A Case Study on PBIS Use and Effectiveness at a Juvenile Detention

Center

Positive Behavior Intervention Supports

• Hollie Filce– Assistant Professor at the University of

Southern Mississippi and REACH-MS Project Director

• Selina Merrell– REACH-MS State Coordinator

• Brittany Herrington– REACH-MS Graduate Assistant

Presenters

• Identify appropriate expectations and rules•Develop a system to teach students appropriate

behavior•Create a predictable discipline referral system so

that students can be provided with consistent consequences for behavior violations

•Generate a reinforcement system that will increase the likelihood that students will exhibit the expected behavior

•Communicate findings to staff, students, and families

PBIS at a Glance

3-Tiered System

www.pbis.org

• Majority of published materials advocate for the need for PBIS in juvenile justice systems and/or suggest best-practice approaches for it’s implementation– Characteristics of students in juvenile justice systems– Full implementation across the facility though it may begin in one

area (i.e. educational unit)– Utilize PBIS model with existing juvenile justice policies for safety

and security reasons

• Published materials express little to no literature on the effectiveness of PBIS implementation in the juvenile justice system

• Decreases in inappropriate behavior and need for restraints reported

Review of the Literature

• Non-secure facility practicing PBIS• 3 focus groups

– 6 administrators– 9 teachers– 7 clinical treatment staff

• 9 Themes– Ecological congruence– Role clarity– Philosophical shift agreement– Cache of pro active preventative strategies– Consistent Practices– Logistics– Data-based decision making– Achievement Outcomes

Iowa Juvenile Home/Girls State Training School

Houchins, Jolivette, Wessendorf, McGlynn & Nelson, 2005

• 3 facilities practicing PBIS• Surveyed all teachers in the 3 facilities for barriers to PBIS

practice and suggestions to alleviate the barriers• 9 themes

– Personnel concerns– Academics– Student needs– Behavior and discipline– Materials and supplies– Parental involvement– Funding– Communication– Facilities

Louisiana Research Project

Houchins, Puckett-Patterson, Crosby, Shippen & Jolivette, 2009

• Qualitative Research Methods• Instrumental Case Study• 1 Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) in

Mississippi• At the study’s beginning in March of 2013,

the educational staff had already been trained in PBIS. Currently, the correctional officers and court staff are still undergoing PBIS training.

Mississippi Research

• Considered a long-term facility• Houses for 20+ counties in Mississippi

– Both males and females– Ages 10-17– Over 40 juveniles at one time is a high number

though there are many more beds

• Both those juveniles waiting for a court hearing and those convicted– Maximum sentence=90 days– Some may only stay 1 or 2 days

The JDC Facility

• 2 classrooms– Typically 1 classroom for boys and 1 for girls– Designed for a maximum of 20 students each

• 3 teachers and 1 part-time assistant– 1 male– 1 special education teacher, 2 general

education teachers

• All major subjects (English, math, science, social studies) and character education

The JDC’s Educational Programming

• Interviews– 4 detained adolescents– 2 teachers (1 special education, 1 general

education)– 2 youth counselors– 3 detention center staff

• Observations– Both during instructional and non-instructional

times

Participants and Data Collection

• Interviews were transcribed.• Observations were typed = field notes.• Each transcription and field notes were

coded separately for categories.• Common themes found across

transcriptions and field notes were developed from the coded categories.

Data Analyses

What types of view do you expect there to

be regarding this use of PBIS at a juvenile

detention center? Do you think the views will

differ among the subgroups of participants?

Explain.

Discussion Question 1

THEMES

Do you agree or disagree with any

of the views found through this particular

study?

Discussion Question 2

Since the inclusion of PBIS practices at

juvenile detention centers is rather new, what

are some ways to present the effectiveness

of PBIS practices in schools to juvenile

detention centers that may provoke these

centers to consider utilizing PBIS practices?

Discussion Question 3

Gagnon, J. C. & Barber, B. (2010). Characteristics of and services provided to youth in secure care facilities. Behavioral Disorders, 36(1), 7-19.Gagnon, J. C., Rockwell, S. B., & Scott, T. M. (2008). Positive behavior supports in exclusionary schools: a practical approach based on what we know. Focus on Exceptional Children, 41(1). 1-20.Houchins, D. E., Jolivette, K., Wessendorf, S., McGlynn, M., & Nelson, C. M. (2005). Stakeholders’ view of implementing positive behavioral support in a juvenile justice setting. Education and Treatment of Children, 28(4), 380-399.Houchins, D. E., Puckett-Patterson, D., Crosby, S., Shippen, M. E., & Jolivette, K. (2009). Barriers and facilitators to providing incarcerated youth with a quality education. Preventing School Failure, 53(3), 159-166.Jolivette, K. & Nelson, C. M. (2010). Adapting positive behavioral interventions and supports for secure juvenile justice settings: improving facility-wide behavior. Behavioral Disorders, 36(1), 28-42.Jolivette, K. & Nelson, C. M. (2013). Positive behavioral interventions and support (PBIS) a multi-tiered framework: An alternative to traditional school disciplinary practices. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention State Training and Technical Assistance Center. Retrieved from http://www.juvenilejustice- tta.org/sites/default/files/SSD%20Webinar%202-%20Multi-Tiered%20Framework_Nelson-Jolivette%20Handout.pdfMcDermott, J., Scacciaferro, J., Visker, J. D., & Cox, C. (2012). Student’s perceptions of school learning climate in a rural juvenile detention educational facility. OJJDP Journal of Juvenile Justice, 1(2), 20-33.Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. (2013). OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Effective Schoolwide Interventions. Retrieved from http://www.pbis.org/Scott, T. M., Nelson, C. M., Liaupsin, C. J., Jolivette, K., Christle, C. A., & Riney, M. (2002). Addressing the needs of at- risk and adjudicated youth through positive behavior support: effective prevention practices. Education and Treatment of Children, 25(4), 532-551.Sidana, A. (2006). PBIS in juvenile justice settings. Washington DC: The National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk. Retrieved from http://www.neglecteddelinquent.org/nd/resources/spotlight/spotlight200601b/aspTexas Juvenile Justice Department. (2012). Effectiveness of positive behavioral interventions and supports: A report to the Texas. Retrieved from http://www.tjjd.texas.gov/publications/reports/PBISLegislativeReport2012-12.pdf

References

This document was produced under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs Grant No. H323A100001. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred. This product is public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: Filce, H.G., Merrell, S., & Gautier, P. (Eds.). (2012, Spring). PBIS: Seeing Excellence Emerge in our Districts and Schools (Volume 2). Hattiesburg, MS: The University of Southern Mississippi, Realizing Excellence for ALL Children in Mississippi (REACH MS) - Mississippi’s State Personnel Development Grant.

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