This study examines the effects of a self‐help program, Parents United, on the members of families in which incest has occurred. Fifty‐six male incest offenders, including three grandfathers, and thirty‐five spouses were studied to assess the impact of the program on participants' attributions of responsibility for incest, changes in family relationships, and subsequent referral and recidivism. The program was successful in increasing participants' feelings of responsibility, and decreasing recidivism, but less successful in keeping the families together.
In recent years a controversy has developed over the extent of gender discrimination in the juvenile justice system. This article focuses specifically on how male and female probation officers attempt to explain the reasons for male and female delinquency. Independent observers ranked open-ended responses from probation officers along several causal dimensions. Peer conformity was given as the major explanation for both male andfemale delinquency. However, delinquent girls were seen as rebelling against traditional norms, while delinquent boys were regarded as conforming to gender roles. Both male and female probation officers judged same sex minors as having a lower self-esteem. It is suggested that there is an interactive effect of the sex of the probation officer and the minor on attributions. These interactions may result in differential treatment.
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