General Delinquency Research Articles

Using Latent Class Analysis to Explore Subtypes of Youth Who Have Committed Sexual Offenses

Attempts to identify typologies of youth who have committed sexual offenses have been challenged by their overlapping characteristics with youth who have committed nonsexual crimes, as well as methodological limitations that make the results difficult to translate into direct practice. In the current study, a technical new way of identifying subtypes of these young people was proposed using latent class analysis, a person-centered approach that allows categorical subtypes to be revealed by the data rather than hypothesized differences based on individual factors. The indicators included in this analysis were sexual behaviors only, thereby eliminating any overlap with general delinquents. In a sample of 573 male youth between the ages of 11 and 20 ( M = 16.75, SD = 1.72), four unique classes were identified. Research implications are offered.

Cumulative risk and protection effect of serotonergic genes on male antisocial behaviour: results from a prospective cohort assessed in adolescence and early adulthood.

Heritability of antisocial behaviour is estimated at approximately 50% and involves multiple genes.AimsTo investigate the cumulative genetic effects of 116 single nucleotide polymorphisms mapping to 11 candidate serotonergic genes and antisocial behaviours, in adolescence and in early adulthood. Participants were 410 male members of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children, a population-based cohort followed up prospectively from age 6 to age 23. The serotonergic genes were selected based on known physiological processes and prior associations with antisocial behaviours. Antisocial behaviours were self-reported and assessed by using semi-structured interviews in adolescence and in adulthood. Cumulative, haplotype-based contributions of serotonergic genes conferring risk and protection for antisocial behaviours were detected by using multilocus genetic profile risk scores (MGPRSs) and multilocus genetic profile protection scores (MGPPSs). Cumulatively, haplotype-based MGPRSs and MGPPSs contributed to 9.6, 8.5 and 15.2% of the variance in general delinquency in adolescence, property/violent crimes in early adulthood and physical partner violence in early adulthood, respectively. This study extends previous research by showing a cumulative effect of multiple haplotypes conferring risk and protection to antisocial behaviours in adolescence and early adulthood. The findings further support the relevance of concomitantly considering multiple serotonergic polymorphisms to better understand the genetic aetiology of antisocial behaviours. Future studies should investigate the interplay between risk and protective haplotype-based multilocus genetic profile scores with the environment. I.O.-M. holds a Canada Research Chair in the developmental origins of vulnerability and resilience.

Executive Functions and Social Cognition in Juveniles Who Have Sexually Offended.

Although neuropsychological assessments provide valuable information for those working in forensic mental health, few neuropsychological studies concern persons who sexually offend, particularly juveniles who have sexually offended (JSO). It has been suggested that, contrary to current theories, executive function in JSO, as a group, is no more impaired than it is in juvenile delinquents in general. However, JSO with child victims seem to be more impulsive than JSO whose victims are peers or adults. To verify this potentially important (and unexpected) finding, a sample of adolescent males (N = 134; 15.6 ± 1.5 years old) that included JSO, general delinquents, and underprivileged nondelinquents was assessed using a battery of behavioral and psychological tests that focus on impulsivity. No difference was found between groups regarding higher order executive functions as measured with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task but JSO with child victims were found to be the most impulsive subgroup as evidenced with the Iowa Gambling Task, the Stop-Signal Reaction Task, and the Impulsive scale of the Social Problem Solving Inventory. They also had the highest number of prescriptions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication. These results, which contradict hypotheses derived from assessment of adult sex offenders, illustrate an important difference between the cognitive profiles of adult and juvenile males who sexually offended. They also confirm that JSO whose victims are children appear to be more impulsive.

Helplessness and Hopelessness in Adolescents who Commit Sexual and Nonsexual Crimes

ABSTRACTThe authors’ purpose was to test the relationship of helplessness and hopefulness to experienced trauma, as well to explore the role of these emotions to sexual and nonsexual criminal behaviors among 332 residential youths adjudicated for sexual crimes. All subtypes of trauma measured were positively correlated with helplessness, whereas hopelessness was not associated with sexual or physical abuse. Helplessness was associated with the severity of sexual crimes, as well as the commission of multiple nonsexual crimes. Hopelessness was not associated to any sexual crime characteristics and only associated with general delinquency and property damage. In the regression models, controlling for trauma, helplessness predicted sexual and nonsexual criminality, and hopelessness predicted nonsexual criminality. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.

School, Social-Communicative, and Academic Challenges Among Delinquents and Juvenile Sexual Offenders

This study explores the association between student factors and delinquency by comparing two groups of adjudicated youth in six Midwestern residential facilities: 331 young men committed for a sexual offense, and 171 committed for a nonsexual offense. Statistically significant findings include juvenile sexual offenders exhibiting a greater number of delinquent behaviors and greater academic and social difficulties compared with their counterparts adjudicated for a nonsexual offense. Additionally, path analysis revealed that school experience was negatively associated with delinquency for both groups. For juvenile sexual offenders, academic difficulties were associated with delinquency through their school experience. Among general delinquents, delinquency was directly associated with social difficulties and school experience. Implications for interventions and future research are discussed.

Validity and reliability of the Self-Report Delinquency among a sample of at-risk youths

Self-Report Delinquency scales have formed the basis of much understanding of juvenile delinquency today, but further improvement and extensive measurement research on self-report measures of crime are needed. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the shorter general delinquency scale version of the classic commonly used Self-Report of Delinquency (SRD) measure created for the original National Youth Survey (NYS) using a sample (N = 412) of male (n = 200) and female (n = 212) at-risk Portuguese youths. The shorter version of the SRD demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability, namely in terms of its latent one-factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, divergent validity, concurrent criterion validity and discriminant groups validity that overall justifies its use among this population. The shorter general delinquency scale version of the SRD is a valid and reliable measure from a modern psychometric perspective that can be used with at-risk youths.

Juvenile Crime: Current State and Dynamics

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the problems of general and individual juvenile delinquency prevention. The definition of «general social crime preventive action» is given, its objectives and types are defined. The necessity of investing efforts and resources not in the repressive programs, but in the fundamental long-term programs aimed at the gradual elimination of social and economic disparities being the cause of the increase in crime rate among teenagers. The components and targets of individual crime prevention have been identified. The individual subjects of the juvenile crime prevention have been classified. The requirements for the subjects of the individual criminal behavior prediction have been formulated in order to create the theoretical and organizational prerequisites for the reliability of the individual behavior forecasts. As a result, the special measures of juvenile delinquency prevention have been proposed.

After the Bell and into the Night

Objectives: This study examines the effects of traditional bullying, cyberbullying, and dual-bullying victimization on subsequent delinquent outcomes. Method: Data come from a longitudinal sample of middle school students ( N = 3,271) as part of the evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program. A hybrid random effects model is used to estimate the between- and within-individual effects of traditional, cyber-, and dual-bullying victimization while controlling for other predictors of delinquency. Outcomes include general delinquency, violent and nonviolent delinquency, and substance use. Results: The findings demonstrate that those who are cyberbullied exhibit a higher propensity for substance use and nonviolent delinquency compared to those who are traditionally bullied. Changes in dual victimization within respondents over time are most strongly related to general delinquency. With one exception, the effect of traditional bullying victimization remained weakest in all of the models. Conclusions: This study finds evidence that victims of cyberbullying may be more likely to engage in delinquent and deviant behavior compared to victims of traditional bullying. Criminologists and antibullying prevention efforts should consider the broader role of cyberbullying victimization in the developmental processes of adolescents.

The Protective Effects of Family Support on the Relationship between Official Intervention and General Delinquency across the Life Course.

Previous research on the labeling perspective has identified mediational processes and the long-term effects of official intervention in the life course. However, it is not yet clear what factors may moderate the relationship between labeling and subsequent offending. The current study integrates Cullen's (1994) social support theory to examine how family social support conditions the criminogenic, stigmatizing effects of official intervention on delinquency and whether such protective effects vary by developmental stage. Using longitudinal data from the Rochester Youth Development Study, we estimated negative binomial regression models to investigate the relationships between police arrest, family social support, and criminal offending during both adolescence and young adulthood. Police arrest is a significant predictor of self-reported delinquency in both the adolescent and adult models. Expressive family support exhibits main effects in the adolescent models; instrumental family support exhibits main effects at both developmental stages. Additionally, instrumental family support diminishes some of the predicted adverse effects of official intervention in adulthood. Perception of family support can be critical in reducing general delinquency as well as buffering against the adverse effects of official intervention on subsequent offending. Policies and programs that work with families subsequent to a criminal justice intervention should emphasize the importance of providing a supportive environment for those who are labeled.

Executive Dysfunction Predicts Delinquency But Not Characteristics of Sexual Aggression Among Adolescent Sexual Offenders.

Our aim in this study was to evaluate executive function and its relationship to delinquency and sexual crime in adolescents incarcerated for sexual crimes. Based on self-report data, 196 male adolescent sexual offenders from a Midwest state reported high rates of executive dysfunction. Although such deficits did not relate to the number of victims of sexual abuse, severity, or degree of force used in commission of the sexual crimes, poor executive function was significantly predictive of both general delinquency and felony theft. In both measures of delinquent conduct, behavioral regulation dysfunction was predictive of the frequency of commission of the crimes, whereas metacognition was not. Research and treatment implications are offered.

Juvenile Sex Offenders.

Sexual offending by juveniles accounts for a sizable percentage of sexual offenses, especially against young children. In this article, recent research on female juvenile sex offenders (JSOs), risk factors for offending in juveniles, treatment, and the ways in which these youth may differ from general delinquents will be reviewed. Most JSOs do not go on to develop paraphilic disorders or to commit sex offenses during adulthood, and as a group, they are more similar to nonsexual offending juvenile delinquents than to adult sex offenders. Recent research has elucidated some differences between youth who commit sex offenses and general delinquents in the areas of atypical sexual interests, the use of pornography, and early sexual victimization during childhood.

Discriminant factors for adolescent sexual offending: On the usefulness of considering both victim age and sibling incest

Understanding the pathways and circumstances of juvenile sexual offending is of utmost importance. However, juvenile sexual offenders (JSO) represent an especially diverse group of individuals, and several categorizations have been proposed to obtain more homogeneous subgroups. Victim age-based and family relation-based categorizations are particularly promising because they seem theoretically and clinically relevant. Empirical results however are still inconsistent, and most studies have not considered these two dimensions jointly. The first goal of this study was to further examine the value of subgrouping JSO according to the age of their victim. A second goal was to determine the supplementary value, if any, of considering sibling incest. Based on a sample of 351 male JSO, it was first confirmed that sexual abuse of children was more strongly related to asociality (social skill deficits) than sexual abuse of peers, the latter being more closely associated with antisociality (general delinquency). The relevance of considering mixed-type JSO (with both child and peer victims) separately was also confirmed. More importantly, multivariate statistical analyses demonstrated that adding sibling incest to the equation was useful. JSO of intra-familial child were significantly more likely to have been victimized during their own childhood compared to JSO with extra-familial victims. Nevertheless, adolescents who had committed sibling incest obtained middle ground results on most variables (except for crime severity), suggesting that they constitute a distinct but not extreme, subgroup. This study confirmed the utility of using both the age and the family relation with the victim in characterizing juvenile sexual offending.

Parental and Peer Attachment Characteristics: Differentiating Between Youth Sexual and Non-Sexual Offenders and Associations With Sexual Offense Profiles.

Attachment deficits have been suggested as an etiological explanation underlying the development of sexually abusive behaviors and general delinquency among youth. Yet, few researchers have explored the discriminating functions of attachment characteristics or investigated attachments as a stand-alone risk/protective factor explaining offending profiles among youth sexual offenders. This article explored the differences in characteristics of parental and peer attachments between youth sexual ( n = 355) and non-sexual offenders ( n = 150). Furthermore, associations between family and peer attachments and criminal profiles of sexual offenders were tested. The t-test results revealed that the groups of youth differed on various mother and father attachment characteristics, with youth sexual offenders exhibiting greater deficits. Regression models revealed lower levels of mother and peer trust and communication were associated with more severe sexual offenses; low levels of mother trust were associated with more victims; and low levels of mother trust and high father alienation were associated with more non-sexual criminality. Practice implications suggest the need to amalgamate families more consistently into treatment and addressing peer dynamics within groups and community contexts.

Juvenile Sex Offenders.

Public policy has tended to treat juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) as adult sex offenders in waiting, despite research that contradicts this notion. Although as a group, JSOs are more similar to general delinquents than to adult sex offenders, atypical sexual interests and sexual victimization during childhood may be a pathway for sexual offending that differentiates some JSOs from their nonsexually delinquent peers. Developmental considerations must be considered in risk assessment evaluations of these youth. This article reviews theories of sexual offending in youth, risk factors for juvenile offending and reoffending, psychopathology in JSOs, risk assessment, and treatment.

Comparison of non-sexual crimes committed by juvenile sexual offenders and delinquent youth in residential treatment in the USA

In this study we explored differences and similarities in criminal behaviour between incarcerated adolescents who committed sexual and non-sexual crimes with adolescents who committed only non-sexual crimes. Cross-sectional data on 606 adolescents were collected at two points in time (five years apart) from residential treatment facilities in the USA. After controlling for all the other variables (data collection site/time, race and poverty) in a model using logistic regression, general delinquency and property damage significantly predicted membership in the juvenile sexual offender group whereas felony theft and selling drugs significantly predicted membership in the non-sexual offender group (χ2 = 91.80, p < .001; Naglekerke = .278). A large number of juvenile sex offenders had also committed serious non-sexual crimes. These findings highlight a need for practitioners and researchers in juvenile justice to address non-sexual and sexual behavioural challenges among adolescent sexual offenders.

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.

Post-Release Success among Paroled Lifers

Previous research suggests that social relations, in particular the forming of family ties and employment (social factors), self-efficacy (personal factors), and therapeutic interventions (institutional factors) constitute main contributors in post-release success. These studies, however, have largely been based on general delinquents serving relatively short prison terms. This study aims to shed light on the influence of social, personal, and institutional factors on post-release success versus failure among paroled lifers. We conducted in-depth life-history interviews with 64 individuals who had served a life sentence, who were either re-incarcerated for another crime or parole violation, or were currently out on parole. The role of social factors in desistance among long-term incarcerated offenders was minimal. Rather, self-efficacy appeared to be a key element in post-release success. These findings suggest that research based on short-term incarcerated offenders cannot be directly translated to long-term incarcerated offenders. This group does not experience the same traditional turning points, such as establishing family ties and employment. Accordingly, long-term prisoners may go through a different process post-release that determines their success versus failure compared to general delinquents who serve shorter sentences.

Multi-disciplinary Behavioral Health Evaluations

Multi-disciplinary Behavioral Health Evaluations

Emergence of Nonsexual Crimes and Their Relationship to Sexual Crime Characteristics and the Deviant Arousal of Male Adolescent Sexual Offenders: An Exploratory Study

In this study, we explore nonsexual crimes committed by a sample of 437 incarcerated adolescent sexual offenders as well as deviant arousal and its relationships to nonsexual and sexual crimes. Over 50% of the juvenile sexual offenders in this sample have committed nonsexual offenses. In addition, nonsexual crimes, particularly general delinquency, were significantly correlated to a number of characteristics of sexual crimes committed by the youth. Previous research has shown that sexually abusive youth are more likely to recidivate nonsexual crimes, and among the implications of this study is the need for treatment providers and service delivery systems to address nonsexual as well as sexual crimes.

P.1.k.001 Psychiatric disorders, violence and their relationship with substance abuse

General Strain Theory (GST) is one of the leading theories of crime and delinquency in the field of criminology, with victimization identified as a leading source of strain due to the frequency and prevalence of its experience. However, measures of victimization widely range from direct experiences of physical violence to vicarious or even anticipated victimization, making it difficult to isolate the explanatory contribution of GST on crime and delinquency. A systematic review was conducted of peer-reviewed articles to provide a concise understanding of the relationship between victimization and crime and delinquency. Particular attention was given to definitions and operationalization of victimization, as well as whether the studies used longitudinal or cross-sectional samples. Findings suggest a discernible correlation between physical victimization measures and engagement in substance use, bullying behaviors, and general delinquency. However, these findings may be conditioned by the exact operationalization of victimization and outcome measures utilized. More nuanced discussions of the findings, as well as theoretical and empirical implications, are included.