Youths’ Comfort Communicating With Staff in Juvenile Detention
The Roles of Fairness, Safety, and Feeling Cared for
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21744683 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Allison R Cross (0000-0001-6572-4649, Arizona State University, corresponding author), Justin T Richardson (0009-0002-5601-5319, Arizona State University), Kelsey E Tom (0000-0001-8662-0400, California State University, Long Beach), Adam D Fine (0000-0002-7029-0731, Arizona State University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 130-146 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1541-2040 • E-ISSN: 1556-9330 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/15412040261438661 |
| OpenAlex | W7142440728 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
Positive relationships with detention staff characterized by comfort are associated with prosocial outcomes for youth experiencing detention. However, little is known about the specific institutional conditions that foster this kind of comfort. This study examined whether two institutional factors, perceptions of rule fairness and safety in detention, are associated with youths’ comfort communicating with staff. In addition, we investigated whether feeling cared for by staff mediated these associations. Survey data from 429 youth released from two juvenile detention facilities in the southwestern U.S. indicated that youth who perceived rules as fair and the detention environment as safe were more comfortable speaking with staff. Feeling cared for by staff was a significant mediator. These findings highlight perceptions of rule fairness, safety, and care as critical relational signals that can promote communication between youth and detention staff, offering actionable targets for staff practices aimed at fostering supportive relationships between youth and staff in detention settings
Feeling · Injury prevention · Perception · Poison control · Prosocial behavior · Suicide prevention · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Education Discipline and Inequality · Human Factors and Ergonomics
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Confirmatory factor analysis with ordinal data
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Developmental relationships as the active ingredient
Ethnic Minority Youth in Youth Programs
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |