Factors in Assessing Recidivism Risk in Young Offenders

José-Javier Navarro-Pérez,José M Tomás,Marcelo Viera,Joana Calero

doi:10.3390/su12031111

José-Javier Navarro-Pérez, José M Tomás + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031111

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Abstract

The research aims to identify if the accumulation of protective and/or risk factors might predict the risk of recidivism in juvenile delinquents and determine the relative weight of both types of factors in the predictions themselves. The risk of criminal recidivism was assessed with the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth—SAVRY—instrument based on a sample of 192 Adolescents in Conflict with the Law—ACLs—held in juvenile detention centers in the Valencian Community (Spain). The results show that protective variables have greater relative consistency than risk variables when assessing recidivism risk in ACLs. The paper’s findings enable advances in the identification of antisocial behavior patterns using positive variables, and this in turn involves modifying any intervention proposals made by professionals of juvenile justice because psycho-socio-educational processes can now be dealt with on the basis of the ACLs’ potentialities (protective factors) rather than their deficiencies (risk factors) alone.

Highlights

Adolescence is an evolutionary period in which changes of a biological, cognitive, and socioemotional nature [1] take place and risk behaviors are believed to appear or become stronger [2]
It is from this perspective that [11] analyze protective factors, breaking them down into three dimensions: those relating to the individual, social support links or networks, and prosocial action dynamics
The three protective factors with the highest averages are “prosocial involvement”, “strong commitment to school or work”, and “perseverance as a personality trait”. In addition to these descriptive statistics, each risk and protective factor was tested for its association with recidivism risk

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is an evolutionary period in which changes of a biological, cognitive, and socioemotional nature [1] take place and risk behaviors are believed to appear or become stronger [2]. Recent research indicates that protective factors are catalysts for prosocial behavior [9], helping to reduce risk practices and favoring the development of an adult life following accepted rules of behavior [10]. It is from this perspective that [11] analyze protective factors, breaking them down into three dimensions: those relating to the individual (personality traits), social support links or networks (prosocial participation), and prosocial action dynamics (strong commitment to school or work). To a large degree these have a positive socialization effect because they protect, guide, and encourage the adolescent in an environment unconnected to their risk circuits and activities [12]

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