Identification of potential juvenile offenders

Abstract

In this article, we have reviewed the guidelines, from the criminological prediction tradition, that should be followed while developing a screening device for the identification of potential juvenile offenders. We were also able to recognize an appropriate screening strategy for prevention, even if more validation studies have to be conducted. Screening of juvenile offenders should rest on multiple stages, informants, methods, and variable domains. In addition, it was not possible to identify a satisfactory instrument for prevention screening. The candidate devices all have significant methodological deficiencies. Also, it was not possible to identify the particular predictors to retain for screening, even if there is a large consensus about the variable domains that are most important. To summarize, there is much technical work still to be done before we can develop appropriate screening instruments for the identification of potential offenders. Some screening strategies and instruments are promising, but none can be recommended for immediate use to policy-makers and practitioners. The state-of-the-art for the identification of potential juvenile offenders is such that the research community can only indicate how to develop good screening instruments.