Developing and Defining Staff -Youth Relationships within a Juvenile Correctional Facility

Authors

  • Mark Magidson University of Houston, Downtown Author
  • Rachel Feinstein California State University, Fullerton Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52935/

Keywords:

juvenile, corrections, rehabilitation, qualitative

Abstract

This study uses in-depth interviews to explore the relationships between staff and juveniles residing and working in a private juvenile correctional facility in the Midwest. Because staff play a key role in shaping the experience of incarceration and can influence the degree of rehabilitation or punishment carried out within the facility, this is a crucial dynamic to analyze for an understanding of juvenile corrections. Findings from the interviews demonstrate the importance of building trust as a basis for positive, rehabilitative relationships with staff. Most staff expressed the shared goal of rehabilitation for the youth; however, they differed regarding the best approach for achieving this. While previous research notes the value of a mentoring relationship between staff and juveniles for rehabilitative efforts; staff at this facility varied in their perspectives of the role they played and the correctional response they found most appropriate. Gender and age of the staff influenced these views.

Author Biographies

  • Mark Magidson, University of Houston, Downtown

    Mark Magidson is currently an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at University of Houston Downtown. He received his Ph.D. in Criminology, Law & Society from the University of California, Irvine in 2022. His recent publications include, “Youth Male Identities in a Correctional Setting” published in the Journal of Gender Studies (2020) and “Challenges to a Culturally Specific Approach in Juvenile Corrections” co-authored with Rachel Feinstein and published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation (2017). Magidson’s research interests include analyzing experiences of juvenile incarceration and effective strategies for juvenile corrections and diversion programs. He is currently researching the impact and experiences of mentoring relationships between law enforcement and at-risk youth.

  • Rachel Feinstein, California State University, Fullerton

    Rachel Feinstein received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Texas A&M University in 2014. Her recent publications include her book, When Rape was Legal: The Untold History of Sexual Violence during Slavery published by Routledge in 2018 as well as articles focused on race and juvenile justice such as “A Qualitative Analysis of Police Interactions and Disproportionate Minority Contact” published in the Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice in 2015 and “White Privilege, Juvenile Justice, and Criminal Identities: A Qualitative Analysis of the Perceptions and Self- Identification of Incarcerated Youth” in the Contemporary Justice Review: Issues in Criminal, Social, and Restorative Justice (2015). Rachel’s research interests include examining the intersections of race, gender, and crime. Her work explores inequalities experienced by juvenile offenders in the justice system as well as historical forms of violence carried out against women of color.

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Published

11/15/2022

Issue

Vol. 36 No. 1 (2022): JAJJS 2022 Issue

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2022 Journal of Applied Juvenile Justice Services

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How to Cite

Developing and Defining Staff -Youth Relationships within a Juvenile Correctional Facility. (2022). Journal of Applied Juvenile Justice Services, 36(1), 42-56. https://doi.org/10.52935/

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