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Results for juvenile delinquency

106 results found

Author: Ballester, Coralio

Title: Delinquent Networks

Summary: Delinquents are embedded in a network of relationships. Social ties among delinquents are modeled by means of a graph where delinquents compete for a booty and benefit from local interactions with their neighbors. Each delinquent decides in a non-cooperative way how much delinquency effort he will exert. Using the network model developed by Ballester et al (2006), the authors characterize the Nash equilibrium and derive an optimal enforcement policy, called the key-player policy, which targets the delinquent who, once removed, leads to the highest aggregate delinquency reduction. The authors then extend their characterization of optimal single player network removal for delinquency reduction, the key player, to optimal group removal, the key group. The authors also characterize and derive a policy that targets links rather than players. Finally, the authors endogenize the network connecting deliquents by allowing players to join the labor market instead of committing delinquent offenses. The key-player policy turns out to be much more complex since it depends on wages and on the structure of the network.

Details: Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), 2009

Source: IZA Discussion Paper No. 4122

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 114315

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Center for Families, Children & the Courts

Title: Juvenile Delinquency Court Assessment 2008

Summary: The Judicial Delinquency Court Assessment (JDCA) is the judiciary's first comprehensive research study of how the superior courts of California handle delinquency matters. The intention of the JDCA is to help improve both the administration of justice and the lives of youth, victims and other community members affected by the delinquency system by helping set an agenda for system improvements over the coming years.

Details: San Francisco: Judicial Council of California, 2008

Source: 2 volumes; Administration Office of the Courts

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 111722

Keywords:
Juvenile Courts
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Bostwick, Lindsay

Title: Examining At-Risk and Delinquent Girls in Illinois

Summary: Many risk and protective factors are applicable to both boys and girls, but girls are more affected by risk factors that are physiological and relational. The unique needs of girls, including sexually-transmitted disease, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, mental health issues, abuse, and exploitation, as well as their patterns of delinquency warrant gender-specific programming. This report examines risk factors of girls in Illinois including individual, family, and school risk factors. Also examined are delinquent girls at arrest, detention, and corrections stages in the juvenile justice system.

Details: Chicago: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 2009

Source:

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 115555

Keywords:
Female Juvenile Offenders
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Systems

Author: Virginia. State Crime Commission

Title: HJR 113 (2008) Final Report: Study of Virginia's Juvenile Justice System: To the Governor and the General Assembly of Virginia

Summary: From the executive summary: "during the 2006 Session of the Virginia General Assembly, Delegate Brian Moran introduced House Joint Resolution 136 (HJR 136), which directed the Virginia State Crime Commission to study the Virginia juvenile justice system over a two-year period. Specifically, the Commission was to examine recidivism, disproportionate minority contact within the juvenile justice system, quality of and access to legal counsel, accountability in the courts, and diversion. The Commission was also tasked with analyzing Title 16.1 of the Code of Virginia to determine the adequacy and effectiveness of current statutes and procedures relating to juvenile delinquency. Because of the detailed information that was produced during the first two years of the study, an additional year was needed to fully examine the newly-identified issues in conjunction with the current matters cited in the initial resolution."

Details: Richmond, Commonwealth of Virginia, 2009

Source:

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 116673

Keywords:
Diversion
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice System
Recidivism

Author: Carroll, Jennifer

Title: The Children Court: A National Study

Summary: This report present data on the Children Courts in Ireland and the young people who face charges before these courts. The research provides quantitative data on the background and history of young people involved in the youth justice system in Ireland. Itis based on a detailed examination of court files and information from a range of agencies in relation to a sample of 400 young people with cases completed in the Children Court in 2004. This study if the first piece of empirical research which provides nationwide statistics on the circumstances of young offenders, their backgrounds, education, offending trends and passage through the court system.

Details: Dublin: Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development Ltd., 2007. 92p.

Source:

Year: 2007

Country: Ireland

URL:

Shelf Number: 113304

Keywords:
Juvenile Court
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Systems

Author: Savignac, Julie

Title: Families, Youth, and Delinquency: The State of Knowledge, and Family-Based Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Programs

Summary: This report addresses the relationship between the family, risk factors, protective factors, juvenile delinquency, and intervention with vulnerable families. Based on research reports, longitudinal studies, and evaluation summaries, this research intends to extend the scientific knowledge of "vulnerable" or "at-risk" families in order to work with them more effectively.

Details: Ottawa: National Crime Prevention Centre, Public Safety Canada, 2009. 63p.

Source: Research Report: 2009-1

Year: 2009

Country: Canada

URL:

Shelf Number: 117595

Keywords:
At-Risk Families
Juvenile Delinquency
Parents

Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Title: Migrant Smuggling by Air

Summary: This report presents the findings from an UNODC Expert Group Meeting in Vienna on 7 to 9 December 2009 aimed at increasing understanding of migrant smuggling by air, with the objective of better preventing and combating the phenomena. The Expert Group Meeting specifically aimed to gain a better understanding of: 1) the modus operandi of migrant smugglers who use air routes to commit their crimes; 2) good practice of law enforcement and other actors involved in responding to this problem; 3) what the gaps in knowledge of and response to this particular method of migrant smuggling are; and 4) how UNODC and other international actors can better assist states in strengthening capacities to prevent and combat the smuggling of migrants by air.

Details: Vienna: UNODC, 2010. 21p.

Source: Internet Resource; Issue Paper

Year: 2010

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 119248

Keywords:
Human Smuggling
Human Trafficking
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Mentoring
Mentors
Migrant Smuggling
Migrants
Prevention, Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Greenwood, Peter

Title: Preventing and Reducing Youth Crime and Violence: Using Evidence-Based Practices

Summary: This report presents a list of programs and strategies that are most likely to prevent and reduce youth crime and violence. The list is relatively short, describing 27 programs and 25 strategies that are suitable for implementation primarily by probation departments and schools, and 11 programs and strategies that do not work. This list is the starting point for a public safety investment strategy. (Excerpts from document)

Details: Sacramento, CA: California Governor's Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy, 2010. 15p.

Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 16, 2010 at: http://www.calgrip.ca.gov/documents/Preventing_and_Reducing_Youth_Crime_and_Violence.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.calgrip.ca.gov/documents/Preventing_and_Reducing_Youth_Crime_and_Violence.pdf

Shelf Number: 119613

Keywords:
Juvenile Crime, Evidence -Based Practices
Juvenile Delinquency
Recidivism
Youth Violence

Author: Weaver, Cynthia

Title: Identifying Gendered Trajectories of Offending for a Panel of First Time Youth Offenders: Exploring the Influence of Time-Stable Covariates

Summary: Gendered trajectories of juvenile offending over an eight year observation period are specified for a retrospective longitudinal sample of 15,959 female and male first time offenders up to age 18 in a southeastern state. Semiparametric group modeling is used to specify offending trajectories for a response variable operationalized as a frequency count of unique complaints by age. Time-stable psychosocial and systems-level covariates are also investigated as predictors of likely trajectory group membership. The probability of trajectory group membership is investigated as a predictor for secure incarceration. Results specify a three-solution model for juvenile females and a six-solution model for juvenile males. Prior child maltreatment – substantiated as well as alleged but dismissed - is a predictor of moderate- to higher-level offending across all gendered trajectories (with the exception of one higher-level but decreasing male trajectory). Living in a blended family (mother plus stepfather or father plus stepmother), living with grandparents, and living with relatives at first offense are all correlated with moderate -level offending for male juveniles. Living in foster care at first offense is a predictor for both lower-level and higher-level female offending. Both the three-solution female model and the six-solution male model predict incarceration. Further research is warranted to investigate severity of offending as a response variable for the juvenile offending trajectories identified in the dissertation study.

Details: Tuscaloosa, AL: School of Social Work, University of Alabama, 2010. 96p. (Thesis)

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 21, 2010 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/231199.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/231199.pdf

Shelf Number: 119652

Keywords:
Child Abuse and Delinquency
Gender
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Longitudinal Studies

Author: Weaver, Cynthia

Title: Identifying Gendered Trajectories of Offending for a Panel of First Time Youth Offenders: Exploring the Influence of Time-Stable Covariates

Summary: Gendered trajectories of juvenile offending over an eight year observation period are specified for a retrospective longitudinal sample of 15,959 female and male first time offenders up to age 18 in a southeastern state. Semiparametric group modeling is used to specify offending trajectories for a response variable operationalized as a frequency count of unique complaints by age. Time-stable psychosocial and systems-level covariates are also investigated as predictors of likely trajectory group membership. The probability of trajectory group membership is investigated as a predictor for secure incarceration. Results specify a three-solution model for juvenile females and a six-solution model for juvenile males. Prior child maltreatment – substantiated as well as alleged but dismissed - is a predictor of moderate- to higher-level offending across all gendered trajectories (with the exception of one higher-level but decreasing male trajectory). Living in a blended family (mother plus stepfather or father plus stepmother), living with grandparents, and living with relatives at first offense are all correlated with moderate -level offending for male juveniles. Living in foster care at first offense is a predictor for both lower-level and higher-level female offending. Both the three-solution female model and the six-solution male model predict incarceration. Further research is warranted to investigate severity of offending as a response variable for the juvenile offending trajectories identified in the dissertation study.

Details: Tuscaloosa, AL: School of Social Work, University of Alabama, 2010. 96p. (Thesis)

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 21, 2010 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/231199.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/231199.pdf

Shelf Number: 119652

Keywords:
Child Abuse and Delinquency
Gender
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Longitudinal Studies

Author: Tolan, Patrick

Title: Mentoring Interventions to Affect Juvenile Delinquency and Associated Problems

Summary: Mentoring is one of the most commonly-used interventions to prevent, divert, and remediate youth engaged in, or thought to be at risk for delinquent behavior, school failure, aggression, or other antisocial behavior. We conducted a meta-analytic review of selective and indicated mentoring interventions that have been evaluated for their effects on delinquency outcomes for youth (e.g., arrest or conviction as a delinquent, self-reported involvement) and key associated outcomes (aggression, drug use, academic functioning). Of 112 identified studies reported published between 1970 and 2005, 39 met criteria for inclusion. Mean effects sizes were significant and positive for each outcome category. Effects were largest (still moderate by Cohen’s differentiation) for delinquency and aggression. However, these categories also showed the most heterogeneity across studies. The obtained patterns of effects suggest mentoring may be valuable for those at-risk or already involved in delinquency and for associated outcomes. Moderator analyses found stronger effects in RCTs compared to quasi-experimental studies, for studies where emotional support was a key process involved in mentoring, and where professional development was a motivation for mentors. However , the collected set of studies are less informative than expected with quite limited detail in studies about what comprised mentoring activity and key implementation characteristics. This limitation encourages caution particularly in interpreting the moderated effects. These findings add to the longstanding calls for more careful design and testing of mentoring efforts to provide the needed specificity to guide effective practice of this popular approach.

Details: Oslo: Campbell Collaboration, 2008. 115p.

Source: Internet Resource: Campbell Systematic Review, 2008:16: Accessed August 23, 2010 at: http://campbellcollaboration.org/lib/download/238/

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL: http://campbellcollaboration.org/lib/download/238/

Shelf Number: 119674

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Mentoring
Mentors
Prevention, Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Piquero, Alex R.

Title: Self-Control Interventions for Children Under Age 10 for Improving Self-Control and Delinquency and Problem Behaviors

Summary: Self-control improvement programs are intended to serve many purposes, most notably improving self-control. Yet, interventions such as these often aim to reduce delinquency and problem behaviors. However, there is currently no summary statement available regarding whether or not these programs are effective in improving self-control and reducing delinquency and problem behaviors. The main objective of this review is to assess the available research evidence on the effect of self-control improvement programs on self-control and delinquency and problem behaviors. In addition to investigating the overall effect of early self-control improvement programs, this review examines, to the extent possible, the context in which these programs may be most successful. The studies included in this systematic review indicate that self-control improvement programs are an effective intervention for improving self-control and reducing delinquency and problem behaviors, and that the effect of these programs appears to be rather robust across various weighting procedures, and across context, outcome source, and based on both published and unpublished data.

Details: Oslo: Campbell Collaboration, 2010. 117p.

Source: Internet Resource: Campbell Systematic Review, 2010:2: Accessed August 28, 2010 at: http://campbellcollaboration.org/lib/download/792/

Year: 2010

Country: International

URL: http://campbellcollaboration.org/lib/download/792/

Shelf Number: 119703

Keywords:
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Self-Control
Treatment Programs

Author: Killias, Martin

Title: Self-Reported Juvenile Delinquency in Switzerland in 2006: Overview and Explanations

Summary: This paper presents the results of the second national self-reported juvenile delinquency survey conducted in Switzerland. The survey was carried out using the standardized questionnaire developed for the ISRD2, to which a few questions were added. This assures comparability with the other participating countries. At the same time, the analysis of crime trends will also be possible because Switzerland participated in the first International Self- Reported Delinquency study (ISRD1) that took place in 1992. It must be mentioned that in the meantime no national surveys were conducted, but some cantonal or city surveys took place (e.g. in the cantons of Zurich and Vaud). The first part of this paper includes a brief sociodemographic and economic description of the country, while the rest of the paper is dedicated to the presentation of the methodology applied in Switzerland and the main results of the survey.

Details: Unpublished report to the Swiss National Science Foundation, 2007. 63p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 22, 2010 at: http://www.rwi.uzh.ch/lehreforschung/alphabetisch/killias/forschung/exprojekte/ISRD2.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: Switzerland

URL: http://www.rwi.uzh.ch/lehreforschung/alphabetisch/killias/forschung/exprojekte/ISRD2.pdf

Shelf Number: 113580

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Self-Report Studies

Author: Weijters, Gijs Gerard Maria

Title: Youth Delinquency in Dutch Cities and Schools: A Multilevel Approach

Summary: This study assesses the influence of different social-ecological context on youth delinquency for the Netherlands.

Details: Unpublished Dissertation, 2008. 143p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 25, 2010 at: http://dare.ubn.kun.nl/bitstream/2066/73286/2/73286_youtdeind.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: Netherlands

URL: http://dare.ubn.kun.nl/bitstream/2066/73286/2/73286_youtdeind.pdf

Shelf Number: 120073

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Social Control
Social Disorganization

Author: Johnson, Byron R.

Title: The Role of African-African Churches in Reducing Crime Among Black Youth

Summary: This paper examines the hypothesis that the religious involvement of African-American youth significantly shields them from the deleterious effects of neighborhood disorder and decay on youth crime. This hypothesis is tested by examining the fifth wave of data from the National Youth Survey (nys), focusing on black respondents given the historical as well as contemporary significance of the African-American church for black Americans. Results from a series of multivariate analyses indicate that: (1) the effects of neighborhood disorder on crime among black youth are partly mediated by an individual’s religious involvement; and (2) involvement of African- American youth in religious institutions significantly buffers or interacts with the effects of neighborhood disorder on crime, and in particular, serious crime. Theoretical and methodological implications of the present findings are briefly discussed.

Details: Waco, TX: Baylor University, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, 2008. 20p. (Originally published: 2002)

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 2, 2010 at: http://www.isreligion.org/wp-content/uploads/ISR_Role_African_American.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL: http://www.isreligion.org/wp-content/uploads/ISR_Role_African_American.pdf

Shelf Number: 120355

Keywords:
African Americans
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Religion

Author: Ring, Jonas

Title: Crime and Problem Behaviours Among Year-Nine Youth in Sweden: Results from the Swedish School Survey on Crime 1995-1998.

Summary: This study is based on self-report surveys of theft, violence and other problem behaviours (such as truancy and drug use) among school students in year nine (aged fifteen). The surveys were conducted every second year between 1995 and 2005, and the periodicity of the survey was then shifted to every third year. The most recent survey was conducted in 2008. The studies provide a basis for studying the prevalence of participation in crime and problem behaviours during the period 1995–2008. The objectives of the study are: to describe the prevalence of crime and other problem behaviours among males and females in year nine to describe trends over time in the proportions of students who report participation in crime and other problem behaviours on the basis of comparisons of the data collected in all seven waves of the survey; and to illustrate the students’ exposure to theft and acts of violence.

Details: Stockholm: Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, 2010. 14p.

Source: Internet Resource: English Summary of Bra Report 2010:6: Accessed December 2, 2010 at: http://www.bra.se/extra/measurepoint/?module_instance=4&name=Crime_and_problem_behaviours_among_year_nine_youth_in_sweden.pdf&url=/dynamaster/file_archive/100602/00ad50db2007ebe6a74a453a3b4cc888/Crime%255fand%255fproblem%255fbehaviours%255famong%255fyear%255fnine%255fyouth%255fin%255fsweden.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Sweden

URL: http://www.bra.se/extra/measurepoint/?module_instance=4&name=Crime_and_problem_behaviours_among_year_nine_youth_in_sweden.pdf&url=/dynamaster/file_archive/100602/00ad50db2007ebe6a74a453a3b4cc888/Crime%255fand%255fproblem%255f

Shelf Number: 120358

Keywords:
Crime Surveys
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders (Sweden)
Theft
Youth and Violence

Author: Swaner, Rachel

Title: Drifting Between worlds: Delinquency and Positive Engangement Among Red Hook Youth

Summary: Starting in the fall of 2007, the Red Hook Community Justice Center, a community court located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, implemented an experimental after-school program designed to change positive perceptions of youth crime that were thought to be held by many young people residing in the Red Hook Houses, a local public housing project. Known as Youth ECHO, the program engaged teenagers from the Houses in designing community education campaigns for their peers around problems that were identified by the participants themselves: drug dealing and dropping out of school. Using guerilla marketing techniques, the young people designed unique ways to get their core messages – “Dealing Drugs: It’s Not Worth It” and “Fast Money is Trash Money. Get it in now. Get it back later. Stay in School” – to other Red Hook teenagers. This report describes findings from a study that sought to evaluate the program and, more broadly, to understand how and why young people in Red Hook and, perhaps, beyond think about and engage in delinquent behavior. The research involved a multi-method approach. Data were collected between January 2008 and June 2009 through individual interviews with 23 Red Hook youths, and through focus groups, surveys, and program observations of Youth ECHO and the 21 youths involved over its two program years. These 44 teenagers ranged in age from 13 to 18, 60% were female, 91% lived in Red Hook, and 79% lived in public housing.

Details: New York: Center for Court Innovation, 2010. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 9, 2010 at: http://www.courtinnovation.org/_uploads/documents/Youth_ECHO.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.courtinnovation.org/_uploads/documents/Youth_ECHO.pdf

Shelf Number: 120426

Keywords:
After-School Programs
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Sedlak, Andrea J.

Title: Youth's Characteristics and Backgrounds: Findings From the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement

Summary: To better understand the reasons that youth in confinement have offended, we need to examine their back- grounds and characteristics and review the offenses that led to their custody placement. OJJDP's Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP) asks youth to identify the offenses they have committed and the personal and environmental factors that may have contributed to their delinquency. SYRP complements related OJJDP researchsuch as the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement. However, as the only national survey that gathers information directly from youth in custody, SYRP provides data that are not available from other sources. This bulletin draws on SYRP's find-ings to examine the characteristics and backgrounds of youth in custody. It describes their demographic characteristics and reports on their current and prior offenses, disposition, family and educational backgrounds, and expectations for the future.

Details: Wsahington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2010. 11p.

Source: Internet Resource: Juvenile Justice Bulletin, December 2010: Accessed December 14, 2010 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/227730.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/227730.pdf

Shelf Number: 120507

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Hill, Patrick L.

Title: Decreasing Delinquency, Criminal Behavior, and Recidivism by Interventing on Psychological Factors other than Cognitive Ability: A Review of the Intervention Literature

Summary: Research on the causes of delinquency has a long research history, often with an undue focus on how cognitive ability serves as the main predictor of delinquent activity. The current review examines interventions that focus on psychological factors other than cognitive ability, and discusses how several of these programs have demonstrated efficacy in reducing delinquent behavior. Our review uncovers certain themes shared by a number of effective interventions. First, these interventions tend to emphasize rigorous and consistent implementation. Second, effective interventions often incorporate the family environment. Third, several effective interventions have focused on promoting adaptive social skills. In conclusion, our review discusses the possibility that these interventions have proven efficacious in part because they promote adaptive personality trait development.

Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011. 82p.

Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper Series, Working Paper 16698: Accessed February 3, 2011 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w16698.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w16698.pdf

Shelf Number: 120685

Keywords:
Criminal Behavior (Juveniles)
Criminal Psychology
Intervention Programs
Juvenile Delinquency
Recidivism, Juvenile Offenders

Author: Schnupp, Rebecca J.

Title: Adolescent Deviance within Families and Neighborhoods

Summary: Much of the research on delinquency has focused on the role that either families or neighborhoods play in the development of criminal behavior. While both of these theoretical traditions have received much empirical support, it is argued that individuals are simultaneously affected by each of these contexts either directly or indirectly (Gephart, 1997). Further, these contexts interact with each other and the individual to produce behavioral outcomes (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1986, 1988). A more adequate portrayal for why individuals engage in delinquency, therefore, should not only examine the effects of one context but also how these different contexts function together to either facilitate or impede antisocial behaviors. The primary propose of this dissertation is to try to ascertain if the effects of the more proximal context to the child, the family, is moderated by the more distal context, the neighborhood. Specifically, are the positive effects of “good” parenting found in both “good” and “bad” neighborhoods? Or does the neighborhood a family resides in alter the effects of “good” parenting? Using structural equation modeling, this dissertation will explore the moderating effects of neighborhood factors in the relationship between parenting and antisocial behavior while also considering the individual characteristics of the child. These relationships will be assessed using waves one and two of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH). The results of this study revealed that although the direct effects of parenting and neighborhood factors are weak, residential instability moderates the effects of parenting. This association remained after considering the reciprocal nature of the relationship between parenting and child’s disposition. The implications of these findings, as they pertain to the current practice of studying contexts in isolation from one another, will be discussed.

Details: Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati, Division of Research and Advanced Studies, 2010. 177p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 14, 2011 at: http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=ucin1285687987

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=ucin1285687987

Shelf Number: 120999

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Neighborhoods and Crime
Parenting

Author: Kivivuori, Janne

Title: Supervision Mode Effects in School-Based Delinquency and Victimization Survey: Preliminary Test

Summary: Supervision mode is one of the core design aspects in sensitive topics surveys conducted in schools, including self-report delinquency and victimization surveys. In the current study, two groups of 15-16-year-old students completed a self-report delinquency survey questionnaire under two different supervision conditions: one was supervised by researchers (N=239) and the other by teachers (N=243). The findings on the overall structure and patterns of delinquency are very similar irrespective of the mode of supervision. Outside supervision appears to yield higher prevalence levels of self-reported cases of property destruction and drug use, while violence reporting manifests lesser differences. Computer-related offences yielded identical results in both conditions. Students under researcher supervision reported more criminal victimizations than those under teacher supervision; the difference was most marked in theft victimization. Questions tapping into more serious victimization did not manifest clear supervision mode effect. The limitations of this small-scale preliminary study include group level randomization, and a matching process which did not preclude non-random compositional effects. Future methods research designs would benefit from larger samples and/or individual level randomization.

Details: Helsinki: National Research Institute of Legal Policy, 2011. 8p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research Brief 20/2011: Accessed April 21, 2011 at: http://www.optula.om.fi/Satellite?blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobcol=urldata&SSURIapptype=BlobServer&SSURIcontainer=Default&SSURIsession=false&blobkey=id&blobheadervalue1=inline;%20filename=Verkko20_Kivivuori_Salmi.pdf&SSURIsscontext=Satellite%20Server&blobwhere=1296728372438&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition&ssbinary=true&blobheader=application/pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Finland

URL: http://www.optula.om.fi/Satellite?blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobcol=urldata&SSURIapptype=BlobServer&SSURIcontainer=Default&SSURIsession=false&blobkey=id&blobheadervalue1=inline;%20filename=Verkko20_Kivivuori_Salmi.pdf&SSURIssconte

Shelf Number: 121462

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders (Finland)
Self-Report Studies
Victimization

Author: Blazek, Matej

Title: Plusone Mentoring: Evaluation

Summary: plusone mentoring is an early intervention programme that uses a voluntary mentoring approach to engage with young people aged mainly 8 to 14 years who are deemed at high risk of future offending. It combines the School, Social Work, Police and Community model with a youth work model which emphasises community involvement and responsive practice in work with young people. plusone mentoring operates with a theory of change that draws on evidence that there are key risk factors for future offending that can be tackled at a young age (such as aggression and violent behaviour, disruptive family and personal relationships, perception of self and others, poor self-esteem, or challenging behaviour in home, school or community). The nature of such risks means that long-term and client-centred approaches to mentoring are required. Multiagency referral groups in three locations in Scotland (Bellshill, Perth and Kirkaldy/Levenmouth), which comprise Police, Social Work, NHS, Education, Community Wardens and other agencies refer young people who are assessed as having high or very high risk of future offending to the plusone mentoring programme, which is based at local YMCA centres. Programme managers for plusone mentoring, based at the YMCA, recruit and trains volunteer mentors, match them to work with young people and supervise the mentoring process. Over the first full year of plusone mentoring: • 47 young people had been involved in mentoring; • Young people gave the experience of mentoring a high value and identified mentors as having important roles in providing support, undertaking activities which provided alternatives to boredom and antisocial behaviour, providing advice, and acting as mediators to other institutions; • Among young people who had been involved in plusone mentoring for at least six months, there was evidence of considerable improvement across the range of risk factors, with improvement particularly marked in relation to young people’s behaviour, their attitudes to offending, the risk for the young people associated with their neighbourhood, and the young people’s skills and positive relationships; • 80 adults had been recruited and trained as volunteer mentors; • Volunteer mentors have been drawn from a range of social and geographical backgrounds to work with the young people; • Mentors valued opportunities to develop their skills in working with young people, to deepen their understanding of the complex situations in which many young people find themselves, and to develop their attitudes in a non-judgemental way. Undertaking volunteer mentoring was also a means by which many volunteers developed skills which they saw as being of positive use in a variety of social and caring professions; • Established networks and local reputation of the YMCA were central in recruiting volunteers and in encouraging families to let the young person participate in plusone mentoring. Our evaluation of plusone mentoring is that it has had a positive impact on the lives of young people at a high level of risk of offending. It has effectively adopted a youth work approach using volunteer mentors, and demonstrates a range of best practice in mentoring, including: • Long-term, frequent and regular engagement • Careful attention to how mentors and mentees are matched • Young people understand the voluntary nature of their participation and the focus on their needs • Detailed monitoring and supervision of mentors • Successful targeting of young people fitting the scope of the programme so mentoring does not aim to replace other specialised services where these are more appropriate.

Details: Dundee, UK: University of Dundee, 2011. 92p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 5, 2011 at: http://lx.iriss.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/plusone_evaluation1.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://lx.iriss.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/plusone_evaluation1.pdf

Shelf Number: 122314

Keywords:
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Mentoring (U.K.)
Volunteers

Author: Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

Title: Teenage Kicks: The Value of Sport in Tackling Youth Crime

Summary: This report assesses the economic value of three sports projects aimed at tackling gang violence and youth crime in the UK. Each project is using sport to reach out to and engage young people at different stages along the criminal pathway. The results of the study clearly demonstrate that sport is not only a successful mechanism; it is also a cost-effective way to tackle the problem of youth crime and gang violence. Take the Boxing Academy in Tottenham, which is a sports-based alternative to ‘Pupil Referral Units’ (centres for children who are not able to attend a mainstream or special school). The ethos of the Academy is to instil discipline and respect through the experience of structured physical activity, shared goals and positive peer groups. It works in partnership with other youth support and social welfare organisations in the area and there are a number of local mentors and role models in the coaching team. Our new report found that young people attending this project are more likely to achieve qualifications than their peers in Pupil Referral Units, and less likely to reoffend. What’s more, the Boxing Academy costs half as much to run as a traditional Pupil Referral Unit, despite achieving better results.

Details: London: Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, 2011. 31p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2011 at: http://www.laureus.com/files/Teenage%20Kicks_Report_FINAL.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.laureus.com/files/Teenage%20Kicks_Report_FINAL.pdf

Shelf Number: 122430

Keywords:
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Diversion
Sports (U.K.)

Author: Cobb-Clark, Deborah A.

Title: Fathers and Youth's Delinquent Behavior

Summary: This paper analyzes the relationship between having one or more father figures and the likelihood that young people engage in delinquent criminal behavior. We pay particular attention to distinguishing the roles of residential and non-residential, biological fathers as well as stepfathers. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we find that adolescent boys engage in more delinquent behavior if there is no father figure in their lives. However, adolescent girls' behavior is largely independent of the presence (or absence) of their fathers. The strong effect of family structure is not explained by the lack of paternal involvement that generally comes with fathers’ absence, even though adolescents, especially boys, who spend time doing things with their fathers usually have better outcomes. There is also a link between adult delinquent behavior and adolescent family structure that cannot be explained by fathers' involvement with their adolescent sons and is only partially explained by fathers' involvement with their adolescent daughters. Finally, the strong link between adolescent family structure and delinquent behavior is not accounted for by the income differentials associated with fathers' absence. Our results suggest that the presence of a father figure during adolescence is likely to have protective effects, particularly for males, in both adolescence and young adulthood.

Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011. 49p.

Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper Series; Working Paper 17507: Accessed October 17, 2011 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w17507

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w17507

Shelf Number: 123010

Keywords:
Broken Homes
Families
Fathers
Juvenile Delinquency
Parenting

Author: Liu, Xiaodong

Title: Criminal Networks: Who is the Key Player?

Summary: We analyze delinquent networks of adolescents in the United States. We develop a theoretical model showing who the key player is, i.e. the criminal who once removed generates the highest possible reduction in aggregate crime level. We also show that key players are not necessary the most active criminals in a network. We then test our model using data on criminal behaviors of adolescents in the United States (AddHealth data). Compared to other criminals, key players are more likely to be a male, have less educated parents, are less attached to religion and feel socially more excluded. They also feel that adults care less about them, are less attached to their school and have more troubles getting along with the teachers. We also find that, even though some criminals are not very active in criminal activities, they can be key players because they have a crucial position in the network in terms of betweenness centrality.

Details: London: Centre for Economic Policy Research, 2011. 75p.

Source: Internet Resource: Discussion Paper Series, No. 8185: Accessed January 10, 2012 at: www.cepr.org/pubs/dps/DP8185.asp


Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 123539

Keywords:
Gangs
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Seffrin, Patrick

Title: Socioeconomic Disadvantage, Peer and Romantic Relationships, and the Process of Criminal Desistance

Summary: The current study examines the role of socioeconomic disadvantage and peer context in shaping romantic relationship experiences, and in turn, the influence of these experiences on crime trajectories. Drawing on four waves of panel data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (N = 1,066) we found that, both low SES and delinquent peers are linked to more liberal approaches to romantic and sexual relationships as well as higher levels of intimate partner violence. Increasing involvement with delinquent peers predicted higher than average trajectories of liberal relationship scripts and intimate partner violence. These relationship dynamics, especially liberal dating scripts, were found to influence crime trajectories even after controlling for changes in relationship stability, employment, and other crime correlates. Research should incorporate broader socioeconomic factors that are likely to influence the character of peer networks and specific problem features of romantic relationships that are associated with variations in criminal involvement.

Details: Bowling Green, OH: Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, 2012. 31p.

Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper Series 2012-02: Accessed January 12, 2012 at: http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/cas/file105616.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/cas/file105616.pdf

Shelf Number: 123559

Keywords:
Desistance from Crime
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Peer Influence
Socioeconomics Status (Ohio)

Author: Charron, Mathieu

Title: Neighbourhood Characteristics and the Distribution of Crime in Toronto: Additional Analysis on Youth Crime

Summary: This study, funded by the National Crime Prevention Centre of Public Safety Canada, explores the spatial distribution of police-reported youth crime in Toronto. It examines how youth crime is geographically distributed in Toronto and endeavours to shed light on the relationship between police-reported youth crime and the neighbourhood characteristics that are most strongly associated with it. This report represents the second phase of the spatial analysis of police-reported crime data for Toronto and builds on the research paper, Neighbourhood Characteristics and the Distribution of Police-reported Crime in Toronto (Charron 2009). Other cities, including Edmonton, Halifax, Montréal, Regina, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay and Winnipeg have also been analysed as part of this series on the spatial analysis of police-reported crime data. The spatial analysis of crime data provides a visual representation of areas of concentrated crime. It also helps identify neighbourhood characteristics that are related to crime levels (See Text box 1). It can be an important tool in the development and implementation of crime reduction strategies. (See Methodology section at the end of the report for more detailed information on the methodologies used in this study). Data for this study cover the city of Toronto, an area patrolled by the Toronto Police Service. Toronto is located at the heart of a vast metropolitan system bordering the western end of Lake Ontario (from Oshawa to St. Catharines–Niagara), that includes 9 of the country’s 33 census metropolitan areas and over 8,000,000 inhabitants (nearly one quarter of Canada’s population). The city of Toronto is the capital city of Ontario and had a population of over 2,500,000 in 2006, the reference year for this study; about 175,000 were aged 12 to 17 years. Previous studies undertaken by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics have similarly focused on the relationship between crime and neighbourhood characteristics (Charron 2009; Savoie 2008). These studies have shown that crime is not distributed evenly in a municipality, but tends to be concentrated in certain neighbourhoods or ’hot spots’. Additionally, other studies have focused specifically on youth crime. For example, Perreault et al. (2008) found that neighbourhood characteristics accounted for only a small proportion of youth crime hot spots in Montréal. In Toronto, Fitzgerald (2009) found that the delinquency of young students was not associated with the characteristics of the neighbourhoods surrounding their schools.

Details: Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2011. 31p.

Source: Internet Resource: Crime and Justice Research Paper Series; Accessed January 13, 2012 at: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2011/statcan/85-561-M/85-561-m2011022-eng.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Canada

URL: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2011/statcan/85-561-M/85-561-m2011022-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 123601

Keywords:
Crime Hot Spots
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Neithbourhoods and Crime (Toronto, Canada)
Spatial Analysis
Youth Crime

Author: Fox, Andrew M.

Title: An Examination of Risk and Protective Factors, Drug Use, and Delinquency in Trinidad and Tobago

Summary: The 2006 Trinidad and Tobago Youth Survey was administered between March and June 2006. The survey contained questions that measured 16 risk factors, 13 protective factors, and involvement in delinquency, drug use, and other youth focused concerns. Students enrolled in forms three and five were targeted for the sample population. Surveys were collected from 22 schools in five districts. A total of 2,376 respondents agreed to participate in the study, for a response rate of 36% of eligible students. The Trinidad and Tobago Youth Survey measured risk and protective factors in four domains: community, school, family, and peer/individual. This thesis focuses on a broad range of issues concerning crime, drugs, and other anti-social behavior among youth for the purpose of informing prevention, intervention, and suppression programming. The findings indicated that there is much room for improvement for reducing risk factors related to communities, schools, families, and individuals and their peers in Trinidad and Tobago.

Details: Phoenix, AZ: Arizona State University, 2008. 156p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 21, 2012 at http://cvpcs.asu.edu/sites/default/files/content/products/Fox_TTYS_Masters%20Thesis.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: Trinidad and Tobago

URL: http://cvpcs.asu.edu/sites/default/files/content/products/Fox_TTYS_Masters%20Thesis.pdf

Shelf Number: 123718

Keywords:
Anti-Social Behavior
Drug Use
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Ziedenberg, Jason

Title: You're An Adult Now: Youth in Adult Criminal Justice Systems

Summary: It has been estimated that nearly 250,000 youth under age 18 end up in the adult criminal justice system every year. However, little attention has been directed to how adult corrections systems are managing the youth offenders that end up in jails, prisons and under community supervision. To address this information gap, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) convened three dozen juvenile justice and adult corrections experts on June 18th, 2010, to consider some of the known issues, impacts and opportunities that face corrections systems as they work to safely and effectively rehabilitate thousands of youth offenders in the nations’ jails, prisons, probation and parole systems. This monograph presents the key findings identified during this convening of experts.” Six section comprise this publication: executive summary; what is known about the issue of juveniles in the adult corrections systems, and where there are gaps in data collection and information; what the issues, impacts and options are facing public safety systems when youth are awaiting trial on adult charges; when youth are convicted, and committed to the adult system; when youth who convicted in adult court are on probation or parole; and conclusion--corrections and the entire public safety system needs to focus on the successful strategies to curb delinquency, and positive youth development. The “Summary of Options for Federal, State, and Local Policymakers to Consider” is appended.

Details: Washington, DC: National Institute of Corrections, 2011. 40p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 23, 2012 at http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025555.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025555.pdf

Shelf Number: 123753

Keywords:
Adult Corrections
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Parole
Probation

Author: Schmitz, Connie C.

Title: Final Report and Summative Evaluation Plan for the Ramsey County ACE Program

Summary: The Ramsey County ACE program is a long-term intervention program for children under 10 who are found to be at high risk for serious, violent, and chronic juvenile delinquency. Founded in late 1999, ACE serves our society’s most vulnerable population of children: that is, those who have committed a chargeable offense at a very young age and who come from multi-generational, multi-problem families. In working with ACE children and their families, ACE takes a broad public health, intensive case management approach. Through an inter-agency service delivery team, the resources of multiple county departments, police, schools, and community agencies are coordinated on an individual basis. Child and family case management is provided weekly by community workers from the time of the child’s initial screening until age 18. The goals of ACE are to reduce problem behaviors, to increase school bonding and success, and to prevent the children from entering the juvenile justice system.

Details: Minneapolis, MN: Professional Evaluation Services and Professional Data Analysts, Inc., 2004. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 4, 2012 at http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/NR/rdonlyres/82A097AE-978C-4F63-9C68-30B6829A7A2F/1752/ACE_Final_Report.pdf

Year: 2004

Country: United States

URL: http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/NR/rdonlyres/82A097AE-978C-4F63-9C68-30B6829A7A2F/1752/ACE_Final_Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 123965

Keywords:
Delinquency Prevention
Families
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders (Minnesota)

Author: Cahill, Meagan

Title: Social Networks and Behaviors of Youth in the District of Columbia: An Interim Research Report

Summary: The D.C. Crime Policy Institute, in partnership with Temple University, is conducting a study on the behavior and social networks of youths ages 14 to 21 in Washington, D.C. The study measures both positive activities (e.g., sports, after-school programs) and delinquent behaviors (e.g., theft, violence) and uses data on social networks to understand how relationships influence behavior and, in turn, to provide insight on how to best prevent youth involvement in delinquent or violent activity. Our preliminary analysis, outlined in this report, finds that nonpeer relationships (teachers, mentors, extended family members) may be just as important as peer relationships when examining delinquency and violence.

Details: Washington, DC: District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute, Urban Institute, 2011. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 12, 2012 at http://www.dccrimepolicy.org/images/DCYouthSurveyFinalJan2012-web-posted2_2.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.dccrimepolicy.org/images/DCYouthSurveyFinalJan2012-web-posted2_2.pdf

Shelf Number: 124102

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juveniles (District of Columbia)
Social Networks

Author: Centre for Social Justice. Youth Justice Working Group

Title: Rules of Engagement: Changing the Heart of Youth Justice

Summary: The link between social breakdown and crime is well established. In the CSJ’s seminal report Breakthrough Britain, we identified five common drivers of poverty and social breakdown – educational failure, family breakdown, addiction, worklessness and economic dependency, and debt. Addressing these pathways must be a priority if offending is to be tackled successfully. Of equal importance is the successful rehabilitation of those who fall within the auspices of the youth justice system. Thus, in February 2010 the CSJ launched a review of the youth justice system to identify how it might be reformed to improve outcomes for young people, victims and society. We have spoken with over 200 professionals from the youth justice field, conducted many visits and convened over 70 hours of evidence hearings, ensuring that our findings and recommendations are robust and grounded in the experiences of those who work in youth justice on a daily basis. It is clear that there have been a number of improvements in recent years, yet there is still further work required to build on this progress and some glaring inadequacies remain. We have identified four key shortcomings, which must be addressed if outcomes are to be improved: „„ The youth justice system continues to function as a backstop: sweeping up the problem cases that other services have failed, or been unable, to address; „„ The system is often operating in a way which promotes rather than reduces offending; „„ There continues to be too much focus on functional process at the expense of lifechanging outcomes; and „„ The importance of relationships to preventing offending and facilitating rehabilitation, emphasised to us consistently in our evidence hearings, continues to be overlooked. Here we summarise the key messages and recommendations that have emerged from our evidence gathering across eight major aspects of the youth justice system: „„ Prevention; „„ Out-of-court activity; „„ Court procedure; „„ Community sentencing; „„ Custodial sentences and the juvenile secure estate; „„ Resettlement; „„ Delivery; and „„ The minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR).

Details: London: Centre for Social Justice, 2012. 241p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 14, 2012 at: http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/client/downloads/CSJ_Youth_Justice_Full_Report_WEB%20(2).pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/client/downloads/CSJ_Youth_Justice_Full_Report_WEB%20(2).pdf

Shelf Number: 124130

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Reform
Juvenile Justice Systems (U.K.)

Author: Roman, Caterina G.

Title: Social Networks, Delinquency, and Gang Membership: Using a Neighborhood Framework to Examine the Influence of Network Composition and Structure in a Latino Community

Summary: As part of the Social Networks, Delinquency, and Gang Membership project, funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, social network data were collected from youth in a small, at-risk neighborhood. The data were analyzed using social network methods. Results indicated that individuals with multiple, separate groups of friends have greater constraints on their behavior and are less likely to be delinquent. Results also suggested that networks with very low densities (fewer connections) are more successful contexts for intervention. These findings are relevant to developing appropriate delinquency programs and shed light on the efficacy of neighborhood-based interventions.

Details: Washington, DC: Department of Criminal Justice, The Urban Institute, 2012. 273p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 14, 2012 at http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412519-Social-Networks-Delinquency-and-Gang-Membership.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412519-Social-Networks-Delinquency-and-Gang-Membership.pdf

Shelf Number: 124532

Keywords:
Gangs
Juvenile Delinquency
Latinos
Social Networks
Youth Gangs

Author: Halemba, Gregory

Title: Doorways to Delinquency: Multi-System Involvement of Delinquent Youth in King County (Seattle, WA)

Summary: This executive summary highlights fi ndings from a study conducted by the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) that examines the prevalence of multi-system involvement (specifi cally, child welfare and Becca) among youth referred to the King County Juvenile Court on offender matters during the 2006 calendar year. The study examines how this varies demographically and how juvenile justice trajectories/outcomes vary by level of multi-system involvement. The target population for the current study reflected a time limited snapshot of youth referred to the King County Juvenile Court on one or more offender referrals during calendar year 2006. The study cohort included 4,475 youth and their history of court and child welfare involvement was tracked through the end of the 2008 calendar year. In support of this internal evaluation capacity-building effort and with funding provided by the Seattle Field Office of Casey Family Programs, the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) in 2007 began work to design a strategy to conduct research on the prevalence of multi-system involvement among youth referred to the King County Juvenile Court on offender (delinquency), Becca (truancy, ARY and/or CHINS), and/or dependency matters. This included development of preliminary specifications on how to proceed in obtaining the necessary administrative data from the various stakeholder organizations/ agencies required to conduct such a study. This report summarizes fi ndings specifi c to the prevalence of multi-system involvement (specifi cally, child welfare and Becca) for youth referred to the King County Juvenile Court on offender matters, how this varies demographically, and how juvenile justice trajectories and outcomes vary by level of multi-system involvement. The report also begins to examine temporal issues related to the onset of juvenile justice, child welfare and Becca involvement.

Details: Pittsburgh, PA: Models for Change, National Center for Juvenile Justice, 2011. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 25, 2012 at http://www.ncjj.org/pdf/MFC/Doorways_to_Delinquency_2011.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ncjj.org/pdf/MFC/Doorways_to_Delinquency_2011.pdf

Shelf Number: 124746

Keywords:
Child Welfare
Crossover Youth
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Systems

Author: Bogie, Andrea

Title: Assessing Risk of Future Delinquency Among Children Receiving Child Protection Services

Summary: Children who experience maltreatment are more likely than other children to be arrested and/or referred for delinquent offenses. Maltreated children are more likely to become delinquent at a younger age, and their risk of delinquency increases as their exposure to violence increases. In an effort to prevent children who are already involved with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (LA DCFS) from becoming involved with the Los Angeles County Probation Department, county managers sought to develop a structured, actuarial assessment to help identify which children served by LA DCFS were most likely to become delinquent. The managers intend to provide additional supports to children who are at high risk of future delinquency. For example, the county may provide wraparound services to meet the specific needs of these high risk children, in an effort to prevent them from becoming delinquent. This report describes a longitudinal study conducted by the Children’s Research Center (CRC) to identify the risk factors for subsequent delinquency, and if possible, construct a screening assessment that classifies children with an open child protective services (CPS) case by the likelihood of future delinquency. The next section examines findings from peer-reviewed literature regarding the needs and characteristics of children involved with both child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and provides more detail about the objectives of the current study. Subsequent sections of the report describe the methodology followed to construct an actuarial assessment that classifies children by risk of delinquency, and review findings of the study. The summary section identifies limitations of the current research and proposes next steps for piloting use of the delinquency screening assessment.

Details: Oakland, CA: Children's Research Center, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, 2011. 57p.

Source: Prepared for Los Angeles County Department of Children and Families: Internet Resource: Accessed March 25, 2012 at http://www.nccd-crc.org/crc/crc/pubs/LA_Delinquency_Screening_Assessment_Report.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.nccd-crc.org/crc/crc/pubs/LA_Delinquency_Screening_Assessment_Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 124747

Keywords:
Child Maltreatment
Child Protection Services
Juvenile Delinquency
Risk Assessment

Author: Florida Department of Education

Title: Developing Effective Education in Department of Juvenile Justice and other Dropout Prevention Programs

Summary: The purpose of this report is to provide the Florida legislature with the information required by section 1003.52(19), Florida Statutes (F.S.), Educational services in Department of Juvenile Justice programs, and section 1003.53, F.S., Dropout prevention and academic intervention. Section 1003.52, F.S., requires the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) and the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) to report annually on the progress toward developing effective educational programs for juvenile delinquents. The report is divided into seven sections. The first section provides demographic data for all students served in dropout prevention (DOP) programs. The second section addresses the types of data indicators used to measure student outcomes in dropout prevention programs, followed by four sections that address these outcomes in each of the four major dropout prevention programs: educational alternatives, teenage parent, disciplinary, and educational services in Department of Juvenile Justice programs. The final section addresses additional juvenile justice topics required by s. 1003.52, F.S. This section includes information on funding and expenditures, cooperative agreements and educational service contracts, school improvement plans, services to exceptional education students, and recommendations for system improvement.

Details: Tallahassee, FL: Florida Department of Education, 2012. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2012 at: http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-6321/dps-2012-23a.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-6321/dps-2012-23a.pdf

Shelf Number: 124774

Keywords:
Education (Florida)
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
School Discipline
School Dropouts

Author: Treptow, Reinhold

Title: The Aspirations and Life Goals of Youth Offenders at Lindelani Place of Safety

Summary: Rising crime rates among the youth in South Africa is a major problem. In the Western Cape this concern is particularly urgent and is compounded by issues relating to gangsterism and drugs. This study analyses why youth offenders, based at Lindelani become involved in crime and how they subsequently see their future. The first part of the study reviews theories of crime and deviance, such as the classical school of criminology, psychological, biological and sociological explanations of crime. The usefulness of the criminological developmentalist approach toward identifying risk factors statistically correlated to the perpetration of crime is discussed. Common factors associated with crime in the South African context are identified including family, peers, gang, drug, school, media and neighbourhood related factors as well as the absence of spirituality. Thereafter the literature associated with the development of aspirations, life goals and the concept of possible selves is explained. The relationship between possible selves, aspirations and life goals are discussed and details regarding how possible selves influence delinquency are presented. Following the theoretical analysis, the problem of crime in South Africa with reference to the youths interviewed is outlined. The strategies pursued by government to combat crime are discussed and the effective potential of these approaches are evaluated. An overview of government’s policy toward youth in South Africa is given followed by specific reference to the issues surrounding youth and crime in the Western Cape, with explicit reference to the Cape Flats and gangs. This provides the background to the Lindelani case study. An overview of the operations and challenges facing Lindelani Place of Safety and the profile of offences typically committed by youth are given. Hereafter the findings are presented. The findings are divided into two sections; the first explores the life world of youth at Lindelani by discussing why youth in the Western Cape perpetrate crime and identifies factors that are associated with their involvement. The findings report on the influence of family and household structure, peers, neighbourhood environment, gangs, drugs, school, media, perceived aptitude of youth offenders, role models and spirituality. Section two presents the findings regarding the possible selves, life goals and aspirations of the youth. The general aspirations, possible selves, family aspirations, friendship, neighbourhood, spiritual, educational and occupational aspirations are explored. The study thereby presents the voices of these young offenders.

Details: Stellenbosch, South Africa: Stellenbosch University, 2008. 101p.

Source: Internet Resource: Master's Thesis: Accessed April 27, 2012 at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/44139332_The_aspirations_and_life_goals_of_youth_offenders_at_Lindelani_Place_of_Safety

Year: 2008

Country: South Africa

URL: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/44139332_The_aspirations_and_life_goals_of_youth_offenders_at_Lindelani_Place_of_Safety

Shelf Number: 125072

Keywords:
Crime
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders (South Africa)

Author: He, Ni

Title: A Multi-city Assessment of Juvenile Delinquency in the U.S.: A Continuation and Expansion of the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD)

Summary: This project is a part of the International Self-report Delinquency (ISRD) study. The ISRD study is now in its second sweep, involving more than 30 nations. A major goal for the ISRD study is to provide an ongoing assessment of (1) the prevalence and incidence of youthful offending; (2) the correlates of youthful crime and different explanations of crime; (3) various dimensions of delinquent trajectories; (4) social response to juvenile misbehavior; (5) the relative importance of micro-level (individual), meso-level (school and neighbourhood), and macro-level (city and country) variables for self-report delinquency and its correlates; and (6) the methodological implications for cross-national survey research. Data collection for the U.S. portion of the ISRD- 2 study was carried out in the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007. The achieved US sample includes 2,571 7th to 9th grade students from 11 public and 4 private schools in three geographically and socio-economically diverse regions (Northeast, Southwest, and Midwest). With regard to risk factors for juvenile delinquency, we find truancy to be of major concern (32.8% last month). The rates of alcohol use (41.5% life-time and 14.0% last month) and marijuana/hashish use (16% life-time and 7.9% last month) based on our sample are comparable to those from other major U.S. national studies. Theft (31.2% last year) and bullying (20% last year) are the two major victimization categories according to our study. The prevalence rates of being a victim of robbery/extortion (4.5%) and assault (4.1%) are noticeably much lower. The reporting (to the police) rate of bullying is particularly low (4.9%), compared to the rates for all other victimization categories (varying from 12.6% to 16.1%). Shoplifting (20.7%), group fight (16.0%), vandalism (15.9%) and carrying a weapon (14.3%) captured the highest life-time prevalence rates in all offense categories measured in our study. Similar observations are found in the corresponding last-year offense prevalence measures. Outcomes based on analyses of both attitudinal and behavioral (victimization and offense prevalence) measures across gender, grade level, city size and school types are quite consistent with predictions that could be made based on either relevant theories or previous studies. Students of different immigrant statuses do not differ in self-reported victimization and offending experiences. We also did not find statistically significant difference between genders with regard to age of onset for all variety of offenses. Our multivariate analyses (both OLS and Negative Binomial regressions) lend support to the theoretical relationships derived from social bonding, self-control, and social learning theories. Findings included in the current report are based on U.S. ISRD-2 data only. The anticipated release of the merged cross-national ISRD-2 data will not only provide us an opportunity to compare our domestic findings with those of the other nations, it will also allow multi-level cross-national analyses.

Details: Boston: Northeastern University, 2009. 55p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 6, 2012 at http://nuweb.neu.edu/nhe/NIJ%20Final%20Technical%20Report%20Final%20Report.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://nuweb.neu.edu/nhe/NIJ%20Final%20Technical%20Report%20Final%20Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 125162

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Self-Report Studies

Author: Porter, Lauren

Title: Reconsidering the Relationship between Paternal Incarceration and Delinquency

Summary: Research finds that children who have experienced the incarceration of a parent exhibit higher levels of antisocial behavior. Yet there are reasons to question whether this association is in fact causal, and research that empirically pins down mechanisms that explain any observed association is in high demand. We attempt to better account for unobserved heterogeneity by using children with fathers who will be incarcerated as a strategic comparison group. In addition, we look at two different outcomes in an effort to make inferences about why paternal incarceration may influence delinquency. Results suggest that the association between paternal incarceration and instrumental forms of crime (e.g., theft) is entirely spurious, although paternal incarceration retains a significant effect on expressive crimes (e.g., destruction of property, fighting).

Details: Bowling Green, OH: National Center for Family & Marriage Research, Bowling Green State University, 2012. 38p.

Source: Working Paper Series WP-12-08: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2012 at http://ncfmr.bgsu.edu/pdf/working_papers/file118357.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://ncfmr.bgsu.edu/pdf/working_papers/file118357.pdf

Shelf Number: 126573

Keywords:
Children of Prisoners
Families of Inmates
Fathers
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Queensland. Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian

Title: Child Guardian Report: Youth Justice System 2010–11

Summary: This inaugural analysis of data from across the Youth Justice System for 2010–11 shows that:  In 2010–11, the Queensland Police Service (QPS) took 46,468 actions against young people aged 10 to 17 years, at a rate of 96.0 offences per 1000 young people. Cautioning was the most common outcome, and the proportions of cautions increased as the age of offenders decreased.  Offences against property was the most common offence type amongst young people aged 10 to 17 years, accounting for 60.1% of all offences.  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 10 to 17 years continue to be significantly over-represented in the Youth Justice System compared to non-Indigenous young people. Of particular significance are the areas of rates of arrest, remand and sentence to supervised orders.  Remand continues to be a significant issue for young people in the system, with a total 833 young people held on remand during 2010–11, while only 218 young people were actually sentenced to a Detention Order. Young people on remand made up 82.1% of the detention centre population for 2010–11.  Together, 15 to 16-year-olds accounted for more than 60% of the average daily number of young people in youth detention. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people represented 56.9% of the average daily detention centre population.  In terms of diversions offered to young people to limit their contact with the youth justice system, the data shows that there were a total of 2385 Youth Justice Conferences held in 2010-11, the majority of which resulted in a written or verbal apology. There were 234 young people whose cases were dealt with in the Murri Court, which appears to be a small proportion of the overall number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people involved in the youth justice system. Similarly, there were 80 young people referred to Youth Drug Diversion potentially indicating under use of this type of diversion.  Implementation of the Commission’s Youth Justice Monitoring Framework has also identified some significant areas of interest in the development of the agency data, including reoffending of young people who received a diversionary outcome of police action and young people who were admitted to a youth justice order.

Details: Brisbane, AUS: Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian, 2012. 121p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2012 at: https://www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au/pdf/publications/reports/Child-Guardian-Report_Youth-Justice-System_2012/Final-Child-Guardian-Youth-Justice-Report-2010-11.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Australia

URL: https://www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au/pdf/publications/reports/Child-Guardian-Report_Youth-Justice-System_2012/Final-Child-Guardian-Youth-Justice-Report-2010-11.pdf

Shelf Number: 126937

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Systems (Queensland, Australia)
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights. Rapporteurship on the Rights of the Child

Title: Juvenile Justice and Human Rights in the Americas

Summary: The Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has had multiple occasions to deal with the issue of juvenile justice and its relationship to human rights when examining and deciding the petitions and cases submitted to it, and the precautionary measures requested of it, when conducting its visits and adopting reports on the situation of human rights in the member States of the Organization of American States (OAS), and at the public hearings convened during its sessions. Based on the information it received, the Commission has decided to prepare a thematic report to examine juvenile justice in the Americas and to make recommendations to the member States with a view to strengthening and improving their institutions, laws, policies, programs and practices in the area of juvenile justice and to ensure that those systems are implemented in accordance with the international corpus juris on the rights of children and adolescents. To make the preparation of this report possible, the IACHR signed a memorandum of understanding with the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and with the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It also received financial support from the Inter‐American Development Bank (IADB), Save the Children ‐ Sweden, and the Government of Luxemburg. The Commission also wishes to acknowledge the cooperation of the Special Representative on Violence Against Children Office. The States of the region are confronted every day with the problems associated with criminal offenses committed by persons under the age of 18. International law has clearly established that a juvenile justice system must be in place for children and adolescents who violate criminal laws. But this special justice system does not apply to all children; instead, it applies only to those who have reached the minimum age at which they can be held accountable for violations of criminal law. Once that minimum age has been reached, the juvenile justice system must be applied to all children and adolescents, without any exceptions. Therefore, it is unacceptable for States to exclude from that system any person who has not yet attained adulthood, which, under international law, is at the age of 18. The report adopted by the IACHR identifies the international principles of human rights that juvenile justice systems must observe. This report underlines the member States’ obligations vis‐à‐vis the human rights of children and adolescents accused of violating criminal law. The report makes it clear that a juvenile justice system must ensure that children and adolescents enjoy all the same rights that other human beings enjoy; but it must also provide them with the special protections that their age and stage of development necessitate, in keeping with the main objectives of the juvenile justice system, namely, the rehabilitation of children and adolescents, their comprehensive development and their reincorporation into society to enable them to play a constructive role within it. In its report, the Commission observes that juvenile justice systems must respect the principles of law that specifically apply to minors, and the special ways in which the general principles of law are applied to persons who have not yet attained their adulthood. For example, a juvenile justice system must respect the principle of legality, which means that the system cannot impinge upon the life of children and adolescents by invoking a supposed need for protection or prevention of crime; instead, juvenile justice systems must be applied solely on the basis of pre‐existing law in which a certain conduct has been classified as a criminal offense. Juvenile justice systems must also guarantee the principle of last resort, which means, for example, that it must consider alternatives to adjudication in the case of violations of criminal law, and non‐custodial measures or other forms of deprivation of liberty, which in the case of persons under the age of 18 is to be used only as a last resort. Accordingly, the Commission urges States to move in the direction of eliminating penalties of incarceration in the case of children and adolescents. Furthermore, juvenile justice systems must be specialized, which means that they must feature laws, procedures, authorities and institutions specifically designed for children and adolescents alleged to have violated criminal law. All those working within the juvenile justice system must have received special instruction in children’s rights and be trained to work with children. In its report, the Commission also highlights the point that the due process guarantees, such as the right to a competent judge, the presumption of innocence, the right of defense, the right of appeal and others, must be fully respected in juvenile justice proceedings. The Commission explains the special ways in which these guarantees are observed when persons under the age of 18, who require specific protections, are involved. The Commission commends the legislative strides that many States have taken in recent years. It notes that most States of the region have a special legal framework in place in the area of juvenile justice. In many cases, the framework adopted measures in conformity with international standards on the subject. The Commission also recognizes the efforts made by some countries to bring their juvenile justice practices, institutions and facilities into line with international standards, especially in those States where economic resources are limited. However, the Commission is troubled by the weaknesses within the juvenile justice systems in the region, despite the legislative progress made in many countries since the adoption of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Indeed, the Commission observes that there is a significant gap between the language of the States’ laws and the experiences of children and adolescents accused of violating criminal laws. In this report, the Commission examines how, with the exception of a few examples of best practices, the juvenile justice systems of the Americas are characterized by discrimination, violence, lack of specialization, and an abuse of the measures used to deprive juvenile offenders of their freedom. One of the chief causes of concern to the Commission is the fact that in a number of States of the Americas, very young children are held responsible and accountable for violations of criminal law; in some States, children as young as 7 can face criminal prosecution. The Commission is also disturbed by the fact that in the vast majority of States in the region, children and adolescents of 15, 16 and 17, are denied access to the specialized juvenile justice systems and are frequently tried in the ordinary adult criminal justice system, even though they are minors. Under some juvenile justice systems, children and adolescents are often transferred to ordinary courts, where they receive adult sentences and are forced to serve their sentences in adult prisons. Many children and adolescents in the region are thus being denied the protections afforded by the juvenile justice system. In summary, the IACHR is troubled by the practice on the part of some States of denying or offering fewer procedural guarantees, lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility, and stiffening penal sentences. The Commission is also troubled by the fact that in some cases, children below the minimum age at which they can be held criminally responsible, are deprived of their liberty through so‐called “protective” proceedings that end in punitive measures against the minor; all too often these proceedings are not conducted in strict observance of due process guarantees. The information compiled shows that on occasion, children and adolescents who have been abused, are indigent or have been deprived of their social and economic rights, are treated as criminals or routinely held responsible for violations of criminal law because of their condition in life, and are subjected to the juvenile justice system without ever having violated any criminal law. The same thing happens in the case of children and adolescents deemed to be “beyond parental control,” children and adolescents in “irregular situations,” children and adolescents accused of “status offenses,” i.e., acts they committed that would not be criminalized if committed by adults, or children or adolescents who have mental illnesses or diminished mental capacity who are criminalized instead of being given the proper medical care. The first contact of children and adolescents with the juvenile justice system is through the police, and is frequently a traumatic experience. The police often treat children and adolescents in a discriminatory manner and selectively arrest those that are poorest, belong to minorities, or those identified as belonging to certain groups because of their appearance. The IACHR has learned of police practices in which children and adolescents are routinely detained based on their appearance, or simply for being in certain places or because they are assumed to be 'at‐risk', or abandoned because they are living on the streets or wandering around; the police sometimes round up such children and adolescents because of an increase in crime in some area, or because they are assumed to be gang members. It often happens that children and adolescents who commit or are accused of committing crimes are removed from any contact with family and community ‐ contacts which are essential for the enjoyment of their rights and their development. Despite the international laws requiring that whenever possible, alternatives to adjudication are to be used in the case of children and adolescents, the IACHR report reveals that alternatives of this type are rarely used in most States of the region. The Commission also observes that in some States, officials of the judicial system, especially those outside the major cities, have little or no training in the area of children and human rights. Thus, the proceedings conducted in the juvenile justice system do not always observe due process guarantees and the principle of the best interests of the child. Similarly, although deprivation of liberty should be used only as a last resort in the case of children and adolescents, and should be for the shortest time possible, the Commission’s report shows that most juvenile justice systems in the Americas resort to deprivation of liberty, both before trial and after conviction. The IACHR also observes that the principles that must govern the sentences administered, such as the principle of proportionality, are often ignored in favor of prolonged sentences on the pretext that such sentences aid in the “rehabilitation” of children and adolescents. In some member States, this criterion leads to the imposition of indefinite sentences in which the children and adolescents will remain deprived of their liberty until such time as the person is deemed “rehabilitated” or reaches a certain age. The IACHR is also troubled by the failure to observe the human rights of children and adolescents when they are deprived of their liberty. In its report, the Commission observes that conditions in the facilities in which children and adolescents are deprived of their liberty are, in general, inadequate and often breed violence among the children or adolescents, or by State authorities. Furthermore, the detention conditions do not always properly guarantee the other rights of children and adolescents, rights that must never be restricted they are in custody, such as the right to life, to physical integrity, to health, to food, and to education and recreation. The report also examines how corporal punishment, solitary confinement, the use of psychotropic drugs to control juveniles, and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment continue to be used to discipline children and adolescents deprived of their liberty in the Americas, despite the fact that these punishments are strictly prohibited under international human rights law. The foregoing is compounded by the fact that, in many States, there are no mechanisms for filing complaints or securing independent supervision of the situation of children and adolescents accused of violating criminal laws or deprived of their liberty; in those States that do have such mechanisms, they are underfunded and therefore have very little effect. Thus, the States are not complying with their obligation to adequately prevent, investigate, punish and repair human rights violations of which children and adolescents are frequently victims during all phases of the juvenile criminal justice system. In its report, the Commission calls upon the member States to undertake to comply with their international obligations to protect and guarantee the human rights of children and adolescents in their juvenile justice systems. It also makes a number of specific recommendations concerning the measures that the States must take to adapt their juvenile justice systems to international standards in this area.

Details: Washington, DC: Organization of American States, 2011. 179p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 23, 2012 at: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/children/docs/pdf/JuvenileJustice.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/children/docs/pdf/JuvenileJustice.pdf

Shelf Number: 126980

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Delinquents
Juvenile Justice Systems (Americas)
Juvenile Justice, Administration of (Americas)
Juvenile Offenders
Legal Rights of Children
Young Adult Offenders

Author: DC Lawyers for Youth

Title: Debunking Urban Legends: Data Shows Summer Heat, Vacation Have Not Led to More Youth Arrests

Summary: This spring, like many in the past, policymakers have warned that youth crime will increase come summer. This forecast is based, in large part, on the belief that youth crime typically increases over the summer weeks when it is hot and youth are out of school. However, according to data provided by Metropolitan Police Department regarding the date of arrests for juveniles between 2007 and 2010, youth were actually arrested less frequently during summer when compared to the rest of the year. Moreover, a review of the data reveals that juvenile arrests are actually quite volatile and do not follow a distinct cycle or pattern. Thus, while arrests may rise or fall in the summer of 2011, the data shows this will be due to factors not associated with a change in season or youth being on vacation from school.

Details: Washington, DC: DC lawyers for Youth, 2011.

Source: Internet Resource: DCLY Issue Brief: Accessed February 8, 2013 at: http://www.dcly.org/sites/default/files/Debunking%20Urban%20Legends%20Summer%20Arrests.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.dcly.org/sites/default/files/Debunking%20Urban%20Legends%20Summer%20Arrests.pdf

Shelf Number: 127542

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders (Washington, DC)

Author: DC Lawyers for Youth

Title: Youth Arrest Trends in the District of Columbia (2007-2011)

Summary: Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) statistics show that youth arrests are at a five-year low after having declined 15 percent since a recent peak in 2009. MPD statistics also demonstrate that youth arrests in 2011 accounted for the lowest proportion of overall arrests than any other point in the last five years, that youth arrests over a variety of offense categories have declined substantially over the last five years, and that youth arrests for homicide in the District are at an all-time low since 2007. This brief analyzes data pertaining to youth arrests in the District over the last five years. It is pertinent to note that, in early 2011, MPD began categorizing arrest data more accurately by offense. As a result, the casual observer may look at the statistics and believe that there were substantial increases in certain categories of offenses in 2011. However, as the brief explains, the degree of these increases results from MPD’s change in data recording, not from an actual increase in arrests in those categories. This brief examines the broader trends likely unaffected by MPD’s improved categorization, and it qualifies findings as necessary.

Details: Wsahington, DC: DC Lawyers for Youth, 2012. 7 p.

Source: Internet Resource: DCLY Issue Brief: Accessed February 8, 2013 at: http://www.dcly.org/sites/default/files/DCLY%20Youth%20Arrest%20Trends%20Brief%202007-2011.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.dcly.org/sites/default/files/DCLY%20Youth%20Arrest%20Trends%20Brief%202007-2011.pdf

Shelf Number: 127543

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders (Washington, D.C.)

Author: Ludbrook, Maria

Title: Youth Therapeutic Programmes: A Literature Review

Summary: There is no doubt that youth offenders (i.e. those under 20) are a population of concern. New Zealand statistics show that youth aged 14 to 20 have the highest apprehension rates across major offence categories (MOJ 2010). Following release from prison, under 20 year-olds have the highest reconviction (88%) and reimprisonment (71%) rates within a 60-month period, with almost a quarter reoffending within three months of release, and almost half reoffending and returning to prison within 12 months. Prior incarceration increases the likelihood that youth will return to prison after any given release. First-timers to prison are 66% likely to return, and recidivist youth 88% likely to return within 60 months (Nadesu 2009b). Offenders at or near their peak offending age (i.e. those under 25) cause the most harm to society in any given year. Intervening before they reach their peak offending age gives more opportunity to prevent harm (Hughs 2010). While many youth grow out of criminal offending (or desist from crime more quickly), a small group persists and become New Zealand’s chronic low or high rate adult offenders. Nadesu (2009) suggested that intervening with young offenders within prisons should be a Departmental priority, as effective interventions are likely to have significant downstream benefits. This review was undertaken to identify the characteristics of effective programmes for young offenders. Effective programmes: are underpinned by sound theory and principles (cognitive behavioural, social learning); embody ‘therapeutic’ philosophies (i.e. involve development of new pro social skills); are cognitive behavioural in nature, and include anger management/aggression control and interpersonal skills training components in addition to the other core modules. They adhere to the principles of risk (i.e. interventions are commensurate with risk level), need (they target multiple criminogenic needs relevant to youth) and responsivity (i.e. CBT content and delivery are adapted to account for the differing characteristics of youth offenders). Effective programmes are implemented to a high quality, with close monitoring of treatment fidelity and programme integrity. Sound programmes also plan for generalisation, reintegration and after-care. Facilitators selected to deliver such programmes possess the desired interpersonal influence skills, and have adequate qualifications and/or training in CBT principles and techniques as they apply to the programme. Clinical supervision is delivered by a person who knows about the relevant programme.

Details: Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Department of Corrections, 2012. 60p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 18, 2013 at: http://www.corrections.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/641219/COR_Youth_Therapeutic_Program_WEB.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: New Zealand

URL: http://www.corrections.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/641219/COR_Youth_Therapeutic_Program_WEB.pdf

Shelf Number: 128005

Keywords:
Intervention Programs
Juvenile Aftercare
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders (New Zealand)
Rehabilitation Programs
Young Adult Offenders

Author: Williams, Huw

Title: Repairing Shattered Lives: Brain injury and its implications for criminal justice

Summary: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the leading form of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and is considered a silent epidemic. The condition most frequently occurs in young people, resulting predominantly from falls, sporting injuries, fights and road accidents, and is the major cause of death and disability amongst this group. Both sexes are equally affected when very young, however males are much more at risk than females in teenage years and adulthood. The consequences of brain injury include loss of memory, loss of concentration, decreased awareness of one’s own or others emotional state, poor impulse control, and, particularly, poor social judgment. Unsurprisingly behavioural problems such as conduct disorder, attention problems, increased aggression, and impulse control problems are prevalent in people with ABIs. The brain during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood is rapidly growing and its connections are shaped and strengthened by experience. It is these developing connections and pathways which enable it to pass information and drive the processes necessary to respond to and sustain life. An injury to the brain before these areas have fully developed may cause them to never entirely evolve or ‘misfire’. Recent research has shown that skills that are developing at the time of injury may be the most vulnerable to being disrupted, while already established skills may be more robust. This report explains the connection between acquired brain injury (ABI) and increased contact between children, young people and young adults with criminal justice processes, with a particular focus on the impact of ABI upon developmental maturity. This report combines a review of current studies on the subject with recommendations for commissioners and practitioners.

Details: London: Barrow Cadbury Trust, Transition to Adulthood, 2013.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2013 at: http://www.bctrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Repairing-Shattered-Lives_Report.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.bctrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Repairing-Shattered-Lives_Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 128429

Keywords:
Brain Injury
Disability
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Neurological Disorders

Author: Asian Centre for Human Rights

Title: State of Juvenile Justice in Mizoram

Summary: Children constitute 17.34 per cent of Mizoram’s total population. Mizoram may be a small state in terms of population and area, but the percentage of both child abuse and crimes committed by juveniles is quite high. The Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India in its “Study on Child Abuse: INDIA 2007” ranked Mizoram second in child abuse amongst the 13 states of India covered under the study. The study found that “in four of these states, the percentage of physical abuse was alarmingly high, above 80%. These states were Assam (84.65%), Mizoram (84.64%), Delhi (83.12%) and Uttar Pradesh (82.77%).” A “Study of Child Abuse in Mizoram” prepared by the Social Welfare Department and Aizawl-based NGO, Human Rights & Law Network (HLRN) on 27 October 2012 revealed that children are not safe anywhere in the state as most cases of child sexual abuse were committed by relatives, friends and teachers of the victims. The study revealed that Mizoram recorded 630 cases of child sexual abuse during the period of 2003 to 2009. Of these, 248 cases were registered by the Criminal Investigation Department of Mizoram Police, 240 cases by district police stations, 124 cases by the Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and 18 cases by the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl, Mizoram’s apex women body. Juvenile delinquency equally remains high. During the last decade from 2002 to 2011, the National Crime Records Bureau under the Ministry of Home Affairs recorded a total of 1,699 cases of “juvenile delinquency” in Mizoram. These include 1,258 cases registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 441 cases under the Special and Local Laws (SLL) in Mizoram. According to official records, 89 cases of child abuse and 35 cases of juvenile crimes were registered in the state during January to March 2012. This included 76 cases of physical abuse and 13 cases of sexual abuse against minors registered by the Social Welfare Department, and 35 cases of juvenile crimes recorded by the Juvenile Justice Boards. Yet, Mizoram has failed to show interest in the proper implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2000 (amended in 2006) [hereinafter referred to as “JJ (C&PC) Act”]. Although the JJ(C&PC) Act has been enacted more than a decade ago, the statutory support services namely the Juvenile Justice Boards and the Child Welfare Committees in Mizoram have been set up in all the eight districts only during 2010-11.

Details: New Delhi: Asian Centre for Human Rights, 2013. 83p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 25, 2013 at: http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/JJ-Mizoram-2013.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: India

URL: http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/JJ-Mizoram-2013.pdf

Shelf Number: 128442

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice (Mizoram, India)
Juvenile Justice Systems
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Asian Centre for Human Rights

Title: Assam: The State of Juvenile Justice

Summary: The State of Assam has been consistently ranking top in juvenile delinquency among the eight north eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. In 2011, Assam topped the list with 405 cases (402 of IPC1 crimes and 3 SLL2 crimes), followed by Meghalaya with 98 IPC crimes, Arunachal Pradesh with 78 IPC crimes, Tripura with 73 IPC crimes, Sikkim with 63 IPC crimes, and Mizoram with 58 IPC crimes. Figures of Manipur were not available in the 2011 NCRB report. At the same time, Assam also topped the list of States in India as per the ‘Study on Child Abuse India 2007’ carried out in 13 states by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India. Assam with 84.65% had the highest prevalence of physical abuse of children who faced one or more forms of physical abuse. While 56.37% children in institutions across the country were subjected to physical abuse by staff members of the institutions, in Assam the study reported 90.20% of physical abuse of children in institutional care homes i.e. juvenile homes. Assam with 57.27% had the highest percentage of sexual abuse of those children who faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. The administration of juvenile justice remains equally deplorable. There is acute shortage of homes for juveniles in conflict with the law as well as children in need of care and protection. Assam with 27 districts is the second largest but the most populated state in the north east India but there are only 4 Observation Homes and 3 Children Homes run by the state. These homes are confined to Kamrup, Nagaon and Jorhat district while the shelter homes run by NGOs are located in Guwahati. While the Jorhat Observation Home set up in 1987 caters to over 11 districts — Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Lakhimpur, Darrang, Udalguri and Sonitpur. Trafficking prone districts like Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang, Bongaigaon etc do not have any home. Assam’s negligence of juvenile justice is astounding. It failed to set up 7 new Open Shelters during 2011 despite availability of funds under the ICPS! Because of this failure the PAB declined to accept the request for grants for 3 existing Open Shelters at the 45th PAB meeting on 11th July 2012 under the ICPS. Instead, the PAB advised Assam to submit separate proposal for additional Open Shelters based on the findings/recommendations of the survey on street children that it had carried across Assam through Jayaprakash Institute of Social Change, a Kolkata based technical resource agency. The Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) constituted in all 27 districts of the state remain highly non-functional. Out of the 596 cases registered in 18 districts of Assam during 1st January 2011-31st December 2011, 347 cases were pending. The State Child Protection Society (SCPS), Assam failed to specifically provide the total number of reviews done by the State Government on the pendency of cases before each of the CWCs since their constitution. The SCPS only stated that State level review is being done from time to time. Assam has constituted Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) in all 27 districts of Assam9 but their functioning remains seriously problematic. At the latest i.e. the 45th Project Approval Board (PAB) Meeting under Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) held on 11th July 2012, the PAB expressed concern about the high pendency (1,635) at the JJB and suggested to increasing the sittings of the JJBs. Information received under the RTI revealed that percentage of pendency of cases before the JJBs range from minimum 33.3% in Udalguri district to maximum of 100% in Dhemaji and Morigaon district followed by 90.2% in Goalpara district and 79.3% in Darrang district and requires serious consideration. The problem is compounded by the lack of review of the pendency of cases of the JJBs by the Chief Judicial Magistrate or CMM as required under section 14(2) of the JJ (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act, 2006. Replies received from JJBs under the RTI stated that not a single review of the pendency of cases before the JJBs has been conducted by the CMM or CJM in Kokrajhar district; Dibrugarh district; Darrang district; Lakhimpur district; Udalguri district; Dhubri district; Goalpara district; Barpeta district; Golaghat district; Morigaon district; Chirang district; Dhemaji district and Nagaon district from date of their constitution till 30th March 2012. It has been observed that there is complete lack of enforcement of penal provisions in the JJ(C&P) Act, 2000 (as amended in 2006) in Assam. Sections 23-27 of the JJ(C&P) Act, 2000 provides for protections to Juvenile in the form of penalties and punishments to perpetrators accused of cruelty and exploitation against the juvenile or child. Information obtained by ACHR under the RTI Act, 2005 revealed that none of these protective provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act has been enforced in most districts of Assam. Not a single case under any of the above provisions of the JJ (C&P) Act, 2000 (as amended in 200) has been registered in these districts.

Details: New Delhi: Asian Centre for Human Rights, 2012. 96p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 25, 2013 at: http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/JJ-Assam-2012.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: India

URL: http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/JJ-Assam-2012.pdf

Shelf Number: 128493

Keywords:
Child Protection
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Detention
Juvenile Justice Systems (India)
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Children's Rights Director for England

Title: Keeping Out of Trouble: Children’s views reported by the Children’s Rights Director for England

Summary: For this report we asked children and young people for their views and experience about what can keep a child or young person from getting into trouble with the law. We asked both children and young people who had been in trouble with the law and those that had not. This report therefore gives the children’s view of what makes the difference for a child. We asked for the views of children and young people in two very different situations. We asked children and young people in care, and we also asked young people living in two different secure training centres. We asked the children and young people in care for their views at a big consultation event we held in the north of England. We invited children from different local authorities across the country, and did not just choose children we already knew or who were already in local participation groups or Children in Care Councils. We asked the children for their views in a series of discussion groups. At the same event, we ran other discussion groups to ask children and young people for their views on two other subjects for other reports. These were running away and physical restraint. Altogether we held nine discussion groups on the subject of keeping out of trouble. Each group we ran was led by a member of the Office of the Children’s Rights Director, and another member of our team took notes of the views the children gave. Parents, carers, staff members and other adults who had brought children and young people to our discussion groups were not with the children during the discussions, so that the children could freely talk about their views. We gave children a shopping token to thank them for taking part in our discussions, and they were also able to take part in activities for young people at the activity centre where we held all our nine discussion groups. At that centre, we also set up some electronic screens on which children could enter more views while they were waiting for our groups, or waiting to join activities, or during the lunch break. The answers typed on to those screens have been used in this report, alongside what was said in our discussion groups. As always in children’s discussion groups we run, we asked open questions for discussion, but did not suggest any answers. We told the children and young people that they did not have to agree on any ‘group views’, but could give different views and could disagree without having to argue for their views against anyone else. We would write down all their different views. We used a secure web survey to ask young people at the two secure training centres for their views on keeping out of trouble. As always with our web surveys, we gave young people secure login details and passwords, so they could complete the surveys themselves. This report contains, as far as we could note them down, all the views given by the children and young people in the web survey and discussion groups, not our own views. We have not added our comments. We have not left out any views we might disagree with, or which the government, councils, professionals or research people might disagree with. Where we have used a direct quote from what a child or young person said, this is either something that summarises well what others had said as well, or something that was a clear way of putting a different idea from what others had said.

Details: Manchester, UK: Ofsted, 2013. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 1, 2013 at: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/keeping-out-of-trouble

Year: 2013

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/keeping-out-of-trouble

Shelf Number: 128505

Keywords:
Delinquency Prevention (U.K.)
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Petrosino, Anthony

Title: Scared Straight and Other Juvenile Awareness Programs for Preventing Juvenile Delinquency: A Systematic Review

Summary: Programs like Scared Straight" involve organized visits to prison facilities by juvenile delinquents or children at risk for becoming delinquent. The programs are designed to deter participants from future offending by providing first-hand observations of prison life and interaction with adult inmates. Results of this review indicate that not only does it fail to deter crime but it actually leads to more offending behavior. Government officials permitting this program need to adopt rigorous evaluation to ensure that they are not causing more harm to the very citizens they pledge to protect. Scared Straight" and other programs involve organized visits to prison by juvenile delinquents or children at risk for criminal behavior. Programs are designed to deter participants from future offending through first hand observation of prison life and interaction with adult inmates. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of programs comprising organized visits to prisons by juvenile delinquents (officially adjudicated or convicted by a juvenile court) or pre-delinquents (children in trouble but not officially adjudicated as delinquents), aimed at deterring them from criminal activity. Studies that tested the effects of any program involving the organized visits of juvenile delinquents or children at-risk for delinquency to penal institutions were included. Studies that included overlapping samples of juvenile and young adults (e.g. ages 14-20) were also included. We only considered studies that randomly or quasi-randomly (i.e. alternation) assigned participants to conditions. Each study had to have a no-treatment control condition with at least one outcome measure of “post-visit” criminal behavior. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We report narratively on the nine eligible trials. We conducted one meta-analysis of post-intervention offending rates using official data. Information from other sources (e.g. self-report) was either missing from some studies or critical information was omitted (e.g. standard deviations). We examined the immediate post-treatment effects (i.e. ‘first-effects’) by computing Odds Ratios (OR) for data on proportions of each group re-offending, and assumed both fixed and random effects models in our analyses. RESULTS The analyses show the intervention to be more harmful than doing nothing. The program effect, whether assuming a fixed or random effects model, was nearly identical and negative in direction, regardless of the meta-analytic strategy. AUTHOR’S CONCLUSIONS We conclude that programs like ‘Scared Straight’ are likely to have a harmful effect and increase delinquency relative to doing nothing at all to the same youths. Given these results, we cannot recommend this program as a crime prevention strategy. Agencies that permit such programs, however, must rigorously evaluate them not only to ensure that they are doing what they purport to do (prevent crime) – but at the very least they do not cause

Details: Oslo: The Campbell Collaboration, 2013. 55p.

Source: Internet Resource: Campbell Systematic Reviews
2013:5: Accessed May 15, 2013 at: http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/lib/?go=monograph&year=2013

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/lib/?go=monograph&year=2013

Shelf Number: 128747

Keywords:
At-Risk Yough
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Scared Straight Programs

Author: Abraham, Manja

Title: Halt Updated Process evaluation study of the updated Halt programme

Summary: Juveniles aged from 12 to 18, who have been apprehended by the police for, for example, vandalism, shoplifting, firework offences or truant, may be given a choice between the criminal justice system and - via a conditional nolle prosequi - the Halt programme. The aim of the Halt programme is to hand out an alternative punishment – Het ALTernatief in Dutch – to make these juveniles aware of their behaviour, to give them the chance to right their wrongs and to make it clear to them that criminal behaviour is unacceptable. If they take part in the Halt programme, juveniles can also avoid having a criminal record. In addition to the police and the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM), special investigating officers (BOAs) with special powers can refer juveniles to the Halt programme. The updated Halt programme has been implemented by all the Halt offices since 1 January 2010. The questions to be examined were: Is the updated Halt programme being implemented as intended? Which points are being implemented as intended and which are not? What are the causes of any problems in the implementation?

Details: Amsterdam: WODC, ministerie van Veiligheid en Justitie,, 2013. 11 p. (summary)

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 28, 2013 at: http://english.wodc.nl/onderzoeksdatabase/evaluatie-nieuwe-haltafdoening.aspx

Year: 2013

Country: Netherlands

URL: http://english.wodc.nl/onderzoeksdatabase/evaluatie-nieuwe-haltafdoening.aspx

Shelf Number: 128838

Keywords:
Alternatives to Incarceration
Delinquency Prevention
Halt Programme
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders (Netherlands)

Author: Sahovic, Nevena Vuckovis

Title: ENOC Study report on National Human Rights Institutions and Child/Juvenile Delinquency

Summary: The Survey: A first step in the survey on NHRIs and child/juvenile delinquency was to develop and distribute a questionnaire. The questionnaire on the monitoring role of the NHRIs in dealing with the rights of child/juvenile delinquents (C/JD) was sent in May 2012 to all ENOC member institutions (to date ENOC is made up of 41 members). The members were asked to provide some basic information on their involvement in the protection of the rights of C/JD. The questionnaire consisted of groups of questions which covered all measures of implementation in the area of the rights of C/JDs, with special attention to the rights of children who are alleged as, accused of or sentenced as having infringed the Penal law. However, children below the age of criminal responsibility also perpetrate offences (sometimes crimes) as well as “status” offences, for which they are deprived of liberty, taken into custody and intervened against. Therefore, children of all ages were subject of this survey.  Structure of the Questionnaire: The questions were grouped into three chapters:  Chapter one, dealing with basic information on the protection of the rights of C/JD in ENOC members’ States;  Chapter two dealing with the role of NHRIs in the implementation of general measures needed for the realization of the rights of C/JD and  Chapter three dealing specifically with the role of NHRIs in monitoring and evaluation of prevention and intervention in the area relevant for C/JD. Each Chapter was divided into sections The Questionnaire was elaborate but simple, with most questions requiring yes or no answers. Members were asked to provide comments and proposals for improvement for each group of questions.  Structure of the Report This report follows the structure of the questionnaires and is thus divided in three Chapters and sections within.

Details: Strasbourg: ENOC - European Network of Ombudspersons for Children, 2012. 61p.

Source: Internet Resource: ECOC Survey 2012: Accessed May 30, 2013 at: http://www.kinderrechtencommissariaat.be/sites/default/files/bestanden/enoc_report_juvenile_justice_2012.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.kinderrechtencommissariaat.be/sites/default/files/bestanden/enoc_report_juvenile_justice_2012.pdf

Shelf Number: 128873

Keywords:
Child Protection
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Burke, Kimberly S.

Title: An Inventory and Examination of Restorative Justice Practices for Youth in Illinois

Summary: In this study, organizations in Illinois that address youth misconduct or delinquency were surveyed to examine the use of restorative justice practices in Illinois and the extent to which they incorporate critical components of restorative justice, and to create an inventory of restorative justice practices across the state. A total of 152 individuals completed a web-based survey. From their responses, 95 organizations were included in an inventory of restorative justice practices. Key findings include: • Respondents reporting using restorative justice practices were found in 54 Illinois counties, and in many different types of organizations who respond to youth misconduct, including police departments, probation and court services, schools, community-based organizations, and other state and municipal departments • Of respondents who indicated the types of restorative justice practices they used (n=69), the most common restorative justice practices used were peer juries (40 percent), circles (17 percent), family group conferencing (16 percent), and victim-offender mediation (23 percent). • Respondents most commonly used restorative justice practices with non-violent, first-time offenders. For program eligibility, restorative justice programs commonly required youth to volunteer to participate, admit guilt for the wrongdoing, and have little or no criminal history. • Of respondents who listed an agency affiliation (n=114), 68 percent worked within the juvenile justice system, and 65 percent of those working within the juvenile justice system were law enforcement. • Of the respondents who indicated the types of restorative justice practices used (n=69), 61 percent reported using a combination of practices. • When a single program was used peer jury was the most commonly reported. This study provided respondents with a scale to measure the degree to which they used five components of restorative justice in their program. The five components of restorative justice included offender involvement and experience of justice, victim involvement and experience of justice, victim-offender relationships, community involvement and experience of justice, and problem-solving through restorative justice. Respondents were invited to respond on how likely it was that each component of restorative justice was addressed through their programming. The study found the following through the use of the scale. • Twenty-three percent of survey respondents highly incorporated the five components of restorative justice into programming in their organizations. Respondents were given a survey with five choices of the degree to which restorative justice is incorporated into programming. • The components reported as the least likely addressed by organizations was victim-offender relationships in their programs (average of 2.11 on a scale of five) or involve the community in the experience of justice (average of 2.93 on a scale of five).

Details: Chicago: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 2013. 85p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2013 at: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/public/pdf/researchreports/inventoryandexaminationofrestorativejusticepracticesforyouthillinois_042013.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/public/pdf/researchreports/inventoryandexaminationofrestorativejusticepracticesforyouthillinois_042013.pdf

Shelf Number: 128905

Keywords:
Alternative Dispute Settlement
Conflict Resolution
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Restorative Justice (U.S.)
Victim-Offender Mediation

Author: Peetz, Peter

Title: Discourses on Violence in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua: Youth, Crime, and the Responses of the State

Summary: The paper analyzes the social construction of youth violence in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and El Salvador on the one hand, and the related security policies of the three states, on the other. In each country, there is an idiosyncratic way of constructing youth violence and juvenile delinquency. Also, each country has its own manner of reaction to those problems. In El Salvador youths are socially constructed as a threat to security, and the state implements predominantly repressive policies to protect citizens against that threat. In Nicaragua and Costa Rica, where the social discourse on youth violence is less prominent, the state's policies are neither very accentuated nor very coherent, whether in terms of repressive or nonrepressive measures. There are strong relations and mutual influences between the public's fear (or disregard) of youth violence and the state's policies to reduce it.

Details: Hamburg, Germany: GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, 2008. 39p.

Source: Internet Resource: GIGA Working Papers No. 80: Accessed June 21, 2013 at: http://www.giga-hamburg.de/dl/download.php?d=/content/publikationen/pdf/wp80_peetz.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: Central America

URL: http://www.giga-hamburg.de/dl/download.php?d=/content/publikationen/pdf/wp80_peetz.pdf

Shelf Number: 129041

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Violent Crime
Youth Violence (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua

Author: UN-Habitat

Title: Strategy Paper on Urban Youth in Africa: A Focus on the most vulnerable groups

Summary: This strategy paper has been developed in the context of UN-Habitat’s Safer Cities Programme, and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). It forms part of UN-Habitat’s work on urbanization, the inclusive city, the problems of urban youth, and issues of governance and youth participation. It is in keeping with the Millennium Development Goal of achieving a significant improvement in the lives of urban slum dwellers by 2020. Since the beginning of the 1990’s, the population of urban youth living in poverty, and youth crime and crime by minors in cities in the developing world have increased significantly. As part of the Safer Cities initiative, UN-Habitat has undertaken a number of exploratory surveys and studies in African cities which focus on the plight of youth in the correctional system, and those at risk of criminalization and victimization, such as street children. Through its Urban Management Programme, it has worked in collaboration with local partners on the development of youth junior councils and youth participatory mechanisms. In June 2002, in collaboration with the Government of South Africa, UN-Habitat initiated an international conference held in Nelson Mandela Metropole, on the development of citizenship among youth in conflict with the law in Africa. That conference brought together representatives of national governments, cities and municipalities, civil society organizations working with youth at risk, as well as youth leaders, criminal justice personnel, the research community and United Nations agencies. Its aim was to provide tools to support initiatives concerned with youth at risk, and young offenders, to elaborate a strategy on youth at risk, and to establish a network of cities and public and private organizations working with such youth. The conference resulted in a Declaration, and a Platform for Action, both of which focus both on the problems of the most vulnerable youth in African cities.

Details: Nairobi, Kenya: UN-Habitat, 2012. 87p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 21, 2013 at: http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/5647_23903_2472_altedit.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Africa

URL: http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/5647_23903_2472_altedit.pdf

Shelf Number: 129124

Keywords:
At-Risk Youth (Africa)
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Street Children

Author: Salagaev, Alexander L.

Title: Russian Youth Gangs

Summary: It is almost impossible to say exactly when first youth gangs appeared in Russia. Difficulty in tracing back phenomenon of youth delinquency is connected to the fact that 20th century was one of the most difficult periods for the country. Organized youth gangs, being mostly the part of city culture, were not very evident in cities and towns of Tsarist Russia until industrialization process started in late 19th century. Nevertheless, massive appearance of youth gangs coincided with World Wat I and Russian Revolution of 1917, which was followed by widespread poverty, disorganization, violence. During the period 1917-1922 many youth gangs appeared in Russian cities which in fact were the first real example of union between adult criminals and so-called ‘besprizorniki’ (homeless and unattended children-youngsters) youth. Researchers of ‘besprizorniki’ gangs state, that during First World War and Civil War in Russia (1914-1920) new criminal youth subculture was formed. Youth gangs of that time had many characteristics of modern ones: structure, rules, special slang, traditions/folklore, etc. ‘Besprizorniki’ gang members, after growing up would participate in adult criminal groups and inveigle children into criminal activities, therefore giving way to reproduction of criminal youth subculture (Rudov 2002; Gizatullin 2008). In 1920-1940s Soviet authorities were partly able to counteract the problem of organized youth delinquency, though during World War II and the following years number of youngsters, engaged in organized criminal activities, once again increased rapidly. General stabilization of socio-economic situation in the USSR during 1950-1970 as well as efficient work of law-enforcement agencies diminished the scope of the problem so radically that Soviet officials even started to claim that organized delinquency was no longer a part of socialist society but could be witnessed solely in Capitalist West (Salagaev 2001). Things changed in late 1970s, when youth gangs started to appear in Russia once again. It should be noticed that most Russian researchers start contemporary youth gangs history from that very point since criminal youth groups which appeared in late 1970s are ‘forefathers’ of contemporary Russian youth gangs. Youth group violence, which came to existence in late 1970s evolved in the following years to become wide-spread phenomenon of organized youth delinquency of contemporary Russia.

Details: Geneva, SWIT: Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2009(?). 15p.

Source: Internet Resource: Draft version: Accessed June 22, 2013 at: http://graduateinstitute.ch/webdav/site/ccdp/shared/5039/Salagaev-Safin-Russian-Youth-Gangs.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: Russia

URL: http://graduateinstitute.ch/webdav/site/ccdp/shared/5039/Salagaev-Safin-Russian-Youth-Gangs.pdf

Shelf Number: 129127

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Youth Gangs (Russia)

Author: Salagaev, Alexander

Title: After-Effects of the Transition: Youth Criminal Careers in Russia

Summary: The process of transition in Russia is characterized by contradictory values of different social groups. From one side the values of democracy and market economy are popularized, especially among youth, but from another, a lot of young people have been choosing alternative ‘criminal careers’. The proposed paper focuses on criminal life trajectories of young people, discusses norms, values, power resources, and behavioural patterns of members of juvenile delinquent gangs in the Volga area of Russia. The main conclusions drawn in the article are based on multi-method research study that includes 53 qualitative in-depth interviews with active gang members, expert interviews, and analysis of two criminal cases on gangs in Kazan city.

Details: Geneva, SWIT: Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, (2003?). 13p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 22, 2013 at: http://graduateinstitute.ch/webdav/site/ccdp/shared/5039/Salagaev-Criminal-Careers.pdf

Year: 2003

Country: Russia

URL: http://graduateinstitute.ch/webdav/site/ccdp/shared/5039/Salagaev-Criminal-Careers.pdf

Shelf Number: 129129

Keywords:
Criminal Careers
Juvenile Delinquency
Youth Gangs (Russia)

Author: Aramburu, Melba Castillo

Title: Nicaragua Youth Assessment: Assessment of Security and Crime Prevention Activities, with a Focus on Youth At Risk, On the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua

Summary: USAID/Nicaragua is preparing a new Country Development Cooperative Strategy (CDCS) that will include a Special Objective (SpO) aimed at reducing crime and increasing personal, community and regional security in the Caribbean Coast region. This SpO will support formal and non-formal education and training opportunities for youth at-risk, ages 10-24, and build community cohesiveness to reduce chances of youth becoming involved in crime and illicit activities. Funds for this SpO are expected to come from the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) which focuses on crime and levels of citizen security, and USAID basic education funds, particularly goal 3 of the Education Strategy which concentrates on youth and young adults living in “crisis and conflict environments.” The context in which young people live and attempt to thrive on the Caribbean Coast is characterized by multiple risk factors that contribute to their acute level of vulnerability. Principal risk factors—elements that greatly complicate their lives and which can lead to illicit activities—are prevalence of drugs and, worse, trafficking of drugs, along with alcohol abuse, disintegration of family and community ties, school abandonment, sexual abuse and risky sex, unemployment and bleak prospects for a job, and the weak presence of state institutions. In RAAN (Región Aútonoma del Atlántico Norte), the segment of the population under age 24 is 66 percent of the total; in RAAS, (Región Aútonoma del Atlántico Sur) it is 63 percent. Some 70 percent of RAAN’s population is rural, while 60 percent of RAAS’s population lives in rural areas. Another trait of the Caribbean regions is the multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-cultural composition. Various peoples exist in both regions, such as Miskito, Rama, Sumu/Mayangna, Twahkas, Panamakas and Ulwas. The Afro-descendant population, Creoles, and Garifunas comprise the ethnic groups. One continuing trend in the RAAN is the arrival of more and more mestizos in the region, with the indigenous and Afro-descendant becoming even more of the minority as time goes on. This is especially true in the interior (central and western) parts of the RAAS and RAAN. The RAAS is much more in flux ethnically, with the biggest concentration of Afro-descendants, although the RAAN is still predominantly indigenous and Afro-descendant. The number of violent deaths in RAAS and RAAN is rising sharply. In Bluefields in 2011, according to the Police Chief, there were 71 violent deaths or homicides, and in the first 11 weeks of 2012 there had been 18 more. Rates of incest, sexual abuse and rape of girls ages 6-16 are alarmingly high, with many cases not even reported. Criminal offenders are rarely brought to justice. In the RAAN, the National Police have registered 20 high-risk youth groups with a total of 313 male members from 12 to 18 years of age. According to the National Police, as well as others interviewed, the prostitution of adolescents, beginning at 14 years of age, is growing in the RAAS through the occurrence of parties and other “social events” organized by drug traffickers.1 The growing disintegration of family and community ties was noted by many people interviewed as a key factor in the worsening crisis and youths’ feelings of insecurity. The exposure of adolescents to STDs, including HIV, is also linked to violence and lack of values and direction from the family. Few adolescent men and women access health services because of shame or fear of reprimand, especially in relation to sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS2. The rate of STDs in the RAAS is 164 per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest among all regions of Nicaragua. The national average is 43.9 per 100,000 people.3 All indicators of education in the Caribbean region are poor; one of the most shocking indicators is that only two out of every ten young people in the corresponding age group are enrolled in secondary school, versus the national average of seven out of ten young people. The team observed, and many interviewees stated, that there are insufficient spaces for sports and recreation, especially in the RAAS. There is no addiction rehabilitation center in the region to provide systematic and intensive care. Drugs are present in virtually the entire Caribbean region and are the major catalyst for social problems. Obtaining lethal weapons is relatively easy. Violence is spreading and is increasingly legitimated through criminal activities mainly connected to drugs. Inter-ethnic tensions, particularly in the RAAN, have percolated to the extent that several civic leaders told a team member that “it is a time bomb, waiting to explode.” Conflicts over property are the prime cause of daily conflicts and legal cases, and these are woven into tensions between ethnic groups which have different philosophies of land tenure and ownership: especially the perception of land as communal versus personal. Based on the risk factors listed above, and especially the prevalence of drugs and violence, the consulting team considers essentially all youth ages 10-24 in the RAAS and RAAN “at risk.” The extensive document review, more than 100 interviews with key informants, focus group sessions with 76 youth at-risk, and nine days of field observation in the Caribbean region were critical in the team’s formulation of the proposed integrated strategy for these young people. The recommended goal of this SpO is for “adolescents and youth at-risk (10-24 years old) in Nicaragua’s Caribbean coastal region to live in strengthened and secure communities and take advantage of more ample opportunities in education, vocational training, life skills, civic engagement, sports and recreation, and positive social inter-action.” Its three components are to: 1. Strengthen vulnerable communities so that youth and young adults feel safe and have a heightened sense of security, connectedness to their families, and feel positive about their futures. 2. Improve direct services to adolescents and youth at risk (AYAR), involving them as much as possible in the design, management and implementation of these services and opportunities. 3. Raise awareness, influence public opinion, and spur community action on a wide range of topics of concern to youth at-risk. Cross-cutting themes in this strategy are to strengthen knowledge management related to AYAR, be proactive regarding gender dynamics and equity and build alliances and vibrant ties with universities, the private sector, media, faith-based organizations and others. Based on the team’s field experiences and observations, seven inter-related programmatic areas evolve from the three strategic components, the mission statement, and the cross-cutting themes. They are to: 1. Strengthen neighborhoods and communities through local engagement, support, planning, increased community security measures, and other critical support. In particular, the initiative should promote sports as an incentive, a platform for dialogue and an attractive component of holistic, integrated, multi-faceted programs for girls and boys. Sports-related activities such as preparing fields for play, repairing and building minimal infrastructure, providing equipment and materials, strengthening leagues and organization will be integrated with, for example, vocational orientation, environmental cleanups, and mentoring programs for AYAR. 2. Strengthen capacity of organizations which provide direct services to youth, both in and out of school, especially vocational and life skills training, and by creating practical, tangible opportunities for AYAR through internships, apprenticeships, etc. 3. Improve conflict management among community and youth leaders through training of teachers, youth, parents and NGOs. For instance, the team recommends that BICU’s Center for Mediation receive technical assistance for its volunteer lawyers and staff to improve upon their mediation techniques and skills, as well as beginning to impart these skills to school teachers. 4. Strengthen BICU’s and URACCAN’s roles in knowledge management by training teachers and trainers, carrying out security studies, monitoring longitudinal progress of initiatives, conducting workshops, assisting with publications, and strengthening their alliances with communities, the National Police, NGOs, the private sector and other groups. 5. Prevent increased drug use and violence by multiplying rehabilitation and attention centers for drug addicts, victims of rape and sexual abuse, and other types of violence. Much of this work will be conducted in collaboration with advocacy and media campaigns mentioned in the next point. The consultant team recommends increasing and extending geographically in RAAN and RAAS the very popular, much appreciated and effective DARE, GREAT and Second Step programs for youth in schools, made possible by the Department of State’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL). We also recommend assisting the Movimiento Nidia White Center in Bilwi and COPRAJ in Bluefields to benefit from a trained professional in social and psycho-social attention to/for AYAR. 6. Promote positive youth development through campaigns involving: enhanced radio programming for and with youth at-risk, community events and engagement with key public figures (e.g., well-known sports figures, political leaders). These activities will amplify youth voices, promote community values, echo anti-drug and anti-violence messages, highlight success stories, denounce crime, sexual abuse and drug use, and focus on promising practices in youth-led development. 7. Increase school relevance through improved teaching and curricular offerings, especially at the late primary (5th and 6th years) and early secondary school levels (1st, 2nd and 3rd years of secondary education), through vocational training, enhanced reading proficiency, life skills, and other self-improvement approaches, as well as establishing and fortifying education/university-private sector linkages. 8. Lastly, the team recommends the creation and crisp, effective functioning of a U.S. Embassy Youth Affairs Advisory Committee to, among other tasks, exchange information and coordinate programming options among various U.S.G. entities part of whose mandate and actual or potential funding is directed to youth at risk. The team recommends that program implementation focus on ten neighborhoods in Bluefields, two in Pearl Lagoon and five in Bilwi and its environs. This is based on need, security concerns, potential for impact on AYAR and the communities in which they live, and cost-effectiveness. Concentrating attention and scarce resources in relatively few sites holds most promise in reducing crime and violence, increasing citizen security and making more significant and lasting results for children and youth at risk.

Details: Washington, DC: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 2012. 87p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2013 at: http://www.gem2.org/sites/default/files/Nicaragua%20Youth%20Assessment_13nov12.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Nicaragua

URL: http://www.gem2.org/sites/default/files/Nicaragua%20Youth%20Assessment_13nov12.pdf

Shelf Number: 129166

Keywords:
At-Risk-Youth (Nicaragua)
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Youth Gangs

Author: Grönqvist, Hans

Title: Youth Unemployment and Crime: New Lessons Exploring Longitudinal Register Data

Summary: This paper investigates the link between youth unemployment and crime using a unique combination of labor market and conviction data spanning the entire Swedish working-age population over an extended period. The empirical analysis reveals large and statistically significant effects of unemployment on several types of crime. The magnitude of the effect is similar across different subgroups of the population. In contrast to most previous studies, the results suggest that joblessness explain a meaningful portion of why male youths are overrepresented among criminal offenders. I discuss reasons for the discrepancy in the results and show that that the use of aggregated measures of labor market opportunities in past studies is likely to capture offsetting general equilibrium effects. Contrary to predictions by economic theory the effect of unemployment on crime is not mediated by income. Instead, an analysis of crimes committed during weekdays versus weekends provides suggestive evidence that unemployment increases the time that individuals have to engage in crime.

Details: Stockholm: Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI), Stockholm University, 2011. 39p.

Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper 7/2011: Accessed August 19, 2013 at; http://www.sole-jole.org/12129.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Sweden

URL: http://www.sole-jole.org/12129.pdf

Shelf Number: 129638

Keywords:
Economics and Crime
Juvenile Delinquency
Youth Unemployment and Crime

Author: Hällsten, Mark

Title: Crime as a Price of Inequality? The Delinquency Gap between Children of Immigrants and Children of Native Swedes

Summary: We examine the gap in registered crime between the children of immigrants and the children of native Swedes. Our study is the first in Sweden to address the role of family and environmental background in creating the gap in recorded crimes. Lack of resources within the family and/or in the broader social environment, particularly in neighborhoods and schools, generates higher risks for criminal activity in children, and if the children of immigrants to a larger extent are underprivileged in those resources, a gap in crime may occur. In the empirical analyses we follow all individuals who completed compulsory schooling during the period 1990 to 1993 in the Stockholm Metropolitan area (N=66,330), and we analyze how background factors related to the family of origin and neighborhood segregation during adolescence influence the gap in recorded crimes, which are measured in 2005. For males, we are generally able to explain between half and three-quarters of this gap in crime by parental socioeconomic resources and neighborhood segregation. For females, we can explain even more, sometimes the entire gap. Resources in the family of origin appear to be the strongest mediator. In addition, the residual differences are virtually unrelated to immigrants’ country of origin, indicating that ‘culture’ or other shared context-of-exit factors matter very little in generating the gap.

Details: Stockholm: The Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI), Stockholm University; Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies (SULCIS), Stockholm University, 2011. 51p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2013 at: http://www.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.55504.1321514493!/SULCISWP_2011_1.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Sweden

URL: http://www.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.55504.1321514493!/SULCISWP_2011_1.pdf

Shelf Number: 129655

Keywords:
Immigrants and Crime (Sweden)
Immigration
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Neighborhoods and Crime
Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime

Author: Ibanez, Ana Maria

Title: Crime, Punishment, and Schooling Decisions: Evidence from Colombia Adolescents

Summary: This paper uses a natural policy experiment to estimate how changes in the costs of engaging in criminal activity may influence adolescents' decisions in crime participation and school attendance. The study finds that, after an exogenous decrease in the severity of judicial punishment imposed on Colombian adolescents, crime rates in Colombian municipalities increased. This effect appears to be larger in municipalities with a higher proportion of adolescents between 14 and 15 years of age. The study provides suggestive evidence that one possible transmission channel for this effect is a decrease in the effort of the police force to capture teenage suspects. The study also finds that the probability that boys of this same age group attend school decreased following the change in the juvenile justice system. This effect is stronger for boys from homes where the heads of household are less educated.

Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, Institutions for Development, 2013. 43p.

Source: Internet Resource: IDB Working Paper Series No. IDB-WP-413: Accessed November 1, 2013 at: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=37854137

Year: 2013

Country: Colombia

URL: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=37854137

Shelf Number: 131581

Keywords:
Education and Crime (Colombia)
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Mcgrath, Alice

Title: A Voice for the Future of Juvenile Justice in Asia-Pacific: Introduction to the Asia Pacific Council for Juvenile Justice and Leading Juvenile Justice Reforms in the Region

Summary: The situation of children in conflict with the law, child victims and witnesses of crime has become an increasing concern for most of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Even if significant reform initiatives are currently underway in response to issues of violence against children, child trafficking and children rights, a lack of specific guarantee of protection of the rights of children in conflict with the law and juvenile justice systems still persists in some countries. In order to assist countries in the region in the implementation of international standards and the development of reforms, the International Juvenile Justice Observatory - (IJJO) has established the Asia-Pacific Council for Juvenile Justice - APCJJ to formulate recommendations on juvenile justice in Asia-Pacific, as well as to gather quantitative and qualitative information on the situation of children, adolescents and young people in conflict with the law. In 2012, the International Juvenile Justice Observatory together with the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection of the Ministry of Justice of Thailand organised the first meeting of the Asia Pacific Council of Juvenile Justice - APCJJ. The objective of the APCJJ meeting was to develop solid strategies to ensure the respect for the rights of children and adolescents in conflict with the law and to promote crime prevention policies toward Asia-Pacific institutions, such as the ASEAN, based on existing initiatives and programmes. The report sheds light on crucial areas of juvenile justice and leading practices in this regard, including prevention, diversion, restorative justice, improving conditions of detention and promoting social reintegration.

Details: Brussels: International Juvenile Justice Observatory (IJJO), 2013. 72p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 13, 2013 at: http://www.ipjj.org/fileadmin/data/documents/reports_monitoring_evaluation/IJJO_AVoiceForTheFutureOfJuvenileJusticeAsiaPacific_2013_EN.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Asia

URL: http://www.ipjj.org/fileadmin/data/documents/reports_monitoring_evaluation/IJJO_AVoiceForTheFutureOfJuvenileJusticeAsiaPacific_2013_EN.pdf

Shelf Number: 131648

Keywords:
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Detention
Juvenile Justice (Asia, Pacific Region)
Juvenile Justice Reform

Author: Munyo, Ignacio

Title: Youth Crime in Latin America: Key Determinants and Effective Public Policy Responses

Summary: Juvenile delinquency is increasing in almost every country in Latin America - a region where citizen security is the main concern. Youth crime is at the forefront of regional social challenges: Scholars, activists and legislators are all debating both causes and potential solutions to this problem. This report tackles the causes of why an increasing number of youths in the region are engaging in criminal activities, by presenting evidence that this phenomenon could be driven by a change in the incentives to commit crime, rather than created as a result of a generation of youths who differ inherently from its predecessors. In order to do so, this report develops a new dynamic framework with which to analyze juvenile crime as a rational choice in which forward-looking youths decide between legal and criminal activities, and their skills are shaped by their past and present choices. In order to quantify the consequences of each decision, this analysis recognizes the effects of on-the-job training, on-the-crime training, the school of crime in correctional facilities and the social stigmatization of conviction. The report extracts lessons from the case of Uruguay, where substantial changes in juvenile crime incentives come hand in hand with an exponential growth in juvenile offending rates that have tripled over the last 15 years. According to the framework presented in this report, four factors can explain most of the spike in juvenile crime in Uruguay. First, an anemic recovery of wages relative to total income after the severe 2002 economic crisis - which lowered the return to legal activities relative to the financial rewards from crime - accounts for 35 percent of the observed variation. Second, the more lenient juvenile crime law passed in 2004 - which substantially reduced the expected punishment of youth offenders - explains another 30 percent of the increase. Third, the dramatic increase in the escape rate from juvenile correctional facilities - which further lowers expected punishment - accounts for 10 percent of the increase in juvenile crime. Finally, the outbreak of a paste cocaine epidemic - which reduces a youth's capacity to project the future - accounts for another 10 percent of the observed increase in juvenile crime between 1997 and 2010. In other words, a rational framework of behavior is able to explain the threefold increase in juvenile crime in Uruguay as the costs associated with criminal activity substantially decreased, and the gains from crime outgrew the rewards from legal activities.

Details: Washington, DC: Brookings Global, Economic and Social Policy in Latin America Initiative, 2013. 26p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 11, 2014 at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2013/11/youth%20crime%20in%20latin%20america%20munyo/youth%20crime%20in%20latin%20america%20revised.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Uruguay

URL: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2013/11/youth%20crime%20in%20latin%20america%20munyo/youth%20crime%20in%20latin%20america%20revised.pdf

Shelf Number: 131858

Keywords:
Drugs and Crime
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Socio-Economic Conditions and Crime
Youth Crime

Author: Stevens, Alex

Title: Review of Good Practices in Preventing Juvenile Crime in the European Union

Summary: The report provides information from a review of good practices in preventing juvenile crime in the European Union. It is based on a multi-lingual systematic literature review, visits to EU countries and conferences and a meeting of European experts. These activities took place between June 2005 and February 2006. It provides, in appendices, an inventory of promising and effective European approaches and a glossary of useful terms in crime prevention. Following earlier work in this field (FitzGerald, Stevens, & Hale, 2004), we use the public health approach to the prevention of juvenile crime. This involves work at three levels: 1. Primary prevention - universal approaches that aim to prevent crime before it occurs. 2. Secondary prevention - approaches that focus on those people who are at the highest risks of victimisation and perpetration of crime. 3. Tertiary prevention - approaches that focus on people who have already been victimised or criminal.

Details: Brussels: European Crime Prevention Network, 2006. 138p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2014 at: http://www.eucpn.org/pubdocs/A%20review%20of%20good%20practice%20in%20preventing%20juvenile%20ccrime%20in%20the%20EU.pdf

Year: 2006

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.eucpn.org/pubdocs/A%20review%20of%20good%20practice%20in%20preventing%20juvenile%20ccrime%20in%20the%20EU.pdf

Shelf Number: 106733

Keywords:
Crime Prevention
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Goldschmidt, Pete

Title: The Long-Term Effects of After-School Programming on Educational Adjustment and Juvenile Crime: A Study of the LA.s BEST After-School Program

Summary: Widespread interest in the impact of after-school programs on youth development has increased dramatically over the past several years. Although research has investigated the short-term impact of programs on academic and social student development, there is limited research on the long-term effectiveness of after-school programs in lowering rates of juvenile crime. This study bridges that research gap and presents results from an evaluation of the effectiveness of LA's BEST - the largest urban-based, after-school program in Los Angeles County - on long-term academic achievement growth and juvenile crime. This research tracked the academic and juvenile crime histories for a sample of 6,000 students, 2,000 students participating in LA's BEST and 4,000 matched control students not participating in LA's BEST. We used multilevel propensity scores to match control to treatment students and applied multilevel longitudinal models and multilevel survival analyses methods to analyze the data. Results indicate that students' engagement in the program is a strong mediating factor of program effectiveness. The key element of positive program impact is student engagement, as indicated by a medium to high average monthly attendance, and by significant adult contact of at least one additional adult (volunteer) per day. Student participants, who attended sites with a higher average of adult volunteerism, demonstrate modest achievement gains compared to students who did not participate in LA's BEST. Likewise, students who consistently attended LA's BEST demonstrate a substantively significant reduction in the juvenile crime hazard compared to participants with inconsistent attendance, and compared to students in the control group. Benefit-cost analyses indicate that results are sensitive to assumptions regarding the value of avoided costs from prevented crimes.

Details: Los Angeles: University of California, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST), 2007. 177p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 19, 2014 at: http://www.lasbest.org/download/dept-of-justice-final-report

Year: 2007

Country: United States

URL: http://www.lasbest.org/download/dept-of-justice-final-report

Shelf Number: 132087

Keywords:
After-School Programs
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Crime Prevention
Delinquency Prevention
Educational Programs
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Suitts, Steve

Title: Just Learning: The Imperative to Transform Juvenile Justice Systems Into Effective Educational Systems. A Study of Juvenile Justice Schools in the South and the Nation

Summary: The most disadvantaged, troubled students in the South and the nation attend schools in the juvenile justice systems. These children, mostly teenagers, usually are behind in school, possess substantial learning disabilities, exhibit recognizable behavioral problems, and are coping with serious emotional or psychological problems. They are often further behind and hampered with more personal problems than any other identifiable group of students in the nation's elementary and secondary schools. Very often they are confined in large, overly restrictive institutional facilities that are operated without priority or focus on their education. Most juvenile justice schools have such low expectations of student academic performance that they usually report only if students gained or failed to gain basic skills during their period of custody. These reports are usually recorded only for a small fraction of the students who are in the juvenile justice systems. As a result, most students come in and out of the juvenile justice systems with little or no real regard for their education. A large majority of these students, year after year in the South and the nation, have been African American and Hispanic males. Only 37 percent of these students have been confined for some type of harm to others. Almost another one-third has been put under the custody of the juvenile justice system because of a delinquency that did not involve harm to property or persons. Their ages range annually from less than 10 years old to around 21. The majority are in their mid-teens. There is every reason to predict that today most of these students, like those who came before them in the juvenile justice systems, will never receive a high school diploma or a college degree, will be arrested and confined again as a juvenile or adult, and will rarely, if ever, become self-supporting, law-abiding citizens during most of their lives. Yet, substantial evidence shows that, if these children improve their education and start to become successful students in the juvenile justice systems, they will have a far greater chance of finding a turning point in their lives and becoming independent, contributing adults. The cost savings for states and state governments could be enormous. Unlike past era, a young person who enters and leaves the juvenile justice system in the 21st century without a trajectory for achieving more than a high school diploma will likely fail to become a successful and contributing adult. This failure will cost society far more than it should have to pay, and there will be no justice for students or the larger society from a juvenile justice system that fails to improve education for the children in its custody. The nation and its most disadvantaged, troubled youth deserve better.

Details: Atlanta, GA: Southern Education Foundation, 2014. 48p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 21, 2014 at: http://www.southerneducation.org/getattachment/b80f7aad-405d-4eed-a966-8d7a4a12f5be/Just-Learning-Executive-Summary.aspx

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://www.southerneducation.org/getattachment/b80f7aad-405d-4eed-a966-8d7a4a12f5be/Just-Learning-Executive-Summary.aspx

Shelf Number: 132092

Keywords:
Disadvantaged Youth
Juvenile Correctional Education
Juvenile Corrections
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice System
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Swayze, Dana

Title: Back to the Future: Thirty Years of Juvenile Justice Data 1980-2010. Volume 1

Summary: In 1980, the United States was on the verge of a spike in juvenile crime that would strain the resources of the juvenile justice system, challenge the resilience of communities, and have lasting repercussions on both public policy and public sentiment regarding youth offenders. Youth involvement in crime began to increase in the mid-1980s and rose precipitously through the mid-1990s. Of particular concern to policy makers and communities was the increase in violent crime. A cadre of academic scholars and criminologists publically warned of a new breed of 'superpredators' who were unique in their brutality and remorselessness. It was projected that these offenders would grow in number prompting a negative, fear-based public perception of juveniles. Contrary to the predictions of many scholars in the field of criminology, juvenile crime not only peaked in the late-1990s but was followed by a significant pattern of decline. Ten years later, youth involvement in the juvenile justice system has continued to decline and now reflects some of the lowest levels in 30 years or more. Criminologists continue to hypothesize and identify what factors contributed to the sudden and continuous decline in juvenile delinquency in the new millennium. Minnesota juvenile justice data mirror the rise and fall of youth involvement in crime observed nationally. In 2010, both the volume of youth arrests and the rate of youth arrests were comparable to figures recorded in 1980, before the juvenile crime wave began.a The title of this report, Back to the Future, is an homage to the 1980s cinema blockbuster of the same name, in which a teenaged Michael J. Fox accidentally travels back in time 30 years to 1955. While there, he inadvertently alters the course of his own future which he must be set right before returning to 1985. While his character is clear as to what must be done to set his future right, less clear are which, if any, juvenile justice policies and practices implemented in the 1980s and 1990s positively affected delinquent youth thirty years later. Volume 1 of this report series is dedicated to the presentation of Minnesota's juvenile justice data. Included are juvenile arrests; court volume; admissions to residential placements; and juvenile probation populations between 1980 and 2010. Regrettably not all data are available due to changes in collection methodology and technology over time. National juvenile justice data are also presented to assess how Minnesota fared compared to the national trend. Volume 2 of this report series compliments Volume 1 through a presentation of factors at the state and national level that may have affected delinquency trends over the past 30 years. Included are a presentation of population changes; characteristics of the macro-environment such as poverty and unemployment; changes to delinquency definitions and statutes; and changing attitudes and practices around serving at-risk youth. Volume 2 explores what the past 30 years have taught practitioners about effective responses to delinquency that can be taken back to the future.

Details: St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs, 2013. 81p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 2, 2014 at: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/forms-documents/Documents/BTTF_Part%201_FINAL.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/forms-documents/Documents/BTTF_Part%201_FINAL.pdf

Shelf Number: 132592

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Justice Reform
Juvenile Justice Systems
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Swayze, Dana

Title: Back to the Future: Thirty Years of Juvenile Justice Data 1980-2010. Volume 2

Summary: Volume 2 of this report series is dedicated to exploration of the underlying issues that may have affected the reduction in juvenile crime in the 2000s. Included are data related to education and child protection; changes to Minnesota's youth population; changes to socio-economic factors such as unemployment, poverty and wages; and the history of federal funding to states for crime and delinquency prevention and intervention. In addition, Volume 2 includes a detailed account of changes to both Minnesota and national laws affecting juveniles since 1980. Presented in five-year increments, this exploration documents the transition towards a more punitive, accountability-based juvenile justice system during the 1980s and 1990s, before movement back to a more individualized, rehabilitative approach in the 2000s. Changes made at key stages of the justice system are discussed, as are changes to chemical and mental health policy; school-based reforms; and evidence-based policy initiatives.

Details: St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs, 2014. 120p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 2, 2014 at: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/forms-documents/Documents/BTTF_Part%202_FINAL.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/forms-documents/Documents/BTTF_Part%202_FINAL.pdf

Shelf Number: 132593

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Justice Reform
Juvenile Justice Systems
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Gupte, Jaideep

Title: Understanding 'Urban Youth' and the Challenges they Face in Sub-Saharan Africa: Unemployment, Food Insecurity and Violent Crime

Summary: Much of Africa is urbanising fast and its young population is projected to constitute the largest labour force in the world. While urbanisation can be linked closely with economic development, we also know that it is the least developed countries that have younger populations than the rest of the world. This duality implies that understanding the nature of risks and vulnerabilities faced by urban youth, how they are impacted by them, as well as how they respond to and may be resilient against them, continue to be important questions for furthering development in sub-Saharan Africa. A key conceptual debate surrounds how the category of 'youth' is understood, as several definitions of the term exist, ranging from age bands to social or cultural framings. In this paper we look to review how the various definitions of 'youth' relate to three dominant discourses about poverty and vulnerability in urbanising Africa: (1) food insecurity; (2) unemployment/joblessness; and (3) violence/insecurity. By doing so, we seek to identify if and when these are responsive to youth needs and practical in terms of policy efforts aiming to reduce poverty and vulnerability in urban areas.

Details: Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies, 2014. 26p.

Source: Internet Resource: IDS Evidence Report no. 81: Accessed July 3, 2014 at: http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/123456789/4122/ER81%20Understanding%20Urban%20Youth%20and%20the%20Challenges%20they%20face%20in%20Sub-Saharan%20Africa%20Unemployment,%20Food%20Insecurity%20and%20Violent%20Crime.pdf;jsessionid=04480EA1517A659737664826FCEF0713?sequence=1

Year: 2014

Country: Africa

URL:

Shelf Number: 132615

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juveniles
Poverty
Urban Areas
Youth
Youth Violence

Author: Turney, Kristin

Title: Detrimental for Some? The Heterogeneous Effects of Maternal Incarceration on Child Wellbeing

Summary: We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,197) to consider the average and heterogeneous effects of maternal incarceration on nine-year-old children's internalizing problem behaviors, externalizing problem behaviors, PPVT scores, and early juvenile delinquency. We find that maternal incarceration has no average effect on measures of child wellbeing, consistent with previous research, but that effects are highly heterogeneous by the propensity to experience maternal incarceration. For children whose mothers are least likely to experience incarceration, the effects of maternal incarceration are pronounced, corresponding to between two-fifths and three-fifths of a standard deviation difference from their counterparts without incarcerated mothers. These findings suggest that the consequences of maternal incarceration vary substantially across social contexts.

Details: Princeton, NJ: Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, Princeton University,, 2014. 48p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 3, 2014 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP14-02-FF.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP14-02-FF.pdf

Shelf Number: 132618

Keywords:
Children of Prisoners
Families of Inmates
Female Prisoners
Juvenile Delinquency
Mothering

Author: McMurtry, Roy

Title: Review of the Roots of Youth Violence (Volume 3): Community Perspectives Report

Summary: There are many kinds of communities. Often, we think of a community as something that has a specific location - our own neighbourhood, town or city, or our rural township or region. But we are all familiar with other kinds of communities: those made up of individuals who share common cultures or common interests, or attend the same school or work at the same jobs. In that sense, you are probably a member of several different communities. This volume focuses on what we heard from our community contacts, most especially from the youth. We've provided the full text of the Neighbourhood Insight Sessions Final Report (Insight Final Report), the Grassroots Youth Collaborative's Rooted in Action: A Youth-Led Report on our Demands and Plans to Address the Root Causes of Violence in our Communities (GYC Report) and a report from the Urban Aboriginal Youth consultations, and we've included some of the thoughts contributed by others through our online survey and one-on-one meetings.

Details: Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2008. 173p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 4, 2014 at: http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/youthandthelaw/roots/volume3/index.aspx

Year: 2008

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/youthandthelaw/roots/volume3/index.aspx

Shelf Number: 132881

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Public Attitudes
Youth Violence (Canada)

Author: Damm, Anna Piil

Title: Does Growing Up in a High Crime Neighborhood Affect Youth Criminal Behavior?

Summary: How does growing up in a residential area with many juvenile delinquents affect their risk of juvenile delinquency? Does it increase their risk of juvenile delinquency? In general, it is hard to measure the effects of growing up in a residential area with many juvenile delinquents because it may well be the case that families in which the children face a high risk of juvenile delinquency have a higher tendency to settle in such local areas. This selection problem does not exist in the specific case of children of refugees who were granted asylum in Denmark over the 1986-1998 period. The reason is that they did not choose where to settle in Denmark, but were placed in housing by the Danish Refugee Council. The analysis examines whether children of refugees have a higher probability of being convicted of crime committed over the 15-21 age interval if they were - as children - assigned to housing in a municipality in which a high share of youth had been convicted of crime.

Details: Copenhagen: Rockwool Foundation Research Unit, 2014. 60p.

Source: Internet Resource: Study Paper No. 63: Accessed August 23, 2014 at: http://www.rockwoolfonden.dk/files/RFF-site/Publikations%20upload/Arbejdspapirer/Study%20Paper%2063%20-%20Does%20growing%20up%20in%20a%20high%20crime%20neighborhood%20affect%20youth%20criminal%20behavior.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Denmark

URL: http://www.rockwoolfonden.dk/files/RFF-site/Publikations%20upload/Arbejdspapirer/Study%20Paper%2063%20-%20Does%20growing%20up%20in%20a%20high%20crime%20neighborhood%20affect%20youth%20criminal%20behavior.pdf

Shelf Number: 133124

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Neighborhoods and Crime
Refugees
Residential Areas and Crime (Denmark)
Socioeconomic Status and Crime

Author: Blank, Lorraine

Title: Rapid Youth Assessment in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Summary: Crime and violence in Port Moresby and the National Capital District (NCD) are widespread and costly. In 2004, 68 percent of households reported that they had been victims of crime at least once in the past year and 51 percent had been victims of multiple crimes. Violence against women is pervasive, with domestic violence and rape, including gang rape, routine. By 2005, there had been small decreases in reported victimization; however, 61 percent of households still reported being victims of at least one crime and 46 percent reported being victims of multiple crimes. At the same time, costs associated with security and theft amounted to an estimated 12-15 percent of business turnover and law and order problems serve as a deterrent to investment. Young people account for the greatest share of crime and violence, so tackling the problem means addressing the underlying causes of youth crime and violence. This report provides a rapid assessment of youth and youth serving institutions in Port Moresby. The report relies on extensive consultations held in Port Moresby from July 7 - 23, 2008. Meetings were held with over 100 young people, their parents, community leaders, government officials, researchers, youth workers, leaders of youth groups and youth serving agencies, and representatives of the international non-governmental and donor agencies. Community meetings were held in three Port Moresby settlements (Savaka, Vadavada and Morata). Youth in a residential program for street boys were also consulted. The objective of this rapid assessment is to inform the design of an Urban Youth Empowerment Project by providing information on youth and youth serving initiatives. Section II examines the extent and root causes of youth unemployment and crime. High risk groups and monitoring indicators are identified. Good practices and lessons learned are presented in Section III. Section IV reports the mapping of community and civil society organizations - their programs and constraints and areas for potential partnership. Section V reviews the National Youth Commission Annual Work Plan (2008/2009) and youth programs implemented in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the last five years and ends with a review of relevant service delivery mechanisms and gap analysis" and rationale / outline of potential entry points for the Bank in certain sectors.

Details: Washington, DC: World Bank, 2008. 93p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 4, 2014 at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPAPUANEWGUINEA/Resources/PNG_UYEP_PNG_Rapid_Youth_Assessment.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: Papua New Guinea

URL: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPAPUANEWGUINEA/Resources/PNG_UYEP_PNG_Rapid_Youth_Assessment.pdf

Shelf Number: 133176

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders (Papua New Guinea)
Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime
Unemployment and Crime
Violent Crime
Youthful Offenders

Author: Ling, Li Ngai

Title: Youth gangs in Hong Kong: the convergence of conventions and deviations

Summary: Youth gangs, which have long been the focus of media reports and academic discussion, are commonly regarded as a social problem in Hong Kong. Gangs are popularly characterized in Hong Kong as being delinquent and criminal in orientation. This popular representation of gang life, however, serves only to heighten public anxiety over gangs and young people. This research, hence, explores the dynamics involved in youth gangs. Through an ethnographic exploration of a gang in Heng On Estate, Ma On Shan, this research provides a picture different from the one portrayed in the dominant discourse by demonstrating that the members spend most of their time engaged in conventional social activities. The gang, to its members, is a solution to boredom and serves as their alternative family. This alternative family helps them to cope with the strains due to the failure to attain the middle-class standards prescribed in school and the malfunction of their families. The youth gang members, out of public expectations, are only involved in delinquency and crime occasionally. They exhibit a drifting, continuous, repetitive pattern in committing old delinquent and criminal infractions. It is the growing sense of injustice and the resulting loosened moral bond that sets the foundation for deviating from "conventional" culture. The actual infractions are activated by the members' will. However, this choice is not made out of total freedom. The willingness to commit delinquency depends on the perceived moral and technical feasibility according to Matza's concept of delinquent drift. This research adds that peer pressure and gender also exert influences on the pattern of the drift to delinquency. This thesis argues that youth gang membership is a form of convergence of both conventional and deviant values. Joining a gang and involvement in delinquent and criminal behaviors represents young people's attempts to follow deviant values. Conventional values, on the contrary, appear in youth gangs in a more subtle way. On the one hand, they guide conventional social activities. On the other hand, quite often, the decision of whether one should turn to delinquency, and the patterns of delinquent infractions are also influenced by conventional ideas.

Details: Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong, 2005. 165p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 10, 2014 at: http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/40289

Year: 2005

Country: Hong Kong

URL: http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/40289

Shelf Number: 133264

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Delinquents
Juvenile Gangs (Hong Kong)
Youth Gangs

Author: Kronberga, IIona

Title: Child-friendly Justice in Latvia: Focusing on Crime Prevention

Summary: Child delinquency prevention is an integral part of Juvenile Justice. Today, it can be considered as one of the most significant problems in creating and implementing legal rights in Latvia. Although juvenile delinquency prevention is set as an international priority in the field of protection of the rights of the child, the institutions in charge still invest inadmissibly little effort and resources in finding solutions for the particular problem. Due to the insufficient reaction, the risk increases that the child can face a situation where his or her rights get violated or where he or she violates the rights of another person by committing an offence. The child is unprotected in every nonstandard situation of his or her life - becoming a participant of legal relations in an administrative proceeding, criminal proceeding or civil proceeding when, for instance, solving problems of their mutual relations, defence of the interests of the child is the last the parents think about. It is important that in such situations the child has a reliable and knowing person by his or her side, a specialist who is interested in helping the child. The Protection of the Rights of the Child Law stipulates around twenty institutions for protection of the rights of the child, though the performance and mutual coordination often includes significant failures, non-professional efforts, even refusal to react to the cases of violation of the rights of the child. Specialists of protection of the rights of the child have to understand how important is an individual investment in child delinquency prevention - the need and importance of this investment, as well as its contribution to ensure safe community should be realised by every professional who could become the "reliable and knowing person" in a relevant situation for a particular child. The question of juvenile delinquency prevention, as well as conclusions and suggestions from the research "Child-friendly legal environment in Latvia: delinquency prevention" could be in particular useful for such specialists as teachers, psychologists, social case workers, lawyers, sworn advocates, prosecutors, judges, Orphan's courts and other representatives of relevant institutions in the field.

Details: Riga, Latvia: PROVIDUS, Center for Public Policy, 2012. 146p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 27, 2014 at: http://www.providus.lv/upload_file/Projekti/Kriminalitesibas/Child-friendly%20Justice%20in%20Latvia.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Latvia

URL: http://www.providus.lv/upload_file/Projekti/Kriminalitesibas/Child-friendly%20Justice%20in%20Latvia.pdf

Shelf Number: 133453

Keywords:
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice (Latvia)
Juvenile Justice Systems

Author: Fives, Allyn

Title: Evaluation of the Restorative Practice Programme of the Childhood Development Initiative

Summary: This report presents the key findings of an independent evaluation, undertaken by the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at the National University of Ireland, Galway, of the Restorative Practice Programme, part of the Childhood Development Initiative's (CDI) Community Safety Initiative (CSI). The study comprises (i) a process study evaluation of programme implementation under the headings of programme utilisation, programme organisation and programme fidelity; and (ii) an outcomes study evaluation of programme impact on participants' work, lives, organisations and family, and also the wider impact on community building and collaborative action. Restorative Practice Restorative Practice (RP) is 'the science of restoring and developing social capital, social discipline, emotional wellbeing and civic participation through participatory learning and decision-making' (Wachtel, 2005, p. 86). Restorative programmes promote dialogue between wrongdoers and harmed persons. CDI initiated the RP training programme in Tallaght West, which constitutes the four communities of Brookfield, Fettercairn, Killinarden and Jobstown. Despite many positive developments in the past two decades, the area is highly vulnerable in terms of socio-economic disadvantage. It has a young population, a high rate of public housing, a relatively weak social class profile and a high rate of joblessness (CSO, 2011). The RP training programme as implemented by CDI had a number of overarching targets to be achieved by the end of 2011, in particular relating to participation of young people, residents and professionals working in Tallaght West in the three levels of RP training: Phase 1, awareness raising; Phase 2, facilitation skills training; and Phase 3, training for trainers.

Details: Dublin: Childhood Development Initiative, 2013. 80p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 12, 2015 at: http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/20224/1/cdi_restorative_practice_report_july_2013.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/20224/1/cdi_restorative_practice_report_july_2013.pdf

Shelf Number: 134605

Keywords:
Conflict Mediation
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Restorative Justice (U.K.)

Author: Males, Mike

Title: The Plummeting Arrest Rates of California's Children

Summary: A new research report by CJCJ's Mike Males documents a pronounced decline in arrests of California's children over the past 30 years. The absence of specific, statewide policy aimed at reducing the arrest of children, coupled with favorable trends in youth issues suggest the decrease in childhood arrests may reflect a real decrease in child crime, rather than a shift in arrest practices. Key findings: - In 1978, nearly 14,000 children under age 12 were arrested, 4,400 of whom were under age 10. But in 2013, with a pre-teen population 40 percent larger, arrests for children under 12 fell to 1,394, and arrests of children under 10 fell to 219 - leading to a 92 percent drop in arrest rates. - Forty-seven of the 58 counties (including all major ones) experienced dramatic drops in child arrests between 1980 and 2013. In Los Angeles County, the number of arrests of children under 10 dropped from 485 to 17; in Fresno County, from 132 to four; and in Alameda 321 to six. - The decline in youth arrests is in striking contrast to arrests of older ages: While people under age 25 experienced large declines in felony arrests, those ages 25-29 saw a modest increase, and those ages 30 and older saw large increases. - A supplemental report reveals one exceptions to California's decline in child arrests: Stockton, which along with the city of San Bernardino allows school district officers to arrest students and have arrest rates 24 times higher than the rest of California. Stockton, with one percent of California's youth under age 10, now accounts for 26 percent of the state's arrests of children that age. The dramatic and sustained declines in child arrests, combined with other positive youth outcomes, provide California the opportunity to research what lies behind the trends, adjust youth crime forecasts, and reexamine investments in new juvenile facilities.

Details: San Francisco: Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, 2015. 10p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 2, 2015 at: http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/final_child_crime_report.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/final_child_crime_report.pdf

Shelf Number: 135845

Keywords:
Arrests
Crime Statistics
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Raoul Wallenberg Institute

Title: A Measure of Last Resort? The Current Status of Juvenile Justice in ASEAN Member States

Summary: A Measure of Last Resort? The Current Status of Juvenile Justice in ASEAN Member States. Being the first study of its kind, it provides statistical and narrative overviews of the juvenile justice systems in all ASEAN countries. The aim has been to identify issues of common concern across member states, and RWI hopes that it may lead to new initiatives and dialogue that may enhance the protection of children in conflict with the law. The fear of an increasing number of juveniles in conflict with the law in member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has sparked concerns throughout the region. While this report confirms that crime is on the rise, the number of juveniles brought into formal contact with the criminal justice system remains surprisingly low: we estimate that approximately 70 000 juveniles are formally charged with a criminal offence each year in ASEAN member states. Comparatively, this number is far lower than, for example, the European Union (EU) or USA. Another main finding of the report is that the highest number of juvenile crimes reported is within the category of theft. Robbery and drug related crimes are other crimes high on the statistics. In particular Thailand reports of extremely high percentages of drug related crimes (45.51%). A rough estimate of figures provided shows that around 16 000 children are deprived of their liberty within the ASEAN region. In comparison, statistics from 2012 in the European Union shows that 8700 children in 21 out of the 28 member states were detained in custodial institutions. 3 In 2010 a staggering 70 000 juvenile offenders in USA were in residential placement facilities. It was outside of the scope of the study to report quantitatively on the conditions of juvenile residential institutions. It is, nevertheless, an undeniable fact that many still serve in prisons together with adults, and that there is much room for improvement within rehabilitation centres. This is particularly important for institutions housing juvenile drug users. The country reports indicate that throughout the region, legislative and institutional improvements are being made to secure the rights of children in conflict with the law. All states within the region have recently installed, or are in the process of installing a distinct legislative framework for juvenile justice. This is compatible with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Several of the country experts highlight the instrumental role UNICEF and other organisations are playing in the facilitation of improving legislative and institutional frameworks throughout the region. This has clearly strengthened efforts in the establishment of comprehensive child-friendly justice systems. The report reveals, however, that the minimum age of criminal responsibility remains markedly low for international standards. The average in the region is 10.4 years, which is well below the 2009 estimated world median of 12 years. General Comment No. 10 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child states the absolute minimum age for criminal responsibility should be not less than 12 years. A majority of the countries formally include in their laws alternatives to custodial sentences or measures of diversion. However, despite a legal framework in place, diversion is not always used; decision-makers lack adequate knowledge and resources to implement the programmes. Diversion procedures also vary across the region. Some countries alluded to the need for proper facilities and increased staff to encourage diversion programmes and other non-residential options for children in conflict with the law. Another important finding is the diverging uses of traditional restorative justice models within the different ASEAN countries. While some member states leave the mediation process to traditional village based institutions, others maintain a strict governmental control over the diversion process. Whichever procedure is applied, the outcomes are often similar and include reactions typical to restorative justice such as community work or some sort of compensation to the victim. Very few countries in the region have established specialised police and investigation units for children in conflict with the law. If units are present, access to properly trained police and investigators is often limited. This is in line with most country reports emphasising the need to increase training of all duty-bearers for juvenile justice rights. Increased capacity building is required not only for police and investigators but also for prosecutors, judges, parole officers and social workers. Another significant finding is that nearly all researchers have concerns over adequate legal aid for children in conflict with the law. In some states these are practically non-existent while others employ them to a limited degree. Only a few states provide full rights and actual access to free legal aid throughout the proceedings.

Details: Lund, Sweden: Raoul Wallenberg Institute, 2015. 214p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 7, 2015 at: http://books.rwi.lu.se/index.php/publications/catalog/view/31/31/208-1

Year: 2015

Country: Asia

URL: http://books.rwi.lu.se/index.php/publications/catalog/view/31/31/208-1

Shelf Number: 136352

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Systems
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Laliberte, D.

Title: Results of Crime Prevention Programs for 12 to 17 Year Olds

Summary: One of the fundamental objectives of Public Safety (PS) Canada's crime prevention activities is to assist those responsible for the implementation and delivery of crime prevention in making the best informed decisions. In order to achieve this objective, Public Safety Canada develops and disseminates practice-oriented knowledge on effective and cost-effective preventative interventions. In turn, this is done through rigorous impact evaluation studies of selected community-based prevention projects funded by PS to determine what works, how it works and at what cost (Smith-Moncrieffe, Lauzon and Jobin, 2008). Through the program funding made available under the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), Public Safety Canada supports the implementation of community-based projects that respond to specific priorities such as youth gangs, youth violence and bullying. Most of these community-based projects aim to implement interventions that address criminogenic (risk) factors that are known to be related to an increased likelihood of offending, and protective factors that decrease this probability.Footnote 1 These projects aim to test programs that have been evaluated in other countries, but their effectiveness is not known in Canada. The NCPS also evaluates projects that are innovative or promising to better understand what elements of the interventions are evidence-based.Footnote 2 Since 2008, PS has focused most of its efforts on developing knowledge of effective practices in the following domains: early risk factors among at-risk children and youth; youth gangs; recidivism among high risk groups; and prevention in Aboriginal communities. The particular focus on children and youth is explained by well-established knowledge that discernible risk factors can be identified when children enter school, that the earlier the intervention the larger the benefits, and that if nothing is done, a proportion of these children will be at risk of entering into chronic delinquency patterns. Furthermore, delinquency peaks at age 18, and so it is very appropriate that preventative interventions would largely focus on this group.Footnote 3 Using the knowledge base of effective practices developed in other countries, especially in the USA, PS funded crime prevention projects aimed to replicate and evaluate promising and model programs in Canada, focusing on this group of the population. Wherever possible, similar interventions were implemented and evaluated in multiple sites. Overall, since 2010, PS has been conducting 11 evaluation studies of 10 different models implemented for 12 to 17 year olds in 16 different sites across Canada (see names of programs, locations and dates in Table 1). The following programs have been tested: Alternative Suspension; Intervention Rethink Refocus Reintegrate; Prevention Intervention Toronto; Multisystemic Therapy; Programme de suivi intensif de Montreal / Gangs de rue; Youth Inclusion Program; Leadership and Resiliency; Velocity; Life Skills Training; and Towards No Drugs.

Details: Ottawa: Public Safety Canada, National Crime Prevention Centre, 2015. 35p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research Report: 2015-R006: Accessed August 8, 2015 at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/rslts-crm-prvntn-12-17/rslts-crm-prvntn-12-17-eng.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/rslts-crm-prvntn-12-17/rslts-crm-prvntn-12-17-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 136370

Keywords:
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Sherman, Francine T.

Title: Gender Injustice: System-Level Juvenile Justice Reforms for Girls

Summary: Despite decades of attention, the proportion of girls in the juvenile justice system has increased and their challenges have remained remarkably consistent, resulting in deeply rooted systemic gender injustice. The literature is clear that girls in the justice system have experienced abuse, violence, adversity, and deprivation across many of the domains of their lives-family, peers, intimate partners, and community. There is also increasing understanding of the sorts of programs helpful to these girls. What is missing is a focus on how systems-and particularly juvenile justice systems-can be redesigned to protect public safety and support the healing and healthy development of girls and young women. Juvenile justice systems reform is occurring across the country as a result of a growing understanding of developmental and neurological differences between youth and adults, the high cost of incarceration, and the consistent failure of a punitive juvenile justice model. However, even as systems are initiating reforms and changing their approach, they are routinely failing to modify those reforms for girls or even to collect data on how girls, specifically, are affected by the problems they are seeking to remedy. As a result, the particular impact on girls of failures in the juvenile justice system is not understood and few juvenile reforms are tailored to girls' needs and pathways into the system- meaning girls and young women are unlikely to fully benefit from system reforms. Many of the problems discussed in this report are not unique to girls-and many of the suggested paths forward can benefit both boys and girls. However, because girls are frequently left out of reform discussions, an intentional focus on girls is needed to ensure that they fully benefit from system reforms. Indeed, in writing this report we were struck by the number of promising national and large-scale juvenile justice reform efforts that have not fully considered the role of gender in the problems they address or in the solutions they propose. If this intentional gender focus does not coexist with current large-scale system reforms, an important opportunity for gender justice and equity and developmental system reforms will be missed. To facilitate developmental juvenile justice system reform for girls, this report will: Map girls' current paths into and through the juvenile justice system; Describe the social contexts driving girls' behavior and involvement in the juvenile justice system; and Detail recommendations for an alternative, developmental approach to redesign juvenile justice systems to address harmful social contexts and girls' resulting behaviors, rather than penalize and punish girls for challenges beyond their control. The recommendations included in this report are consistent with decades of research on adolescent development, as well as newer data on the development of girls in particular. With continued research on girls and an intentional focus on their needs, system stakeholders and policymakers can capitalize on current reforms that are already underway and ensure girls are not simply wedged into solutions meant for boys.

Details: Portland, OR: National Crittenton Foundation; Washington, DC: National Women's Law Center, 2015. 72p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 30, 2015 at: http://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/ed_rp_gender_injustice.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/ed_rp_gender_injustice.pdf

Shelf Number: 136894

Keywords:
Female Delinquents
Female Juvenile Offenders
Juvenile Corrections
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Detention
Juvenile Justice Reform

Author: World Health Organization

Title: Preventing Youth Violence: An Overview of the Evidence

Summary: Each year an estimated 200 000 young people aged 10-29 years are murdered, making homicide the fourth leading cause of death for this age group. Millions more sustain violence-related injuries that require emergency medical treatment, and countless others go on to develop mental health problems and adopt high-risk behaviours such as smoking and alcohol and drug abuse as a result the violence they experience. Produced with the financial support of the Jacobs Foundation, German International Cooperation, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing youth violence: an overview of the evidence aims to help policy-makers and planners - particularly in settings with limited human and financial resources - to address youth violence using an evidence-informed approach. Twenty-one strategies to prevent youth violence are reviewed, including programmes relating to parenting, early childhood development, and social skills development, as well as policies related to the harmful use of alcohol, problem oriented policing, and urban upgrading.

Details: Geneva, SWIT: World Health Organization, 2015. 100p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2015 at: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/181008/1/9789241509251_eng.pdf?ua=1&ua=1

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/181008/1/9789241509251_eng.pdf?ua=1&ua=1

Shelf Number: 137011

Keywords:
Evidence-Based Practices
Family Interventions
Juvenile Delinquency
Violence
Violence Prevention
Violent Crime
Young Adult Offenders

Author: DC Lawyers for Youth

Title: Youth Arrest and Court Involvement: Trends in the District of Columbia (1998-2014)

Summary: This report summarizes recent data on youth arrests and court involvement in the District of Columbia. It expands upon previous DCLY publications on this topic by utilizing arrest data from 1998 through 2014 and adding analysis of delinquency petitions. The data presented in this report are primarily from two sources. Youth arrest data can be found in the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) annual reports, years 1998-2014. Data concerning court petitions against young people under age 18 are available in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia Family Division (Family Court) annual reports to Congress, years 2002-2014. The key findings of the analysis are: 1.Youth arrests are at their lowest point in the past 10 years, and have decreased 27% since 2009. 2.Delinquency petitions against youth have decreased 29% since 2009. 3.Youth arrests for most categories of serious crimes have decreased or held steady since 1998. 4.In 2014, 77% of youth arrests and 52% of delinquency petitions were for non-violent, non-weapons offenses.

Details: Washington, DC: DC Lawyers for Youth, 2015. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2015 at: https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/dcly/pages/17/attachments/original/1442456451/Arrest_PetitionTrends_(Final).pdf?1442456451

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/dcly/pages/17/attachments/original/1442456451/Arrest_PetitionTrends_(Final).pdf?1442456451

Shelf Number: 137013

Keywords:
Juvenile Arrests
Juvenile Court
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Kronberga, IIona

Title: Keeping Youth Away from Crime: Searching for Best European Practices. Summary

Summary: Research "Keeping youth Away from Crime: Searching for Best European Practices" was one of the main results of a project with the same title. This research provides readers with a possibility to learn about legal framework of juvenile justice systems in 10 European countries, it gives an insight on how the tools and approaches foreseen in law work in practice. Most importantly, research addresses the issue of early prevention - what can be done to keep children away from entering the formal justice system and how it is done in Austria, Belgium, England and Wales, Italy, Scotland, Sweden, in the Netherlands and in all three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. From the very beginning of carrying out research, three main objectives were kept in mind: exploring of best European practices on how to work with and for children at risk and children in risk situations; promoting a unified understanding and practice among European countries while applying EU and other international recommendations on children wellbeing; and transforming the policy objectives into unified action. All these objectives were reached in the preparation process of research "Keeping youth Away from Crime: Searching for Best European Practices". In total, material consists of two volumes. First volume is dedicated to comparative report, ensuring an overview of different systems and identifying the common principles that are in place across the Europe. Second volume includes full-length national reports from each country. Research summary, as an additional reading material, is focused on practical part of the study with regards to what exactly is considered a good approach when working with children from risk groups and in risk situations. It enables the specialists working with and for children to look differently at the in risk situations. It enables the specialists working with and for children to look differently at the methods that are available for them and facilitating the change of attitude in a concentrated, targeted way.

Details: Riga, Latvia: PROVIDUS, Centre for Public Policy, 2015. 88p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 20, 2015 at: http://providus.lv/article_files/2947/original/keeping_eng.pdf?1431605555

Year: 2015

Country: Europe

URL: http://providus.lv/article_files/2947/original/keeping_eng.pdf?1431605555

Shelf Number: 137033

Keywords:
At-Risk Youth
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Systems

Author: Kronberga, IIona

Title: Social Inclusion: Preventive Measures of Childrens Anti-Social Behavior

Summary: The results of our recent studies1 show that the reasons for juvenile delinquency appear much earlier than their obvious consequences which are already the subject for the intervention of law enforcement agencies. If we assume that adults have to take care of the child's development starting from his/her birth and ensure the environment that would be appropriate for such development, we have to admit that deformed or antisocial behaviour is the consequence of the lack of such care. Adults in particular are responsible for the fulfilment of the youngster's special development needs. It is significant to recognise that the juvenile delinquency as an act of socially deformed behaviour shows that the rights of the particular child have been previously violated and his/her interests have been disregarded or neglected. The lack of care and treatment, indifference, parents and other adults' unwillingness to understand and fulfil the child's needs lead to the commitment of a criminal act. Therefore it is important to develop such systems of prevention and justice within which it is possible already in the early years of the child's development to discover, recognise and prevent future situations where the child becomes an offender or a victim or even only starts behaving in a way that could be called antisocial - opposite to the ethical and normative requirements of the social life in the community.

Details: Riga, Latvia: Providus, 2014. 88p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 9, 2016 at: http://providus.foo.lv/upload_file/Publikacijas/Kriminalt/2014/Visi_raksti_ENG.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Europe

URL: http://providus.foo.lv/upload_file/Publikacijas/Kriminalt/2014/Visi_raksti_ENG.pdf

Shelf Number: 137814

Keywords:
At-Risk Youth
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Systems

Author: Kotze, Kevin

Title: More Care Less Court: Keeping Youth out of the Criminal Justice System

Summary: New Brunswick's rate of youth charged for criminal offences has been decreasing since the enactment of Canada's youth crime legislation, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, in 2002. Yet still nearly a decade passed in our Province without corresponding progress being made in regard to the number of youths being sent to pre-trial detention and secure custody. Far too often it is the most vulnerable youths who are caught in the system - youths with mental health disorders, youths with addictions issues, youths with backgrounds as victims of abuse and neglect; homeless youth; youth with intellectual disabilities; youths from marginalized or minority identity groups. The good news is that New Brunswick has in the past few years begun to make real progress in youth criminal justice issues. The RCMP and their Community Program Officers, as well as municipal police forces, began to lead the way by increasingly diverting youth away from court and toward supports that can reduce their risk of further involvement in crime. However, it takes the work of many different stakeholders to address youth crime effectively, and it takes a system that is built to be responsive to the developmental needs of youth. Very recently, government's Provincial Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy has worked with police and civil society to produce a Youth Diversion Model that addresses some of the root causes of youth crime. The model is in line with a shift toward an evidence-based child-rights focus that reflects not just what is easiest but what works best. This work deserves praise and holds much promise, but we must bear in mind it is only the beginning of the necessary shift. Much work is still to be done to keep youth from crime. Pre-trial detention rates and secure custody rates remain unduly high. Youth admissions to correction services as a whole in New Brunswick remain higher per capita than other provinces. Reaction must be in proportion to the gravity of the offence. Sentencing should be for the shortest time possible. Community-based sentences should be the usual route. Incarceration should be a last resort, normally reserved for serious violent offences. Only in the most serious cases should youth have to await trial while detained at the detention and secure custody facility. If New Brunswick can take a child-rights approach in all areas involving children and youth, we can lead the way in providing the means to allow children to develop positive senses of how they feel, think and act. This is what will keep youth out of the criminal justice system. The More Care Less Court report seeks to provide an overview of the youth criminal justice system in New Brunswick generally, and shed some light on some of the most apparent problems with the system. The report's recommendations intend to support the work of the Provincial Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy, and suggest necessary improvements to the youth criminal justice system.

Details: Fredericton, NB: Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, 2015. 173p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 16, 2016 at: https://www.gnb.ca/0073/Child-YouthAdvocate/MCLC-PAMP/MoreCareLessCourt.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Canada

URL: https://www.gnb.ca/0073/Child-YouthAdvocate/MCLC-PAMP/MoreCareLessCourt.pdf

Shelf Number: 138251

Keywords:
At-Risk Youth
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Diversion
Juvenile Justice Reform
Juvenile Justice Systems
Juvenile Offenders

Author: O'Malley, Lisa

Title: Prevention practice : Learning from youth crime prevention activity teams in eight youth offending teams during 2008/09 and 2009/10

Summary: Youth crime prevention policy is based on the assumption that it is possible to change the life-course trajectories of young people by reducing risk factors that may lead to offending behaviour and building on protective factors that might help prevent offending. The purpose of the current study was to examine the characteristics and needs of a cohort of young people who completed youth crime prevention programmes, and to look at how these programmes were delivered in some localities. The study consisted of two components: 1. a small number of interviews - these were conducted with a key member of staff within seven of the eight case study youth offending teams (YOTs) 2. collection and analysis of YOT cohort administrative data from prevention programmes. These data included Onset1 risk of future offending assessment scores, key demographic characteristics and records of offences committed during the year before and the year after involvement in a prevention programme. A case study approach was taken, involving a purposively selected sample of eight YOTs operating in areas within England and Wales that had been providing youth crime prevention programmes, and which had received some funding from the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB). Overall, data were obtained for a cohort of 934 young people engaged in prevention programmes in 2008/09 and 2009/10. Data were aggregated across the eight YOTs to create a single cohort of young people. As the largest study to date looking specifically at Onset scores of young people involved in prevention programmes, this report offers practitioners in the youth justice field a useful insight into the characteristics and needs of young people completing prevention interventions, and how these programmes were delivered.

Details: London: Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, 2014. 41p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2016 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/396062/prevention-practice-learning.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/396062/prevention-practice-learning.pdf

Shelf Number: 138479

Keywords:
At-Risk Youth
Crime Prevention
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Life-Course Trajectories

Author: Wilson, David B.

Title: Juvenile Curfew Effects on Criminal Behavior and Victimization: A Systematic Review

Summary: The evidence suggests that juvenile curfews do not reduce crime or victimization. What is this review about? Curfews restrict youth below a certain - usually 17 or 18 - from public places during nighttime. For example, the Prince George's County, Maryland, curfew ordinance restricts youth younger than 17 from public places between 10 P.M. and 5 A.M. on weekdays and between midnight and 5 A.M. on weekends. Sanctions range from a fine that increases with each offense, community service, and restrictions on a youth's driver's license. Close to three quarters of US cities have curfews, which are also used in Iceland. A juvenile curfew has common sense appeal: keep youth at home during the late night and early morning hours and you will prevent them from committing a crime or being a victim of a crime. In addition, the potential for fines or other sanctions deter youth from being out in a public place during curfew hours. Juvenile curfews have received numerous legal challenges. The constitutional basis for infringing the rights of youth rests on the assumption that they reduce juvenile crime and victimization. This review synthesizes the evidence on the effectiveness of juvenile curfews in reducing criminal behavior and victimization among youth. What are the main findings of this review? What studies are included? Included studies test the effect of an official state or local policy intended to restrict or otherwise penalize a juvenile's presence outside the home during certain times of day. This must have been a general preventive measure directed at all youth within a certain age range and not a sanction imposed on a specific youth. Twelve quantitative evaluations of the effects of curfews on youth criminal behavior or victimization are included in the review. Do curfews reduce crime and victimization? The pattern of evidence suggests that juvenile curfews are ineffective at reducing crime and victimization. The average effect on juvenile crime during curfew hours was slightly positive - that is a slight increase in crime - and close to zero for crime during all hours. Both effects were not significant. Similarly, juvenile victimization also appeared unaffected by the imposition of a curfew ordinance. However, all the studies in the review suffer from some limitations that make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. Nonetheless, the lack of any credible evidence in their favour suggests that any effect is likely to be small at best and that curfews are unlikely to be a meaningful solution to juvenile crime and disorder. Other studies have suggested curfews may be ineffective as juvenile crime is concentrated in hours before and after school, and that under-resourced police forces focus on more urgent demands than enforcing curfews. What do the results mean? Contrary to popular belief, the evidence suggests that juvenile curfews do not produce the expected benefits. The study designs used in this research make it difficult to draw clear conclusions, so more research is needed to replicate the findings. However, many of the biases likely to occur in existing studies would make it more, rather than less, likely that we would conclude curfews are effective. For example, most of these studies were conducted during a time when crime was dropping throughout the United States. Therefore, our findings suggest that either curfews don't have any effect on crime, or the effect is too small to be identified in the research available.

Details: Oslo: Campbell Collaboration, 2016. 101p.

Source: Internet Resource: Campbell Systematic Review 2016:03: Accessed April 7, 2016 at: http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/lib/?go=browse_issues&year=2016

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/lib/?go=browse_issues&year=2016

Shelf Number: 138595

Keywords:
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Curfews
Juvenile Delinquency
Victimization

Author: National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD)

Title: A Profile of Youth in the Los Angeles County Delinquency Prevention Pilot

Summary: Children involved in the child welfare system are more likely than other children to be arrested or referred for delinquent offenses. Their risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system also increases as exposure to violence increases. Although the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) had a program in place for children who were dually involved with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, they sought to develop a mechanism for identifying youth served by DCFS who were at greatest risk of juvenile justice system involvement. This would allow provision of targeted services to those youth in an effort to prevent such involvement. Since 1999, DCFS has used the Structured Decision Making (SDM) decision-support system, developed by the NCCD Children's Research Center. The SDM system for child welfare includes an actuarial risk assessment to identify families investigated for child maltreatment who were at greatest risk of subsequent maltreatment. In 2010, DCFS staff involved in the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) asked NCCD to examine the possibility of creating a similar assessment for assessing the risk of delinquency among children receiving child welfare services in the county. NCCD conducted a study in 2011 and was able to develop an actuarial assessment, the SDM delinquency prevention screening assessment (DPSA),2 to help the county identify children at higher risk of subsequent delinquency than other children. The assessment was initially piloted by four Los Angeles County offices (Compton, Glendora, Palmdale, and South County) in the fall of 2012 as part of the Delinquency Prevention Pilot (DPP). Children identified as high risk of subsequent delinquency in the pilot offices were to receive resources targeted to their needs and risk factors related to delinquency (e.g., substance abuse, education, mental health, and delinquency) during the subsequent six months. In order to assess implementation, NCCD sought and received funding for a process evaluation from the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) at Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy. CJJR received funding for the evaluation of DPP and its work with CYPM from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. In 2013, the evaluation plan was modified to include short-term monitoring of process and outcome measures including service provision and entry into the juvenile justice system. The following literature review provides an empirical and theoretical basis for the project. The evaluation provides background for the development and implementation of DPP, describes successes and challenges related to implementation, serves as a first step in evaluating the effectiveness of the program to reduce delinquency over time, and offers recommendations for improving implementation of a delinquency prevention model in Los Angeles County and other sites.

Details: Oakland, CA: NCCD, 2015. 47p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 25, 2016 at: http://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdf/la_dpp_evaluation_report.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdf/la_dpp_evaluation_report.pdf

Shelf Number: 139835

Keywords:
Child Welfare
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Delinquents
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Kaba, Mariame

Title: Juvenile Justice in Illinois: A Data Snapshot

Summary: This report presents data about juvenile justice specific to Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago.

Details: Chicago: Project NIA, 2014. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 25, 2016 at: http://www.steansfamilyfoundation.org/pdf/Juvenile_Justice_in_Illinois.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://www.steansfamilyfoundation.org/pdf/Juvenile_Justice_in_Illinois.pdf

Shelf Number: 139845

Keywords:
Juvenile Crime
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Systems
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Dirks, Annelieke

Title: For the Youth: Juvenile Delinquency, Colonial Civil Society and the Late Colonial State in the Netherlands Indies, 1872-1942

Summary: This dissertation project focuses on forced re-education policies for juvenile delinquents in the Netherlands Indies (now Indonesia) and uses this topic to show the interaction between a 'modernizing' Dutch colonial state and the growth of a colonial civil society, between approximately 1872 and 1942. It uncovers specific government and private initiatives - like state re-education institutes, orphanages, and schools - that attempted to turn young delinquents of Indonesian and (Indo-)European heritage into 'proper' Dutch colonial subjects and citizens. The dissertation shows that a colonial civil society - both European and indigenous - was rapidly developing in the twentieth century and had an undeniable influence on state policies. The book also seeks to understand and reveal the influence of racialized government and private reform policies on the lives of the children that were deemed 'delinquent', their parents and communities. This dissertation focuses on forced re-education policies for juvenile delinquents in the Netherlands Indies (now Indonesia) and uses this topic to show the interaction between a 'modernizing' Dutch colonial state and the growth of a 'colonial civil society', between approximately 1872 and 1945. It explains the development of specific government and private initiatives - like state re-education institutes, orphanages, and schools - that attempted to turn young delinquents of Indonesian and (Indo-)European heritage into 'proper' Dutch colonial subjects and citizens. The dissertation shows that a colonial civil society was rapidly developing in the twentieth century and had an undeniable influence on state policies. The dissertation reveals the impact of racialized government and private reform policies on the lives of the children that were deemed 'delinquent', their parents and communities.

Details: Leiden: Leiden University, 2011. 374p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed July 29, 2016 at: https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/handle/1887/17773

Year: 2011

Country: Indonesia

URL: https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/handle/1887/17773

Shelf Number: 139892

Keywords:
Education
Juvenile Delinquency
Netherlands Indies

Author: Greenwood, Ian D.

Title: Cyber-Victimization and Delinquency: A General Strain Perspective

Summary: This study examines juvenile delinquency and cyber - victimization from a general str ain perspective. General strain theory provides a model where strain is experienced through the (1) loss of something valued, (2) the presentation of noxious stimuli, or (3) the inability to achieve valued go als. As a coping mechanism for strain, some juveniles react through cri minal or delinquent behavior . This thesis predicts that cyber - victimization increases the likelihood of physical fighting, weapon - carrying, and truancy at school. U sing the 2013 National Crime Victimization Survey: School Crime Supplement , t he hypotheses are analyzed using multivariate logistic regression models that include other known correlates of delinquency . Marginal support is found for cyber - victimization increasing the likelihood of truancy from school. Although the o verall results do not support the hypotheses , several other factors display significant relationships with delinquent outcomes. A discussion of the results, limitations, and recommendations for future research is provided in light of these findings.

Details: Missoula, MT: University of Montana, 2016. 62p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed August 2, 2016 at: http://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=11765&context=etd

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=11765&context=etd

Shelf Number: 139938

Keywords:
Computer Crime
Cybercrime
General Strain Theory
Internet Crime
Juvenile Delinquency
Online Victimization

Author: Diaz, Juan

Title: The Impact of Grade Retention on Juvenile Crime

Summary: Using detailed administrative and individual data on schooling and crime records from Chile, we estimate the effect of grade retention between 4th and 8th grade on juvenile crime. We take advantage of a rule which specifies that students who fail more than one subject must repeat the year. We present two empirical strategies to address the strong evidence that the forcing variable is - locally - manipulated. First, we follow Barreca, Guldi, Lindo, and Waddell (2011) to implement a donuthole fuzzy regression discontinuity design (FRD). Second, we extend the approach developed by Keele, Titiunik, and Zubizarreta (2015) to implement a method that combines matching with FRD. These two methodologies deliver similar results and both show no statistically significant effect in a placebo test. According to our results, grade retention increases the probability of juvenile crime by 1.6 percentage point (pp), an increase of 33% (higher for males and low SES students). We also find that grade retention increases the probability of dropping out by 1.5pp. Regarding mechanisms, our findings suggest that the effect of grade retention on crime does not only operate through its effect on dropping out and that the effect of grade retention on crime is worsened when students switch school right after failing the grade.

Details: Santiago: University of Chile, Department of Economics, 2016. 37p.

Source: Internet Resource: Serie Documentos de Trabajo, No. 429: Accessed October 12, 2016 at: http://repositorio.uchile.cl/bitstream/handle/2250/140504/The-Impact-of-Grade.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Year: 2016

Country: Chile

URL: http://repositorio.uchile.cl/bitstream/handle/2250/140504/The-Impact-of-Grade.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Shelf Number: 145440

Keywords:
Education and Crime
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Delinquents
Juvenile Offenders
School Drop-Outs

Author: Marshall, Ineke Haen

Title: Youth Victimization and Reporting to Police: First Results from the Third Round of the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3)

Summary: The young are often considered our greatest resource; children are viewed as human capital that society depends on for continued growth and sustainability. Children also deserve special protection against violence (United Nations 1990; Council of Europe 2012). That is why we are willing to invest a lot in improving youth policies, building better educational systems, stronger families, and happier communities. Children are also the cause of great worries among parents, educators, police and other adults, particularly during the teenage years, which are times of turmoil and transition, when youth rebel against adults, get involved in risky behavior, and start experimenting with illegal behavior. Young people are also quite vulnerable to being exploited and victimized, not only by strangers, but also by their peers, their parents, or other trusted adults. This report provides some international evidence about their experiences. The third round of the International Self-Report Delinquency (ISRD3) project asks children from 7th, 8th and 9th grade (12-16 year olds) in over 30 countries about their experiences as victims of crime and as offenders; it also asks about their everyday lives and attitudes. In this report we present the first findings for the 15 countries for which preliminary comparative data are available. Thus, this first findings report is based on the participation of more than 38,000 young people in cities or regions of Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Kosovo, Lithuania, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine and Venezuela. Each country organized its own fieldwork and translation, following a joint research protocol. The surveys were completed in schools, either online or through paper and pencil questionnaires. For more information on the methodology, see Table 1 below. The survey should not be considered representative of the whole population of young people in these countries but instead of 7th to 9th grade students in those cities or regions in which the data were collected. The selection of countries included in this primary report reflect the practical sequence of data collection rather than any substantial consideration regarding which countries are of interest to compare. In incorporating questions about offending, the survey combines the methods of self-report delinquency surveys and of victimization surveys. The primary goal of the ISRD project is the analysis of risk factors of juvenile delinquency in a manner that enables us to factor in national differences and contextual sources of influence. Secondarily, the project produces information that gives local stakeholders information about the specific patterns of youth crime in their areas. In addition to these goals, the project enables the comparison of delinquency patterns in various areas and cities. In this primary report, we focus on the third set of findings, planning to undertake more detailed risk factor analyses when more countries are in the dataset.

Details: Boston: Northeastern University, 2015. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: ISRD3 Technical Report Series #3: Accessed January 25, 2017 at: http://www.northeastern.edu/isrd/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ISRD3_TechRep_03.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: http://www.northeastern.edu/isrd/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ISRD3_TechRep_03.pdf

Shelf Number: 147804

Keywords:
Criminal Justice Statistics
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Victims
Self-Report Studies
Victimization Studies
Victims of Crime

Author: Pope, Kalis

Title: Young People's Experiences of Crime: an Investigation into the Victimisation and Offending of Inner-City Dublin Youth

Summary: This project is one of the first empirical investigations into youth victimisation and offending in Ireland and is one of three research projects that were established under the Youth Crime Research Project: Young People's Experiences of Crime. Victim surveys are of particular interest to this study, as they help to illuminate the 'dark figure' of crime through ascertaining individual's experiences of victimisation, while simultaneously collecting pertinent information regarding their own level of criminality. A common failure among the majority of victim surveys, however, is that they do not investigate the experiences of young people. This project seeks to address this deficiency. Through the use of a victim survey, structural equation models, and focus groups, this research will also analyse the extent and nature of youth victimisation and offending in inner-city Dublin, possible correlations between victimisation and offending behaviour, the role parental supervision and routine activities/lifestyle choices play in determining the risk of victimisation and offending, and the role gender plays in young people’s experiences of crime. Previous research has shown that victimisation is a strong indicator of likely participation in delinquent behaviour. However, many young people have been victimised, yet do not pursue a delinquent lifestyle as a result, suggesting a strong similarity between victimogenic and criminogenic risk factors, such as age and environment. The control that guardians exert over youth is also paramount in determining what type of lifestyle youth can pursue in the first place. As youth cannot be supervised at all times, the lifestyle choices they make regardless of parental influence, will also be investigated. Finally, this research aims to be instrumental in the future development of a nationwide survey of youth experiences of crime in Ireland.

Details: Dublin: Dublin Institute of Technology, 2015. 367p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed January 25, 2017 at: http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1065&context=appadoc

Year: 2015

Country: Ireland

URL: http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1065&context=appadoc

Shelf Number: 147802

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Juvenile Victimization
Victimization Studies
Victims of Crime
Youth Victimization

Author: Andersen, Lars Hojsgaard

Title: A Research Note on Declining Youth Crime

Summary: Decompose declining youth crime in Denmark into its extensive and intensive margins, and show results from birth cohort analyses. Methods: Apply Das Gupta’s (1993) method for rate decomposition to Danish registry data which hold information on all criminal justice contacts of full birth cohorts. We show results among 15 to 17 year old youth by year as well as follow birth cohorts by age. Results: The main driver of declining youth crime in Denmark is the fewer young people experiencing criminal justice contact (extensive margin) and not lower rates of criminal recidivism among youth with criminal justice contact (intensive margin), a result which is found using both year and birth cohort analyses. Conclusions: Over the recent decades and across most developed democracies, youth crime has been in steady decline and declining youth crime now constitutes an important contemporary social and criminological change. Yet underneath this change lingers the question of how we should best grasp declining youth crime. The knowledge provided in this research note -- that change at the extensive margin is the main driver of declining youth crime in Denmark -- represents a first important step towards understanding this important change.

Details: Copenhagen, Denmark: Rockwool Foundation, 2016. 23p.

Source: Internet Resource: Study Paper 110: Accessed February 13, 2017 at: http://www.rockwoolfonden.dk/app/uploads/2016/06/Study-paper-110_Samlet_WEB-1.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Denmark

URL: http://www.rockwoolfonden.dk/app/uploads/2016/06/Study-paper-110_Samlet_WEB-1.pdf

Shelf Number: 145118

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Juvenile Crime
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Breining, Sanni

Title: Birth Order and Delinquency: Evidence from Denmark and Florida

Summary: Birth order has been found to have a surprisingly large influence on educational attainment, yet much less is known about the role of birth order on delinquency outcomes such as disciplinary problems in school, juvenile delinquency, and adult crime: outcomes that carry significant negative externalities. This paper uses particularly rich datasets from Denmark and the state of Florida to examine these outcomes and explore potential mechanisms. Despite large differences in environments across the two areas, we find remarkably consistent results: in families with two or more children, second-born boys are on the order of 20 to 40 percent more likely to be disciplined in school and enter the criminal justice system compared to first-born boys even when we compare siblings. The data allow us to examine a range of potential mechanisms, and the evidence rules out differences in health at birth and the quality of schools chosen for children. We do find that parental time investment measured by time out of the labor force is higher for first-borns at ages 2-4, suggesting that the arrival of a second-born child extends early-childhood parental investments for first-borns.

Details: Munich: CESifo, 2017. 51p.

Source: Internet Resource: CESifo Working Paper Series No. 6330: Accessed February 22, 2017 at: http://econpapers.repec.org/paper/cesceswps/_5f6330.htm

Year: 2017

Country: Denmark

URL: http://econpapers.repec.org/paper/cesceswps/_5f6330.htm

Shelf Number: 141183

Keywords:
Birth Order
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Williams, Huw

Title: Young People with Traumatic Brain Injury in Custody: An evaluation of a Linkworker Service for Barrow Cadbury Trust and The Disabilities Trust

Summary: There is growing evidence that young people (YP) within the youth justice system have high levels of 'needs' with regard to health, education and social and emotional well-being. Studies consistently indicate high levels of mental health needs and neurodevelopmental disorders amongst young offenders including Traumatic Brain Injury - TBI. These needs are often unmet due to a lack of appropriate screening and identification, limited access to evidence based interventions and poor continuity of care. This is particularly apparent amongst YP in custody. The initial aims of this project were to establish whether it was possible to: 1. Identify young adults with a brain injury who enter custody 2. Develop a care pathway and provide dedicated supportto YP with a brain injury 3. Raise awareness of brain injury within a Young Offender Institution From these aims a 'Linkworker' (LW) service for YP was developed by The Disabilities Trust Foundation. This report describes that service and documents a preliminary service evaluation. In summary, it was possible to set the service up, evolve it in a dynamic and changing environment, so that it appears to fit the needs of the young person across a wider spectrum of ages. It also appears that it is, with appropriate staffing, feasible to screen for TBI in the population and this may contribute to increased awareness of such issues in a young person's care and management. In conducting this service evaluation it was not possible to collect data that would show whether there was a change in the trajectory (health, well-being and crime) of YP through LW involvement). However, service level data was available on a sample of YP and in this context it is possible to note the following: - The LW service was designed, delivered and deployed within what would be expected for a neurorehabilitation and forensic rehabilitation and forensic rehabilitation service 'hybrid' - Referrals were made to the service and it was supporting YP who had relevant TBI (in terms of severity and neuropsychological impairments) - Such TBI would be expected to interfere with traditional forensic rehabilitation (FR) - The young person had significant criminal histories and mental health problems - Additional input in a range of areas could well have improved outcomes for the young person in terms of mental health, well-being and criminogenic needs Therefore, the service would appear to be meeting the key aims defined at inception. From the feedback, it appears that the service was acceptable to, and valued, by YP and staff. It is important to emphasise that the YP had complex conditions because TBI is a 'keystone' condition within a constellation of challenges (drug and alcohol, mood disorder, lack of familial coherence (care home etc.), lack of education and work skills and/or experience). This evaluation highlights the need for appropriate key-working for such a vulnerable group. We would therefore recommend further adoption of linkworker type services within custodial settings and the need to be embed them within larger multi-site studies. Such services could provide a vital link across staff teams working with individuals with TBI and effect change. A linkworker may enable the identification of an underlying TBI, which allows for services to be deployed that are responsive to specific needs and learning styles in order to successfully engage with the young person. This is essential in order to develop support plans and to allow resources to be used cost-effectively, rather than attempting to engage YP in generic interventions which may not take into account their specific profile of needs.

Details: London: Barrow Cadbury Trust, 2016. 35p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 6, 2017 at: https://www.barrowcadbury.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Disability_Trust_linkworker_2016Lores.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://www.barrowcadbury.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Disability_Trust_linkworker_2016Lores.pdf

Shelf Number: 144722

Keywords:
Brain Injury
Disability
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Inmates
Juvenile Offenders
Neurological Disorders

Author: Gupta-Kagan, Josh

Title: Effective Solutions to South Carolina's Juvenile Justice Crisis: Safety, Rehabilitation, and Fiscal Responsibility

Summary: More than a decade after emerging from federal court oversight, the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice ("DJJ") once again faces significant difficulties. Recent legislative and media reports have shined a light on some of DJJ's current problems. Some members of the South Carolina General Assembly now consider DJJ to be in the midst of a crisis marked by violence at DJJ facilities, poor staffing models, and inadequate treatment for children in custody. A critical Legislative Audit Council report describes an agency facing serious challenges, and led to the resignation of the DJJ director. This crisis creates an opportunity to address long-standing challenges and set South Carolina on a course to build a model juvenile justice system. This white paper will not rehash the incidents that triggered the General Assembly's attention. Instead, this analysis is a call to action to address the long-standing problems in how we treat juvenile offenders and to set South Carolina on a path towards building a model juvenile justice system - a system that reduces crime by rehabilitating child offenders, keeps children and juvenile justice staff safe, and more efficiently spends taxpayer money.

Details: Columbia, SC: Protection & Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Inc., 2017. 57p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 17, 2017 at: http://www.pandasc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Juvenile-Justice-Report.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: http://www.pandasc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Juvenile-Justice-Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 145024

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Reform
Juvenile Justice Systems
Juvenile Offenders

Author: Day, David M.

Title: Identification and Operationalization of the Major Risk Factors for Antisocial and Delinquent Behaviour among Children and Youth

Summary: The objective of this report was to conduct a thorough review of the literature to identify the major risk factors for the onset and maintenance of antisocial and delinquent behaviour in children and adolescents. To facilitate clear communication of the major findings from the literature, this report includes definitions of relevant terms, including risk factors, correlates, markers, distal and proximal risk factors, and protective and promotive factors. The nature of the risk factor research (RFR) paradigm was described to provide a context for the vast and extensive literature. As well, some of the process models describing the purported relations between risk factors and outcomes were presented, including mediator and moderator variables, developmental pathways, causal chains and cascade models. Lastly, where data are available, genderspecific risk factors for antisocial and delinquent behaviour were highlighted. Some cautionary remarks about the literature are warranted. First, the wide variability in the quality of the research limits interpretation of study findings. Second, numerous published studies came from a few large-scale longitudinal research studies, including the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP), the UK-based Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (CSDD) and the Pittsburgh Youth Study (PYS). These studies tended to promote their own theoretical perspectives and conceptual and operational definitions of variables, including risk factors and outcomes, and involve repeated statistical analyses on the same samples of individuals. As a result, the overall literature was somewhat skewed in favour of their theoretical models and findings. At the same time, these extensive and seminal research programs were highly valuable in shaping our understanding of influences on antisocial and delinquent behaviour and, collectively, their contributions to the field are enormous. Results of the literature review indicated that the major risk factors fall into five life domains: (1) individual; (2) family; (3) peer; (4) school; and (5) community/neighbourhood. The following risk factors were identified in multiple studies, and/or showed robust effect sizes in meta-analyses, as indicating strong influences. For each of these risk factors, measures were suggested from the existing literature to operationalize and assess the relevant construct.

Details: Ottawa: National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC), Public Safety Canada 2012. 71p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research Report: 2012-3: Accessed October 6, 2017 at: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2012-03-adb/2012-03-adb-eng.pdf

Year: 0

Country: United States

URL: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2012-03-adb/2012-03-adb-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 0

Keywords:
Antisocial Behavior
Crime Prevention
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Allen, Mary

Title: Youth Crime in Canada, 2014

Summary: Youth crime in Canada, 2014: highlights  There were almost 101,000 youth aged 12 to 17 accused of Criminal Code violations (excluding traffic) reported by police in 2014, resulting in a youth crime rate of 4,322 per 100,000 youth population. While youth make up 7% of the Canadian population, they comprise 13% of persons accused of crime.  For the most part, police-reported youth crime involves relatively minor offences. The most frequent criminal offences committed by youth in 2014 were theft of $5,000 and under (960 per 100,000 youth), mischief (574), and common assault (546) (one of the less serious violent crimes). The rate of cannabis possession was also high (531), as were the combined rates of youth accused of offences related to the administration justice together with violations under the YCJA (565 and 207 respectively).  The police-reported youth crime rate has been falling steadily since 2006, continuing a longer term downward trend since peaking in 1991. Between 2000 and 2014, the youth crime rate declined 42%, a notably larger decline than the drop in overall crime (-34%). This drop in youth crime was primarily driven by a 51% decrease in the rate of youth accused of property crime, particularly in theft of $5,000 and under and break and enter.  The rate of youth accused of crime in 2014 was lower than the rate for young adults aged 18 to 24 (5,428 per 100,000 population), but over twice the accused rate for adults aged 25 and over (2,048 per 100,000 population). These differences, however, varied by offence.  The rate of individuals accused in property crimes such as break and enter or theft was highest among youth aged 12 to 17, while violent crime was more common among young adults aged 18 to 24. Among all police-reported criminal offences, rates of accused were higher for youth than for adults in incidents of theft of $5,000 and under, break and enter, sexual assault level 1 and sexual violations against children.  One in ten incidents where a youth was accused occurred at school during school hours or a supervised activity. Violent crime (19%) and drug offences (27%) where a youth was accused were more likely to occur at school than property crimes. Cannabis possession and common assault were the most frequent offences with youth accused occurring at school.  Among police-reported criminal incidents involving youth accused in 2014, one quarter (26%) involved more than one accused. By comparison, in incidents involving adult accused where no youth was involved, a much smaller proportion involved more than one accused in the criminal act (7%). As a result, among all youth accused of crime in 2014, 42% were co-offenders compared to 24% of young adult accused and 14% of older adult accused.  In keeping with the principles and objectives of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), which aim to divert youth away from the formal court system especially when accused of relatively minor offences, 48% of youth accused of crime in 2014 were charged by police compared to 63% of adults.  Among youth accused, charge rates were higher for violent offences (51%). For property offences, 38% of youth accused were charged. Instead, most youth accused of property offences were cleared by means other than a charge, such as warnings and cautions, or referrals to community programs or other extrajudicial sanctions programs under the YCJA.  The rate at which youth were charged by police dropped considerably with the introduction of the YCJA in 2003. In addition, there has been a notable, although more gradual, decline in the proportion of youth who are sentenced to custody.

Details: Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2016. 50p.

Source: Internet Resource: Juristat : Accessed April 6, 2018 at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2016001/article/14309-eng.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2016001/article/14309-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 149707

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Young Adult Offenders

Author: Bateman, Tim

Title: The state of youth justice, 2017. An overview of trends and developments

Summary: At the time of publication (September 2017), the last two years appear as having been something of an uncertain period for youth justice. In September 2015, Michael Gove, then Justice Secretary, announced that Charlie Taylor, former Chief Executive of the National College of Teaching and Leadership, would lead a 'Departmental review' of the youth justice system. The terms of reference were wide-ranging requiring consideration of: - 'The nature and characteristics of offending by young people aged 10-17 and the arrangements in place to prevent it; - 'How effectively the youth justice system and its partners operate in responding to offending by children and young people, preventing further offending, protecting the public and repairing harm to victims and communities, and rehabilitating young offenders; and - 'Whether the leadership, governance, delivery structures and performance management of the youth justice system is effective in preventing offending and re-offending, and in achieving value for money'. Disappointingly, and without any rationale being provided, the age of criminal responsibility, the treatment of children in courts and the sentencing framework were explicitly excluded from the review, but it was nonetheless clear that the exercise had the potential to herald significant change in arrangements for dealing with children in conflict with the law. Moreover, following the publication by Charlie Taylor of an interim report in February 2016, which dealt largely with the state of custodial provision for children, the Justice Secretary confirmed that he had amended the terms of reference to include examination of 'the way young offenders are dealt with in court, and the sentences available to tackle their offending'. (Predictably perhaps, the age at which children are held to be criminally responsible remained outside the remit of the review, despite repeated criticisms from within the jurisdiction and without. ) It was anticipated that the review would report in the summer of 2016 and, as a consequence, developments in youth justice both nationally and at a local level were effectively put on hold. This was particularly so because it was widely anticipated that any recommendations made by Taylor would have government endorsement. In the event, publication was delayed following ministerial changes in the aftermath of the referendum on membership of the European Union. The report eventually appeared in December 2016, but it no longer had the status of a Departmental review; government endorsement was no longer assured and the report was published alongside a government response. While the Taylor review was wide-ranging and, in some respects, quite radical, a number of key recommendations were rejected or ignored by the government and commitments to reform were for the most part couched in vague terms or put of for future consideration. For example, Taylor details a range of principles and assumptions which he considers should inform arrangements for dealing with children in conflict with the law. These include: - A focus on the child first and the offender second; - Children who break the law should be treated differently from adults; - Because many of the causes of youth offending lie beyond the reach of the youth justice system; a broad range of agencies should provide an integrated response to preventing and addressing offending behaviour; - Education should be at the heart of that response; - Contact with the criminal justice system tends to increase the likelihood of offending and children should be diverted from it wherever possible; - More persistent and serious offending often implies that the children concerned are deeply troubled, and responses to such offending should recognize that fact. By contrast, the government, in the first line of its response, makes reference to the youth justice system's central role in 'punishing crime' and later reiterates that the statutory aim of the system is to prevent offending and re-offending by children and young people. Taylor calls for a clear division between the role of the court in establishing guilt where an offense is denied and deciding what action 'should be taken to repair harm and rehabilitate the child' once responsibility for the offending has been determined.

Details: s.l.: National Association for Youth Justice, 2017. 60p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 16, 2018 at: http://thenayj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/State-of-Youth-Justice-report-for-web-Sep17.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://thenayj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/State-of-Youth-Justice-report-for-web-Sep17.pdf

Shelf Number: 149805

Keywords:
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice Reform
Juvenile Justice Systems
Juvenile Offenders
Youthful Offenders

Author: Blanco, Melissa

Title: How Effective Are Virginia's Juvenile Division Programs? A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment for the Virginia State Crime Commission

Summary: Virginia has a vested interest in promoting state and local policies that prevent and reduce juvenile delinquency. In particular, policies should be aimed at rehabilitating juvenile offenders with the goal of decreasing recidivism rates across the Commonwealth. One possible way to accomplish lower recidivism rates is through the use of diversion programs. Diversion programs offer alternatives to the traditional forms of secure detention, such as treatment programs, restorative justice services, and community service opportunities. These programs can be mandated by a judge, or they can be assigned in lieu of the juvenile undergoing court proceedings. This study will focus on the diversion programs assigned by Intake Officers before the juvenile enters the traditional criminal justice system. The Virginia State Crime Commission has been directed by the General Assembly of Virginia to conduct a comprehensive, two-year study of Virginia's juvenile justice system. One element of this study calls for an examination of juvenile diversion programs across the state, their impact on rates of recidivism, and their cost-effectiveness. In accordance with this mandate, the Center for Public Policy Research at The College of William & Mary has conducted a survey of juvenile Intake Officers across the Commonwealth (including Parole and Probation Officers who complete intake duties), the purpose of which was to understand how diversion is implemented in each Court Services Unit (CSU), which diversion programs appear to be most effective at reducing recidivism, and why some programs seem to be more effective than others. The scope of this project covers the entire Commonwealth of Virginia, which includes 35 CSUs. The CSUs perform intake, investigations, probation, and parole services for juveniles, and each CSU has anywhere between 3 and 24 Intake Officers and as many or more programs offering diversion services for juveniles. The largest component of this study consists of the formulation and distribution of a web-based survey of Intake Officers, which was anonymous to ensure the reception of candid responses. The survey was formulated to serve four key purposes. The first purpose of the survey was to identify the procedure followed by Intake Officers for deciding which juveniles to divert and to what program he or she should be diverted. The second purpose of the survey is to ascertain which programs or which types of programs Intake Officers feel are most effective. The third purpose is to determine if Intake Officers have any method for assessing the progress of the juvenile after he or she has begun participating in his or her assigned diversion program. Finally, the fourth purpose of the survey is to identify any impediments to the juvenile's successful completion of the diversion program. The twenty-question survey was distributed in November 2007 to 177 Intake Officers across the Commonwealth in 30 of 35 CSUs. Responses were collected from 51 of those individuals(28%), representing 15 of the 30 CSUs included in the sample. A mixture of rural and urban CSUs is represented across the disparate regions of the state. A significant limitation, however, is the lack of representation from two large urban areas of the state, Richmond and Norfolk. More than half of Intake Officers surveyed believe that juveniles should be allowed to be diverted more than once, depending on the circumstances. However, 4 of the 14 CSUs (28.6%) represented have policies that prohibit this, and respondents from five other CSUs (35.7%) presented conflicting interpretations of their CSU's policy. Only about one third of respondents utilize some type of standard assessment at intake for making decisions about diversion for a juvenile. Discretion of Intake Officers appears to be an important element in the diversion process with respect to the determination of whether diversion is appropriate for a juvenile, whether it is permissible for a second offense, and in consideration of the type of offense and any mitigating circumstances. Most Intake Officers take a wide range of factors into consideration when deciding whether to divert a juvenile rather than send him or her through court proceedings. Eighty percent or more consider the number and type of prior offenses in the juvenile's record, the juvenile's current offense, the age of the juvenile, the recommendation of the arresting officer, the type of diversion programs available in the CSU, and the juvenile's family or home situation. Similarly, Intake Officers also consider a number of different factors when deciding which program to divert a juvenile to, citing everything from the juvenile's current offense, to the personality or demeanor of the juvenile, to the availability of transportation for the juvenile to and from the program site. It is clear from the responses received for these two questions that the discretion of the Intake Officers plays a major role in determining whether juveniles are diverted and to what program. Intake Officers were also asked if their CSU implements a family-centered approach to diversion, and most (88%) indicated that they do. Many of the Intake Officers provided comments suggesting that parents are strongly encouraged to take part in at least some part of the diversion and that more ways in which parents could become involved in the diversion process would be welcome in their CSU. Most Intake Officers (78%) indicated that their CSU does perform some kind of assessment of the juvenile's progress after he or she has begun participating in a diversion program. There is a wide spread of responses concerning how often CSUs perform this assessment, ranging from every other week to sporadically, with none doing so everyday. A majority of CSUs continue to assess the juvenile's progress until the juvenile has completed the diversion program requirements. Many CSUs perform their assessment of the juvenile's progress by contacting the juvenile's family, contacting the program director, or meeting the juvenile in-person. Very few do so by observing the juvenile's participation through in-person visits to the diversion program site. Forty percent of Intake Officers reported that their CSU assesses the effectiveness of the diversion programs they utilize, while another 40% said their CSU did not assess diversion program effectiveness. However, these results are potentially misleading. Further analysis reveals that Intake Officers from the same CSU often differed in their answer to this question. Of the eleven CSUs represented, Intake Officers from six of them gave conflicting answers. It appears that Intake Officers may not be aware of their CSU's policy on assessing effectiveness, a situation which should be addressed. The vast majority of Intake Officers' responses indicate that a lack of cooperation from the family (73.2%) and from the juvenile (65.9%) stands in the way of successful diversion outcomes. Furthermore, many of the responses cited too little funding provided by the state (48.8%), too few diversion programs offered in the CSU (46.3%), and an insufficient range of diversion program types (41.5%). Finally, a small number (4.9%) said lack of transportation posed an obstacle to successful diversion. Intake Officers expressed a desire for increased funding for diversion programs, particularly to increase diversion staff and expand the number and type of diversion programs offered in each CSU. They also expressed a desire for uniform criteria for diversion eligibility, as current policy differs from CSU to CSU. For example, a juvenile in one CSU may be eligible for a diversion opportunity, while a juvenile with a similar criminal history may be ineligible for a diversion opportunity in another CSU. After completing this study and reviewing the results, several recommendations for reforming the methods of diversion in Virginia's juvenile justice system became apparent. First, we recommend that the state provide CSUs with resources to collect data on juveniles who have been diverted and the outcomes of the programs to which juveniles are diverted. Second, we recommend that CSUs improve the clarity and uniformity of their diversion policy. Third, we recommend the implementation of a standardized intake assessment with statewide criteria. Results of the survey are valuable and instructive for understanding diversion implementation and its effectiveness in Virginia, but the conclusions do present some limitations. First, only perceived effectiveness was assessed through the perspectives of Intake Officers given that actual data on diverted juveniles was not available to us at the time of this study. Second, less than half of the 35 CSUs in the Commonwealth were represented; ideally we would have achieved representation from all. Third, the narrow definition of recidivism as "re-conviction" may lead to over-stating the effectiveness of diversion programs. Finally, the difficulty in obtaining figures for the costs of diversion program implementation in light of their disparate funding sources precluded a cost-effectiveness analysis within the three-month time constraint for this research endeavor. The Intake Officer Survey has laid the groundwork for future work that could provide additional evidence on how effective diversion programs are at reducing recidivism rates. Specifically, two bodies of work are needed: (1) a quantitative analysis of Virginia's Department of Juvenile Justice data, which would compare recidivism rates between juveniles who were diverted before being adjudicated with juveniles who entered the traditional criminal justice system; and (2) an assessment on how cost-effective diversion programs are in comparison to the traditional adjudication process.

Details: Williamsburg, VA : Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy, The College of William & Mary, 2007. 64p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 6, 2018 at: https://www.wm.edu/as/publicpolicy/documents/prs/crime.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: United States

URL: https://www.wm.edu/as/publicpolicy/documents/prs/crime.pdf

Shelf Number: 150490

Keywords:
Alternatives to Incarceration
Diversion
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Diversion Programs
Juvenile Justice systems
Recidivism

Author: Modecki, Kathryn Lynn

Title: Antisocial Behavior During the Teenage Years: Understanding Developmental Risks

Summary: Individuals are far more likely to engage in antisocial behaviour during adolescence than any other period of their life. This paper presents selected results from two studies which used secondary data analysis to provide a theoretically informed picture of youths' decision-making process in relation to delinquency. Study 1 focused on changes in adolescents' perceived rewards and delinquency involvement over four years. Results showed that high levels of perceived rewards go hand in hand with high levels of delinquency, but perceived antisocial rewards 'topped out' by age 14, suggesting that the best time to intervene is during early adolescence or late childhood. Study 2 focused on anger control. Youth who were highly delinquency-involved were especially likely to report surges in anger on days when they experienced a stressor, pointing to a need for delinquency prevention programs aimed at emotion control, including cognitive reappraisal. Improving these skills should enhance youths' ability to navigate risk during the teenage years.

Details: Canberra, ACT: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2108. 14p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 7, 2018 at: https://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi556

Year: 2018

Country: Australia

URL: https://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi556

Shelf Number: 151438

Keywords:
Adolescent Behavior
Antisocial Behavior
Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Perlin, Michael

Title: "She's Nobody's Child - The Law Can't Touch her at All": Seeking to Bring Dignity to Legal Proceedings Involving Juveniles

Summary: Inquiries into a range of issues involving juveniles in the psychiatric hospitalization and criminal trial process reveal that, regularly, juveniles are subject to shame and humiliation in all aspects of the legal system that relate to arrest, trial, conviction, and institutionalization, shame and humiliation that are often exacerbated in cases involving racial minorities and those who are economically impoverished. We contextualize them into the juvenile justice system, and look specifically at how this is reflected in the case law. We then consider these findings through the filters of therapeutic jurisprudence and international human rights laws, concluding that these approaches best remediate the current state of affairs and infuse this system with badly‐needed dignity.

Details: New York, 2016. 21p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 14, 2018 at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/fcre.12324

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: file:///C:/Users/AuthUser/Downloads/Perlin_et_al-2018-Family_Court_Review.pdf

Shelf Number: 151529

Keywords:
Courts
Juvenile
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice System
Mental Health
Psychiatric Health

Author: McCulloch, Liz

Title: The Children's Inquiry: How Effectively are the UK's Cannabis Policies Safeguarding Young People?

Summary: Introduction In The Childrens Inquiry, Volteface examines how effectively the UKs cannabis policies are safeguarding young people from harm to their well-being and life chances. This is explored through considering the practical consequences of cannabis policies on young peoples access to cannabis and the type of cannabis they are accessing, the impact this can have on their mental health and the support available to them, their interaction with the criminal justice system as users and dealers of cannabis, and who they and their families can turn to for information and guidance on cannabis. Key Findings Access to cannabis, cannabis potency and mental health: A national poll commissioned by Volteface reveals that young people perceive cannabis to be easier to purchase than alcohol. Cannabis can be easier to obtain than alcohol because - as an illegal drug - there are no age restrictions on its purchasing and it is commonly distributed through peer networks. The rise of social media platforms, such as Snapchat and Instagram, has also facilitated easy access for young people. A 2018 study revealed that nearly all of the cannabis available to buy on the black market is of a high potency variety. This is concerning as evidence indicates that early use of high potency cannabis can have a detrimental effect on mental well-being. In line with this, statistics show that hospital presentations for cannabis-related mental health problems have increased for young people and, for some conditions, at a higher rate than adults. Voltefaces poll identified that one-third of 16 and 17-year-olds who had tried cannabis felt that using cannabis had made them feel worried or down. In contrast, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests have revealed that there has been a small decline in young people with cannabis-related mental health problems presenting at Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Although anecdotal reports suggest that young people are facing barriers to accessing these services, there is the possibility that they are presenting but that their condition is not being recorded. This knowledge gap restricts the extent to which local agencies such as CAMHS can adequately support young people and plan preventative measures. Cannabis and the criminal justice system While fewer young people and adults are being criminalised for the possession and cultivation of cannabis, Voltefaces research reveals that young people are increasingly being criminalised for offences involved in the supply of cannabis, while fewer adults are being criminalised for this. Figures obtained through FOI requests show that prosecutions of adults for the offences of possession with intent to supply and supplying cannabis are falling, but the same decrease cannot be seen for young people. In fact, the number of young people being prosecuted - and then convicted - of these offences is increasing. This is significant and concerning. Within the context of cuts to policing and a deprioritisation of supply by police on the ground, a decline in the use of Stop and Search and an emphasis in recent years on policies of youth diversion, the criminalisation of young people should be decreasing. Volteface's research suggests that young people are increasingly dealing cannabis in the UK today, either being groomed by adults (with explicit or implicit coercion present) to do so on their behalf, or selling or giving it to their peers 'socially'. This could explain why they are increasingly being criminalised for supply offences. The decline in adult prosecutions for the offences of possession with intent to supply and supplying cannabis and the increase in more young people being prosecuted for these offences could indicate that more young people are being exploited by adults to deal cannabis on their behalf. Cuts to young peoples services offering support and intervention, a lack of opportunities, a desire for money and social status, as well as social media easily connecting young people with dealers, have been proposed as reasons that make young people increasingly vulnerable to becoming cannabis dealers. Education and public awareness The Children's Inquiry argues that education and awareness around cannabis is not being prioritised. This is a by-product of a lack of direction from the Government. Its draft Relationship and Sex Education guidance falls short of encouraging schools to provide an effective, evidence-based intervention around drugs. Inadequate training provided to teachers and educational staff around drugs also leaves the door wide open to poor practice where such education is delivered. In the absence of good quality drugs education in schools, parents and guardians are not adequately equipped to educate their children on cannabis. Voltefaces research reveals that the vast majority of local authorities in England and Wales have not run any campaigns or initiatives to ensure that parents are informed about the risks associated with cannabis in the past 10 years. Parents are often directed to FRANK, a Government-funded drug education website, but this does not contain any information about cannabis potency, despite well-evidenced concerns regarding its effects on young peoples well-being. Additionally, no public health body in the UK has a system in place to monitor the potency of cannabis. Conclusion Voltefaces findings paint a worrying picture of the effect of current cannabis policies on young people in the UK today. They are not being effectively safeguarded from the risk of potential harm to their well-being or life chances and multiple failings are compounding this risk.

Details: United Kingdom, 2018. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 5, 2018 at: http://volteface.me/app/uploads/2018/09/The-Childrens-Inquiry-Full-Report.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: United States

URL: http://volteface.me/app/uploads/2018/09/The-Childrens-Inquiry-Full-Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 151535

Keywords:
Cannabis
Juvenile Delinquency

Author: Del Toro, Juan

Title: The Criminogenic and psychological of effects of police stops on adolescent black and Latino boys

Summary: Proactive policing, the strategic targeting of people or places to prevent crimes, is a well-studied tactic that is ubiquitous in modern law enforcement. A 2017 National Academies of Sciences report reviewed existing literature, entrenched in deterrence theory, and found evidence that proactive policing strategies can reduce crime. The existing literature, however, does not explore what the short and long-term effects of police contact are for young people who are subjected to high rates of contact with law enforcement as a result of proactive policing. Using four waves of longitudinal survey data from a sample of predominantly black and Latino boys in ninth and tenth grades, we find that adolescent boys who are stopped by police report more frequent engagement in delinquent behavior 6, 12, and 18 months later, independent of prior delinquency, a finding that is consistent with labeling and life course theories. We also find that psychological distress partially mediates this relationship, consistent with the often stated, but rarely measured, mechanism for adolescent criminality hypothesized by general strain theory. These findings advance the scientific understanding of crime and adolescent development while also raising policy questions about the efficacy of routine police stops of black and Latino youth. Police stops predict decrements in adolescents' psychological well-being and may unintentionally increase their engagement in criminal behavior.

Details: PNAS, vol. 116 | no. 17, 2019

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 25, 2019 at: https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/116/17/8261.full.pdf

Year: 2019

Country: United States

URL: https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/116/17/8261.full.pdf

Shelf Number: 155513

Keywords:
Adolescents
Juvenile Delinquency
Minority Youth
Police Stops
Police-Minority Contact
Proactive Policing
Stop and Search

Author: Chang, Lily

Title: Contested Childhoods: Law and Social Deviance in Wartime China, 1937 - 1945

Summary: "Contested Childhoods" links together three major areas of historical inquiry: war and criminality, law and social change, and the law as it relates to children, in the first half of twentieth-century China. The founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 has eclipsed the historical significance of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Government and the importance of its role during the wartime period. This study examines how the outbreak of China's War of Resistance against Japan (1937-1945) served as a crucial catalyst to the construction of ideas of criminality and its relation to children during the wartime period. It examines the different measures by which Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Government (1928-1949) attempted to handle the rise in levels of criminality involving juveniles. The study analyses how an increase in criminality during the wartime period challenged how ideas on and about children and childhood were in understood within Chinese society. Moreover, it argues that wartime conditions served as a crucial catalyst prompted the construction of a new judicial and legal framework that was aimed at delineating the boundaries between childhood and adulthood during this period.

Details: Oxford: University of Oxford, 2011. 282p.

Source: Internet Resource (Doctoral Thesis): Accessed June 17, 2019 at: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:ac4d436e-63a4-42ce-b2df-f3edb1c556f3

Year: 2011

Country: China

URL: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:ac4d436e-63a4-42ce-b2df-f3edb1c556f3/download_file?file_format=pdf&safe_filename=L.Chang%2B-%2BDPhil%2BThesis.pdf&type_of_work=Thesis

Shelf Number: 156468

Keywords:
China
Criminality
Juvenile Delinquency