Psychology and public policy: A 50-year adventure.

Abstract

This article provides an overview of my research on children, families, and the law over the past 50 years, while also providing the context for psychological research and action during this time period. The general framework requires using autobiographical information to understand my primary goal of contributing to a research base for intervention and policy change, especially within the juvenile justice system. Overall, my research and action endeavors have been related to prevention, children, and the legal system with changing foci over time: (a) changing juvenile correctional settings, (b) understanding and preventing child sexual abuse, (c) intervening with violent juveniles, (d) exploiting the myth of extreme recidivism rates among juvenile sex offenders, (e) understanding decision-making among youth in legal contexts, and (f) examining violence in teen dating relationships. The article concludes with a brief discussion of dissemination of research findings to policymakers.

Not Just Doing Time: Distinct Typologies of Attitudes and Emotions among Juvenile Justice‐Involved Youth

“…Policy‐wise, young people’s legal and institutional experiences are malleable, and placing these squarely within a community psychological agenda can help instigate change in life‐altering arenas. Practically, institutions should be assessing and seeking to enhance young people’s legal experiences and attitudes, which would be useful both for rehabilitative purposes and for institutional assessment (Reppucci, 2018).…”

“…Further research is warranted regarding the experiences and interpersonal assets that contribute to this typology. In particular, to the extent that justice personnel and facilities seek to treat youth with fairness and respect across their interactions, this would simultaneously be productive for youth well‐being and reducing problem behavior (Reppucci, 2018). Third, almost forty percent (37%) of youth were characterized by a unique patterning that was distinct in manifesting pride and responsibility when obeying rules, but a lack of guilt or concern when failing to do so.…”

“…How can we best understand the experience of boys involved in the juvenile justice system? Asking how youths’ experiences with institutional settings intersect with their attitudes, beliefs, and emotional experiences aligns with a core tenet of community psychology—employing an ecological framework to inform prevention and services (Reppucci, 2018). Surprisingly, the literature on attitudes, emotions, and institutional experiences of youth engaged in the justice system is vastly overshadowed by that of crime propensity and personality traits (Fagan & Piquero, 2007).…”

“…Adolescents actively engage with institutions and authority figures to acquire their own unique history of experiences, both positive and negative (Lee, Steinberg, & Piquero, 2010). Based on experienced constraints and opportunities, youth take cues from their local environments and behave in ways that make sense to their own specific context (Guerra, Huesmann, Tolan, Van Acker, & Eron, 1995; Reppucci, 2018). Accordingly, a community psychology approach to understanding adolescent antisocial and illegal behavior places less emphasis on these indicators of “acting out,” and instead recognizes these activities as normative outgrowths of adolescents’ accumulated attitudes, beliefs, encounters, and associated emotional experiences (Modecki & Uink, 2017).…”

“…Community psychologists have long made the observation that youths’ experiences of inequity filter their expectations of the very institutions meant to ensure their own safety and well‐being—including police, the legal system, and the “justness” of the world at large (Reppucci, 2018; Watts & Flanagan, 2007). With a history of negative experiences, youths’ unfavorable attitudes can give rise to behaviors and emotional experiences that, on the surface, may signal a lack of concern for laws and consequences (Fagan & Piquero, 2007).…”