Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Despite juvenile justice systems’ widespread use of short-term residential placement, little is known about how effective it is in reducing recidivism. Even less is known about its use with female offenders. The research objective of this study is to determine the impact of GBT at three sites: Newark, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; and Atlanta, GA. The study design will match 368 girls who went through the GBT program with a comparison group of 368 girls who received traditional probation services. The comparison group will be matched on the basis of race, age, type of offense, and offense history. The study will look at the short and long-term outcomes. The short-term outcomes being assessed are changes in the restrictiveness of living at discharge, the number of treatment plan goals met, and overall adjustment and behavior. The long-term outcomes being assessed are recidivism, commitment to school, attitude toward employment, substance use, sexual activity, and family relationships. Girls will be complete a pre-test at intake and a post-test approximately 1 year later using AUDIO-CASI computerized touch screen technology. The analysis will use multivarariate analytic techniques to the two groups on recidivism and other outcomes. Preliminary findings and issues in implementation will be discussed.

Publication Type: Individual Paper
Abstract: In 1928, Birmingham, Alabama hosted the first southern convention of the Boys’ Club Federation (BCF). Frank Callen, the black Superintendent of the Boys’ Club of Savannah was a keynote speaker. The content of Callen’s message, “A Colored Boys’ Club’s Adventure” is now lost, however, it was reported to have “voiced a new racial standpoint.” Although the Savannah Club was not the first to serve African American youth, Callen’s speech symbolized “a splendid example of the possibilities of Club work among colored boys.” Just two years earlier, C.J. Atkinson, the Canadian-born, Executive Secretary of the BCF, had primed the 1926 annual convention by saying that the “colored boy” epitomized the Federation’s definition of “underprivileged.” Now, white northerners and southerners were ready for “a new day”—ready to be inclusive of colored boys.

In this essay, I will explore the origin of the service to African American communities by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (then the Boys’ Club Federation). This research suggests that pre-World War I services to African American youth were an afterthought; however, the massive African American migration to, and crowding within, large, northern cities caught the attention of the leadership of the BCF and moved them to action. Yet, it was through an unlikely partnership between the BCF’s Executive Secretary, C.J. Atkinson, and the African American Superintendent of Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Boys’ Club, William T. Coleman, that the foundation for service to African American youth and the opportunities for African Americans Club professionals were created.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper suggests applying one approach to quantitative methods that can take into account not only identification of men and women, but in differences among each gender with regards to gender role enactment and influences. Using psychological scales measuring femininity and masculinity embedded in social contexts can provide a rich vector of data that can help us understand only differences between men and women, but among women, for example. According to this perspective, gender roles manifest differently in different contexts for some women, and contribute to their self-conceptions, associations, and behaviour. With data on the salience of gendered traits across various contexts, social scientists can increase understanding of the role of gender in their quantitative explorations of issues like gender differences in message comprehension, knowledge acquisition, and information-seeking.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Feminist scholars in comparative politics and international relations have written prolifically on the issue of gender violence, focusing on the disproportionate targeting of women in their homes, communities, nations, and states. Acknowledging the importance of this work, I am interested in how recent interrogations of the category of "women and children" as innocent, as well as explorations of violence against men in conflict zones, open space for exciting, new avenues of research. As such, my paper proposes ways to bring together feminist studies, postcolonial studies, critical race studies, comparative politics, and international relations to more rigorously examine gendered violence against men. In particular, I will focus on men in prisons, enforced soldiering, and trafficking of men and boys. Do theoretical assumptions about violence against women hold true for empirical examples of violence against men? Can we resolve paradoxes in feminist movements and theoretical divisions over the categories of gender, violence, and power by exploring men as recipients of violence? Through case studies of the U.S. and India, I aim to answer these questions.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Girls and Boys Town (originally called Boys Town) was founded in 1917 in Omaha, NE by Father Flanagan to help troubled boys. In addition to the legendary Nebraska residential program, GBT also offers a short-term shelter program for girls. The purpose of the program is to provide short-term (typically fewer than 30 days) staff secure residential care to adolescent (ages 11-18) female offenders. The goal of the program is to prevent the recurrence of problem behaviors. The multi-site evaluation of the program is being conducted at three sites: Newark, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; and Atlanta, GA. The quasi-experimental design matches 221 girls who are exposed to the GBT program with a comparison group of 221 girls who received traditional probation services. The comparison group is matched on the basis of race, age, type of offense, and offense history. The short-term outcomes assessed are changes in the number of treatment plan goals met, as well as the overall adjustment and behavior. The long-term outcomes assessed are recidivism, commitment to school, attitude toward employment, substance use, sexual activity, and family relationships. The analysis uses HLM techniques to assess the effectiveness of the program. Preliminary findings and issues in implementation will be discussed.