High-risk Juvenile Offenders Research Articles

Psychometric properties of the Trauma Checklist 2.0 and its predictive utility of felony re-offending among high-risk juvenile offenders

BackgroundIncarcerated youth are characterized by particularly high rates of childhood trauma, a significant risk factor for outcomes including risky behaviors and recidivism. Trauma-based interventions can ameliorate the negative effects of childhood trauma; however, a critical part of success is careful trauma screening. Due to the limitations associated with commonly used self-report trauma assessments, our team developed the Trauma Checklist (TCL), a trained-rater assessment of childhood trauma specifically created for use with forensic populations. The TCL is designed to provide a more comprehensive assessment of trauma, incorporating categories that are of specific relevance for incarcerated individuals (e.g., traumatic loss). Here, we discuss the continued development made to our original trauma assessment and explore the psychometric properties of this expanded assessment (herein termed the TCL 2.0).MethodWe examined relationships between TCL 2.0 scores, measures of psychopathology, and psychopathic traits in a sample of incarcerated male juvenile offenders (n = 237). In addition, we examined whether TCL 2.0 scores were associated with time to felony re-offense via Cox proportional-hazard regression analyses.ResultsWe examined dimensionality of the TCL 2.0 using a principal component analysis (PCA), the results of which were confirmed via exploratory structural equation modeling; the PCA yielded a two-component solution (i.e., PC1 and PC2). We observed that PC1 (Experienced Trauma) scores were positively correlated with mood disorder diagnoses. TCL 2.0 total scores were positively correlated with post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology and psychopathic traits. Finally, higher PC2 (Community Trauma) scores were associated with faster time to felony re-offending.ConclusionsThese results suggest that the TCL 2.0 may be a beneficial screening tool to provide high-risk youth with appropriate trauma-informed treatment.

Fatherhood and Delinquency: An Examination of Risk Factors and Offending Patterns Associated with Fatherhood Status among Serious Juvenile Offenders

Despite a large body of literature across multiple disciplines on adolescent motherhood, adolescent fathers have been largely absent from empirical research. Previous findings suggest that young men who experience multiple risk factors across a range of life domains have a high likelihood of becoming fathers at an early age, which can negatively impact their developmental trajectories and age-normative transitions (e.g. from school to work). However, little is known about the risk factors for fatherhood among high-risk juvenile offenders; nor is it well understood how fatherhood is related to criminal behavior in this population. The current study investigated risk factors and offending patterns associated with adolescent fatherhood status in a sample of serious juvenile offenders (N = 1170). Consistent with previous studies, fatherhood status was associated with greater risk exposure among serious juvenile offenders. Furthermore, change in fatherhood status was associated with higher levels of overall offending, aggressive offending, income-related offending, and non-drug-related income offending. In light of these findings, we propose that supports and resources are needed to facilitate juvenile offenders in their role as fathers during this time.

Length of stay, therapeutic change, and recidivism for incarcerated juvenile offenders

ABSTRACTThis study examined the influence of length of stay in therapeutically oriented institutional placements for high-risk juvenile offenders. Pre- and posttests of rater scored skill acquisition were obtained for 637 youth across 14 secure and community placements implementing the integrated treatment model. Ordinal propensity score stratification balanced youth characteristics across lengths of stay. Length of stay was not predictive of felony recidivism at 12 months postrelease despite a trend for reduced recidivism at 9 months. Skills acquisition was positively associated with older age, not having a special education designation, parent contact, and a reduction in felony recidivism 12 months postrelease.

The Integration of Family and Group Therapy as an Alternative to Juvenile Incarceration: A Quasi‐Experimental Evaluation Using Parenting with Love and Limits

The current study employed a quasi-experimental design using both intent-to-treat and protocol adherence analysis of 155 moderate- to high-risk juvenile offenders to evaluate the effectiveness of Parenting with Love and Limits® (PLL), an integrative group and family therapy approach. Youth completing PLL had significantly lower rates of recidivism than the comparison group. Parents also reported statistically significant improvements in youth behavior. Lengths of service were also significantly shorter for the treatment sample than the matched comparison group by an average of 4months. This study contributes to the literature by suggesting that intensive community-based combined family and group treatment is effective in curbing recidivism among high-risk juveniles.

The Interrelatedness of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among High-Risk Juvenile Offenders

The interrelatedness of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in 64,329 juvenile offenders was examined. ACEs include childhood abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual), neglect (physical and emotional), and household dysfunction (family violence, family substance use, family mental illness, separation/divorce, and family incarceration). Prevalence ranged from 12% to 82% for each ACE. Of youth experiencing one ACE 67.5% reported four or more additional exposures and 24.5% exposure to six or more additional ACEs. Females have higher prevalence and multiple exposures. ACEs are interrelated, necessitating assessment of multiple ACEs rather than one or a few. ACE exposure differs by gender and race/ethnicity.

RCT of a promising vocational/employment program for high-risk juvenile offenders

Juvenile offenders with substance use problems are at high risk for deleterious long-term outcomes. This study evaluated the capacity of a promising vocational and employment training program in the building sector (i.e., Community Restitution Apprenticeship-Focused Training, CRAFT) to mitigate such outcomes through enhanced employment and education. Participants were 97 high-risk juvenile offenders (mean age=15.8years) randomized to CRAFT versus education as usual (EAU) intervention conditions. Multi-method procedures measured employment, education, substance use, mental health, and criminal outcomes through a 30-month post-baseline follow-up. CRAFT was significantly more effective than EAU at increasing rates of youth employment and GED attendance. Intervention effects were not observed, however, for months employed, hours worked, or hourly wage. Measures of youth substance use, mental health symptoms, and criminal activity showed no favorable or iatrogenic effects. The potential of CRAFT was modestly supported, and suggestions were made for future research.

Adolescent Neglect, Juvenile Delinquency and the Risk of Recidivism

Victims of child abuse and neglect are at an increased risk of involvement with the juvenile justice and adult correctional systems. Yet, little is known about the continuation and trajectories of offending beyond initial contact with law enforcement. Neglect likely plays a critical role in continued offending as parental monitoring, parental rejection and family relationships are instrumental in explaining juvenile conduct problems. This study sought to determine whether neglect is associated with recidivism for moderate and high risk juvenile offenders in Washington State. Statewide risk assessments and administrative records for child welfare, juvenile justice, and adult corrections were analyzed. The sample was diverse (24 % female, 13 % African American, 8 % Hispanic, 5 % Native American) and included all moderate and high risk juvenile offenders screened by juvenile probation between 2004 and 2007 (n = 19,833). Official records from child protection were used to identify juvenile offenders with a history of child neglect and to identify juvenile offenders with an ongoing case of neglect. Event history models were developed to estimate the risk of subsequent offending. Adolescents with an ongoing case neglect were significantly more likely to continue offending as compared with youth with no official history of neglect. These findings remain even after controlling for a wide range of family, peer, academic, mental health, and substance abuse covariates. Interrupting trajectories of offending is a primary focus of juvenile justice. The findings of the current study indicate that ongoing dependency issues play a critical role in explaining the outcomes achieved for adolescents in juvenile justice settings. The implications for improved collaboration between child welfare and juvenile justice are discussed.

New Evidence on the Monetary Value of Saving a High Risk Youth

There is growing interest in crime prevention through early youth interventions; yet, the standard United States response to the crime problem, particularly among juveniles, has been to increase the use and resource allocation allotted toward punishment and incapacitation and away from prevention and treatment. At the same time, longitudinal studies of delinquency and crime have repeatedly documented a strong link between past and future behavior and have identified a small subset of offenders who commit a large share of criminal offenses. These findings suggest that if these offenders can be identified early and correctly and provided with prevention and treatment resources early in the life course, their criminal activity may be curtailed. While researchers have studied these offenders in great detail, little attention has been paid to the costs they exert on society. This paper provides estimates of the cost of crime imposed on society by high risk youth. Our approach follows and builds upon the early framework and basic methodology developed by Cohen (J Quant Criminol 14: 5–33, 1998), by using new estimates of the costs of individual crimes, ones that are more comprehensive and that significantly increased the monetary cost per crime. We also use new estimates on the underlying offending rate for high risk juvenile offenders. We estimate the present value of saving a 14-year-old high risk juvenile from a life of crime to range from $2.6 to $5.3 million. Similarly, saving a high risk youth at birth would save society between $2.6 and $4.4 million.

New Evidence on the Monetary Value of Saving a High Risk Youth

There is growing interest in crime prevention through early youth interventions; yet, the standard United States response to the crime problem, particularly among juveniles, has been to increase the use and resource allocation allotted toward punishment and incapacitation and away from prevention and treatment. At the same time, longitudinal studies of delinquency and crime have repeatedly documented a strong link between past and future behavior and have identified a small subset of offenders who commit a large share of criminal offenses. These findings suggest that if these offenders can be identified early and correctly and provided with prevention and treatment resources early in the life course, their criminal activity may be curtailed. While researchers have studied these offenders in great detail, little attention has been paid to the costs they exert on society. This paper provides estimates of the cost of crime imposed on society by high risk youth. Our approach follows and builds upon the early framework and basic methodology developed by Cohen (1998), by using new estimates of the costs of individual crimes, ones that are more comprehensive and that significantly increased the monetary cost per crime. We also use new estimates on the underlying offending rate for high risk juvenile offenders.

CHALLENGES FOR MULTILEVEL MODELS OF SCHOOL DISORDER: RESPONSE TO HOFFMANN AND JOHNSON*

CriminologyVolume 38, Issue 4 p. 1289-1300 CHALLENGES FOR MULTILEVEL MODELS OF SCHOOL DISORDER: RESPONSE TO HOFFMANN AND JOHNSON* WAYNE N. WELSH, WAYNE N. WELSH Temple UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorPATRICIA H. JENKINS, PATRICIA H. JENKINS Temple UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorJACK R. GREENE, JACK R. GREENE Northeastern UniversitySearch for more papers by this author WAYNE N. WELSH, WAYNE N. WELSH Temple UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorPATRICIA H. JENKINS, PATRICIA H. JENKINS Temple UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorJACK R. GREENE, JACK R. GREENE Northeastern UniversitySearch for more papers by this author First published: 07 March 2006 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2000.tb01424.xCitations: 9 * The research reported here was supported by Grant 93-IJ-CX-0038 from the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ). Opinions expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily of the U.S. Department of Justice. ‡ Wayne N. Welsh is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Temple University. He received his Ph.D. in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine, in 1990. His research has focused on organizational change, corrections, theories of violence, and violence prevention. He is author of Counties in Court: Jail Overcrowding and Court-Ordered Reform (Temple University Press, 1995), Criminal Justice Policy and Planning, with Philip Harris (Anderson Publishing Company, 1999), and Criminal Violence: Patterns, Causes and Prevention, with Marc Riedel (Roxbury, in progress). § Recent articles have appeared in Criminology, Crime and Delinquency, and Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. ¶ Patricia H. Jenkins, J.D., Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Temple University. Her recent publications are in the areas of school delinquency and juvenile violence prevention. Her current work focuses on the design, development, and implementation of intensive aftercare initiatives for high-risk juvenile offenders. ‖ Jack R. Greene is Dean of the School of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University. He received his Ph.D. in Multi-Disciplinary Social Science from Michigan State University. His research has examined policy analysis in criminal justice, crime prevention in public housing, police organizational dynamics, evaluation of police services, and police officer decision making and behavior. He is co-author of Police Administration, 1996 (with James J. Fyfe, William F. Walsh, O.W. Wilson and Roy C. McLaren), and Community Policing: Rhetoric and Reality, 1988 (edited with Stephen Mastrofski). AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume38, Issue4November 2000Pages 1289-1300 RelatedInformation

Prediction of recidivism among “second timers” in the juvenile justice system: Efficiency in screening chronic offenders

Identification of small subgroups of high-risk juvenile offenders from the general population to target them for intervention has proved elusive. It is argued that second-time delinquents represent a group that can be efficiently screened for chronic offenders. With a sample of 298 second-time juvenile offenders, both prospective and retrospective risk instruments are found to predict chronic delinquent behavior well. It is proposed that such risk instruments be used to focus benign intervention on high-risk, second-time juvenile offenders.

Multisystemic Treatment of High-Risk Juvenile Offenders

A multisystemic treatment program was implemented for eight high-risk juvenile first offenders. Clients had a mean age of 13 years, and included 6 black males, 1 white male, and 1 black female. Research questions were tested in regard to measures of delinquency, family functioning, life skills development, self-esteem, school functioning, delinquent peer group associations, and attitudes toward parenting and child rearing. Treatment included: (1) Case Management; (2) Educational Programs; (3) Family Therapy; (4) Nurturing Program. Results showed significant improvements for adolescents with measures of family relations, life skills, school, delinquency, peers, and for parents in terms of family and parent-child relations.