Longitudinal Aspects of Reconviction: Secure and Open Intervention with Juvenile Offenders in Northern Ireland

Abstract

Abstract: This study examines baseline and comparative serious offending among a large sample of 592 male juvenile offenders sentenced to secure and open forms of residential custody in Northern Ireland training schools. Analysis of baseline offending reveals no significant difference in prior seriousness of offending between juvenile offenders placed in secure custody compared to open residential custody. Trend analyses of subsequent reconviction show that the additional level of reconviction associated with secure custody is of the magnitude of 7% to 15% at one and three yearfollow‐up periods. Other findings show that shorter lengths of stay in custody are associated with lower levels of subsequent reconviction; that for both forms of custody lower rates of reconviction are associated with juveniles who commit crimes of violence or sexual offences and higher rates of reconviction are associated with those juveniles who commit motoring offences or theft; longitudinally, as adults, there is a high level of persistent offending among these former juvenile offenders with an increasing proportion (20%) engaging in violent crime.