Adolescent Neglect, Juvenile Delinquency and the Risk of Recidivism

Abstract

Victims of child abuse and neglect are at an increased risk of involvement with the juvenile justice and adult correctional systems. Yet, little is known about the continuation and trajectories of offending beyond initial contact with law enforcement. Neglect likely plays a critical role in continued offending as parental monitoring, parental rejection and family relationships are instrumental in explaining juvenile conduct problems. This study sought to determine whether neglect is associated with recidivism for moderate and high risk juvenile offenders in Washington State. Statewide risk assessments and administrative records for child welfare, juvenile justice, and adult corrections were analyzed. The sample was diverse (24 % female, 13 % African American, 8 % Hispanic, 5 % Native American) and included all moderate and high risk juvenile offenders screened by juvenile probation between 2004 and 2007 (n = 19,833). Official records from child protection were used to identify juvenile offenders with a history of child neglect and to identify juvenile offenders with an ongoing case of neglect. Event history models were developed to estimate the risk of subsequent offending. Adolescents with an ongoing case neglect were significantly more likely to continue offending as compared with youth with no official history of neglect. These findings remain even after controlling for a wide range of family, peer, academic, mental health, and substance abuse covariates. Interrupting trajectories of offending is a primary focus of juvenile justice. The findings of the current study indicate that ongoing dependency issues play a critical role in explaining the outcomes achieved for adolescents in juvenile justice settings. The implications for improved collaboration between child welfare and juvenile justice are discussed.

Mental Health and Substance-Related Treatment Utilization, Dropout, and Continuity of Care among Detained Adolescents: A 14-Year Longitudinal Study

“…Additionally, higher charge severity (1 to 5) yielded an increased likelihood of any post-detention treatment services, mental health treatment services, and outpatient treatment services; more serious charge severity also increased the risk of terminating outpatient treatment. Overall, results correspond well to prior studies linking increased criminal history to greater treatment utilization (Barrett et al, 2006;Johnson et al, 2004;Ryan et al, 2013). As outlined in previous paragraphs, DAs with more significant criminal backgrounds (i.e.…”

“…Additionally, studies indicate that, except for psychotic disorders, prevalence rates for mental disorders are higher among detained females than detained males (Abram, et al, 2003;Hussey, Drinkard, Falletta, & Flannery, 2008). Not surprisingly, detained females regularly report greater severity and frequency of mental illness symptoms, lower overall functioning, and poorer mental health status (Bostwick, & Ashley, 2009;Ryan, Williams, & Courtney, 2013).…”

“…According to one meta-analysis of 23 studies and 15,265 adolescents, affective disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression) represent one of the strongest predictors of juvenile recidivism (Cottle, et al, 2001). Substance abuse, trauma, neglect, conduct problems, ADHD, and untreated mental health symptoms can also greatly increase the risk of recidivism (Gordon et al, 2012;Ryan, et al, 2013). Interestingly, a recent longitudinal study found that the relationship between mental health problems and recidivism differed by race/ethnicity, with a strong association between conduct problems and property-related recidivism among White detained youth, compared to an association between emotional problems and recidivism among Moroccan detained youth and an associated between hyperactivity and recidivism among Surinamese detained youth (Colins, Boonmann, Veenstra, van Domburgh, Buffing, Doreleijers, & Vermeier, 2013).…”

“…In my meta-analysis, prevalence rates for treatment utilization were 27.7% for any treatment utilization, 34.3% for mental health treatment utilization, and 29.0% for substance-related treatment utilization, with decreasing service use as time in the community increased. In addition to poor utilization of community-based services, longitudinal studies also show large gaps in the receipt of treatment services (Hussey et al, 2008), as well as high rates of recidivism and re-incarceration (Paskar, 2008;Ryan et al, 2013). Based on such findings, it appears that DAs may be failing to obtain services, terminating early from services, and/or experiencing large gaps in treatment services over time (Bullis, Yovanoff, Mueller, & Havel, 2002).…”

Família, Pares e Delinquência Juvenil: Análise de Diferentes Percursos de Reincidência

“…Os dados parecem assim suportar a ideia de que quanto maior o número de contactos com o sistema de justiça, maior a probabilidade de o jovem já ter sido alvo de intervenção no âmbito da promoção e proteção. Tal ideia é compatível com as evidências de que os percursos persistentes de delinquência tendem a caracterizar-se pela conjugação de contactos "tutelares" e de proteção (Ryan et al, 2013;Stewart et al, 2002). A ocorrência na mesma trajetória de vida de contactos com o sistema de justiça juvenil e com o sistema de promoção e proteção leva-nos a questionar as possíveis formas de fragilidade familiar que lhe subjazem, assim como a própria dualidade do sistema, que providencia múltiplas respostas a esses jovens e às suas famílias em razão da sua natureza multiproblemática.…”