The Impact of Halfway Houses on Parole Success and Recidivism

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This article seeks to identify short and long term effects of halfway house completion on parole success and subsequent recidivism from a sample of offenders released from a northeastern state’s correctional facilities between 2004 and 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using propensity score matching techniques, we compare parolees released to parole after successfully completing a residential treatment program to a matched group of parolees released directly into the community from a correctional facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Analyses show that parolees who successfully complete a halfway house program are more likely to successfully complete parole but the effect on residential programming on long-term recidivism are negligible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="color: black;">Keywords: </span></strong><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Alternative Corrections, Community Corrections, Halfway Houses, Parole, Recidivism</span></em></p>

Application of Yoga in Residential Treatment of Traumatized Youth

Background: The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute has adapted a form of Hatha yoga into a trauma-sensitive adjunctive component of intervention for use with complexly traumatized individuals exhibiting chronic affective and somatic dysregulation and associated behavioral, functioning, and health complaints. Objectives: This article explores the use of yoga with traumatized youth (aged 12-21 years) in residential treatment. Design: A review of the literature on the somatic impact of trauma exposure provides a rationale for the use of yoga with this population and highlights an emerging evidence base in support of this practice. Case vignettes illustrate the integration of structured, gentle yoga practices into residential programming for youth with severe emotional and behavioral problems. Results: Anecdotal data and clinical observation underscore the promise of yoga as a viable approach to build self-regulatory capacity of traumatized youth. Conclusions: Future directions in the development and evaluation of trauma-informed yoga practices for youth are discussed.

Medication and Counseling Histories of Gifted Students in a Summer Residental Program

Many gifted students are served through special programming. However, little large-scale information is available regarding the incidence of psychological disorders, medication requirements, and counseling histories in that population. This type of information is important to ensuring the well-being of gifted students, particularly those served through residential programming. This study reports the results of a review of medical information forms for over 1,900 gifted 8th–11th graders participating in a 3-week residential academic programs. Rates of diagnosed psychological disorders, medication prescriptions, and counseling needs are presented. In general, this sample reported low rates of psychological disorders, medication use, and counseling. Results are discussed in terms of program development and program policy issues.