Adolescents in juvenile justice facilities often lack critical social, academic, and vocational skills, which may limit their academic and employment opportunities following their release. One time period during which adjudicated adolescents can practice these critical skills might be during leisure periods in their dormitories with other residents and staff members. However, it is not clear (a) what activities are available for residents during leisure periods and (b) the extent to which staff members engage with residents during these activities. The purpose of the current study was to directly assess how residents and staff members in four dormitories in a juvenile justice facility allocated their time across available activities during indoor and outdoor leisure periods. Across three of the four dormitories, there was a lack of skill building activities available to residents, with residents often allocating their time to activities (e.g., television and video games) in which did not contain leisure materials or did not promote pivotal life skills. The practical implications of these findings, as well as future directions for juvenile justice facilities and researchers, are briefly discussed
Advocacy for Incarcerated Youth: A Conversation With Peter Leone