Juvenile offenders assessment current opinion 2011 (1) (original) (raw)
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Psychopathology and juvenile delinquents
2010
In Psychopathology in Juvenile Delinquents, after a short presentation of the juvenile justice systems, the authors provide a global overview of the main mental health disorders usually diagnosed in the population of juvenile delinquents, with a specific focus on Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning Disabilities and Mood and Anxiety Disorders. A developmental psychopathology perspective is used and specific attention has been given to gender and ethnic / minority issues. The aim of this overview is to clarify through integration of theory and research in this field, the possible link between mental disorders and delinquent behavior of youth and therefore, present some pathways to delinquency through psychopathology. Moreover, mental health services needed in juvenile justice are described and detailed recommendations are given for the prevention strategies and the social policies needed to be developed. The final objective of the book is to propose a direction western societies could turn to in order to face the multifaceted phenomenon of juvenile delinquency. FOREWORD One of the greatest interests-indeed fascinations-of society today is to glimpse into the criminal mind. We search for understanding, knowledge and answers. We search for an explanation. We seek to find the bridge that links the innocence of childhood with acts of deceit, manipulation and aggression. Psychopathology in Juvenile Delinquents goes a long way in providing an explanation by
Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 2010
Background There has been a lot of research on risk factors for recidivism among juvenile offenders, in general, and on individual risk factors, but less focus on subgroups of serious juvenile offenders and prediction of recidivism within these.Objective To find an optimal classification of risk items and to test the predictive value of the resultant factors with respect to severity of recidivism among serious juvenile offenders.Method Seventy static and dynamic risk factors in 1154 juvenile offenders were registered with the Juvenile Forensic Profile. Recidivism data were collected on 728 of these offenders with a time at risk of at least 2 years. After factor analysis, independent sample t-tests were used to indicate differences between recidivists and non-recidivists. Logistic multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the potential predictive value of the factors for violent or serious recidivism.Results A nine-factor solution best accounted for the data. The factors were: antisocial behaviour during treatment, sexual problems, family problems, axis-1 psychopathology, offence characteristics, conscience and empathy, intellectual and social capacities, social network, and substance abuse. Regression analysis showed that the factors antisocial behaviour during treatment, family problems and axis-1 psychopathology were associated with seriousness of recidivism.Conclusions and implications for practice The significance of family problems and antisocial behaviour during treatments suggest that specific attention to these factors may be important in reducing recidivism. The fact that antisocial behaviour during treatment consists mainly of dynamic risk factors is hopeful as these can be influenced by treatment. Consideration of young offenders by subgroup rather than as a homogenous population is likely to yield the best information about risk of serious re-offending and the management of that risk. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Juvenile Delinquency and Mental Health
In today's world of rapidly-rising crime, we are compelled to expand our knowledge about crime through an increased understanding of its beginnings in juvenile delinquency. The decade of 1990 saw more youth transferred to criminal court, longer sentences, and lower minimum ages at which juveniles could be prosecuted in the criminal justice system as if they were adults. This increase in juvenile delinquent acts has been accompanied by large increases in both the rate of juvenile drug use and the rate of admission to residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children. These temporally-correlated phenomena raise important questions about their possible interrelationship and subsequent effect on the nature of today's juvenile delinquent. As awareness of the high prevalence of mental health problems among juvenile offenders has grown, researchers and practitioners have recognized the need for reliable and efficient methods of assessing such problems among large numbers of offenders to ensure that limited treatment resources are applied to those with the greatest need. The primary aim of this chapter is to present an overview of studies throughout the world determining the prevalence and types of mental health disorders among youth in the juvenile system in order to gain some understanding of the extent of psychological maladjustment in this population. Secondary aims of this chapter are the following: a) to discuss the presence of mental disorder as both an etiological mechanism leading to crime and as a result of incarceration in juveniles, b) to identify the effects of the existence of high rates of mental health problems in juvenile delinquents on themselves and the society in general, c) to propose assessment procedures for the early identification and management of these problems, and d) to discuss the need for the development and implementation of a continuum of services (including mental health, juvenile justice, education and others) to efficiently serve the needs of these youths and to prevent recidivism.
Juvenile Delinquency Bio-Psycho-Social Bases of Deviance
2020
ABSTRACT: Although juvenile delinquency is a social and legal phenomenon, it is an individual act with individual characteristics in a concrete situation. Behavioral alterations are the basic elements of deviance and delinquent activity, and, in young people, these alterations are intense even in persons with balanced social, emotional, familial and material status. Important alterations are usually caused by defect internal and external stimulation leading to behavior disorders. In adolescents, behavioral disorders are usually persistent and repetitive actions as a response to a disrupted interaction between the child and his environment but cause damages to social and moral values. Therefore, juvenile delinquency is a multidisciplinary, complex phenomenon with disproportional relation between the biological elements, external stimuli, and internal emotional and psychological management of these elements. KEYWORDS: behavior, disorder, deviance, adolescents, socio-psychology, delinq...
Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 2015
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of potential environmental and psychopathological risk factors, with special focus on symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in a sample of adolescent offenders in relation to the type of crime committed. The assessment included data collection and administration of clinical standardized scales such as the Youth Self-Report and Conners' Adolescent Self-Report Scale. A total of 135 juvenile offenders participated in the study. In relation to the type of crime committed, we identified three groups matched for age and sex (crimes against people, property crimes, and alcohol-drug-related crimes). Fifty-two percent of juvenile offenders reported educational achievement problems and 34% reported a family history of psychiatric disorders. We detected a statistically significant difference between the three groups with regard to ADHD (P=0.01) and conduct problems (P=0.034). Juvenile offenders who had committed crim...
Predictors of Juvenile Delinquency and Violence
1995
Violence among youth has reached epidemic proportions. Every five minutes a child is arrested for a violent crime. To understand this trend, this paper examines characteristics of adolescent males who come into contact with the juvenile justice system. The study focuses on drug and alcohol involvement, the relevance of education, sexual practices, and sensitivity to violence. It is believed that comprehending the attitudes and perceptions of aggressive, undersocialized youth will foster violence prevention and it is hoped that identifying the factors that place juvenile delinquents at risk will help in the development of treatment programs. For this study, 202 males, ages 12-18, filled out three instruments and provided demographic information. Results indicate that juvenile offenders share a number of characteristics: single-parent households headed by the mother; siblings or parents who have been involved in the legal system; the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana at an early age; weekly $1,000 earnings selling crack; a friend who sells drugs; achievement in mathematics; high rates of suspension and expulsion; no aspiration for higher education; early sexual activity; and weapons ownership. A number of intervention strategies, particularly community-based programs, are recommended. (RJM)
Chapter 35 Evaluation of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
2015
The relationship between forensic clinical psychology and the juvenile courts and juvenile justice system is a special one. Psychologists and other mental health professionals have been involved in the juvenile courts since their inception a little over 100 years ago, and some commentators have offered that forensic psychology can trace its roots to psychologists' involvement in juvenile matters (Otto & Heilbrun, 2002). In this chapter, after providing an overview of the juvenile justice system and its history, we review a number of clinical issues critical to understanding adolescents and their involvement in the juvenile justice system, and we finish with a discussion of the law and clinical factors surrounding evaluation in this context. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM The juvenile court and juvenile justice system are relatively new legal institutions, having just celebrated their 100-year anniversaries a few years ago. The first juvenile court came into existence in Illinois in 1899, and other states rapidly adopted the concept thereafter (Grisso, 1998a). Indeed, the impact of the first juvenile court has even expanded beyond the borders of the United States since special courts for juveniles exist in almost all developed nations (Zimring, 2000). Prior to the establishment of juvenile courts, minors age 14 and older who were accused of criminal acts were processed through (adult) criminal court and received adult sanctions (Tanenhaus, 2000). Children between the ages of 7 and 14 were
Understanding and treating juvenile offenders: A review of current knowledge and future directions
Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2002
Juvenile delinquency is one of our most pressing social problems, with negative emotional, physical, and economic effects felt throughout society. Considering the prevalence, stability, and detrimental impact of juvenile offending, the development of effective treatments is of utmost importance. This article provides an overview of available evidence regarding several key issues pertaining to treatment for juvenile offenders. First, the etiology, continuity, and long-term consequences of juvenile offending are reviewed. Second, factors associated with treatment outcome are discussed. Third, information regarding the most commonly used intervention strategies are provided. These strategies include family/systems, parent and social skills training, cognitive -behavioral, peer group counseling, wilderness programs, and boot camps. Finally, gaps in knowledge, research implications, and future directions are presented. D
Assessing violent offending in serious juvenile offenders
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 1993
The convergent validity of the two most frequently used methods for assessing violent offending in juveniles (i.e., self-reports and arrests) was evaluated. Participants were 87 serious juvenile offenders and their maternal figures, primarily from disadvantaged families. Validation measures tapped established behavioral, family, and peer correlates of delinquency. Results failed to support the ability of either arrests for violent crimes or self-reported violent offenses to index violent criminal behavior accurately. Several methodological features of the study support our hypothesis that the findings were not spurious. Procedural and conceptual implications of the findings are discussed.