Justice-involved Youth Research Articles

Forging Paths of Compassion

In the United States, Florida leads the nation in prosecuting minors, from direct file to reinforcing systems like the school-to-prison pipeline. While the Department of Juvenile Justice has made an active effort to move away from the punitive avenues to address juvenile delinquency, the local implementation framework outlined in Florida Statute 985 results in variability in utilization across jurisdictions, influencing the treatment and consequences faced by justice-involved youth. The study unveils the influence of congregation-based community organizations, particularly within the Direct Action Research Training network (DART), in advocating for the expansion of civil citation programs. Through comparative analysis and qualitative interviews, it demonstrates the effectiveness of congregational advocacy in shaping juvenile justice policies. The findings underscore the necessity of statewide standards to ensure consistency and address local challenges in implementation. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of further research into the impact of socio-demographic and contextual factors on program effectiveness and youth outcomes, providing valuable insights for policy development.

Mental Health Service Referral and Treatment Following Screening and Assessment in Juvenile Detention.

Numerous recommendations have been made to address the high rates of mental health disorders among justice-involved youth. Few data are available on the use, quality, appropriateness, or availability of services to address these needs. This study examined the relationship between trauma-informed mental health screening, other referral pathways for diagnostic evaluation, subsequent DSM-5 diagnoses, and treatments for evaluated youth. Eligible participants were all youth admitted to New York City secure juvenile detention facilities from September 17, 2015 to October 30, 2016 who remained in the facility for at least five days (N = 786). Of those, 581 (73.9%) were voluntarily screened and 309 (53.2%) later received a diagnostic evaluation. Youth who screened positive for depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and problematic substance use were more likely to be evaluated. Treatment received was related to diagnosis rather than reason for referral. For youth who were referred for behavioral or emotional concerns, 99.1 percent (114 of 115) of those diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These data are among the first to describe DSM-5 diagnoses and treatment among youth detainees. They highlight the prevalence of ADHD in detained youth and argue for the coordination of universal trauma-informed mental health screening and a structured referral system for this population.

Life and Mental Health Outcomes of Justice-Involved Youth as a result of Targeted Racial Discrimination and Criminalization

Life and Mental Health Outcomes of Justice-Involved Youth as a result of Targeted Racial Discrimination and Criminalization

Heterogeneity in the development of differential reinforcement: examining predictive power of definitions and differential association from a social learning perspective

Social learning theory is a prominent framework for understanding the relevance of socialization processes for predicting behavior. While recent research has focused on placing these processes within developmental contexts, there remain gaps in understanding how differential reinforcement for involvement in antisocial behavior may develop across adolescence and emerging adulthood and how definitions and differential association predict development. All 11 waves of the Pathways to Desistance dataset were analyzed, comprising the responses of 1354 justice-involved youth across seven years post-adjudication. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify developmental patterns of differential reinforcement and regression modeling was used to examine predictors of development. Results indicated that a two-group model of development best fit the reinforcement data (High, Low). Greater endorsement of antisocial definitions and greater differential association with deviant peers and a significant and positive interaction between these constructs predicted increased odds of assignment to the High group.

Mental Health Aftercare Availability for Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth in New York City.

The goal of our study was to describe the availability of community child and adolescent mental health services, trauma-informed care, and the geographic accessibility of these services for juvenile justice-involved (JJ) youth who received mental health services while in secure detention. Data collection occurred through direct contact with the child and adolescent outpatient clinics listed on the New York State Office of Mental Health website. Zip codes were collected from the juvenile secure detention census. Of the clinics contacted, 88.5 percent accepted JJ youth; however, 43.5 percent accepted them on a conditional basis. Only 62.1 percent offered trauma-informed care, including evidence-based interventions and unspecified care. Although 84.5 percent of the clinics that would accept this population reported currently accepting new patients, reported wait times were as high as six or more months. When JJ residents' home zip codes and those of the clinics were geographically mapped, there were few clinics in the zip codes where most residents lived. The clinics that accepted youth on a conditional basis often refused high-risk patients, essentially ruling out a large majority of this population. The geographical inaccessibility of these clinics limits their ability to provide care for this vulnerable population.

Dual Systems Imbalance as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Exposure to Violence and Violent Offending Risk: Delineating Direct Victimization and Witnessed Violence.

Exposure to violence is a robust risk factor associated with violent offending. Furthermore, exposure to violence can lead to dysfunctional cognitive development, and this may underpin the relationship between exposure to violence and violent offending risk. However, there is a dearth of research that has examined the independent effects of direct victimization and witnessed violence in this regard, particularly as it pertains to dual systems imbalance as a cognitive mediator of either or both forms of exposure to violence. This study sought to address this gap in the literature by examining the effects of direct victimization and witnessed violence on violent offending risk and examining dual systems imbalance as a mediator of these relationships. The Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to assess the direct and indirect effects of interest. The results indicated that only experiencing direct victimization was associated with an increased risk of violent offending at follow-up but not witnessed violence. Furthermore, dual systems imbalance significantly mediated the relationship between direct victimization and violent offending risk. The results indicate that justice-involved youth who have experienced direct victimization should be prioritized for intervention in order to reduce violent recidivism risk and that treatment should focus on improving cognitive processes pertaining to impulse control and risk-seeking.

Changes in moral neutralization leading to recidivism in low-to-moderate-risk justice-involved youth: replication and extension

In the present study, a growth mixture modeling (GMM) analysis performed on 7117 low-to-moderate-risk justice-involved youth disclosed the presence of four latent classes of neutralization scores measured over four non-overlapping six-month periods. These four patterns were subsequently labeled low accelerating, moderate accelerating, high accelerating and decelerating. The four classes displayed differing levels of recidivism, and so a series of binary logistic regression analyses were computed in which each individual class was compared to every other class. The results of these binary logistic regression analyses revealed that recidivism occurred significantly more often in the high accelerating group than in the low and moderate accelerating groups and significantly less often in the decelerating group than in the low, moderate and high accelerating groups, even after Time 1 moral neutralization scores were controlled. These results corroborate prior research denoting that declining moral neutralization scores portend decreased odds of future recidivism.

Assessing the feasibility and performance of risk assessment instruments for early intervention and prevention services in Juvenile Justice

Juvenile justice systems routinely utilize risk assessment instruments (RAIs) to guide the provision of services and custody decisions to optimize youth treatment and system resources. While research has evaluated the validity of RAIs in predicting recidivism risk for justice-involved youth, it has yet to assess the feasibility of using RAIs in a prevention context. The early age and lack of formal delinquency history among this population pose considerable challenges to RAI effectiveness. Drawing data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, analyses explored a sample of 11,472 Prevention Assessment Tool (PAT) assessments administered to youth aged 10 to 16 who had no prior system contact. Off-the-shelf scoring and optimized scoring developed through multivariate and machine learning techniques were employed to validate a prevention risk assessment instrument that predicts the risk of juvenile justice contact until age 18. The results indicate exemplary RAI performance among all optimized statistical techniques across various validation metrics. While performance was consistent across demographic subgroups, there were indications that predictive validity varied across age groups. These findings support the use of RAIs in early intervention and prevention services.

The interaction between a change in substance use/consequences and a change in moral agency as a mechanism for decreased criminal involvement in low-to-moderate and high-risk youth

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine whether a turning point (change in substance use and substance-related problems) and a cognitive variable (a change in moral agency) interacted to predict recidivism and future offending. Participants were 7,117 (5,640 males, 1,477 females) low-to-moderate-risk justice-involved youth from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice study and 1,354 (1,170 males and 184 females) high-risk justice-involved youth from the Pathways to Desistance study. The main effects for a change in moral agency and a change in substance use, as well as a change in their interaction, predicted a change in offending. A potentially important inter-study difference surfaced in which the interaction occurred at the promotion end of the bipolar continuum in the low-to-moderate-risk sample (moral agency and absence of substance use/problems), and at the risk end of the bipolar continuum in the high-risk sample (moral neutralization and more social consequences for substance use). It would appear that another way turning points contribute to desistance besides addition/mediation and reciprocity is by interacting with relevant cognitive factors like moral agency.

Hostile Attribution Bias and Working Memory in the Link Between Trauma Exposure and Violence in Justice-Involved Youth

Background Youth involved with the justice system are more vulnerable to trauma exposure and engaging in violent behavior. Trauma exposure is linked to increases in youth violence, however, the pathway from trauma to violence, including neurocognitive and neuropsychological mechanisms, is not well understood. The current study sought to test the influence of hostile attribution bias (HAB) and working memory on violence and whether these factors play a role in the link between trauma and violence among justice-involved youth. Methods Participants included 237 detained youth (Male = 81.0%, Mage = 15.22) who completed self-report surveys and working memory tasks. Results Trauma was significantly associated with violent behavior. HAB was related to physical violence; however, when trauma exposure was entered into subsequent models, HAB was no longer associated with violence. Lower levels of working memory were found to interact with HAB to increase the risk of physical violence. Mediation was not supported. Implications The current study supports universal trauma screening and trauma-informed care in justice facilities and suggests that neurocognitive functioning assessment and remediation are important to consider in treatment programming.

“Just as expensive as sending him to college:” barriers and perceptions of treatment in justice-involved youth

BackgroundJustice-involved youth have higher rates of substance use disorders (SUDs) than the general population. Many do not connect with or complete treatment, leading to recidivism. This qualitative study explores perceptions and barriers to treatment in this population.ResultsJustice-involved youth participating in a larger study focused on access to SUD treatment were interviewed about available treatment and justice system involvement. Twenty-one dyads (youth and a guardian) and 3 individual guardians (total N = 45) were interviewed by phone. Inclusion criteria were youth aged 14–17 involved in the justice system that screened positive for SUD. Youth sample was 43% male. Thematic analysis guided the process. The study was Indiana University Institutional Review Board approved (#1802346939).Data was interpreted within the ecological system theory. Youth barriers included willingness to engage in treatment, time constraints/scheduling conflicts, and low perceived usefulness of treatment. Major guardian themes included high cost of treatment, lack of communication by the justice system about treatment, youth unwillingness or disinterest to engage in treatment, and limited program availability.ConclusionsThe barriers to treatment for justice-involved youth are multifaceted and occur across the spectrum of levels of the ecological system, which include parents, peers, social systems, and cultural elements. Many youth and guardians suggested improvements for their interactions with the juvenile justice system. Further examination is needed of current policy implementation to address these concerns.

Differentiating crossover youth: Examining psychological characteristics in a multicultural Australian youth justice cohort

The association between childhood maltreatment and juvenile offending has been well-established, with a significant proportion of justice-involved young people being found to have child protection service histories. However, it is unclear what psychological factors contribute to this complex relationship. This study aimed to compare levels of impulsivity, impulsive aggression, psychopathology, and a sensitivity to anger, as well as gender and ethnocultural background, across justice-involved youth with and without a child protection history. The study sample comprised 215 young people detained in juvenile detention centers across two sites in Victoria, Australia between July 2011 and June 2012. Measures of impulsivity, impulsive aggression, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and sensitivity to anger were administered and compared amongst those who had previously been the subject of a child protection order and those without such histories. Results of logistic regression analyses indicated that impulsivity and impulsive aggression were independently associated with having a child protection history in justice-involved youth. Ethnocultural background was also significantly associated with having a child protection history. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

Examining gang membership and victimisation as predictors of gun violence perpetration: testing for interactive effects

ABSTRACT Research has indicated the relevance of gang membership and victimisation as risk factors for predicting the perpetration of gun violence. However, there is a dearth of research that has examined the potential that gang membership may moderate the impact of victimisation on gun violence perpetration. This study examined this prospect within a sample of justice-involved youth. The Pathways to Desistance dataset was analysed. Generalised estimating equations were used to test for direct and interactive effects of gang membership and victimisation while accounting for nested error corresponding to the repeated measures in this 11-wave longitudinal dataset. Results indicated that gang membership was associated with an increased risk of gun violence perpetration, but not victimisation. The hypothesised interaction effect was also nonsignificant.

Toward Social and Emotional Learning for Justice-Involved Youth: A Conceptual Framework

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been used in many K-12 schools across the United States to improve academic and nonacademic outcomes. Extensive research affirms SEL’s benefits for students in educational settings. However, there is a research gap in adaptations of SEL for alternate settings. This article conceptualizes a SEL framework for justice-involved youth on community supervision to support rehabilitation efforts in the juvenile justice system (JJS). Integrating SEL into JJS may reduce recidivism and help justice-involved youth develop the skills to reintegrate into society successfully.

Association Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychopathic Traits Among Justice-Involved Adolescents.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global public health problem and is highly prevalent among justice-involved populations. Pediatric TBI is linked with long-term negative outcomes and is correlated with substance use, criminal behavior, psychiatric disorders, and disruptions in neurocognition. These same TBI correlates are evident among youth with psychopathic traits. Given ongoing neurobiological and social development in adolescence, understanding the link between psychopathic traits and TBI in justice-involved youth is critical. A sample of 263 male adolescents were recruited from a maximum-security juvenile justice facility. Using a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework, measurement invariance of psychopathic traits (TBI ±) was tested, and psychopathy scores were accounted for in terms of TBI variables (severity, age of first TBI, total number), participant's age, IQ, substance use, and internalizing psychopathology. There was evidence of strong invariance across TBI status and those with TBI had higher affective and impulsive lifestyle psychopathic traits than adolescents without TBI. The SEM indicated that TBI severity was associated with lower IQ scores, which in turn were associated with increased lifestyle/antisocial (Factor 2) psychopathic traits. Total number of TBIs was associated with higher substance use, which was associated with both increased interpersonal/affective (Factor 1) and Factor 2 psychopathic traits. These TBI variables also had indirect associations with psychopathic traits through IQ and substance use. The findings indicate that TBI is associated with psychopathic traits and suggest that disturbances in cognition and substance use may be treatment targets for youth with TBI and psychopathic traits.

Neighborhood disorder as a predictor of perceptions of firearm access: Examining peers effects

ObjectiveThis study sought to examine the relationship between neighborhood disorder and perceptions of gun access. Further, this study focused on determining whether or not antisocial peer affiliation mediates this relationship. MethodsThe Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed. This is an 11-wave longitudinal study following 1,354 justice-involved youth across seven years post-adjudication. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to assess direct and indirect relationships of interest. ResultsGreater levels of neighborhood disorder were associated with increased perceptions of access to guns in the community. Affiliation with antisocial peers significantly mediated this relationship, accounting for about 15 % of this relationship. ConclusionsAffiliation with antisocial peers may be greater in disordered neighborhoods and they may facilitate access to guns for adolescents living in such communities. Mentoring programs for adolescents living in disordered communities may have some capacity for attenuating this relationship.

Examining Childhood Behavior Problems as Predictors of Alcohol Dependency in Emerging Adulthood: A Latent Class Analysis Approach

There is limited research on within-person clustering of early-life behavioral issues and risk for alcohol use issues. This study examined the relevance of childhood behavior problem clusters for predicting alcohol problems in emerging adulthood. This study examined full behavioral profiles as predictors of alcohol-related problems, rather than individual behaviors. The Pathways to Desistance dataset comprised of 1354 justice-involved youth followed across seven years post-adjudication collected from Maricopa County, Arizona and Philadelphia Pennsylvania were analyzed. Latent class analysis was used to identify clusters of childhood behavioral problems (cheating, disturbing class, getting drunk/stoned, stealing, fighting). Regression modeling was used to examine various alcohol use outcomes. Findings indicated that a three-class model best fit the data (Low; FDC; High). Assignment to the High class predicted greater social consequences of alcohol use, but this effect was only marginally significant. No significant effects were observed for either alcohol dependence measure.

“We’ve Got History Now”: Victim and Justice-Involved Youth Experiences During Mediation Sessions

Victim-offense mediation (VOM) is the process by which victims of crime meet the involved youth, in the presence of trained mediators, to process and address the emotional and practical ramifications of the crime. We aimed to qualitatively understand the experiences of victims and justice-involved youth during mediation sessions. Participants were recruited from one American and one Canadian mediation center, We combined field observations, semi-structured interviews, and multiple case study analyses with reflexive thematic analysis to explore nine cases of VOM participants’ experiences of the process and its potential link with various desired outcomes immediately following VOM. We generated five themes: Attempting to Satisfy Mediation Needs, Apologies, The Gravitational Pull of Victims, Finding a Healing Connection, and Corrective Emotional Experience & Challenged Expectations. We discuss these themes, the importance of relational processes, the importance and potential burden of the compelling victim, corrective emotional experiences, and the potential role of the mediators.

Examining the Measurement Invariance and Psychometrics of the Drug Abuse Screening Test for Adolescents (DAST-A) in Justice-Involved Youth

Substance abuse is a serious mental health concern and reoffense risk factor for justice-involved youth. The Drug Abuse Screening Test for Adolescents (DAST-A) is used to assess drug abuse in different contexts, yet its psychometric properties have not yet been thoroughly explored in youth justice samples. We examined the measurement invariance and psychometrics of the DAST-A in a diverse sample of 741 justice-involved youth ( Nyoung men = 636). The tool showed strong reliability in the overall sample and subgroups (ω = .88–.94), and good convergent and concurrent validity. Logistic regression results indicated that, with each unit increase in DAST-A score, the odds of an substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis increased by 23% (overall sample). The predictive validity findings were more robust for White youth than Black youth and as a result, a different cut-off score was explored for Black youth. The DAST-A demonstrated measurement invariance across gender and race. Practice implications are discussed.

SAVRY Predictive Validity of Mississippi Justice-Involved Youth Recidivism: A Latent Variable Approach

SAVRY Predictive Validity of Mississippi Justice-Involved Youth Recidivism: A Latent Variable Approach