Female Delinquency Research Articles

When Sex Threatened the State: Illicit Sexuality, Nationalism, and Politics in Colonial Nigeria, 1900–1958 by Saheed Aderinto

When Sex Threatened the State: Illicit Sexuality, Nationalism, and Politics in Colonial Nigeria, 1900-1958, by Saheed Aderinto. Urbana, University of Illinois Press, 2015. xviii, 241 pp. $95.00 US (cloth), $32.00 US (paper). In seven engaging chapters and an epilogue, Saheed Aderinto has produced a very important contribution to African social history and Nigerian historiography specifically. His intellectual journey, as revealed in his introduction, is a must read for graduate students for this book is the outcome of a scholar who listened closely to his sources and grappled with the complex realities they revealed. Aderinto had initially planned to write a history of gender and prostitution in colonial Nigeria by examining the correlation between sex work and social class. However, as he followed his sources along the pathways they presented, he came to appreciate that to do justice to the topic he had to engage multiple archives and literatures (6-7). Sexuality was of concern to legal, medical, social welfare, and military arms of the state, as well as multiple social groups including the clergy, nationalists, elite women, village elders, and landlords. While keeping these different actors and their competing perspectives and objectives in the same frame, Aderinto provides a clear and accessible narrative that locates the evolution of prostitution and state sanctions within the changes in the larger political economy. Sexuality, and more specifically prostitution, also raises questions of morality and Aderinto illustrates throughout the text the multiple ways in which discussions about morality and prostitution were further nuanced by ideas about race, gender, and class. Aderinto argues that African men and women were at the forefront of discussions to prohibit prostitution. Without creating monolithic or binary oppositions, he illustrates the points of conversion, overlap, and disagreement as Nigerian men, women, and different branches of the colonial state debated prostitution in public and in private. Africans too connected morality and prostitution; however, that connection unfolded in discourses that challenged colonial racism, critiqued colonial policy and practice, and anticipated a post-colonial future. The Lagos Women's League offered the first concerted effort to compel the government to prohibit prostitution (65). Motivated in part by a politics of respectability and guided by their cosmopolitan experiences in London, the Lagosian elite wanted the colonial state to invest similar levels of resources to address prostitution in Lagos. Both colonial officials and the Lagosian elite expressed moral panic about child prostitutes, and shared the developmentalist notion that mitigating adult crime required juvenile intervention (158). Whereas elite women imagined that they would play a significant role in the infrastructure created to address female delinquents, colonial officials could not imagine educated African women serving in any administrative capacity. …

Perceived Multiple Emotional Self-concepts in Groups of Juvenile Delinquents and Nondelinquents

Representative sample of 74 institutionalized juvenile male and female delinquents in Estonia were administered a 16 item self-report questionnaire to measure emotions in the actual, ideal and social selves based on Plutchik's multidimensional model of emotions. Mean ratings of three aspects of emotional self-concept were compared with those of matched comparison group of 148 nondelinquent youth. The hypothesis that delinquents would manifest more negative emotional characteristics of multidimensional selves than nondelinquent subgroup was supported with respect to higher scores on nine negative (aggressiveness, anger, contempt, disappointment, disgust, fear, remorse, sadness, submission) and low scores on two positive (joy, optimism) emotions.

Crime in the Kingdom

Low self-control has emerged as a ubiquitous predictor of a range of behaviors and life outcomes, including criminal and analogous behaviors. Evidence linking self-control to criminal conduct, moreover, has also emerged from several cross-cultural studies. While important, cross-cultural studies remain limited in number and in scope. Extending empirical investigations into the effects of self-control cross-culturally, we present findings from data collected from Saudi Arabian high school youth. Low self-control was a substantive predictor of self-reported delinquency, violent behavior (VB), victimization, and delinquent peer associations for males and females. The effects of low self-control were found to be substantive, general, and invariant across sex within a culture that practices sex segregation and one that embraces harsh punishments for violent conduct.

Moderated mediation analysis: An illustration using the association of gender with delinquency and mental health.

When researchers find an association between two variables, it is useful to evaluate the role of other constructs in this association. While assessing these mediation effects, it is important to determine if results are equal for different groups. It is possible that the strength of a mediation effect may differ for males and females, for example - such an effect is known as moderated mediation. Participants were 2532 adolescents from diverse ethnic/racial backgrounds and equally distributed across gender. The goal of this study was to investigate parental respect as a potential mediator of the relationship between gender and delinquency and mental health, and to determine whether observed mediation is moderated by gender. Parental respect mediated the association between gender and both delinquency and mental health. Specifically, parental respect was a protective factor against delinquency and mental health problems for both females and males. Demonstrated the process of estimating models in Lavaan, using two approaches (i.e. single group regression and multiple group regression model), and including covariates in both models.

Sex, Gender, Multidimensional Value Space, and Social Cultural Resistance—Afrocentrism

This article examines the applicability of the theory of multidimensional value space by Lynn A. Curtis and the theory of social cultural resistance—Afrocentrism by Daniel E. Georges-Abeyie for explaining so-called Black crime and Black juvenile delinquency in general and Black female crime and Black female juvenile delinquency in particular. It notes that the increase in so-called Black crime and Black juvenile delinquency in general and Black female crime and Black female juvenile delinquency in particular may be illusion, not fact. This article notes that perception, at times illusion, may have, and frequently does have, real outcomes, including criminal justice outcomes and delinquency outcomes. It notes that the so-called Black racial monolith is a fiction that race and ethnicity are distinct entities, as are sex and gender that the so-called Black racial monolith consists of distinct Black ethnic identities. The article notes that Black crime, female and male, and adult and juvenile delinquency may be manifestations of primary psychopathy, secondary psychopathy, and dyssocial psychopathy, as noted in the theory of social cultural resistance—Afrocentrism.

The DSM-5 Limited Prosocial Emotions subtype of Conduct Disorder in incarcerated male and female juvenile delinquents

The aim of the present study was to analyze the relevance of the DSM-5's Conduct Disorder new Limited Prosocial Emotions (CD LPE) specifier in incarcerated juvenile delinquents. A sample of 201 males and 98 females from the Juvenile Detention Centers managed by the Portuguese Ministry of Justice diagnosed with Conduct Disorder (CD) was used. Results showed that male juvenile delinquents with the CD LPE specifier scored higher on callous-unemotional traits (CU), general psychopathic traits, psychopathy taxon membership, self-reported delinquency, and crime seriousness, and lower on prosocial behavior and social desirability, while female juvenile delinquents with the CD LPE specifier scored higher on callous-unemotional traits (CU) and general psychopathic traits, and lower on prosocial behavior. Significant associations for both genders were found between the CD LPE specifier and age of crime onset and first problems with the law.

Gender Differences in the Impact of Abuse and Neglect Victimization on Adolescent Offending Behavior.

The present study examines gender differences in the association between abuse and neglect during childhood, and sexual and violent offending in juvenile delinquents. Female juvenile delinquents were more frequently victim of sexual and physical abuse and had a history of neglect and maltreatment than male juvenile offenders. Male juvenile offenders committed more sexual offenses and felony offenses against persons. Female juvenile offenders reported higher levels of having committed misdemeanor offenses against persons and violence that were not included in criminal history. A history of sexual abuse was related to sexual offending, while a history of physical abuse was related to violent offending. The relationships between victimization and offending were stronger in male juvenile offenders than in female juvenile offenders.

Impact of Integrated Arts Therapy: An Intervention Program for Young Female Offenders in Correctional Institution

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of program of integrated arts therapy on young female delinquents’ who experienced emotional and behavioral problems in a correctional institution. The outlined intervention was introduced as part of a curriculum involving art therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, and dance/movement therapy sessions that were facilitated twice a week during a 5-week period. A quasi-experimental design was used where an intervention group (N = 12) and a control group (N = 17) members aged 14 - 17 years were evaluated at two time points. A self-report version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and a modified Behavior Checklist (BC) were used prior to and after the intervention to screen for conduct, emotional, peer problems, hyperactivity, and prosocial behavior, and to investigate the frequencies of aggressive, withdrawn and prosocial behavior. There were statistically significant reductions in three of the five emotional and behavioral problems measured by the SDQ, including conduct and emotional problems, an increase of prosocial behavior, and significant differences in two domains measured by the BC: decrease in frequencies of aggressive behavior and increase of prosocial behavior.

Lived Experiences of Egyptian Female Juvenile Delinquents: Phenomenological Approach

Historically delinquency was considered the domain of boys, but recently female juvenile delinquents are a sizeable minority of the overall delinquent population, henceforth, current study aimed to explore the lived experiences of female juvenile delinquents in Egypt. A qualitative research approach was achieved by conducting focus group discussions with delinquent females and in-depth interviews with key workers from three residential correctional institutions in Egypt. Findings indicated that female juvenile delinquency is a multidimensional phenomenon resulting from stacking sets of strained relationships, community, & individual triggering factors. Ultimately the crux of female juvenile delinquency is the family.

Delinquency in Emerging Adult Females: The Importance of Callous-Unemotionality and Impulsivity

Delinquent behavior has consistently been shown to be related to adverse outcomes later in life, ranging from educational difficulties to mental health problems and even premature mortality. Although previous studies have found social, family, and personality factors all contribute to delinquency, the majority of these studies have focused on either male or clinical samples. The current study goes beyond past research by examining how the subscales of callous-unemotional traits and impulsivity relate to emerging adult delinquency in females (N = 155) in a non-clinical population. Undergraduate student participants completed self-report measures of delinquency, impulsivity, and callous-unemotional traits as part of a larger test battery. As expected, general callous-unemotionality and impulsivity were positively correlated with delinquency; however, follow-up analyses revealed that only Callousness and Motor Impulsiveness subscales were significantly correlated with delinquency. All remaining subscale correlations were nonsignificant. A post-hoc backward stepwise regression analysis supported the correlational results, as Callousness and Motor Impulsiveness were the only significant predictors of delinquency. Limitations of the current study and future areas of research are also discussed.

A Comparison of Female Delinquents: The Impact of Child Maltreatment Histories on Risk and Need Characteristics among a Missouri Sample

While boys who offend have been a dominant majority and primary concern of the juvenile court since its earliest days, the population of delinquent girls has increased in recent years at a far higher rate in the U.S. The special challenges presented by females, however, continue to be generally overlooked by the justice system. Moreover, while a few specialized programs now serve these girls, the field tends to view young female offenders as a homogeneous group; what distinguishes particular female subpopulations and the characteristics associated with different criminal trajectories have gone largely unexplored. Employing data from the state of Missouri, this study examines girls who offend, identifying models that predict subsequent violent behavior that include indicators such as parental substance abuse and incarceration, and offender substance abuse, mental health, and school behavior. Special attention is given to the effects of child maltreatment, which we find significantly, but weakly correlated with violent behavior. The authors conclude by considering the possibility that maltreatment may be correlated with other criminogenic factors, and by discussing the implications of findings for future research and practice, especially services that take into account the trauma experienced by young women who come to the attention of state authorities.

Age of Substance Use Onset as a Predictor of Early Adult Substance Dependence and Offending in Male and Female Delinquents

This study was designed first, to test whether sex moderated the effect of substance use onset on early adult substance dependence and offending and second, to identify the factors responsible for this effect. Structured equation modeling with 1,281 adjudicated delinquents (1,104 males, 177 females) from the Pathways to Desistance study revealed that sex moderated the onset–substance dependence and onset–offending relationships. Whereas age of substance use onset predicted early adult substance dependence in both males and females, it only predicted early adult offending in males. Out of six putative mediators, only one, adolescent moral disengagement, satisfied the criteria for mediated moderation. Mediation of the moderated onset–offending relationship was the result of moral disengagement correlating with both age of substance use onset and early adult offending in male but not female delinquents. Moral disengagement displayed similar patterns of correlation in the onset–substance dependency relationship but failed to satisfy all criteria for mediated moderation.

Out of sight, out of compliance: US detained girls’ health justice

Due to an overreliance on arrests in the late 1990s, the incarceration of young women in the United States increased dramatically. On any given day in 2010, over 9000 girls were held in residential placement. Largely hidden from public view, little is known about the health requirements of female adolescent offenders in US secure custody. Less is known about how those needs are met while in detention. Curiously, while most theories regarding female juvenile delinquency draw upon non-criminogenic health-related factors – sexual abuse, family violence, and low self-esteem – their specific legal troubles are rarely, if ever, framed in public health terms. Drawing on original interviews with 100 court-involved girls, detainees’ perceptions of their medical, psychological, sexual, and social health concerns are highlighted. The data link court-involved girls’ prior health issues to their coming to the attention of juvenile authorities as well as demonstrating possible non-compliance with domestic and international standards for the health rights of juveniles deprived of their liberty.

Effects of Sandplay Therapy on the Emotional Clarity and Brain Indexes Related to Self-Regulation of Female Delinquent Juveniles

This study was conducted to verify the effects of sandplay therapy on the emotional clarity and brainwave indexes related to self-regulation in female juvenile delinquents. Ten female juvenile delinquents in a juvenile reformatory who were 15 to 19 years old were selected as the experimental group. For control group, ten female juvenile delinquents in OO Women’s High School recommended by their teacher were selected. The sandplay therapy program was performed for about 60 minutes once every week for 10 sessions in total. Tests were conducted with the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS) before and after the intervention of the sandplay therapy program. To check the changes in brainwave indexes after each session, the brainwaves were measured before and after each session. The findings from this study can be summed up as follows: First, the emotional clarity of the experimental group significantly increased after the sandplay therapy. Second, the brainwave indexes related to self-regulation of the experimental group significantly increased after the sandplay therpay as well. Consequently, this study verified that the sandplay therapy was effective in preventing the relapse of the female juvenile delinquents by improving their emotional clarity and changing their brainwave indexes, thereby improving their adaptability to reality through self growth.

Effects of Sandplay Therapy on Aggression and Brain Waves of Female Juvenile Delinquents

Effects of Sandplay Therapy on Aggression and Brain Waves of Female Juvenile Delinquents

Females in the Juvenile Justice System: Influences on Delinquency and Recidivism

The role of mental health history and family dysfunction or disruption on female juvenile delinquency was examined. Using large sample archival data from a state juvenile justice agency, we examined the behavioral and demographic predictors of repeat offending for a sample of approximately 34,000 females who had been referred for criminal offenses. Then, after merging these data with those from multiple state agencies, we compared the family and mental health histories of the delinquent females with those of females from a matched control group of the same number, constructed from the records of the state department of education. Drug use, family delinquency, severity of first offenses, and age of first offending were predictors of repeat offending for the females in the delinquent sample. Compared with non-delinquent females, delinquent females were more likely to be eligible for free or reduced lunch, and were more likely to have been in foster care or child protective services. The strongest predictor of membership in the delinquent sample was a DSM-IV diagnosis of a mental health disorder related to aggression or impulse control. All variables associated with delinquency remained significant when other predictors were statistically controlled. Implications for prevention of female juvenile delinquency were addressed.

Development of an actuarial static risk model suitable for automatic scoring for predicting juvenile recidivism

ObjectivesTo test the feasibility of an actuarial model for juvenile offending suitable for automatic scoring.DesignWe identified a nationally representative sample of 936 young persons aged 13–17 (745 male, 191 female) who received a juvenile justice intake in 2002 in New Zealand.MethodsBest‐subsets logistic regression and a formal model selection criterion were used to generate a predictive model for reoffending, and a conservative estimate of accuracy was obtained with cross‐validation.ResultsRecidivism during a 1‐year follow‐up was significantly higher for male (60.8%) compared to female (46.6%) delinquents. The model showed that young persons who were male, younger at their first social welfare intake, and had more prior court dates and a greater frequency of contact with police, were more likely to re‐offend. The accuracy of the model was moderately high (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = .710). A model developed specifically for the female cases failed to provide a significant increase in predictive accuracy.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate the feasibility of an actuarial model for juvenile offending that is suitable for automatic scoring. Although male delinquents pose a higher absolute risk of juvenile offending than female delinquents, a common set of items related to history of contact with police and social welfare agencies provide a similarly accurate measure of relative risk for both sexes.

Errata

Hughes, J. R., Zagar, R. J., Busch, K. G., Grove, W. M., & Arbit, J. (2009) Looking forward in records of youth abused as children: risks for homicidal, violent, and delinquent offenses. Psychological Reports, 104, 77–101. In Table 1, page 83: For χ2 comparisons of Population, Sample, and Combined Abused Children+Controls, df = 3; n = 362, rather than 262; the χ2 of Population and Groups for Family is 19.15*. For χ2 comparisons of Population, Sample, and Combined Abused Children Later Homicidal+Controls, df = 3; Group for Single-parent should read 35, rather than 30; the χ2 of Population and Groups for Family is 37.36*. For χ2 comparisons of Population, Sample, and Combined Abused Children Later Nondelinquent, df = 3; the χ2 of Population and Groups for Family is 32.30*. On page 88, in Table 2, the two-tailed t-tests should show df = 360. In Appendix B on page 101, and in the References, MacDonald (1970) should be McDonald (1970). Zagar, R. J., Busch, K. G., Grove, W. M., Hughes, J. R., & Arbit, J. (2009) Looking forward in records of young adults who were convicted of homicide or assault as youth: risks for reoffending. Psychological Reports, 104, 129–154. In Table 1, page 138: For χ2 comparisons of Population, Sample, and Combined Assaulters+Nonviolent Delinquents, df = 3 for Family and Illnesses, df = 1 for Race subcategories (none significant). For Group Combined Assaulters+Nonviolent Delinquents, 64% were Single-parent, rather than 68%. For χ2 comparisons of Population, Sample, and Combined Homicidal+Normal Controls, df = 3 for Family (χ2 = 97.33*) and Illnesses, df = 1 for Race subcategories (none significant). For χ2 comparisons of Population, Sample, and Combined Homicidal+Nonviolent Delinquents, df = 3 for Family (62.34*) and Illnesses, df = 1 for Race subcategories (none significant). For the Groups, in Family, Stepparents is 5%, rather than 3%. In Table 2, page 140: For all two-tailed t-tests, df = 848. For Orphan status, t = −11.27+ (p < .01). For Table 4, on pages 142 &143: The Group Title for Column 5 should be Nonviolent Delinquent Later Noncriminals. There are 200 Low Socioeconomic Status Delinquent Assaulters Later Adult Assaulters, rather than 199. In Table 5, page 144: Homicidal Parental Alcohol+Substance Abuse is 35% (not 42%), Youth Alcohol+Substance Abuse is 29% (not 20%), 92% are Male (not 63%), and 8% are Female (not 37%). Column 4 should read Nonviolent Delinquents Later Noncriminals; Violent Family in that column should be 10%, rather than 99%. In Table 6, page 145: there were 21 Single-parent Controls (not 51), 15 Stepparent Controls (not 25), and 37 Mother+Father Controls (not 56). In Table 8, page 147: for Abused Infants vs. Controls, n = 384, rather than 382. Only statistically significant values of comparison statistics are shown in Tables 1, 2, 6, and 7. On page 154, and in the References, MacDonald (1970) should be McDonald (1970). Busch, K. G., Zagar, R. J., Grove, W. M., Hughes, J. R., Arbit, J., Bussell, R. E., & Bar-Tikowski, B. (2009) Looking forward in records of young adults who were convicted of sexual homicide, rape, or molestation as youth: risks for reoffending. Psychological Reports, 104, 155–184. In Table 1, page 164: For all χ2 comparisons of Population, Total Sample, and Combined Rapist+Molesters+Nonviolent Delinquents, df = 3. For χ2 comparisons of Population, Total Sample, and Combined Sexual Homicidal+Controls, df = 3. For χ2 comparisons of Population, Total Sample, and Combined Sexual Homicidal+Nonviolent Delinquents, df = 3; the Euro-American Group was 22%, rather than 21%. In Table 2, page 166, two-tailed t-tests, df = 444. In Table 5, page 170, Female Delinquents Later Adult Molesters should be 14, rather than 43. In Table 6, page 173: Delinquent Rapists: Unemployed should be 49% (not 60%). 84% (not 128%) were Male. Nonviolent Delinquent Unemployed should be 1% (not 22%). Sexual Homicidal: Parental alcohol+substance abuse should be 14% (not 24%). Sexual Homicidal: Youth alcohol+substance abuse should be 28% (not 36%). 15% (not 14%) Sexual Homicidal were Female. In Table 7, on pages 176–177, Sexual Homicidal and Nondelinquent Groups ns = 7 (not 10), and for the two-tailed t-tests, df = 12 (not 13). Only statistically significant values of comparison statistics are shown in Tables 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. On page 184, in Appendix A and in the References, MacDonald (1970) should be McDonald (1970).

Age of Crime Onset and Psychopathic Traits in Female Juvenile Delinquents

The aim of this study was to analyze the role of psychopathic traits in the age of crime onset of female juvenile delinquents. Using a sample of 132 young females from the Juvenile Detention Centers of the Portuguese Ministry of Justice and from schools in the Lisbon region, a group of early crime onset (n = 44), a group of late crime onset (n = 44), and a nondelinquent school group (n = 44) were formed. Results showed that early crime onset participants score higher on psychopathy measures, self-reported delinquency, and crime seriousness than late crime onset participants and school participants. Psychopathic-traits scores were significantly associated with age of crime onset, age at first trouble with the law, and frequency and seriousness of crime.

Further Evaluation of Associations Between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity and Oppositional Defiant Disorder Symptoms and Bullying-Victimization in Adolescence

Relations between symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and bullying-victimization in adolescence are not yet clear. Accordingly, the current study evaluated these associations, with attention to gender differences, in a sample of predominantly Latino 9th-12th grade students (52.6 % male; mean grade level = 10.35, SD = 1.11). Further, the role of peer delinquency in these associations was evaluated. Findings indicated that ODD symptoms were more strongly associated with both bullying and victimization than ADHD symptoms, and the effects of ODD symptoms on physical forms of both bullying and victimization were stronger for males than females. The association between ODD symptoms and physical bullying was stronger at high levels of peer delinquency when compared to low levels of peer delinquency for both males and females. The role of peer delinquency in the link between ADHD symptoms and bullying and victimization appears to be gender specific and in need of further evaluation. Implications for the need to focus primarily on ODD symptoms for both bullying and victimization prevention and intervention are discussed.