Abstract
Instruments that assess recidivism risk in young people are used widely in the sphere of juvenile justice worldwide. Traditionally, research has focused on the study of risk factors presented by young offenders, and how these relate to criminal recidivism. In present-day research, protective factors have also come into their own, having proven to encourage non-recidivism in young offenders. This paper presents a study carried out with 594 young offenders. The instrument used for assessing risk of recidivism in young offenders was the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY). In the results found here, one can observe how the young offenders who did not reoffend presented a greater level of protective factors than the repeating offenders. The youths with a prior arrest record scored higher in the risk domains than the reoffenders without a prior arrest record. The case of young repeat offenders who already had an arrest record represents a high-risk profile, or a profile of a criminal career. Crimes committed by young people can be isolated incidents in their life. In most youths, criminal behavior does not persist beyond legal age. Protective factors prove to be important in juvenile justice when planning an individualized intervention for the young offender.
Highlights
The use of risk assessment tools in juvenile justice continues to rise [1], thanks to their usefulness for professionals who work in identification of youths’ criminogenic needs
The first group was formed of the entire set of young offenders for whom a judicial case was opened during the baseline calendar year, and the second group was the subset of young offenders who reoffended in the two years following
In the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) domains, the highest mean score was obtained in the historical domain 3.51 (SD = 3.27) and the lowest score in the social domain 2.12 (SD = 2.37); mean scores in the individual and protective domains were similar, 2.97 and 2.99, respectively
Summary
The use of risk assessment tools in juvenile justice continues to rise [1], thanks to their usefulness for professionals who work in identification of youths’ criminogenic needs. Each offender shows certain specific risk and protective factors that must be identified in order to plan an adequate intervention for the individual, in the effort to stem off future offenses [2,3]. Interventions based on the criminogenic needs of young offenders are more effective than general interventions [4]. The prevailing model for explaining criminal behavior in young offenders is the Risk, Need, Responsivity (RNR) model. It identifies youths that require intervention (risk), the criminogenic needs that they present (needs), and the strategies that should be used to maximize the youth’s ability to benefit from the intervention (responsivity) [4,5]. Key to the RNR Model is the assessment of youths’ risk of recidivism based on criminogenic needs, and the risk and protective factors presented by each young offender. Youth who present a greater risk of recidivism should receive a greater number of resources to reduce their probability of reoffending, while those with a low risk of recidivism should not be recipients of large interventions [2]
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