Risk Factors for Juvenile Criminal Recidivism: The Postrelease Community Adjustment of Juvenile Offenders

• NCJ Number: 183225
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2000 Pages: 275-291
• Author(s): Kirk Heilbrun; William Brock; Ayonda Lanier; Gretchen Witte; Luis Buinavert; Michael Shumate; Dennis Waite; Martin Schmid; Michelle Keeney; Melissa Westendorf
• Date Published: June 2000
• Length: 17 pages
• Grant Number(s): 96-A9751JJ95
• Sponsoring Agency: Virginia Dept of Criminal Justice Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study evaluates risk factors for juvenile criminal recidivism.

Abstract

The study focused on the outcomes of juvenile delinquents (n=140) following their conviction, commitment for residential placement and return to the community on parole. Participants were followed for 1 year postrelease. A random stratified sampling procedure was used to select participants from urban, suburban and rural sites. Ratings of poor parole adjustment (73 percent), as well as observed rates of parole violation (73 percent) and reoffending (40 percent) across the entire sample reflected a substantial proportion of unfavorable outcomes during follow-up. Stepwise regression yielded significant predictive capacity for offense, school and family variables toward parole violation (R = .30) and parole adjustment (R = .31), although the modest size of these coefficients would limit practical utility. The article discusses study results in the context of intervention and risk-reduction planning throughout residential placement and postrelease community living. Tables, figure, notes, references