Youth offending is an important societal issue. A considerable amount of research has sought to examine the characteristics of young people who offend and to determine the factors within youth and their social environments that contribute to recidivism. More recently, research has begun to focus on those individual and environmental factors that help young people desist from offending. This has involved research into those individuals who cease offending after a period of criminal engagement and research into protective factors, that is, a factor whose presence is associated with increased protection from a negative outcome (i.e., offending). This article reviews these streams of research, with a particular focus on the protective factor of resilience. Implications of this research for clinicians will be discussed.

Youth offending is an important issue; it has significant social, psychological, interpersonal, and financial impacts on the society. International research has shown that young offenders generally have multiple and complex needs across a wide range of domains; however, research examining the depth and breadth of difficulties faced by young offenders in Australia is lacking. Arguably, such information is critical to help guide the development of valid preventative and treatment initiatives. This article describes a study examining the prevalence of mental illness, low intelligence, psychopathy, risk for reoffending, and criminogenic needs in 75 youth and young adult offenders in Victoria, Australia. Results suggest that the prevalence of mental illness and low intelligence is high in this population. Most (86%) of the sample had likely Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision Axis I disorders (including mood, anxiety, substance use, eating, and psychotic disorders); 15% had a Full Scale Intellectual Quotient (FSIQ) below 70; and an additional 25.7% had an FSIQ in the borderline range. The majority (80%) of the sample was considered to be at a high or very high risk of reoffending. The high prevalence of mental health issues found in this population highlights the need for comprehensive and multifaceted assessment, and for psychosocial treatment and management to be comprehensive, addressing clinical, criminogenic, and social domains.

This exploratory research suggests the importance of understanding the progression in offending careers, but a limited role for the PCL:YV in doing so. Given the small sample size, however, and the limit on access to information about details of age, the findings need replication.

Resilience has been proposed as a protective factor against recidivism and is included for consideration in at least one widely used violence risk assessment instrument. However, resilience is a complex construct rarely subjected to empirical research with offenders. This study sought to redress this by examining the relationship between resilience and recidivism using a psychometrically sound measure of resilience in a sample of young adult offenders. Results showed no statistical association between resilience and criminal charges during a 7À12 month follow-up. The Level of Service/Case Management inventory (LS/CMI) Total Score, intelligence (IQ) and history of assault were significantly associated with recidivism. LS/CMI Total Score and IQ were retained as significant predictors in the logistic regression model, which showed good predictive accuracy (AUC D 0.76, 95% CI 0.64À0.87). These results suggest that clarification of the construct of resilience may be required, or that resilience may not be associated with recidivism.

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