Reducing Recidivism In Serious And Violent Youthful Offenders: Fact, Fiction, And A Path Forward (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, 2011
One of the lesser understood research issues about antisocial onset and persistence is whether there are different patterns of risk factors within the broader identified pathways that require distinctive treatment strategies. This article hypothesizes that there are at least five distinct pathways to persistent antisocial behaviour. The pathways are premised upon the developmental perspective and suggest that the experiences of individuals and their exposure to subsequent risk factors are affected by the earliest risk factors to which the individual is exposed. From a policy perspective, development of these pathways focuses on the goal of preventing antisocial onset, or to reduce the likelihood that behaviours will become progressively antisocial, while concurrently encouraging desistance. A key objective is to inform policy-makers about possible program intervention points for specific sets of risk factors, utilizing programs that have already been identified as successful, and developing new experimental programs.
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
Violent juvenile delinquents: Treatment effectiveness and implications for future action
American Psychologist, 1995
Traditionally, the juvenile justice system has emphasized the goals of treatment and rehabilitation of young offenders, while protecting them from punishment, retribution, and stigmatization. Violent juvenile offenders have posed a challenge to this rehabilitative ideal because of mounting public pressure to ensure societal protection. Juveniles who are perceived as dangerous or persistent in their criminal activity are increasingly transferred to the adult criminal justice system, where they may receive much harsher consequences. Whether violent delinquents can be successfully treated is a key point in the debate regarding the wisdom of this trend in juvenile justice. This article considers the available research to address the policy question of how society should reasonably invest in the treatment of violent juvenile offenders.
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2010
The aim of this study was to identify subgroups of serious juvenile offenders on the basis of their risk profiles, using a data-driven approach. The sample consists of 1,147 of the top 5% most serious juvenile offenders in the Netherlands. A part of the sample, 728 juvenile offenders who had been released from the institution for at least 2 years, was included in analyses on recidivism and the prediction of recidivism. Six subgroups of serious juvenile offenders were identified with cluster analysis on the basis of their scores on 70 static and dynamic risk factors: Cluster 1, antisocial identity; Cluster 2, frequent offenders; Cluster 3, flat profile; Cluster 4, sexual problems and weak social identity; Cluster 5, sexual problems; and Cluster 6, problematic family background. Clusters 4 and 5 are the most serious offenders before treatment, committing mainly sex offences. However, they have significantly lower rates of recidivism than the other four groups. For each of the six clusters, a unique set of risk factors was found to predict severity of recidivism. The results suggest that intervention should aim at different risk factors for each subgroup.
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.
2008
Abstract: A great many intervention and prevention programs exist with respect to dealing with juvenile delinquency, but most of these do not get evaluated, and of those that do get evaluated, few are successful in reducing criminal activity. Further, most of these studies do not undertake cost/benefit analyses of the program. This paper reports on an outcome and cost/benefit evaluation of a targeted intervention program aimed at youthful offenders, the YouthBuild Offender Program.