The opioid epidemic has led to a dramatic increase in the number of infants and toddlers being removed from their homes and placed in foster care. Doing so places these vulnerable young children at high risk for attachment issues, postnatal medical problems, and development delay. Early Childhood Courts have been found to be a very effective…

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…

Disabled youths are arrested, adjudicated, and recidivate at higher rates than their nondisabled peers. Although multiple theories have been offered to explain the relationship between disability and delinquency, the empirical evidence is limited and contradictory. Little is known about how disability may be associated with offending once poverty…

In "Preventing and Reducing Juvenile Delinquency," Howell proposes a female-specific pathway to serious, violent, and chronic offending. Incorporating ideas from feminist research about risk factors for female delinquency, he proposes five distinct and interrelated risk factors--child abuse victimization, mental health problems, running…

In the wake of a U.S. Justice Department investigation that found widespread use of excessive force by staff at upstate psychiatric care facilities for mentally ill children, this new edition of Child Welfare Watch identifies shortcomings in mental health services and explores possible solutions, including the expansion of alternatives to…

This paper explores the relationship between public welfare agencies and juvenile courts in cases involving child abuse. Data was gathered from eight Southeastern States through questionnaires and personal interviews with agency officials. The findings are incorporated into a discussion of agency-court relationships in the areas of adjudication…

A response to Mayo and Isralowitz's critique of the juvenile justice system, this delineates the nature and intent of proposed changes in the juvenile court system. (CM)

Children and youth in foster care are a vulnerable population. They are at risk for abuse, neglect, and permanent separation from birth parents and have a greater incidence of emotional and behavioral difficulties. This is not surprising because these children are abused, neglected, or abandoned by the very people who are supposed to love and care…

The study examined factors which influence custody change in cases of children who have been sexually abused in 180 cases of children hospitalized with a suspicion of having been sexually abused. Of the children with proven abuse (N=138), ultimately 40 percent had a custody change. (DB)

Yesterday's victims become today's predators. We may be able to prevent the transition from troubled child to angry criminal, but first we must identify the troubled child. (RM)

Of 206 cases of serious child mistreatment brought before a metropolitan juvenile court on Care and Protection Petitions, 63 were dismissed. During a 2-year follow-up period, 18 of these dismissed cases had substantiated reports of further mistreatment and 10 subsequently returned to court. Six percent of those children ordered removed from…

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the trajectory of cases through four systems: child protection, law enforcement, the dependency courts, and the criminal courts. Method: This study focused on a county selected from a 41-county telephone survey conducted for the National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-3). For this…

An argument for a closer relationship between the American legal system and developmental research in such areas as foster care, child abuse, and child custody. (BRT)