The Development of Marijuana Dealing Behavior During Adolescence and Early Adulthood Among Juvenile Offenders: Risk Factors for Development

ABSTRACT

Despite the amount of attention paid to marijuana use, there has yet to be any research that examines heterogeneity in the development of marijuana dealing behavior across time. This research used group-based trajectory modeling to elucidate developmental trends in this behavior and examines how risk factors may predict heterogeneity in marijuana dealing among a sample of juvenile offenders. The Pathways to Desistance data set, a sample of 1,354 juvenile offenders followed across 84 months during adolescence and early adulthood following a recent adjudication, was utilized in analyses. Results indicate that a five-group model best fits the data. Results indicate that higher baseline resistance to peer influence was associated with increased risk of assignment to the Accelerating and High Chronic groups, whereas baseline marijuana use was associated with assignment to the Accelerating, Desisting, and High Chronic groups when all covariates were included in estimation. This indicates that juvenile offenders may be at risk for dealing marijuana during adolescence and use of the drug and low susceptibility to peer influence may indicate higher risk for engagement.     

Social perception of the Spanish law for young offenders

The implementation of the law 5/2000 for the regulation of Criminal Responsibility for Minors has led to a change in interventions in cases of juvenile offenders. This law promotes the educational and rehabilitative aims of the measures imposed. However, the focus of the media on the most serious cases has generated considerable alarm in society in general. The aim of this study is to determine the social perception of Law 5/2000. For this purpose, a sample of 936 people from the Autonomous Region of the Canary Islands was surveyed. The main results indicate that there is a significant lack of knowledge about the law and that people tend to think that the measures taken are not as effective as studies carried out in connection with this subject have shown. Nevertheless, the people surveyed are more in favour of educational measures than of measures that penalize. These results are discussed in connection with the importance that community factors have in dealing with juvenile delinquency, and in particular, in the power of social pressure to modify legislation, and of the community to assume responsibility for the reinsertion of juvenile offenders.     

PTSD and PTSD-Linked Victimization Sensitivity as Risk Factors for Alcohol Use among Juvenile Offenders: A Group-Based Trajectory Modeling Approach

Research has indicated that post-traumatic stress disorder is linked to heightened levels of alcohol use. Sensitivity to strain may increase alcohol use as a coping strategy among this population. Using the Pathways to Desistance dataset, this research examines these effects among juvenile offenders and the experience of victimization as strain. Results indicated a near tripling of the relative risk of assignment to the high alcohol use group if one had ever met clinical criteria for the disorder at baseline. There was a significant interaction between ever meeting clinical criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder and experiencing victimization during an observation period.     

Juvenile homicide: A growing national problem

Arrests for juvenile homicide more than doubled from 1984 to 1991. The present study examined offense characteristics for a national sample of 2,400 juvenile homicide offenders listed in the FBI Supplemental Homicide Reports for 1984 or 1991. Analyses indicate that the largest increases in juvenile homicide can be found among minority males using handguns to kill acquaintances. Juvenile homicides committed in the course of another crime (such as robbery or drug deal) have increased over 200%, while homicides precipitated by an interpersonal conflict with the victim have increased 83%. In comparison to adults, juvenile homicide offenders are much more likely to use a handgun and to act with an accomplice. These results highlight the association between handguns and juvenile homicide.     

“Motivation” and Routine Activities Theory

ABSTRACT

This study examines the motivation aspect of routine activities theory as it pertains to sex offenders. Using logistic regression, data from 163 convicted sex offenders who participated in treatment programs between 1982 and 2000 were analyzed to determine if demographic, abuse histories, sex abuse histories, drug/alcohol use, and other “motivating” variables were predictive of in and out of the home offending. Results indicate abuse and drug use are predictive of home sex offenses while alcohol use is indicative of community offending. While the results and differences were modest, they warrant further exploration of the motivation aspect of routine activities theory.     

Preventing and reducing substance use among institutionalized adolescents

The Residential Student Assistance Program, serving high-risk, multiproblem, inner-city, primarily African-American and Latino youth, was evaluated for its ability to prevent and decrease alcohol and other drug use. Participants were drawn from several adolescent residential facilities: three foster care sites for abused, neglected, orphaned, or troubled adolescents, a nonsecure facility for adjudicated juvenile offenders, a treatment center for teens with severe psychiatric problems, and a locked county correctional facility. In addition, comparison groups were employed. A 5th-year outcome evaluation documented the program's effectiveness in both preventing and reducing substance use among participants, with impact related to program dosage. Qualitative process data clarified and strengthened confidence in the quantitative outcomes.     

Risk and protective factors among youth offenders

This exploratory study examined the risk and protective factors of youth offenders and their relation to recidivism. The sample consisted of 76 male and female juvenile probationers within a large metropolitan area. Archival records on probationers provided data on prior offenses, personal characteristics, familial conditions, drug use, peer selection, school performance, role models, and activities and hobbies. It was found that protective factors, specifically personal characteristics, familial conditions, and peer selection, differentiated nonrepeat offenders and repeat offenders. The present body of findings supports the adaptive model of resiliency and reinforces the importance of enhancing protective factors in youth offenders as a means of deterring delinquent behavior.     

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Techniques for Counseling Incarcerated Female Adolescents: A Case Illustration

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) may successfully address the needs of female juvenile offenders, but systemic barriers prohibit adherence to the full DBT protocol. The authors built a rationale for using select DBT techniques with female adolescent offenders and provided a case illustration.     

An Examination of Triarchic Psychopathy Constructs in Female Offenders

This study sought to expand scientific knowledge on psychopathic personality traits in female offenders by evaluating the relationship between MMPI–2–RF triarchic scales and self-reported external variables in a sample of 205 female offenders. Results indicated that boldness was inversely related to internalizing dysfunction, including suicidal behavior, psychosis, youth conduct problems, problems stemming from alcohol use, and a history of outpatient mental health treatment. Meanness was positively related to internalizing dysfunction as well as youth conduct problems, anger, prison disciplinary reports, and psychosis. Disinhibition was associated with a history of abuse in childhood, suicidal behavior, internalizing dysfunction, problems associated with alcohol and drug use, family history of mental illness, prison disciplinary reports for violence, number of previous criminal charges, and anger. Consistent with views of psychopathy as a configural condition, interactive effects of boldness with disinhibition and meanness were observed for multiple key external variables (e.g., conduct problems, substance use, nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior). This study provides further evidence for the triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy in female offenders and lends additional support for the validity of MMPI–2–RF triarchic psychopathy scales.     

Assessment of Alcohol Use Disorders Among Court‐Mandated DWI Offenders

Convicted DWI offenders (N = 549) were assessed for alcohol use disorders. Repeat offenders had twice the rate of both lifetime and current alcohol use disorders compared with 1st‐time offenders. Guidelines for determining alcohol problems in DWI offenders are recommended.     

The Role of Family Affect in Juvenile Drug Court Offenders’ Substance Use and HIV Risk

Family-based interventions targeting parenting factors, such as parental monitoring and parent–child communication, have been successful in reducing adolescent offenders’ substance use and delinquency. This pilot, exploratory study focuses on family and parenting factors that may be relevant in reducing juvenile offenders’ substance use and sexual risk taking behavior, and in particular examines the role of family emotional involvement and responsiveness in young offenders’ risk-taking behaviors. Participants included 53 juvenile drug court offenders and their parents. Results indicate that poor parent–child communication is associated with marijuana use and unprotected sexual activity for young offenders; however, family affective responsiveness is also a significant unique predictor of unprotected sexual activity for these youth. Findings suggest that interventions focused on improving parent–child communication may reduce both marijuana use and risky sexual behavior among court-involved youth, but a specific intervention focused on improving parents and young offenders’ ability to connect with and respond to one another emotionally may provide a novel means of reducing unprotected sexual risk behaviors.     

Fearlessness in juvenile offenders is associated with offending rate

Poor fear conditioning is a correlate of violent offending in adults, but there is no evidence concerning juvenile offenders. Our aim was to compare emotional learning in juvenile offenders and controls and establish whether crime rate is related to seriousness of emotional learning problems. To this end, emotional learning was assessed in 42 juvenile offenders by measuring skin conductance responding (SCR) during fear conditioning. Compared to controls, juvenile offenders showed lower conditioned SCRs to visual stimuli associated with a subsequent aversive stimulus and the magnitude of the SCR during fear acquisition was inversely associated with the number of their recorded offences. These findings suggest that juvenile offenders have impairments in the neural systems that subserve emotional learning. The implication is that using punitive measures to control persistent offenders is unlikely to be effective in an identifiable group of juvenile offenders.     

Der Behandlungsbedarf bei jungen Straftätern (BB-JuSt)

The BB-JuSt is a newly developed standardized instrument used in juvenile correctional settings to document the results of the inital assessment of treatment and educational needs of young offenders. It is made up of 23 items with 5-point rating scales (with the exception of the item caring for a child) which refer to specific needs and responsivity factors relating to educational attainments and basic reading/writing and mathematic skills, alcohol/drug/gambling problems, criminogenic disposition (e.g., aggressiveness), psychological disorders, lifestyle and social environment (e.g. associates and family). To determine the interrater reliability of this instrument 42 young offenders were classified by professional prison staff as usual, and additionally by 2 external researchers. Whereas excellent agreement between the external researchers was achieved on all items, the comparison between staff and researchers showed only moderate correlations. These results indicate that the BB-JuSt is a reliable instrument that can be used for treatment planning decisions and for research purposes but extensive training is required for users.     

Family of Origin Violence Predictors of IPV by Two Types of Male Offenders

The aim of this study was to determine the role of family of origin violence in predicting intimate partner violence (IPV). Male participants were divided into generally offending and family-only groups according to whether their violence occurred exclusively within intimate partner and family contexts or toward others outside the family as well. Results showed that exposure to family of origin violence affected IPV differently between the two groups of offenders. For generally offending offenders, exposure to family of origin violence significantly predicted IPV above and beyond demographic factors, alcohol and drug use, and bidirectional aggression. For family-only offenders, witnessing father-initiated violence toward the mother had a significant influence on their violent behavior toward their intimate partners. Clinical implications of these findings are addressed.     

The Effects of Alcohol Use and Offender Remorsefulness on Sentencing Decisions1

Presentence reports on 628 offenders were content analyzed. Regression analysis found that remorseful offenders received less severe sentences than non-remorseful offenders. Offenders convicted of minor offenses received more lenient sentences if they had used alcohol in conjunction with their crimes than if they did not use alcohol. The opposite was the case for offenders commiting serious crimes. Remorseful offenders with few prior alcohol-related convictions received less severe sanctioning than non-remorseful offenders with similar conviction records. In contrast, recidivists who were remorseful were dealt with more harshly than their non-remorseful counterparts.     

Communication skills and self-esteem in prevention of destructive behaviors

This study demonstrates the long-range effectiveness of SAY IT STRAIGHT training as a school-based program for the prevention of destructive behaviors by comparing juvenile police offenders among trained and untrained 9th-12th graders for 1 1/2 years following training. In the 1984-85 school year, 357 of the 740 9th-12th graders in a southwestern town completed SAY IT STRAIGHT training. Participation was voluntary and required parental permission. During a five-month pretraining period which began with the first day of school, the number of juvenile police offenders was not significantly different among students who would eventually be trained or not be trained. During the following 7 months including summer vacation, there were significantly fewer offenders among the trained students. The following school year and summer vacation there were again significantly fewer offenders among the trained students. During the whole 1 1/2-year study, the untrained students had about 4.5 times as many criminal offenses as the trained students and their offenses were more severe. Finally, 9th, 10th, and 12th graders as well as 11th-grade females who had been trained showed a significant shift toward behavioral intentions reflecting a greater willingness to implement their constructive decisions and feel comfortable doing so. This study extends the applicability of SAY IT STRAIGHT training which previously has been reported to significantly reduce alcohol/drug-related school suspensions among 6th-8th graders.     

Juvenile Sex and Non‐Sex Offenders: A Comparison of Recidivism and Risk

Forty male juvenile sex offenders were compared with 133 male juvenile non‐sex offenders 2 years postrelease from residential treatment to assess recidivism and factors related to recidivism. Juvenile sex offenders had significantly lower recidivism rates than juvenile non‐sex offenders.     

Rorschach comparisons of male juvenile sex offenders and nonsex offenders

Published research is limited on the psychological characteristics of juvenile sex offenders as a subgroup separate from other juvenile delinquents. This study compares 45 male adolescent sex offenders on the Rorschach with a matched group of nonsex adolescent offenders. The two groups differed in total number of responses. Eliminating those protocols of questionable validity due to low productivity in combination with a high lamba, a statistically significant difference in the number of anatomy responses given by the two groups was found. With this exception, the personality characteristics of adolescent sex offenders were similar to those of adolescents who commit only nonsexual crimes. It should be noted, however, that the scoring categories analysed were not exhaustive and that the groups may differ on more recently proposed Rorschach subscales.     

Juvenile Offending and Crime in Early Adulthood: A Large Sample Analysis

Using large sample archival data from the state of South Carolina’s juvenile justice agency and other state agencies, we examined the background, early experiential and delinquency-related variables predicting young adult (ages 17–30 years) offending among juvenile offenders. We also examined characteristics of juvenile offenders who committed only a single misdemeanor offense, compared to non-juvenile offenders. Finally, we examined the variables that accounted for group differences in persistence of juvenile offending. Early adverse experiences including family-related adversities, mental health problems, identification as having school-related disabilities and juvenile recidivism accounted for more than 20 % of the variance in adult offending. Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed several time-dependent covariates including gender, age at first offense and repeat versus one time offending. Contrary to the view that the one time, misdemeanor level juvenile offending represents only minor departure from normative adolescent behavior, we found that this group of offenders differed significantly from non-delinquents on every category of risk for adult offending and also were more likely than non-delinquents to commit felonies as adults. Finally, in comparing adolescence-limited offenders with life-course persistent offenders, we accounted for more than 50 % of the variance in criminal outcomes on the basis of measures of background, early adversity, psychological characteristics and age of first juvenile arrest or referral.     

Jugendliche Sexualstraftäter: Spezialfälle der Prognoseerstellung?

This study compared a sample of 273 juvenile (aged 14 to under 18), 178 adolescent (aged 18 to under 21) and 273 adult (older than 20 years) male sex offenders modus operandi (or MO, the way in which they committed their offenses), frequency of recidivism and predicted recidivism via the static-99. In terms of the frequencies of the MO aspects we found that juveniles and adolescents differed significantly from adult sexual offenders. However, concerning the frequency of sexual violent behaviors, adolescents committed more severe offenses in contrast to the two other groups. The comparison of recidivism rates indicated that adolescent sexual offenders were significantly less likely to commit a new sexual offense, but were considerably more likely to commit a non-sexual violent offense compared to adult sexual offenders. For juvenile offenders, only few static-99 variables were predictive of future recidivism in comparison to the other groups, suggesting that the static-99 may only have a restricted utility in juvenile offenders. Further, juvenile offenders risk levels were found to fall primarily within the medium risk group making individual differentiation of potential risk difficult. It is suggested that additional predictors, which help to differentiate young sexual offenders must be investigated.