Wayne Welsh | U - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Wayne Welsh

Journal for applied juvenile justice services, 2020

Restorative justice is gaining momentum as a more effective and holistic response to delinquent j... more Restorative justice is gaining momentum as a more effective and holistic response to delinquent juvenile behavior. Four decades of research relates restorative justice initiatives to positive outcomes including enhanced victim and offender satisfaction and sense of fairness, increased compliance with restitution, and reduced recurrence of offensive behaviors (Hansen & Umbreit, 2018). This paper discusses the benefits of restorative justice, reviews four major restorative justice approaches, and then explores the value and potential roles of community-based, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in supporting restorative justice policies and practices, particularly involving young people. The authors' experience working with Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP), a U.S. based nonprofit organization that promotes community-based alternatives to institutionalization for juvenile justice involved youth with complex needs and challenges, informs their perspective. The authors aspire through this paper to cultivate community interest and engagement in restorative justice through presenting several pathways for NGOs to promote its practices and related benefits.

The current study examined the additive and interactive effects of co-occurring disorders (CODs) ... more The current study examined the additive and interactive effects of co-occurring disorders (CODs) on predicting severity of misconduct compared with singular disorders of mental illness and substance use disorders among a sample of female state inmates. Prior research has generally not distinguished the singular disorder of mental illness from co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders (CODs) in institutional misconduct research weakening the conclusions that can be drawn regarding mental illness and CODs. Moreover, misconduct literature is often limited to male or pooled male and female samples despite the higher prevalence rates of mental illness and CODs among the female offender population. Findings from the current study indicate that compared with women who have singular disorders of substance abuse or mental health, women diagnosed with CODs are more likely to be involved in both minor and serious misconduct. If women with CODs engage in more overall misconduct, t...

The study of offender trajectories has been a prolific area of criminological research. However, ... more The study of offender trajectories has been a prolific area of criminological research. However, few studies have incorporated the influence of emerging adulthood, a recently identified stage of the life course, on offending trajectories. The present study addressed this shortcoming by introducing the "prolonged adolescent" offender, a low-level offender between the ages of 18 and 25 that has failed to successfully transition into adult social roles. A theoretical background based in prior research in life-course criminology and emerging adulthood is presented. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health analyses examined the relationship between indicators of traditional turning points and social bonds and low-level criminal offending and drug use. Several indicators including education, economic instability, and parental attachment were all predictive of offending and drug use.

Health & justice, Jan 13, 2018

This paper describes the means by which a United States National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-f... more This paper describes the means by which a United States National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded cooperative, Juvenile Justice-Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS), utilized an established implementation science framework in conducting a multi-site, multi-research center implementation intervention initiative. The initiative aimed to bolster the ability of juvenile justice agencies to address unmet client needs related to substance use while enhancing inter-organizational relationships between juvenile justice and local behavioral health partners. The EPIS (Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment) framework was selected and utilized as the guiding model from inception through project completion; including the mapping of implementation strategies to EPIS stages, articulation of research questions, and selection, content, and timing of measurement protocols. Among other key developments, the project led to a reconc...

Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 2016

Weak service coordination between community corrections and community treatment agencies is a sig... more Weak service coordination between community corrections and community treatment agencies is a significant barrier in the diffusion of pharmacotherapy for treating opioid and alcohol use disorders. This analysis draws on qualitative interviews (n=141) collected in a multisite randomized trial to explore what probation/parole officers and treatment staff believe are the most critical influences on developing positive interorganizational relationships (IORs) between their respective agencies. Officers and treatment staff highlighted factors at both the individual and organizational level, with issues related to communication surfacing as pivotal. Findings suggest that future interventions consider developing shared interagency goals with input at all staff levels.

Substance use & misuse, Jun 4, 2016

With notable exceptions, few studies have looked critically at the role and effects of factors ot... more With notable exceptions, few studies have looked critically at the role and effects of factors other than individual or programmatic differences that contribute to the climate within substance abuse treatment programs. De Leon's work on the therapeutic community, however, indicates that factors beyond the individual and program can contribute to the overall functioning of similarly situated communities. In this study, we introduce and examine the concept of the "treatment group," the level of aggregation between the individual who participates in treatment and the organization that provides it. The treatment group refers to the social context and dynamics that operate among treatment participants, and we sought to study differences in treatment climate across 12 prison-based treatment groups within a single prison. Using data from 604 participants who were assigned at random to one of the 12 groups, we analyzed differences on seven treatment climate indicators from one...

Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2015

Because weak interagency coordination between community correctional agencies (e.g., probation an... more Because weak interagency coordination between community correctional agencies (e.g., probation and parole) and community-based treatment providers has been identified as a major barrier to the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for treating drug-involved offenders, this study sought to examine how key organizational (e.g., leadership, support, staffing) and individual (e.g., burnout, satisfaction) factors influence interagency relationships between these agencies. At each of 20 sites, probation/parole officials ( n = 366) and community treatment providers ( n = 204) were surveyed about characteristics of their agencies, themselves, and interorganizational relationships with each other. Key organizational and individual correlates of interagency relationships were examined using hierarchical linear models (HLM) analyses, supplemented by interview data. The strongest correlates included Adaptability, Efficacy, and Burnout. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

The millennium marks the beginning of a second century for the for-mal system of juvenile justice... more The millennium marks the beginning of a second century for the for-mal system of juvenile justice in the United States. From its inception, the central focus of the system has been delinquency, an amorphous construct that includes not only "criminal" behavior but also an array of youthful actions that offend prevailing social mores. Thus, the meaning of delinquency is markedly time dependent. Likewise, meth-ods for addressing the phenomenon have reflected the vagaries of social constructions of youth and youth deviance. American juvenile justice was founded on internally conflicting value systems: the diminished responsibility and heightened malleability of youths ver-sus individual culpability and social control of protocriminality. During its first century, the latter generally have become increasingly predominant over the former. Those most caught up in the system, however, have remained overwhelmingly our most marginalized youths, from immigrants' offspring in the ...

Krohn/The Handbook of Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice, 2015

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2015

Background-This implementation study examined the impact of an organizational process improvement... more Background-This implementation study examined the impact of an organizational process improvement intervention (OPII) on a continuum of evidence based practices related to assessment and community reentry of drug-involved offenders:

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2012

ABSTRACT This article discusses drug treatment in state prisons, focusing on inmates in state cor... more ABSTRACT This article discusses drug treatment in state prisons, focusing on inmates in state correctional facilities. It analyzes drug and alcohol use patterns and drug treatment involvement of state prison inmates using data from the Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities that was conducted between October 2003 and May 2004. It then considers the effectiveness of prison treatment, as well as the economic benefits of such treatments. Finally, this article takes a look at the future directions and the principles of effective prison drug treatment.