Improvement in Emotion Regulation While Detained Predicts Lower Juvenile Recidivism

• Author: Meagan Docherty,Andrew Lieman,Brandon Lee Gordon
• Published date: 01 April 2022
• DOI: 10.1177/15412040211053786
• Date: 01 April 2022
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

2022, Vol. 20(2) 164–183

© The Author(s) 2021

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/15412040211053786

journals.sagepub.com/home/yvj

Improvement in Emotion

Regulation While Detained

Predicts Lower Juvenile

Recidivism

Meagan Docherty

1

, Andrew Lieman

1

, and Brandon Lee Gordon

1

Abstract

The goal of the current study was to investigate the relationships between observer-rated skills

related to emotional and cognitive regulation post-admission and pre-release in a secure facility

and off‌icial records of juvenile felony recidivism up to 1 year after release. Data came from a

sample of 599 youth in a residential facility in Washington state (84% male; 38% White). Latent

change score models indicated that both initial level of emotional regulation skills and im-

provement in emotion regulation skills while incarcerated were signif‌icantly related to lower

recidivism. This pattern of f‌indings remained when controlling for length of stay, among other

covariates. Follow-up analyses indicated that the results for emotion regulation skills might be

driven primarily by monitoring internal and external triggers. Additional research should in-

vestigate the connection between emotion regulation skills and juvenile recidivism, with a special

focus on trigger monitoring and how to improve those skills.

Keywords

juvenile offending, detention, recidivism, self-regulation

Introduction

Although incarceration of youth involved in the juvenile justice system has been on the decline in

the U.S. in recent decades, it remains a persistent public health and safety issue. The one-day count

of youth in residential placement facilities was nearly 44,000 in 2017, and this number has

decreased from over 108,000 in 2000, a decline of roughly 60% (Sawyer, 2019). This drop in

incarceration rate is due in part to efforts taken to reduce incarceration, including increased efforts

to f‌ind alternatives to incarceration, changes in state policy, and shutdown of youth conf‌inement

facilities (NJJN, 2014). Despite these improvements, incarceration rates in the U.S. are much

1

Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA

Corresponding Author:

Meagan Docherty, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, 822 E Merry Ave, 259 Psychology Bldg,

Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA.

Email: mdocher@bgsu.edu

higher than rates in other countries (Laird, 2021), suggesting an over-reliance on incarceration as a

means of addressing crime. Additionally, although incarceration rates have declined as a whole,

there are considerable racial disparities in juvenile incarceration rates (Sawyer, 2019).

While incarceration is detrimental for everyone, juvenile incarceration is particularly harmful

for youth due to its impact on their development. A prison environment fails to addres s vital

psychological, educational, and health needs during adolescence (Barnert et al., 2016;Dmitrieva

et al., 2012;Lambie & Randell, 2013). If the purpose of juvenile incarceration is to rehabilitate

offenders, it often fails to live up to this promise in practice. There are few positive effects on

reducing crime but signif‌icant negative effects on mental health and future behavior, including

increased risk of reoffending (Aizer & Doyle, 2013;Lambie & Randell, 2013). Despite the recent

reduction in juvenile incarceration rates, juvenile recidivism rates remain high (Seigle et al.,

2014), motivating researchers and policy experts to better understand and reduce juvenile

recidivism.

Understanding the risk factors that increase the risk of juvenile recidivism can inform pre-

vention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing youths’levels of these risk factors. A multitude

of risk factors have been identif‌ied in past research, including past criminal behavior (e.g., number

of offenses and age of f‌irst offense; Cottle et al., 2001), individual differences (e.g., personality

characteristics: Cuevas et al., 2019;van Dam et al., 2005), and environmental inf‌luences (e.g.,

antisocial behavior of peers and family members: Cottle et al., 2001;Mulder et al., 2011).

However, targeting environmental or individual risk factors within a secure facility can be

diff‌icult, as many are challenging to address within the context of a residential program (e.g.,

exposure to delinquent peers), and others may be more resistant to change (e.g., antisocial

personality).

Comparatively, less research has examined skills that may serve as protective factors in re-

ducing juvenile recidivism, despite the relative ease with which skills training can be incorporated

into rehabilitation programs. For example, previous research has indicated that skills related to

self-control and self-regulation (e.g., impulse control, temperance, mindfulness, identifying, and

appropriately expressing emotions) are associated with decreased problem behaviors, including

delinquency and recidivism among youth (Baglivio et al., 2016;Cauffman et al., 2005;Steinberg

& Cauffman, 1996). Thus, these skills have been identif‌ied as important targets for interventions

with offenders, particularly for trauma-informed care (Brazão et al., 2018;Ford & Blaustein,

2013). Previous research has indicated that self-regulation encapsulates many domains of

functioning, especially cognitive (e.g., effortful control) and emotional (e.g., emotional lability or

reactivity) regulation skills. If skills that are related to cognitive and emotional regulatio n can

serve as protective factors against recidivism, improving these skills could potentially lead to

decreased juvenile recidivism. The present study will examine how initial levels of and changes in

cognitive and emotional regulation skills while incarcerated are associated with juvenile

recidivism.

Self-Regulation and Crime

Self-regulation is def‌ined as the ability to monitor, inhibit, and change behavior, attention,

emotions, and cognition accordingly to achieve personal goals (Moilanen & Raffaelli, 2005). This

is a broad def‌inition that encompasses many characteristics and skills, including self-control

(Mamayek et al., 2017). Self-control has a more behavioral focus and is def‌ined as the ability to

replace an action with one that helps achiev e another goal (Carver & Scheier, 2010) or the

tendency to avoid actions that have long-term negative consequences but positive short-term

consequences (Hirschi & Gottfredson, 1994). Related constructs that overlap with self-control and may

be encompassed by def‌initions of self-regulation include effortful control (Eisenberg et al., 2004),

Docherty et al. 165