NCJ Number
32158
Date Published
1974
Length
225 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EXAMINE WHY RESISTANCE VARIES FROM ONE HOME TO ANOTHER, PREDICT THE LIKELIHOOD OF RESISTANCE IN FUTURE ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH GROUP HOMES, AND FORMULATE OPTIMAL PROCEDURES FOR AVOIDING RESISTANCE.
Abstract
THE SPECIFIC VARIABLES EXAMINED WERE THOSE RELATING TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HOMES AND STRATEGIES USED IN THEIR ESTABLISHMENT AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HOMES' ENVIRONMENTS. FOURTEEN ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH GROUP HOMES FOR NEGLECTED/DEPENDENT, WAYWARD/DELINQUENT, OR EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED YOUTH BETWEEN THE AGES OF 6 AND 18 ARE EXAMINED. FOCUSED ON ARE THE PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENTS OF EACH LOCATION WHERE A GROUP HOME ATTEMPTED TO BECOME ESTABLISHED. COMPONENTS OF THESE ENVIRONMENTS ARE EVALUATED ON THREE LEVELS: THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE HOME, THE 'BLOCK GROUP', AND THE COMMUNITY. DATA SOURCES INCLUDED PUBLIC RECORDS, INTERVIEWS, COMMUNITY ATTITUDE SURVEYS, AND THE 1970 CENSUS. CASE HISTORIES AND BRIEF ANALYSES OF THE FOURTEEN ESTABLISHMENT ATTEMPTS ARE FOLLOWED BY DETAILED ANALYSES OF SIGNIFICANT FACTORS ACROSS ALL ATTEMPTS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT A GROUP HOME WILL BE RESISTED IF COMMUNITY MEMBERS KNOW ABOUT THE HOME, HAVE A NEGATIVE IMAGE OF IT, AND ARE ABLE TO MAINFEST OPPOSITION TO IT IN A WAY THAT SERIOUSLY THREATENS ITS ABILITY TO BECOME ESTABLISHED IN THE COMMUNITY. A TOTAL OF 25 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AVOIDING COMMUNITY RESISTANCE ARE PRESENTED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN DATA CHARTS AND A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY METHODOLOGIES. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS ALSO PROVIDED.