Past Delinquency Research Articles

Low sense of mattering in society and delinquency among young people: An initial investigation.

Studies of mattering and delinquency among young people have, to date, focused solely on whether teenagers think that they matter to each other. No one has yet examined the extent to which young people think that they matter to society generally and how this relates to delinquency. To explore relationships between young peoples' sense of being of value to society and their delinquent intentions. First, we tested relationships between such 'societal mattering' scores and delinquent intentions; secondly, we tested self-rated attitudes towards the criminal justice system and associating with delinquent peers as possible mediators of any relationship. Four hundred and twenty-eight 10- to 21-year-olds were recruited by social media, flyers or in one school in France. They were asked to complete a schedule online, in private, first rating themselves on a five-point Likert scale according to the statement 'I feel like I matter in society'. They were then asked to rate the frequency and variety of their own delinquency and delinquent intentions, then the extent to which they related to peers with positive or negative attitudes towards the law and its representatives and their own attitudes towards the criminal justice system. Under one in three of these young people felt that they mattered in society. Regression analyses showed that lower sense of such mattering was associated with delinquent intentions, even after controlling for own past delinquency, age and gender. Peers' attitudes and personal attitudes towards the justice system partially mediated this link. Our findings add to literature on sense of place in society and criminal behaviours by showing, for the first time, that a sense of not mattering in society, or mattering little, is likely to be associated with delinquency. Although we recommend extending this study to international, population-based samples, we suggest school and community initiatives to ensure that young people do feel valued by society, which may contribute to community safety.

The predictive value of neurobiological measures for recidivism in delinquent male young adults.

BackgroundNeurobiological measures have been associated with delinquent behaviour, but little is known about the predictive power of these measures for criminal recidivism and whether they have incremental value over and above demographic and behavioural measures. This study examined whether selected measures of autonomic functioning, functional neuroimaging and electroencephalography predict overall and serious recidivism in a sample of 127 delinquent young adults.MethodsWe assessed demographics; education and intelligence; previous delinquency and drug use; behavioural traits, including aggression and psychopathy; and neurobiological measures, including heart rate, heart rate variability, functional brain activity during an inhibition task and 2 electroencephalographic measures of error-processing. We tested longitudinal associations with recidivism using Cox proportional hazard models and predictive power using C-indexes.ResultsPast offences, long-term cannabis use and reactive aggression were strongly associated with recidivism, as were resting heart rate and error-processing. In the predictive model, demographics, past delinquency, drug use and behavioural traits had moderate predictive power for overall and for serious recidivism (C-index over 30 months [fraction of pairs in the data, where the higher observed survival time was correctly predicted]: C30 = 0.68 and 0.75, respectively). Neurobiological measures significantly improved predictive power (C30 = 0.72 for overall recidivism and C30 = 0.80 for serious recidivism).LimitationsFindings cannot be generalized to females, and follow-up was limited to 4 years.ConclusionDemographic and behavioural characteristics longitudinally predicted recidivism in delinquent male young adults, and neurobiological measures improved the models. This led to good predictive function, particularly for serious recidivism. Importantly, the most feasible measures (autonomic functioning and electroencephalography) proved to be useful neurobiological predictors.

Getting Specific About Psychological Inertia

A three-wave mediational analysis with two parallel mediators was performed on prospective data provided by all 1,354 (1,170 boys, 184 girls) members of the Pathways to Desistance study. In the analysis, baseline variety of offending scores (Wave 0) served as the independent variable, Wave 2 variety offending scores served as the dependent variable, and Wave 1 self-efficacy for conventional behavior and general confidence in avoiding future legal trouble served as mediators. Controlling for age, sex, race, parental socioeconomic status, callous/unemotional traits, and moral disengagement, it was determined that only self-efficacy for a conventional lifestyle successfully mediated the past delinquency–future delinquency relationship. From both a theoretical and practical standpoint, the current results indicate that efficacy expectancies specific to participating in a conventional lifestyle are more important in preventing subsequent delinquency than simple confidence in one’s ability to avoid future legal trouble.

Rating momentum in the macroeconomic stress testing and scenario analysis of credit risk

With the focus on multi-horizon macroeconomic credit loss projection models in stress testing and impairments it is of interest to understand how different model assumptions can impact the projection under stressed and best estimate economic projections. In this paper we focus on the popular multi-factor model to credit risk with the added feature of rating momentum - violating the Markov property of the model. While in retail credit models it is obvious that past delinquency is an important predictor of state path commercial models are often implemented as Markovian conditional on the macroeconomic paths. We find that models that do take into account the stylized fact of rating momentum can accelerate the loss timing significantly compared to the non rating momentum case. The exact effect depends on the scenario time horizon, severity and portfolio quality. In general it takes more time for differences to realize for good quality portfolios while the effect on lower rating quality portfolios can be almost immediate with significant loss underestimation. The multi-factor model sensitivity to the explained part of the macroeconomic factors vs. idiosyncratic effects is well known but must be recognized in practice by regulators as models with a low explained portion by the macroeconomic factors can protect the portfolio loss significantly.

Rating Momentum in the Macroeconomic Stress Testing and Scenario Analysis of Credit Risk

With the focus on multi-horizon macroeconomic credit loss projection models in stress testing and impairments it is of interest to understand how different model assumptions can impact the projection under stressed and best estimate economic projections. In this paper we focus on the popular multi-factor model to credit risk with the added feature of rating momentum - violating the Markov property of the model. While in retail credit models it is obvious that past delinquency is an important predictor of state path commercial models are often implemented as Markovian conditional on the macroeconomic paths. We find that models that do take into account the stylized fact of rating momentum can accelerate the loss timing significantly compared to the non rating momentum case. The exact effect depends on the scenario time horizon, severity and portfolio quality. In general it takes more time for differences to realize for good quality portfolios while the effect on lower rating quality portfolios can be almost immediate with significant loss underestimation. The multi-factor model sensitivity to the explained part of the macroeconomic factors vs. idiosyncratic effects is well known but must be recognized in practice by regulators as models with a low explained portion by the macroeconomic factors can protect the portfolio loss significantly.

The persistence of early childhood physical aggression: Examining maternal delinquency and offending, mental health, and cultural differences

PurposeTo examine the persistence of physical aggression in preschoolers and associated correlates (i.e., socio-demographic, socioeconomic, criminality, parenting practices, maternal mental health). MethodsOne-year follow-ups are completed with 240 mothers and their preschool children (boys and girls) from the Vancouver Longitudinal Study on the Psychosocial Development of Children. A series of structural equation models are examined. ResultsMaternal psychological symptoms, juvenile delinquency, and adult offending are associated with higher levels of physical aggression in their offspring. Children of non-Caucasian mothers and those born outside of North are less physically aggressive. Cultural differences in the correlates of physical aggression were identified. ConclusionsMaternal past delinquency, current adult offending, and mental health are important factors in the development of children’s physical aggression. The findings suggest that there are multiple pathways leading to chronic physical aggression, which may be culturally-based. Cultural differences should be taken into account when developing programs and intervening with families of children with behavioral problems.

Profiles of Maternal Parenting Practices: Exploring the Link With Maternal Delinquency, Offending, Mental Health, and Children's Physical Aggression.

Studies have often linked parenting to children's subsequent antisocial behavior; however, the circumstances under which this might occur are less clear. The current study explores patterns in mothers' parenting practices, and associated correlates including maternal delinquency and offending, mental health, and children's physical aggression. This study is based on the first wave of the ongoing Vancouver Longitudinal Study; the objective of this prospective study is to identify the early risk and protective factors for aggression and violence from the earliest developmental periods. Parenting practices of 287 mothers with preschoolers are examined using a series of latent class analyses. Three different patterns of parenting emerged: Positive, Negative, and Intermittent. Patterns identified are associated with several key criminogenic, socio-demographic, historical, and developmental factors including current maternal adult offending, mothers' mental health, ethnicity, and frequency of children's physical aggression. Importantly, mothers who show parenting in line with the more negative classes also rely on a number of positive practices. Implications of the study suggest that parenting is influenced by mothers' immediate situations and contexts (e.g., current offending rather that past delinquency), which can be targeted for intervention.

Examining the moderating role of family cohesion on the relationship between witnessed community violence and delinquency in a national sample of adolescents.

Witnessed community violence has been linked to a number of internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescents. Guided by Cicchetti and Lynch's (1993) ecological-transactional model, this study aimed to examine the impact that family-level factors had on negative outcomes associated with witnessed community violence. Using a nationally representative sample, we explored the moderational role of family cohesion in the relationship between witnessing community violence and delinquent behavior while taking demographic variables into account. Results from the investigation suggested that low levels of family cohesion were predictive of delinquency after controlling for race, gender, past delinquency, and direct trauma. In addition, the findings suggested that family cohesion moderated the impact of witnessed community violence on future delinquent behavior. Future directions for research and implications for practice were also discussed.

Comparing boy and girl arsonists: Crisis, family, and crime scene characteristics

Objective. Juvenile arson offenders have received increasing attention due to the high human and financial cost of arson in the USA. This study examines the similarities and differences between male and female juvenile arson offenders regarding family crisis, school issues, mental health, family characteristics, crime descriptions, and past delinquency. Method. The sample consists of 217 male and 114 female juveniles charged with an arson‐related charge from a large southern state over a 5‐year period from 2000 to 2005. Results. Female juvenile arsonists more often reported a significant crisis within their family in the past year when compared to male juvenile arsonists. Most of the juvenile arson offenders attended school regularly but girls had greater issues with tardiness or truancy than boys. Girl arsonists more often reported a history of childhood abuse, higher scores on a suicide ideation scale and were more likely to set fire at school. Boy arsonists were more likely to have greater mental health problems, report gang involvement, a history of prior delinquency and prior arson, and were found to set fires at their residence when compared to girl arsonists. Instrumental versus expressive reasons for the arson behaviour are discussed. Conclusion. These findings suggest strongly that boy and girls arson offenders are dissimilar enough to require unique assessment and treatment.

Romantic Partners' Contribution to the Continuity of Male and Female Delinquent and Violent Behavior

Using data drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), this study examined males' and females' criminality in young adulthood with models that considered the associations of both their own past delinquency and their current partners' criminality. Specific models considered the main effects of both previous adolescent delinquency and violence and current opposite sex romantic partners' criminality and violence, as well as the interaction of these with each other and by sex of primary participant. Main effects for adolescent delinquency and partners' criminality were significant; however, the results of the interactions by sex suggest different patterns of results for males and females. Models run separately by sex showed that having a prior delinquent history predicted adult criminality for males but not for females, while being in a relationship with a criminal partner increased the odds of criminal behavior in young adulthood for both males and females. A different pattern of results was found for violence in young adulthood. Having a prior violent history predicted adult violence for males and females. However, being in a relationship with a violent partner increased the odds of violent behavior for females only.

To know you is to trust you: parents' trust is rooted in child disclosure of information

As adolescents spend increasing amounts of time away from home, parental trust should become important. Little is known about how trust develops, however. We propose that parental trust is primarily based on knowledge. In this study, we pitted three types of knowledge of the child against each other in the prediction of parental trust: knowledge of feelings and concerns; of past delinquency; and of daily activities. Results showed that knowledge of daily activities was more important than knowledge of past delinquency. In further analyses, knowledge of daily activities that came from the child's spontaneous disclosure was most closely linked to parental trust. These findings add support to a recent re-interpretation of parental “monitoring” as parental knowledge that mainly comes from spontaneous child disclosure. Additionally, the role of parental trust for dysfunctional family relations was examined and it was found that the relations between the child's delinquency and family dysfunction were mediated by parental trust. Finally, even though there was substantial agreement between parents and children about parental trust in the child, the individual's unique perspectives were important. Family dysfunction from the child's perspective was based on whether they believed that their parents trusted them, and parental perceptions of family dysfunction were based on their own trust in the child.

“Effects of High School Delinquency on Educational Attainment and Adult Occupational Status”

High school delinquency negatively affects educational attainment. However, when controlling for years of schooling attained and other background variables, high school delinquency does not significantly shape adult occupational status. If high school delinquents are able to obtain as much schooling as others, their past delinquency does not exert a negative independent effect on occupational achievement.

Strength of handedness as an indicant of delinquent's behavior.

In a sample of incarcerated male delinquents (N = 254), dichotomous and continuous measures of handedness were compared in concurrent prediction of delinquent behavior and correlation with past delinquency. The continuous measures proved to be more sensitive indicants of scores on a rating scale of conduct disorder than was the simple dichotomy of left- vs. right-handed. This superiority of continuous measures was not seen on other indicants of delinquency, where sinistrality did not relate to delinquency. Sinistrality was related to the ratings of conduct disorder. No differences on measures of delinquency appeared when strongly and weakly lateralized groups of right- and left-handers were compared.