The primary aim of this study was to examine gender and racial differences in the association between system involvement types (i.e., child protective services [CPS] only, juvenile justice system only, and dual involvement) and academic outcomes (i.e., grade failure, chronic absenteeism). This study used records from a linked database of public…

The United States is a vehicle-dependent society and allows adolescents to obtain driver's licenses at age 16 or younger. This study examined the impacts of a driver intervention program on reducing risky driving behaviors among youths who had received their first traffic citation, as well as parental management of driving practices. Participants…

The authors examined the role of early adverse experiences, mental health problems, and disabilities in the prediction of juvenile delinquency and recidivism, using a matched-control group design. The delinquent group comprised 99,602 youth, born between 1981 and 1988, whose cases had been processed by the South Carolina Department of Juvenile…

Research suggests that child maltreatment predicts juvenile violence, but it is uncertain whether the effects of victimization persist into adulthood or differ across gender. Furthermore, we know little about the mechanisms underlying the victim-perpetrator cycle for males and females. Consequently, this study analyzed associations between child…

Background: The present study uses data from a community sample of 779 low-SES boys to investigate whether intervention by the juvenile justice system is determined, at least in part, by particular individual, familial and social conditions, and whether intervention by the juvenile courts during adolescence increases involvement in adult crime.…

Every year, juvenile court judges commit large numbers of delinquent youths to institutional placements. Prior research indicates that both legal and extra-legal factors influence this decision-making process. Less frequently examined is the role of treatment needs and prior social services use. This study examined the influence of treatment needs…

Comparative research in juvenile delinquency provides criminal justice professionals with a mechanism for better decision-making. This study analyzed juvenile probationer arraignments and the offender risk/need classification assessment to better understand juvenile court careers and probation recidivism. Analyses were based on data generated by…

Investigated factors influencing truancy from a juvenile court treatment facility. Youth placed in the facility were compared for number of truancies, background, and personality variables. Males with prior adjudication for truancy had a 65% probability of eloping from the court facility. Females showed a 62% probability of truancy. Personality…

This research assesses the recidivism rates of a sample of 300 registered male sex offenders who were juveniles at the time of their initial arrest for a sex offense. This sample is followed for 3 to 6 years after they reached adulthood; recidivism rates are assessed during their adulthood only. The typical juvenile is a 15-year-old Caucasian male…

The recent development of strong statistical techniques has made accurate predictions of recidivism possible. To investigate the utility of discriminant analysis methodology in making predictions of recidivism in juvenile offenders, the court records of 271 male and female juvenile offenders, aged 12-16, were reviewed. A cross validation group…

This study examined the rate at which juvenile courts refer youthful offenders to mental health care and organizational factors that may account for variation in treatment referral rates. The study was based on 73 juvenile courts in Tennessee. Data sources included secondary, statewide data on youth referred to the courts in 1997 and responses of…

This study randomly assigned 200 parents to mediation (facilitated by master's-level social workers) or to pretrial conferences (guided by judges) to examine the effects of the dispute resolution methods on the attitudes of parents in child dependency disputes. The study also examined theories from the psychology of justice and trust literature…

The idea of diverting youths away from the juvenile justice system has grown in the past decade. Most evaluations of diversion programs have been program-centered rather than examining individual programs, and in most cases, success has been judged by recidivism rates. A diversion program, called the Careers Center, was investigated and a…

Much of the concern with juvenile delinquency has been based on the premise that delinquent behavior leads to adult crime. Police and court records of three cohorts comprised of 6,127 persons were analyzed. The most prevalent pattern of delinquent behavior was one of declining seriousness and discontinuation after the teenage period. With few…

A study examined juvenile cases processed in an East Coast state between 1992 and 1994 (n=33,423). Findings indicate mental health placements are used rarely relative to other court outcomes (i.e., dismissal, probation, other types of placements), and gender and race significantly influence whether an offender receives this type of treatment.…