Young Offender Population Research Articles

Reactive attachment disorder, disinhibited social engagement disorder, adverse childhood experiences, and mental health in an imprisoned young offender population

BackgroundA high proportion of young people in prison have a history of abuse and neglect, and/or of neurodevelopmental or psychiatric conditions. Despite this, the only two conditions specifically associated with abuse and neglect, Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED), have never been included as part of a comprehensive prevalence study. MethodsA cross sectional study, in 110 male inmates aged 16 to 23, examined the prevalence of, and associations between, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions, including RAD and DSED. OutcomesVirtually all of the young men (96 %) had one or more lifetime neurodevelopmental or mental health conditions, 85.5 % had a current condition, yet less than 3 % reported having received a mental health assessment in prison. High rates of RAD and/or DSED symptoms were found (53.6 %) and 74.5 % had experienced some form of abuse or neglect. InterpretationThere is a high prevalence of ACEs, RAD/DSED, neurodevelopmental and other mental health conditions within this population. Comprehensive clinical assessments are required to ensure appropriate support and staff training is needed to ensure that the full implications of the high prevalence of neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions are understood as part of trauma informed care.

The remediating effect of Attention Bias Modification on aggression in young offenders with antisocial tendency: A randomized controlled trial

Background and objectivesAn attention bias toward hostile stimuli is associated with an increased risk of aggressive behavior. Thus, reducing hostile attention bias may help to reduce aggression in young offenders. We evaluated the remediating effects of Attention Bias Modification (ABM) on hostile attention bias and aggressive behavior in Chinese male young offenders with antisocial tendencies. MethodsInstitutionalized male young offenders (ages 16–18) were recruited and randomly assigned to ABM (n = 28), placebo (n = 28), or waiting list (n = 28). The ABM group received four weeks of training using visual search of emotional faces; the placebo group underwent similar training using visual search of neutral objects. Before and after treatment, aggressive behavior, attention bias toward positive stimuli and hostile stimuli were assessed. ResultsLinear mixed models and hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that the intervention effect of ABM was moderated by participants’ initial attention bias. Young offenders with a high level of initial hostile attention bias, or with a low level of initial positive attention bias, benefitted most from ABM. LimitationsThe small sample size impedes investigation of the mechanism of the intervention's effects. Further research can determine whether the current results can be extrapolated to the population of female young offenders. ConclusionThe results of the present study suggest that ABM is helpful for young offenders who show the greatest bias toward hostile stimuli and away from positive stimuli. These findings highlight the importance of matching the intervention and the participant. Trial registrationosf.io/vj5rk;

Pausing Mid-Sentence: An Ecological Model Approach to Language Disorder and Lived Experience of Young Male Offenders.

International research evidence has firmly established a high prevalence of language disorder in young offender populations. Less is known about young offenders’ perspectives on their own language abilities. The study recruited an opportunity sample of 10 young men in custody at a Scottish youth offending institution who had recent experience of segregation. This mixed-methods study investigated participants’ views on their language and communication abilities to inform future support and intervention, and formal language assessment was also administered to investigate indicative prevalence of language disorder within the sample. It focused on their communication with professionals and peers in justice, education and welfare settings. Results of standardised language assessment indicated the presence of language disorder in 44% (n = 4) of the sample (n = 9). Thematic analysis of interview data led to formulation of three themes: Valuing Communication, Literacy and Learning; Exerting Control; and Seeking Support. The first theme is discussed with reference to Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model. Participants offered reflective and rich views on their lived experience. They provided perspectives on features of successful interaction with peers and authority figures, importance of effective communication and the difficulties they encountered. This study argues for additional communication support for young people in the justice system.

Barriers to accessing psychological treatment for medium to high risk male young offenders

ABSTRACT Within the young offender population, rates of personality disorder and mood disorders are considerably higher than both the general and adult offender population. Despite this high level of need and high risk of harm, psychological services within prisons are widely underutilized. Little is known about the barriers to accessing treatment for young offenders. This study investigated barriers to accessing psychological treatment for male young offenders detained in a UK prison. There were 128 participants, aged 18–21. A cross-sectional design compared self-reported barriers and psychological distress for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) and White young offenders not accessing treatment, as well as those who were. A preference for self-reliance, a lack of trust in the prison system, lengthy waiting times and a general reluctance to talk about emotions were the most commonly cited barriers. BME young offenders not engaged in treatment reported significantly more barriers to accessing treatment than BME young offenders who were engaged in treatment, but both BME groups had equal levels of psychological distress. There was no significant difference between BME and White young offenders in the number of barriers reported, including stigma barriers. Future research should evaluate interventions to increase access for this marginalised population.

Traumatic brain injury among young offenders in France. Results of the Fleury TBI study

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of TBI in a French prison population of young offenders and to study variables known to be associated with TBI. All young offenders (from 13 to 21) consecutively admitted to Fleury-Mérogis prison over a period of 3 months were included in the study. During the admission procedure, young offenders were interviewed by healthcare staff using a self-reported questionnaire. Comparisons between cases (history of TBI) and controls (no history of TBI) were performed. In all, 332 young offenders were included. The rate of self-reported TBI was high, with a prevalence of 24.5%. The first cause of TBI was violence-related outcomes (25%) and the majority of TBIs were sustained during adolescence (44/80). The first TBI occurred before the first imprisonment in 73/80 case (92.3%). Cases and controls were of the same age ( P = .19). Both had had their first contact with the prison around 18 ( P = .96). No differences were found regarding the number of times in custody and the total time spent in jail during the preceding five years ( P = .11 and P = .16, respectively). Young offenders who reported a TBI significantly accumulate multiple health problems including mental health problems (16.3%; P = .002) and a regular use of cannabis (28.7%; P = .02). These results provide further evidence that specific measures need to be developed such as, first of all, screening for TBI and related impairments upon arrival in prison. They are of a major interest to prevent re-offending among young people.

Examining the association between language, expository discourse and offending behaviour: an investigation of direction, strength and independence.

A high prevalence of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is reported in the population of Young Offenders (YO). However, little is known about the extent of the association between language and offending behaviour relative to social disadvantage, education attendance and non-verbal intelligence (IQ), and neither has this association been investigated with particular reference to the expository discourse abilities of YOs on community orders in the UK. This study aimed to examine the direction and strength of the association between language and offending behaviour by comparing the receptive and expressive language and expository discourse abilities of male and female YOs and non-offenders in the UK, relative to the confounds of social disadvantage, years of education attended and non-verbal IQ. Examining expository discourse provided a measure of the YOs. ability to verbally communicate complex information; a communication ability that is fundamental to engaging effectively in youth offending services and secondary education. An opportunity sample of 52 YOs was recruited from a youth offending service. The YO group was matched on years of education, social disadvantage and non-verbal IQ to a purpose selected comparison group of 25 non-offenders. All participants had English as their first language and were not currently receiving any speech and language intervention. Participants completed standardised measures of receptive and expressive language and an expository discourse measure. The incidence of DLD was identified and compared across offender group using scores from the language and expository discourse measures and gender differences were also explored. Finally, logistical regression analysis was used to test the association between language performance and offending status relative to the confounds of social disadvantage, education attendance and non-verbal IQ. A large proportion of YOs scored below test norms for the language and expository discourse measures, which indicated a high incidence of DLD that was much larger than that displayed by the non-offenders. No differences were found on language performance between male and female YOs. Logistic regression analyses found that as language performance increased, the probability of being a non-offender significantly increased. Participants were over 1 to 5 times more likely to be classified as a non-offender for every unit increase in the language and expository discourse scores. The statistically significant positive association found between language and offending behaviour relative to other confounds, highlights the important role of language in understanding offending behaviour. YOs displayed high incidences of DLD in their language and expository discourse abilities despite having not received any speech and language intervention prior to their involvement in this study. This has implications for their effective engagement in education and in youth offending and criminal justice services (CJS). Professionals in education, health and social care and youth justice should be made aware of the language needs of both YOs and children with emotional behavioural difficulties, and these language needs should be identified and targeted as early as possible to enable them to be effective communicators who can engage effectively in their provision.

Traumatic brain injury among young offenders in France based on the results of the Fleury TBI study

AbstractObjective: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a French prison population of young offenders and to study variables known to be associated with TBI. It also aimed to study whether TBI was associated with younger age at entry into prison; longer period of custody and re-offending. Participants: All young offenders (from 13 to 21) consecutively admitted to Fleury-Merogis prison over a period of 3 months were included. Method: During the admission procedure, young offenders were interviewed by healthcare staff using a self-reported questionnaire. Comparisons between cases (TBI+) and controls (TBI−) were performed. Results: Three hundred thirty two young offenders were included. The prevalence of self-reported TBI was 24.5%. The first cause of TBI was violence-related outcomes (25%). No differences were found regarding the number of times in custody and the total time spent in prison during the preceding five years. Cases accumulated multiple health problems ...

Young Offenders, Maltreatment, and Trauma: A Pilot Study

Although a large number of studies offer consistent and persuasive evidence that exposure to childhood maltreatment and subsequent juvenile offending behaviours are related, relatively few studies have investigated the mechanisms by which maltreatment might increase risk in young offender populations. The aim of this pilot study was to collate data on the key areas of need from 28 young male offenders in secure care in an Australian jurisdiction, with a specific focus on the inter-relationship between scores on self-report measures of maltreatment, trauma, and mental health. The findings provide preliminary evidence that these key constructs are linked to other proximal risk factors for juvenile offending, such as poor anger regulation and antisocial thinking patterns. They offer a rationale for considering the sequelae of maltreatment in the development of service delivery frameworks for young offenders.

Violent offenders as a target population for Public Mental Health Care

The study sought to specify which part of a population of young adult violent offenders in Amsterdam (mean age 24.9 years, sd = 8.2) were eligible for Public Mental Health Care (PMHC). The results of a semi-structured clinical interview were used (N = 454), which included the Self-Sufficiency Matrix (SSM-D). Using the SSM-D and two distinct definitions of what constitutes a need for PMHC, the size of the PMHC target population was determined twice. Depending on which definition was used, 35.9% (mathematical algorithm which put weights to single SSM-D domains) and 34.8% (problematic levels of self-sufficiency on a selection of domains) appeared to be eligible for entering the PMHC system. The study confirms that a substantial proportion of vulnerable people are among the forensic population.

An Examination of Criminogenic Needs, Mental Health Concerns, and Recidivism in a Sample of Violent Young Offenders: Implications for Risk, Need, and Responsivity

Young offender populations typically display high rates of substance use pathology and mental health concerns, however, little is known regarding how these factors relate to dynamic risk factors for reoffending (criminogenic needs) among young offenders. The present study investigated a Canadian sample of 186 youth charged with serious/violent offenses on measures of psychopathology, substance abuse, risk, and recidivism. Significant relationships were found between measures of substance abuse with most indices of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI), a validated risk assessment tool designed to assess criminogenic risk and need. Furthermore, measures of substance abuse predicted general, violent, and nonviolent recidivism for both youth and adult outcomes to varying degrees. Youth with disruptive behavior disorders, comorbid substance use concerns with another disorder (dual diagnosis), or with two or more disorders evidenced more serious criminogenic need profiles, whereas mood, anxiety, and cognitive disorders were unrelated to criminogenic risk. With the exception of conduct disorder and substance use pathology, mental health concerns tended not to be related to recidivism. The implications of these findings in terms of assessing risk and providing treatment services for young offenders is discussed in relation to the risk-need responsivity (RNR) model of effective correctional intervention.

Improving communication outcomes for young offenders: a proposed response to intervention framework.

Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are strongly overrepresented in young offender populations, and there is growing commitment internationally to ensuring access to speech-language therapy services for such young people. However there is currently no framework in which such interventions might be conceptualized, delivered and evaluated. This is significant given the role of language competence in the development of prosocial skills and also in the transition to literacy. To present Response to Intervention (RTI) as a framework in which SLCN of young offenders might be systematically addressed and evaluated within youth justice settings, led by speech-language therapists, in conjunction with other education and welfare team members. Literature regarding prevalence rates of SLCN in young offenders is reviewed, together with the limited extant evidence on interventions for this group. The importance of applying evidence-based interventions is argued, and a framework for adapting RTI for SLCN in custodial settings is outlined. A framework for adapting RTI to design, deliver and evaluate speech-language therapy interventions in youth custodial settings is presented. Speech-language therapy interventions for young offenders will be better addressed at policy, practice and research levels if a framework such as an RTI adaptation is employed. It is expected, however, that this model will evolve over time, as intervention evidence pertaining to the youth offender population emerges.

The Predictive Validity of Risk Assessment Approaches for Young Australian Offenders

Validation literature on the predictive ability of North American youth violence risk assessment inventories is developing across international settings. Yet no information exists on the utility of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV),]and little research has been conducted on the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) across Australian young offender populations. The current study investigated the validity of the risk instruments on 213 young people in detention in Victoria, Australia. Findings indicated moderate to strong predictive accuracy for re-offence outcomes across the three inventories for the total sample and for males. The SAVRY was also able to identify the strength of protective factors for young female offenders. The inventories appear to be suitable prediction aides in the Australian youth justice context although further research is required to ascertain their applicability to Australian young female offenders.

Motivating young people in prison to improve behaviour

PurposeOne of the greatest challenges facing forensic practitioners is motivating offenders to engage in treatment. Possibly one of the hardest groups to engage and comply with prison regimes are young people in prison (YPP) aged 15‐17 years. Whilst there has been research interest in adult offender treatment motivation, little attention has been paid to motivation in imprisoned juveniles. The purpose of this paper is to report the adaptation of the existing adult motivational enhancement tool – the Personal Aspiration and Concerns Inventory for Offenders (PACI‐O) – for use with a YPP population and to explore the motivational effect of the PACI‐O‐YPV (Young Person's Version) on YPP.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 18 YPP took part, with nine participants each in the control and experimental groups. All participants completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and their prison regime status was recorded. The experimental group completed the PACI‐O‐YPV.FindingsResults showed YPP who completed the PACI‐O‐YPV displayed an improved prison regime status, indicating improved behaviour whilst in prison and increased SWLS, compared with those in the control group. These findings support previous results with adult offender samples.Research limitations/implicationsA small sample size necessitates caution in interpreting results. Further research is needed to assess the PACI‐O‐YPV's full potential.Practical implicationsLack of motivation has been identified as a salient concern among both adult and young person offender populations. Comprehensive efforts are required to enhance motivation in forensic populations.Originality/valueThis research addresses motivation enhancement in an under‐researched offender population.

Ultra high risk of psychosis on committal to a young offender prison: an unrecognised opportunity for early intervention

BackgroundThe ultra high risk state for psychosis has not been studied in young offender populations. Prison populations have higher rates of psychiatric morbidity and substance use disorders. Due to the age profile of young offenders one would expect to find a high prevalence of individuals with pre-psychotic or ultra-high risk mental states for psychosis (UHR). Accordingly young offender institutions offer an opportunity for early interventions which could result in improved long term mental health, social and legal outcomes. In the course of establishing a mental health in-reach service into Ireland’s only young offender prison, we sought to estimate unmet mental health needs.MethodsEvery third new committal to a young offenders prison was interviewed using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS) to identify the Ultra High Risk (UHR) state and a structured interview for assessing drug and alcohol misuse according to DSM-IV-TR criteria, the Developmental Understanding of Drug Misuse and Dependence - Short Form (DUNDRUM-S).ResultsOver a twelve month period 171 young male offenders aged 16 to 20 were assessed. Of these 39 (23%, 95% confidence interval 18% to 30%) met UHR criteria. UHR states peaked at 18 years, were associated with lower SOFAS scores for social and occupational function and were also associated with multiple substance misuse. The relationship with lower SOFAS scores persisted even when co-varying for multiple substance misuse.ConclusionsAlthough psychotic symptoms are common in community samples of children and adolescents, the prevalence of the UHR state in young offenders was higher than reported for community samples. The association with impaired function also suggests that this may be part of a developing disorder. Much more attention should be paid to the relationship of UHR states to substance misuse and to the health needs of young offenders.

Experiences of shame and empathy in violent and non-violent young offenders

Youth offending is one of society's most pressing problems and the development of our understanding in this area is of paramount importance. Shame and empathy are believed to play a role in offending; however, research investigating these concepts in the young offender population is limited and further work is necessary to investigate their role within this neglected group. Using a sample of 80 violent and non-violent male young offenders, this study investigated whether there were any differences between experiences of shame and empathy in these groups. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the levels of shame they experienced. There was, however, a significant difference between the groups in their levels of empathy, with violent young offenders experiencing lower levels of empathy. This result has implications for young offender treatment programmes, with particular emphasis on differentiating violent and non-violent offenders.

Flunitrazepam intake in male offenders

The abuse of flunitrazepam (FZ) compounds is worldwide, and several studies have reflected on the consequences with regard to violence, aggression and criminal lifestyle of FZ users. Criminals take high doses of FZ or some other benzodiazepines to “calm down” before the planned crime. There is support from earlier studies that most likely, all benzodiazepines may increase aggression in vulnerable males. Chronic intake of high doses of FZ increases aggression in male rats. Because psychopathy involves aggression, we have examined whether psychopathy as well as any of the four facets of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) (Interpersonal, Affective, Lifestyle and Antisocial) are related to different substance use disorders, with the focus on FZ. We have also examined the relationship between each PCL-R item and FZ use. Participants were 114 male offenders aged 14–35 years, all of whom were convicted for severe, predominantly violent, offences. Substance use, including FZ, was not more common in those who scored high in psychopathy. Use of FZ was more common in offenders who scored high in Facet 4 (Antisocial) of the PCL-R (odds ratio = 4.30, 95% CI 1.86–9.94). Only one of the PCL-R items, “Criminal versatility”, was significantly associated with FZ use (odds ratio = 3.7). It may be concluded that intake of FZ has a specific relationship to only one of the facets and not to psychopathy per se. The findings have also important theoretical implications because Facet 4 is not a key factor of the construct of psychopathy. Clinical implications of the article: We have used the new two-factor and four-facet theoretical model of psychopathy in the young offender population, many of them with one or more substance use disorders. The present results suggest that antisocial behavior defined by Facet 4 (poor behavioral control, early behavior problems, juvenile delinquency, revocation of conditional release and criminal versatility) in the studied subjects is more typical for FZ users than it is for non-FZ users. This may have implications for assessment and treatment. Clinicians should be aware that criminals with high scores on Facet 4 have a more than fourfold odds of being a FZ user. This conclusion has an important clinical implication because FZ abuse is very common and is not always the focus of a forensic psychiatric assessment.

Truancy and Patterns of Criminogenic Risk in a Young Offender Population

This study validated a widely used risk assessment measure, the youth level of service/case management inventory (YLS/CMI), as a predictor of both delinquent reoffense and repeat truancy offenses in a court-involved truant sample (n = 308). The YLS/CMI performed adequately well at predicting delinquent reoffense, yielding an area under the curve (AUC) of .617 (p < .05); however, the analysis did not indicate any significant relationship between the YLS/CMI risk score and the repeat truancy offense. This study also used cluster analysis to identify five combinations of risk factors that were prevalent in the truant sample. These findings have value to justice and education systems as it determined the potential of this instrument as a truancy prevention tool. It also provided a typology system for classifying offenders based on eight domains of criminogenic risk, paving the way for interventions focused on specific patterns of risk found in this subpopulation of juvenile offenders.

Bullying and Suicide Attempts Among Adolescents Kept in Custody

This contribution explores the associations between suicide attempts; bullying; and the familial, educational, legal, and institutional characteristics of young offenders in custody. The sample was 152 randomly selected male young offenders aged 16-21 years (M = 18.9, SD = 1.3) years from the largest young offenders' institution in Scotland, who completed structured personal interviews. Rates of reported suicide attempts were significantly higher in the population of young offenders than reported rates from general population samples. Being in residential care, the presence of a social worker for the family, family history of alcohol abuse, family history of suicide attempts, the experience of being bullied in custody, contact with a psychologist in the community, and being a violent offender were significantly related to increased risk of suicide attempts in custody. Compared to those who were not bullied, offenders who were bullied in custody were 9.22 times more likely to attempt suicide. The implications these findings for reducing bullying in penal settings are discussed.

The incidence of dyslexia among young offenders in Kuwait

This paper investigates the incidence of dyslexia among young offenders in Kuwait. A total of 91 children/young adults from 8 juvenile delinquent welfare centres across Kuwait were interviewed and tested. A measure of non-verbal reasoning ability was used to exclude those with low general ability. The remaining 53 participants were tested on their ability to identify alliteration and rhyme, retain and manipulate sequences of digit and letter names, decode novel letter strings and identify words within letter chains. Participants' reading accuracy, rate of reading, reading comprehension and ability to spell correctly dictated text were also assessed. These measures were used to determine those with indicators of dyslexia. The results indicated that the percentage of individuals presenting evidence of dyslexia was much larger (greater than 20%) in this population of young offenders than would be expected based on the national average (around 6%) of dyslexics in Kuwait derived from a nationwide study (A survey study of dyslexia in Kuwait, Kuwait Dyslexia Association: Kuwait City; 2002). These findings replicate previous evidence for an increased frequency of dyslexia among young offenders. The implications of such findings are discussed in terms of dyslexia awareness, socio-cultural factors, education and intervention, particularly in Kuwait juvenile delinquent welfare centres.

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.