Engaging Community Stakeholders for D/deaf and Hard of Hearing Juveniles who are Underrepresented Youth at Risk

• In Event: Screening and Intervention for Early Childhood Prevention

Abstract

Risk assessments are routinely conducted on juvenile populations for risk of developing criminal behavior, such as Monitor the Future and others. According to Vincent, Guy & Grisso, (2012) risk assessment can serve to estimate the likelihood that delinquent behaviors will occur for if nothing is done to intervene. Additionally, risk assessments can guide intervention planning by identifying the best targets for intervention. Importantly, in order for a risk assessment tool to facilitate intervention planning, it must contain dynamic risk factors, sometimes known as criminogenic needs factors. However, these assessments are either routinely done in English or translated into a foreign language for non-English speakers. However with juveniles who are deaf or hard of hearing, such assessments become problematic, particularly when the issues of culture and language acuity emerge. Further, there are very few community based advocacy groups which will provide the needed attention to this underserved population. This research is based upon a project that attempted to identify community stakeholders for this underserved population who will advocate for their deaf and hard of hearing juveniles as well as to work with them to create culturally and linguistically appropriate risk assessments for deaf youths.

Author

• Aviva Twersky Glasner, Bridgewater State University