Aggression Management Treatment among Virginia’s Institutionalized Juveniles

• In Event: Practitioner-Researcher Partnership: Results from an Evaluation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy in the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice

Abstract

Beginning in 2008, the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice’s (DJJ) Bon Air facility began providing Aggression Replacement Training (ART) to institutionalized juveniles who displayed and were diagnosed with aggressive attitudes and behaviors. In late 2012, DJJ began piloting Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as another means of aggression management treatment. Though DBT was originally designed for chronically suicidal adults, it has been adapted to treat a wide range of impulsive and aggressive behaviors and has been increasingly used in correctional settings. This presentation provides an overview of the background of the ART and DBT treatment programs provided to youth offenders in Virginia, as well as profiles of program participants.

Authors

• Robin Binford-Weaver, Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice

• Jessica Schneider, Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice

• Jared B. Miller, Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice