NCJ Number
220355
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 58 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2007 Pages: 293-315
Date Published
September 2007
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study examined the prevalence of reading problems and self-reported symptoms of attention deficits in a sample of adjudicated adolescent males residing in an alternative sentencing residential program.
Abstract
Study findings indicate that male offenders with attention deficits reported greater depression, reduced self-concept, and a more external point of control at intake than male offenders with reading difficulties. Furthermore, male youth offenders with reading and attention problems reported more depression, less positive self-concepts and a more external locus of control than did youth with reading problems only, but did not differ significantly from the group who only reported attention problems. The results of this study support previous findings that the prevalence of reading problems and attention deficits in juvenile delinquents is considerable. These results highlight the need for regular assessment of disabilities for youth in the juvenile justice system. Relatively few existing studies have examined reading problems, with or without symptoms of attention deficits in adjudicated youth who are residing within the juvenile justice system. Yet, in non-adjudicated samples, these deficits have been shown to relate to three important juvenile justice outcomes: depression levels, internal versus external focus of control, and self-concept. Therefore, this study focused on 101 adjudicated male youth who were residing in an alternative sentencing residential facility in Alabama. The prevalence of reading problems and self-reported attention deficits was determined, as was the relationship between having a learning or attention problem and mental health status and perceived point of control at intake to the facility. Tables, figure, and references