NCJ Number
223746
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 35 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2008 Pages: 895-905
Date Published
July 2008
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Using data collected from probation officers’ reports, this study identified significant predictors of recidivism in a sample of 772 adolescent offenders in Singapore.
Abstract
Consistent with previous research, the study found that significant risk factors for adolescent recidivism were the father’s reported criminality, a history of running away from home, a history of aggression, and an earlier age at first criminal offense. An unexpected finding was that reported gang membership was not a significant predictor of adolescent recidivism. One explanation for this finding is that gang involvement may be more strongly associated with violent reoffending than general reoffending. Recidivism was 2.28 times more likely when the adolescent reported father criminality. Recidivism was 2.21 times more likely for adolescents with a history of running away from home, and it was 2.28 times more likely for adolescents with a history of aggression. A 1-year increase in age at first criminal offense reduced the odds of recidivism by 34 percent. A total of 772 adolescents assessed in 2005 at both juvenile and subordinate courts in Singapore were randomly sampled and used for this study. For the purposes of the study, “recidivism” was defined as violation of the court order, which could include reoffending. Of the 772 cases, 621 cases (80.4 percent) were first-time offenders, and 19.6 percent of the adolescents had violated their court orders and were considered recidivists. 1 table and 53 references