If they like it they can take it with them: A mixed methods look at the use of Internet-based instruction of mindfulness meditation with incarcerated youth

The most successful programming offered in juvenile justice facilities do not transfer easily back to communities to give youth the opportunity to practice intervention skills once they return home. Having this opportunity is particularly important to youth leaving state custody given that they disp...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Michelle Evans-Chase
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Indiana University School of Social Work 2015-07-01
Series:Advances in Social Work
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/view/17973
Description
Summary:The most successful programming offered in juvenile justice facilities do not transfer easily back to communities to give youth the opportunity to practice intervention skills once they return home. Having this opportunity is particularly important to youth leaving state custody given that they disproportionately return to poor communities and disrupted families that both exacerbate behaviors associated with juvenile justice involvement and act as barriers to much needed services and support. With this in mind, a randomized controlled trial was used to quantitatively assess the ability of freely available Internet-based mindfulness meditation instruction to increase mindfulness in treatment youth, with weekly journals and open-ended post-test questions used to qualitatively explore the treatment experience. Findings suggest that an Internet delivery of mindfulness meditation is both engaging to incarcerated youth, helpful to them in coping with life in a juvenile justice facility, and able to increase mindfulness in youth who practice it.
ISSN:1527-8565
2331-4125