Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

Publisher:: Sage Publications, Inc.
Publication date:: 2021-09-06

ISBN:: 1541-2040

Issue Number

No. 23-1, January 2025

Latest documents

The War on Drugs in Juvenile Court? The Influence of Community Context on Juvenile Court Outcomes for White, Black, and Hispanic Youth
Prior research on race/ethnicity and juvenile court processing have found that youth of color often receive disadvantaged outcomes compared to their White counterparts, and that community context may condition this relationship. The current study examined this association between race/ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic) and type of drug offense (possession vs. distribution) with adjudication and disposition outcomes, especially the tempering effect of disadvantaged community characteristics. Results from multi-level models indicated that Black youth who were charged with a drug distribution offense were more likely to receive residential placement compared to similarly situated Whites. Underclass poverty and racial/ethnic inequality moderated these associations, but the significance and direction of the results differed depending on the stage examined. The findings reveal ongoing racial/ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system, and offer clearer insights into the conditions under which youth of color charged with different drug offenses are processed in juvenile court.
Maternal and Paternal Parenting and Maltreatment in Relation to Callous-Unemotional Traits in Detained Male Adolescents
This study investigated the relationship between parenting practices, childhood maltreatment (CM), callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and conduct disorder (CD) symptoms among 275 detained adolescent boys (Mage = 16.96). CU traits, and paternal and maternal parenting were assessed via self-report questionnaires. A diagnostic interview was used to assess CD symptoms. Regression analyses revealed that harsh parenting and physical maltreatment were positively associated with CU traits after controlling for CD symptoms, whereas warm parenting was significantly negatively related to CU traits. After controlling for the overlap between parenting and CM, only parenting was significantly positively related to CU traits. Findings, finally, showed that CU traits did not moderate the link between parenting (or CM) and CD symptoms. The study underscores that it is important to consider experiences with parenting practices and CM in detained adolescents with heightened CU traits.
Group Conferencing is Associated with Lower Rates of Repeated Recidivism Among Higher-Risk Youth and There are Enhanced Effects Based on Who Attended the Conference
We examined criminal records across adolescence for a sample of young people processed through a statewide Children’s Court (N = 2366) between 2012 and 2018, some of who were referred to a group conferencing program (n = 836). We also examined associations between different program elements and subsequent rates of recidivism, including victim, police, and family participation in the conference process. Recurrent-event survival analysis indicated group conferencing was associated with substantive reductions in the likelihood of recurrent recidivism (26–40% reduced likelihood), controlling for individual propensity for recidivism and both static and time-varying predictors. Within conference completers, binary logistic and negative binomial regression indicated conferences attended by secondary victims and primary police members were associated with larger reductions in post-conference recidivism, compared to conferences with primary victim participation only. Importantly, recidivism likelihood and rates did not differ between those attended by no victim or those attended by a primary victim.
Hostile Attribution Bias and Working Memory in the Link Between Trauma Exposure and Violence in Justice-Involved Youth
BackgroundYouth involved with the justice system are more vulnerable to trauma exposure and engaging in violent behavior. Trauma exposure is linked to increases in youth violence, however, the pathway from trauma to violence, including neurocognitive and neuropsychological mechanisms, is not well understood. The current study sought to test the influence of hostile attribution bias (HAB) and working memory on violence and whether these factors play a role in the link between trauma and violence among justice-involved youth.MethodsParticipants included 237 detained youth (Male = 81.0%, Mage = 15.22) who completed self-report surveys and working memory tasks.ResultsTrauma was significantly associated with violent behavior. HAB was related to physical violence; however, when trauma exposure was entered into subsequent models, HAB was no longer associated with violence. Lower levels of working memory were found to interact with HAB to increase the risk of physical violence. Mediation was not supported.ImplicationsThe current study supports universal trauma screening and trauma-informed care in justice facilities and suggests that neurocognitive functioning assessment and remediation are important to consider in treatment programming.
Pathways to—But Not Through? Revisiting the Trauma and Recidivism Relationship Among System-Involved Youth
Research has demonstrated that exposure to traumatic experiences in childhood and adolescence can result in adverse outcomes, including mental health concerns, school troubles, delinquency, and juvenile justice system involvement. The current study draws on a framework informed by feminist pathways and trauma theories to revisit the effect of traumatic experiences on recidivism two years following initial system contact. Data from a Midwestern juvenile court illustrated traumatic experiences are common pathways into the system but are not predictive of experiences through the system using general recidivism outcome measures. However, several other variables predicted youth receiving new petitions. The effects of race/ethnicity and age are more pronounced when the sample was disaggregated by referral unit (truancy vs. delinquency unit). We discuss different methodological and measurement factors to consider when examining the trauma-recidivism relationship.
Aggression and Academic Misconduct Among Justice-Involved Youth: The Roles of Facility Environment, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Competency
As compared to adult populations, there is a significant dearth of studies examining official misconduct among juveniles, leaving important gaps in our knowledge. Utilizing a sample of youth completing juvenile justice residential placement in Florida across four fiscal years (n = 5739), the current study seeks to examine the joint effects of facility environment and individual characteristics on institutional misconduct, represented by aggression and academic misconduct in facilities. Academic Youths’ severity of criminal involvement, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), emotional and communication skills, and history of violence or drugs all contributed to explaining their aggression and academic misconduct in facilities. The level of institutional security consistently emerged as a significant predictor for academic misconduct and aggression. Aggression in facilities was more sensitive to the severity of ACEs. Policy implications and limitations are discussed.
A Second Proof of Concept Investigation of Strengths Using the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth Tool With Justice-Involved Youth: Item Level Risk-Based Effects and Interactions
Despite efforts to incorporate protective factors or ‘strengths’ in applied risk assessments for criminal reoffending, there has been limited progress towards a consensus regarding what is meant by such terms, what effects predictors can exert, or how to describe such effects. This proof of concept study was undertaken to address those issues. A structured professional judgment tool was used to create lower and higher historical/static risk groups with a sample of 273 justice-involved male youth with sexual offenses followed over a fixed 3-year period. Using risk and protective poles to create pairs of dichotomous variables from trichotomously rated risk and protective items, risk-based exacerbation and risk-based protective effects were found. These varied in terms of whether the effect on the outcome of a new violent (including sexual) offense was larger, smaller, or absent for youth at higher or lower historical/static risk. Some of these potentially dynamic dichotomous variables were shown to have a protective (or risk) effect after controlling for both historical/static risk and that same item’s risk (or protective) effect. Some moderated the association between historical/static risk and recidivism, strengthening or reducing it. Terms for these effects and implications of incorporating strengths in research and applied practice were considered.
The Utility of Expert-Rated and Self-Report Assessments of Youth Psychopathic Traits for Predicting Felony Recidivism Among Formerly Incarcerated Youth
Psychopathic traits assessed with expert-rated instruments are well-established predictors for both general and violent felony recidivism outcomes in adjudicated youth. However, it is not clear whether self-report assessments of psychopathic traits show similar predictive value. The current study evaluated both expert-rated (i.e., the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version [PCL:YV]) and self-report measures (i.e., the Childhood Psychopathy Scale, Inventory of Callous Unemotional Traits, Antisocial Process Screening Device, and the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory) assessing youth psychopathic traits for predicting general and violent felony recidivism among formerly incarcerated high-risk male adolescents (n = 275). Scores on both expert-rated and self-report instruments were significantly associated with a shorter time to felony rearrest into early adulthood (with an average follow-up window of 11 years). However, the expert-rated PCL:YV, but not self-report measures, provided significant utility for predicting violent felony arrest. These results suggest that in general, youth psychopathic traits, regardless of the specific instrument used, are predictors of general felony rearrest outcomes, while the expert-rated PCL:YV alone provides utility for predicting the most severe crimes (i.e., violent felonies). The strengths and limitations of the assessment modalities are discussed.
School Engagement as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Temperament and Recidivism Among Adolescents in Community-Based Juvenile Justice Services
Prior research has established the relationship between temperament and recidivism, yet the mechanisms that underlie this relationship have yet to be explored. School engagement represents one possible mechanism and has been shown to be related to both recidivism and temperament. The current study expands research on DeLisi and Vaughn’s temperament theory by utilizing data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice to determine if school engagement effectively mediates the relationship between temperament and continued delinquency. Results provide evidence of a significant mediation effect, controlling for a host of potential confounding variables. Findings suggest that approximately one-third of the total effect of temperament on juvenile recidivism is mediated by school engagement issues, yet a significant direct effect of temperament remains. Policy and intervention implications are briefly considered. Further research is required to determine additional mediators to better understand the processes by which temperament impacts reoffending.
Analyzing the Release of Juvenile Lifers: Is There a Miller Effect?
In the 2012 decision in Miller v. Alabama, the U.S. Supreme Court directed states to provide a “meaningful opportunity to obtain release” to juvenile lifers—one that acknowledges their lesser culpability and rehabilitative potential. In the state examined, the parole board revised its decision-making guidelines in 2014 by incorporating the Miller ruling. Logistic regression and survival analyses were employed to examine parole outcomes. Hearings that took place in the post-Miller period and the candidate’s rehabilitative status were associated with a higher likelihood of release. A candidate’s rehabilitative efforts were also associated with the amount of time taken to decide grant or denial of release, as were factors related to the candidate’s sentencing offense such as time served and opposition at the parole hearing. Overall, the guidelines representing the Miller ruling seem to have influenced the outcome as well as the speed at which decisions are reached by the parole board.