Population Of Juvenile Offenders Research Articles

Entre dos Sistemas: los Jóvenes Tutelados en Acogimiento Residencial con Medidas Judiciales

Youths in residential care (RC) are over-represented in the population of juvenile offenders. Some authors consider that entering the protection system is a risk factor for developing criminal behavior, whereas others consider that the two groups (non-offenders and offenders in RC) only share risk factors. The objective of this study is to compare profiles of youth in RC according to whether or not they have received judicial measures. The sample consists of 281 young people in RC, of whom 35 (12.4p) were juvenile offenders. Files were analyzed and the results indicate that young offenders in RC were older when they entered the protection system, had exerted violence against their parents, who could not control them, and had consumption and school adaptation problems. These results are discussed in the light of existing literature.

Integration of Expressive Techniques in Multisystemic Therapy With At-Risk Adolescents: A Retrospective Case Analysis

The multisystemic therapy (MST) treatment model is derived from social ecological theory, through which known risk and protective factors of ecological systems are identified by indirect and direct contribution to at-risk behaviors. However, youth with emotional disturbances postdischarge from residential treatment facilities are often referred to MST due to managed care organizations extending beyond the once identified population of juvenile offenders. Consequently, MST works within the ecological system at which an integration of MST and expressive techniques (ETs) can occur in order to simultaneously work within the individual system. In this article, we discuss the foundation of MST and present a retrospective case analysis of the integration of MST and ETs. We discuss limitations and future research considerations.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Antisocial Process Screening Device

The main aim of the present study was to examine the factor structure, internal consistency, and some additional psychometric properties of the Antisocial Process Screening Device-Self-Report (APSD-SR) among a large forensic sample of incarcerated male juvenile offenders ( N = 438). The results, based on this forensic sample, support the use of the APSD-SR in terms of its factor structure, and internal consistency despite the fact an item had to be removed from the callous-unemotional (CU) dimension. Statistically significant positive associations were found with measures of psychopathic traits, CU traits, narcissism, and aggression, as well as negative associations with a measure of empathy. Findings provide support for the use of the APSD-SR among the incarcerated male juvenile offender population.

Career Counseling With Juvenile Offenders: Effects on Self-Efficacy and Career Maturity

This study investigated the effect of career counseling on a juvenile offender population (N = 22). Results indicated the intervention produced significantly higher levels of career maturity and self-efficacy for the treatment group compared with a control group.

The Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire: a new methodology for science and practice in criminology and forensics.

Most modern theories suggest that interpersonal relationships are of central importance in the development of criminal behavior. We tested the parent attachment scales of a new research and clinical measure, the Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ). It is a 29-scale battery assessing attachments to mother, father, partner, and peers, which also includes several related clinical scales. Sixty-one (18-20 years of age) male offenders from a maximum security detention center and 131 contrasts completed the ACIQ. ANOVA demonstrated that mother and father attachments displayed different patterns. The attachment scales also predicted the numbers of crimes within the population of juvenile offenders. Thus, the parent attachment scales of the ACIQ showed promise as an instrument to test dynamic systems approaches to developmental models of criminal behavior.

The mandatory registration of juvenile sex offenders and commitment of juveniles as sexually violent predators: Controversies and recommendations*

This chapter explores the potential risks of cataloging a database of information about juveniles as it relates to sex offenders and their offenses. The information gathered during a juvenile offender's incarceration can be used to identify mental illness, to individualize mental health treatment, to link the juvenile with a variety of treatment resources, and to plan for future mental health treatment after the juvenile offender leaves a correctional facility. The immediate goal of each of these data utilization venues is the provision of appropriate and successful mental health treatment. The ultimate goal of these venues is to prevent future recidivism. Although juvenile offenders are presumed to benefit from assessment and treatment, the protection of society from further harmful acts is inherent in both of these goals. The evaluation of juvenile sex offenders is particularly fraught with implications for society as well as for the juvenile's future life. Significant recidivism is common in adult sex offenders (Prentky, 1997) and has also been encountered among the juvenile sex offender population (Worling, 2000). Because of these high recidivism rates, numerous jurisdictions and the federal government have enacted laws aimed at preventing recidivism and protecting the public at large from future victimization once sex offenders are released from custody. Information gathered from juvenile sex offenders, including the presence of sexual disorders (i.e., paraphilia), conduct disorder, other mental illness, or prior sexual assaults not known to the criminal justice system, can be used to trigger a juvenile's referral to a sex-offender registry or to a civil commitment process commonly known as sexually violent offender (SVO) or sexually violent predator (SVP) commitment. Frequently, these laws have been the subject of controversy, especially when applied to juvenile offenders, and have been challenged in both state and federal courts. This chapter will review two types of these laws: laws requiring sex offender registration with or without community notification, and laws committing sex offenders to sex offender treatment at the time they are released from incarceration. Problems associated with the application of these laws to juveniles will also be discussed. Language: en

A cross-validation of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) among Japanese juvenile offenders.

The main purpose of the current research is to examine the applicability of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) in a Japanese juvenile offender population. Three hundred eighty-nine youths who were released from the five Juvenile Classification Homes were followed for approximately one and half years. Results show that the YLS/CMI total score significantly predict recidivism. Survival time analysis demonstrates that the YLS/CMI total score also significantly predicted faster time to recidivism. The overall findings support adequate predictive validity of the YLS/CMI total score, but subscales lacked content representativeness and predictive validity in this sample. Canadian and Japanese cultural differences in criminal history and substance abuse are contributors to the lack of content representativeness.

Factors related to recidivism for youthful offenders

Little is known about youth who were previously placed in a detention facility and what factors predict a subsequent recidivism to placement. This study of a two-county juvenile offender population (one urban and one rural) investigates what demographic, educational, mental health, substance dependence, and court-related variables predict recidivism to detention placement. Findings from logistic regression analysis indicate that seven variables significantly predict juvenile offenders’ recidivism placement, some expected and some unexpected. Predictors that made recidivism more likely include youth with a previous conduct disorder diagnosis, a self-reported previous suicide attempt, age, and number of court offenses. Conversely, predictors that made recidivism less likely include race (Caucasian), a previous attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis, and a misdemeanor conviction. These findings indicate that the use of a community-based suicide and mental health screening and referral approach may help to identify and assist these high-risk youth in receiving needed services prior to juvenile court involvement or during delinquency adjudication.

Prevalence of traumatic brain injury in juvenile offenders: A meta-analysis

Studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among adult populations demonstrate that such injuries can lead to aggressive behaviors. Related findings suggest that incarcerated individuals have high rates of brain injuries. Such studies suggest that traumatic brain injury may be related to the etiology and recidivism of criminal behavior. Relatively few studies have examined the prevalence of TBI using a delinquent juvenile sample. In order to assess the relationship between TBI and juvenile offender status, the current study used meta-analytic techniques to examine the odds of having a TBI among juvenile offenders. Across 9 studies, we found that approximately 30% of juvenile offenders have sustained a previous brain injury. Across 5 studies that used a control group, a calculated summary odds ratio of 3.37 suggests that juvenile offenders are significantly more likely to have a TBI compared to controls. Results suggest that the rate of TBIs within the juvenile offender population is significant and that there may be a relationship between TBIs and juvenile criminal behavior.

Substance-related disorders among juvenile offenders: What role do psychopathic traits play?

Substance use disorders are associated with psychopathy, a personality disorder that is heterogeneous in both adults and youth; secondary variants of psychopathy with comorbid psychopathology and primary variants without comorbidity show distinct correlates and outcomes. In adult criminal populations, secondary variants report greater substance abuse compared with primary variants. The primary aim of this study is to replicate and extend these findings to a juvenile offender population. Compared with primary variants of juvenile psychopathy, secondary variants (a) reported significantly more frequent substance use--particularly alcohol--within the 6 months prior to incarceration (d = .43), (b) were almost twice as likely to abuse substances while incarcerated, and (c) were more likely to be diagnosed with a current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) substance use disorder. Practical implications for working with justice-involved youth are discussed.

Male and Female Child Murderers

Recent U.S. cases of murders by children below age 11 have captured national headlines. A review of the literature reveals that little is known about this population of juvenile homicide offenders (JHOs). Most studies on juvenile murderers have used small clinical samples, focused on adolescents, and concentrated on male offenders. Studies that have used Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data have found significant gender differences among juveniles below 18 years arrested for murder. This study investigated gender differences among 226 juvenile murderers ages 6 through 10 involved in single-victim incidents using bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques. Consistent with previous research, bivariate analyses revealed gender differences with respect to the type of weapon used, age of the victim, relationship to the victim, and circumstances of the crime. Logistic regression analysis identified female JHOs as more likely to use a knife, kill a family member, and kill a victim below age 5, when compared with male JHOs. From these findings, profiles of young male and female JHOs can be drawn. The article concludes with a discussion of the study's implications for prevention and treatment. The authors recommend that future research in gender differences among young children focus on examining psychological, neurological, and sociological variables not included in the SHR data set.

Formar ciudadanos en centros para menores privados de libertad... Un reto complejo para la educación

<p align="left">Este informe se fundamenta en una investigación realizada sobre el proyecto “La noción de ciudadanía en menores infractores privados de libertad que hacen parte de procesos reeducativos”, desarrollada por Adelmo Sabogal Padilla entre los años 2008 y 2009. El problema de investigación abordado está relacionado con la tensión existente frente a la decisión de privar de la libertad a un sujeto que la misma sociedad ha educado. Esto nos puede llevar a preguntarnos no solo por las fallas del sujeto sino por las del sistema. El tema en que confluye esta problemática tiene que ver con las nociones de ciudadanía, que posee la población de menores infractores privados de la libertad. El objetivo propuesto pretendió caracterizar las nociones de ciudadanía de un grupo de jóvenes infractores que hacen parte de procesos reeducativos. También se relacionaron las situaciones a las que atribuyen el origen de su infracción. Los resultados centraron su atención en relación con las siguientes categorías: a) pertenencia nacional, b) reconocimiento como sujetos de derechos y deberes, c) conciencia de pertenencia a una colectividad, d) participación social e integración, e) responsabilidad del buen funcionamiento de las instituciones, f) derechos y deberes correlativos, g) defensa de los propios derechos.</p>

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Girls’ Sentencing in the Juvenile Justice System

This article examines how gender-role ideology may affect racial/ethnic disparities, using data on the population of Black, White and Hispanic female juvenile offenders in Florida. As expected, Black girls received harsher dispositions than White girls, but contrary to predictions, Hispanic girls’ dispositions were no harsher than White girls’. Interaction models revealed that the effects of race/ethnicity depend on legal variables; up to a certain threshold, White girls appear to be granted leniency. As their offending severity and prior records increase, however, the juvenile justice system becomes increasingly intolerant, and sentencing decisions become harsher for White girls than for Black girls.

P02-47 - Juvenile sex offenders in Switzerland: demographic factors, psychopathology, offence characteristics and recidivism

ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to describe the population of juvenile sex offenders in the Canton of Zurich by a retrospective analysis of a consecutive sample of the police and judicial records between 2000 and 2008. Offence characteristics have been studied and compared to demographic and psychopathological factors of the adolescent offenders. Reoffence risk was assessed by the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol (J-SOAP-II) and compared to sexual and general recidivism.MethodsA youth-adapted version of the Forensic-Psychiatric Documentation System (FDPS) has been used for data collection. Recidivism has been assessed by the official crime database of the Canton of Zurich until October 2009.ResultsPreliminary results show that the population of juvenile sex offenders is of heterogeneous nature. Intensity of sexual behavior and violence varies significantly in the sample (N = 351). Mostly the juvenile offenders have been arrested after committing one criminal act (56.4%). With exception of pornographic offences (35.9%), sexual coercion (32.8%) and sexual assaults against children (27.4%) were the most frequent crimes. Psychiatric assessments of the most serious juvenile offenders found frequent behavioral (43.6%) and emotional disorders (18.1%) but only one case of paraphilia. Results of risk assessment and recidivism are in preparation and will be added to the final presentation.ConclusionsJuvenile sex offenders are a complex population and can not been compared to adult offenders according to offence characteristics and crime motivation. Developmental factors have to be included when assessing and treating juvenile sex offenders.

Toward a psychopathology of self‐control theory: the importance of narcissistic traits

Research on self-control and related constructs is central to individual-level explanations of antisocial behavior. However, less research attention has been paid to the psychopathological underpinnings of self-control. The current study explores relationships between self-control and psychiatric symptoms, head injury, trauma history, substance use, guiltlessness and narcissistic traits in a statewide population of juvenile offenders. Results support the importance of these variables, in particular narcissistic traits, in better explicating theories of self-control. Implications for research on the psychopathological underpinnings of self-control are highlighted.

Anger Management for Female Juvenile Offenders: Results of a Pilot Study

ABSTRACT In recent years, while the violent crime arrest rate has decreased for boys, it has increased for girls. Anger-related behaviors, such as physical and relational aggression, account for a significant proportion of the crimes for which these youth are arrested. Nevertheless, there exists no empirically evaluated anger management intervention designed specifically for a female juvenile offender population. This pilot study is a first step in developing such an intervention. Participants were 12 girls in a post-adjudication facility who were randomly assigned to either the 18- session anger management treatment condition or the treatment-as-usual control condition. Although significant differences between the groups on measures of anger and aggression were difficult to detect because of the pilot study's small sample size, medium- to large-effect sizes were obtained. These findings suggest promise for a larger-scale efficacy study. Further revisions to the treatment manual for the larger-scale efficacy study are discussed.

The relationship between sleeping problems and aggression, anger, and impulsivity in a population of juvenile and young offenders

Purpose The current study examines both the quantity and quality of sleep reported by male adolescents detained in prison, with a focus on exploring the association between the quantity and quality of sleep with aggression, impulsivity, or anger. This represents a novel area of study not yet explored among incarcerated male adolescents. Method One hundred eighty-four offenders took part; 104 young (average age 19 years) and 80 juvenile (average age 16 years). All completed a questionnaire exploring sleeping problems, and measures assessing aggression, anger, and impulsivity. Results Aggression was found to relate both to the quantity and quality of sleep reported, with reduced quantity and quality predicted by increased overall aggression. Across aggression subscales, only increased hostility was predictive of reduced current hours of sleep and increased problems in sleep quality. Apnea risk scores were not predicted by aggression, anger, or impulsivity. Differences in sleep behavior before and during prison were demonstrated, with evidence for increased poor sleeping habits within detention. No differences were observed between young and juvenile offenders. Conclusions This study suggests a potential relationship between aggression and sleep among an incarcerated adolescent male sample, highlighting in particular a role for hostility. The findings are discussed in relationship to implications for treatment and directions for future research.

Juvenile Sex Offenders: a Complex Population

Individuals who engage in sexual offending behavior represent a heterogeneous population. Recent research has found some success in categorizing sexual offenders based on a number of variables, particularly the type of victim. For example, differences have been found between those offenders who victimize adults when compared with those who victimize children. However, the research in this area has been conducted predominantly with adult samples. As the adult sex offender literature has progressed, it has become evident that risk assessment, treatment effectiveness, and risk management are dependent on such offender characteristics. Unfortunately, the relevance to juveniles of characteristics deemed to be important with adult sex offenders is limited due to the complexity of developmental processes, particularly with respect to mental disorders and personality formation. As such, the formulation and implementation of treatment and risk management strategies that will be effective with juvenile sex offenders are challenging. The goal of this paper is to review some of the complexities inherent in the juvenile sex offender population by focusing on specific areas of complication, including: classification systems, comorbid paraphilias and other mental illnesses, and maladaptive personality traits.

Nipping psychopathy in the bud: an examination of the convergent, predictive, and theoretical utility of the PCL‐YV among adolescent girls

Over the last decade rates of violence among adolescent girls have increased. Within high-risk contexts, urgent calls for assessment options have resulted in the extension of adult and male-based instruments to adolescent females in spite of the absence of strong empirical support. The current study evaluates the downward extension of psychopathy within a population of female juvenile offenders (N=125). The convergent and predictive validity of the Psychopathy Checklist-Youth Version (PCL-YV) were evaluated within a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. Results indicated that while a specific component of psychopathy, deficient affective experience, was related to aggression, the effect was negated once victimization experiences were entered into the models. In addition, PCL-YV scores were not predictive of future offending, while victimization experiences significantly increased the odds of re-offending. Implications for research, policy, and clinical practice are discussed.

Reducing violence in serious juvenile offenders using intensive treatment

This study reports on the reduction in violent offending in a population of serious and violent juvenile offenders following an intensive institutional treatment program. The treatment group ( N = 101) is compared to a similar group that was assessed but not treated ( N = 147). All youth were sent to the program from a juvenile corrections institution where they had received the customary rehabilitation services. The results show a significant reduction in the prevalence of recidivism in the treated group after controlling for time at risk in the community and other covariates. The effects of non-random group assignment were reduced by including a propensity score analysis procedure in the outcome analysis. Untreated comparison youth appeared to be about twice as likely to commit violent offenses as were treated youth (44% vs. 23%). Similarly, treated youth had significantly lower hazard ratios for recidivism in the in the community than the comparison youth, even after accounting for the effects of non-random group assignment.