Longitudinal Patterns of Secure Institutional Placement Among Serious Adolescent Offenders

This study identifies longitudinal patterns of institutional placement to understand experiences in the juvenile justice system. We used monthly calendar data from the Pathways to Desistance study ( N = 1,354), which focuses on understanding how serious adolescent offenders desist from antisocial activity. Youth between 14 and 18 years of age were followed for 7 years. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify longitudinal patterns of institutional placement. We also examined bivariate and multivariate associations between our identified groups and demographic, legal, and extralegal factors. We chose the 4-group solution, which reflected a pattern of steady time in the community (33.3%), and three patterns of youth spending varying (22.5%), declining (24.4%), and steady high (18.8%) time in placement. Significant differences between groups suggest that youth from the most disadvantaged contexts and those who were most likely to have trouble in school and live in disorganized neighborhoods spent the most time in placement.

Download Full-text

Who Will Become Productive Adults? Longitudinal Patterns of Gainful Activities Among Serious Adolescent Offenders

Youth & Society ◽

10.1177/0044118x21996386 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0044118X2199638

Author(s):

JoAnn S. Lee ◽

Faye S. Taxman ◽

Edward P. Mulvey ◽

Carol A. Schubert

Keyword(s):

Juvenile Justice ◽

Juvenile Justice System ◽

Adolescent Offenders ◽

Monthly Data ◽

Longitudinal Patterns ◽

Institutional Placement ◽

Pathways To Desistance ◽

Multiple Domains ◽

The Relationship ◽

Youth Behaviors

The juvenile justice system is charged with the welfare of the children it serves, yet less is known about the prosocial behaviors of adolescent youthful offenders. This study identifies patterns of prosocial behavior for 7 years among serious adolescent offenders, the correlates of each pattern, and associated patterns of secure placement. Using 7 years of monthly data from the Pathways to Desistance Study ( N = 1,354), we used group-based trajectory models to identify longitudinal patterns of positive youth behaviors related to school and work among serious adolescent offenders and a joint trajectory model to assess the relationship between trajectories of institutional placement and positive youth behaviors. Four groups were identified that demonstrated a high, low, medium, and dips-then-rises likelihood of gainful activities throughout the study period. Gainful activities were negatively associated with risk for delinquency across multiple domains. Juvenile justice interventions should consider prosocial promise in addition to risk for delinquency.

Download Full-text

Justice for All: Trauma and the Need for Safety and Fairness Within Juvenile Justice Facilities

Criminal Justice and Behavior ◽

10.1177/0093854818796060 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 63-81

Author(s):

Maya J. W. M. Lujan ◽

Amanda M. Fanniff

Keyword(s):

Juvenile Justice ◽

Justice System ◽

Juvenile Justice System ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Multiple Mediation ◽

Institutional Misconduct ◽

Perceptions Of Fairness ◽

Post Traumatic ◽

Pathways To Desistance

Many adolescents in the juvenile justice system have been exposed to trauma, which has been linked with negative outcomes that may lead to ineffective adjustment while incarcerated. Trauma may decrease a youth’s feelings of fairness and safety, which may increase misconduct. The present study examined the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, perceptions of fairness and safety, and rates of institutional misconduct in a subsample of youth ( n = 386) who participated in the Pathways to Desistance study. A serial multiple mediation model found that PTSD symptoms were not significantly associated with perceptions of fairness, safety, or institutional misconduct. Relationships were found between perceptions of fairness and safety, and between perceptions of safety and institutional misconduct. Results also indicated differences in perceptions of fairness and safety based on gender, age, and ethnicity. Perceptions of fairness and safety may be an avenue for intervention to improve adjustment within the juvenile justice system.

Download Full-text

Blind Justice? The Impact of Race on the Juvenile Justice Process

Crime & Delinquency ◽

10.1177/001112878703300203 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 224-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

Jeffrey Fagan ◽

Ellen Slaughter ◽

Eliot Hartstone

Keyword(s):

Juvenile Justice ◽

Racial Disparities ◽

Justice System ◽

Juvenile Justice System ◽

Minority Youth ◽

Family Status ◽

Research Strategies ◽

Justice Process ◽

Extralegal Factors ◽

The Impact

The increasing prevalence of minority youth in the juvenile justice system has renewed concerns over racial disparities in juvenile justice processing. Previous research has yielded ambiguous results, with findings complicated by methodological shortcomings, divergent research strategies, and design artifacts. To resolve questions on the extent and source of racial disparities in juvenile justice processing, research is needed on the nature, location, and magnitude of discrimination in the juvenile justice system. This study examines racial disparities in decision making at six points in the juvenile justice process, from apprehension through judicial commitment decisions. Samples of Anglo and minority youth were drawn at each point, controlling for offense severity, other offense characteristics, and extralegal factors in addition to race. The results show racial disparities at each point, with minorities consistently receiving harsher dispositions. Disparities took different forms at various stages of the process, usually for nonserious offenses. Race was a direct, indirect, and interactive influence at various decision points. Disparities were observed at other times only when controlling for other extralegal factors such as family status. The results suggest that the juvenile justice system reflects social and economic disparities endemic in other social domains. The correlates of delinquency in minority and predominantly Anglo populations are similar. Accordingly, base rate differences may be less important than societal reaction in explaining the overrepresentation of minorities in the juvenile justice process. The narrowing of social gaps may also reduce disparate perceptions of minorities in the juvenile justice system, and restore their population balance in delinquent populations.

Download Full-text