utilization of criminal justice field placements in MSW programs by surveying field education directors. On average, 7.73% of field placements were in criminal justice settings. When asked about barriers to criminal justice placements, the most frequently identified challenge was a lack of MSW supervisors. Implications for future research and education are discussed.

Social Work and Criminal Justice: Are We Meeting in the Field?.

For the past 20 years, youth of color have been overrepresented in the American juvenile justice system. Over that same period, the philosophy of the juvenile court has changed from a more informal and rehabilitative model to a more formal and punitive model, and minority youth have experienced disparate and more severe outcomes than their majority counterparts. Starting in 1988, 3 significant policy changes were made via amendments to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 mandating that states address disproportionate minority contact (DMC). The author examined the philosophy shifts in juvenile justice, as well as systemic and DMC policy changes, and their effects on the current status of minority overrepresentation. Recommendations are presented for social workers to address disproportionate minority contact.

Susan A. McCarter

Papers

The School-to-Prison Pipeline: A Primer for Social Workers.

Legal and Extralegal Factors Affecting Minority Overrepresentation in Virginia’s Juvenile Justice System: A Mixed-Method Study

Holistic Representation: A Randomized Pilot Study of Wraparound Services for First‐Time Juvenile Offenders to Improve Functioning, Decrease Motions for Review, and Lower Recidivism

Social Work and Criminal Justice: Are We Meeting in the Field?.

Disproportionate Minority Contact in the American Juvenile Justice System: Where are We after 20 Years, a Philosophy Shift, and Three Amendments?