NCJ Number
243058
Journal
Judicial Officers' Bulletin Volume: 25 Issue: 3 Dated: April 2013 Pages: 19-24
Date Published
April 2013
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Noting that the number of youth charged with a violent offense in New South Wales (Australia) has increased over the past decade, this article identifies the risk factors for violence, profiles violent young offenders in New South Wales (NSW), and reviews international and Australian programs that have reduced violence.
Abstract
There are five categories of risk factors for violence. Family-based risk factors typically involve low parental involvement in the youth's life, ineffective parental discipline, family disruption and parent-child separation, parental criminality, and child abuse. Community-based risk factors include high crime rates, unemployment, social disadvantage, exposure to violence and racial prejudice, and access to drugs and weapons. School-based risk factors for violence include academic failure, a learning disability, low bonding to school life, truancy, dropping out, and frequent changes in the schools attended. Peer-related risk factors include friendships with antisocial peers, adherence to sub-cultural norms, delinquent siblings, and gang membership. Factors based in the individual include prior violent behavior, early age of the onset of aggressive and violent behavior, early offending history, educational disadvantage, low cognitive functioning, low academic achievement, impaired social skills, substance abuse, hyperactivity, and risk-taking. Thus, the typical violent youth in NSW is a male from a family with low income and parents who engage in antisocial behavior; is aggressive, impulsive, and dishonest; engages in under-age smoking and drinking; has substance-use and mental health problems; and is regularly in conflict with authority figures. He typically begins to offend before age 12. Often he has been a victim of violence. The most effective rehabilitation programs for violent young offenders adopt the risk-need-responsivity (RNR) framework, which assesses the risk of reoffending, identifies specific factors underlying the offending behavior, and tailors treatment to the specific criminogenic needs of each youth. 77 references