Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Ali M. Banister

Abstract

Using general strain theory and social learning theory as the foundation, this generic qualitative study addressed whether interventions and prevention services for juvenile firesetters in the City of Charlotte–Mecklenberg County met needs from the perspectives of critical stakeholders. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 12 parents/guardians of justice-involved adolescent fire offenders. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a six-step procedure for thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke. The study's results revealed that the current juvenile firesetters intervention and prevention program is perceived as inadequate when applied without input from the adolescent’s parent or guardian. The participants perceived the need for more training to give the fire marshal’s office staff appropriate intervention and prevention services and maintained that recommendations from all community stakeholders should be considered in these interventions. The participants perceived the need to create and use a validated risk and assessment tool to assess and identify potential youthful fire offenders within the public school system. Furthermore, the participants perceived the need for segregating the general justice-involved youthful fire offender from those young offenders of fire suffering from behavioral and mental health issues by creating and adapting diversion programs specifically to treat adolescent fire offenders with behavioral and mental health issues and by including better outpatient treatment and follow-up. Positive social change outcomes may be possible, but only if enough psychologists, skilled practitioners, and counselors trained in trauma-informed care, youth indoctrination, adolescent alcohol and cannabis use, and behavioral and mental health issues specific to juvenile firesetters are integrated into the fire marshal’s office and the state’s juvenile justice system.

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