This article analyses risk factors for criminal recidivism of young offenders in Argentina, compared with studies in other countries; 65 recidivists are compared with 59 one-time offenders. Effect sizes were calculated for 24 risk factors for recidivism. Seven groups of risk factors were compared: (a) demographic information, (b) offence history, (c) family factors, (d) educational factors, (e) substance use history, (f) social factors, and (g) community and societal influences. Large effects on recidivism for all risk factors were found in the present study, in comparison with other countries. These findings are explained within the socio-cultural context of Argentina. Forward stepwise logistic regression analyses were carried out in order to investigate independent predictors, showing that age at first contact with the law, low school achievement, poor school attendance, substance abuse, delinquent peers and community disorganization were the most important independent predictors of juvenile recidivism in the present study. Criminal history and delinquent peers were also important predictors in other reviews of the predictors of reoffending.

IntroductionPrevious studies about young people in conflict with the law (YPCL) have a tendency to focus on the risk factors that contribute to trigger antisocial criminal behavior. Instead, this study aims to research the social determinants that encourage the criminal desistance: understood as a gradual process taking place in the periods of absence of crime and desire to abandon the criminal activity.ObjectivesFrom a sample that is made up of 100 YPCL, the main objective is to deduce the social determinants, which encourage the criminal desistance in YPCL, it means young people who commit crimes.AimsTo infer the social determinants (circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, including the health system) which foster the desistance in YPCL.MethodsThe results of a sample of 100 YPCL were assessed with three profiles as follows: I: DSM-IV personality disorders (PD T-Scores). II: swap personality syndromes (Q-Factor T-Scores). III. factor T-scores.ResultsThis research shows the prevalence of the following social determinants associated with the desistance: (1) integrated families. (2) Educational and cultural opportunities (3) academic progress. (4) Healthy relationships that support and help. (5) Stable living arrangements (6) social conditions preserved the use of psychoactive substances and alcohol abuse.ConclusionsIt is possible to identify the prevalence of social determinants which encourage the desistance in YPCL. Those allows them to transform their risk path in another that shows a positive development, associated with individual transformations that take them away from the criminal life and reintegrate into the community.

Despite the high prevalence of youth offending in Argentina, there are relatively few investigations of the factors that may be associated with persistent youth offending in Argentina. The identification of these factors may help to inform the development of interventions which could be delivered to young offenders to reduce repeated offending. Low empathy, or a diminished ability to experience and/or understand emotions, is an important psychological construct for understanding persistent criminal and antisocial behavior. There is, however, an absence of evidence about how low empathy may relate to repeat offending of young offenders generally and in Argentina specifically. In this study the affective empathy (the capacity to experience the emotions of others) and cognitive empathy (the capacity to understand the emotions of others) of 100 young male offenders (aged 16-17) in Buenos Aires was assessed using a translated and revised version of the Basic Empathy Scale. The level of empathy of young offenders who were repeat offenders (N=51) was then compared to those who were one-time offenders (N=49). In addition, data on family criminality, school achievement and socioeconomic status was also obtained for both groups. The results showed that repeat offenders had significantly lower affective and cognitive empathy, and that these relationships held independent of the other related factors. These findings suggest that low empathy may be an important explanatory factor for repeat offending in juveniles in Argentina, and therefore may be a useful target for interventions designed to reduce repeat offending.

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IntroductionResilient potential of 100 young male offenders (aged 16-17), in Buenos Aires was assessed using a translated and revised version of the Resilience Scale (RS) of 14 items (Wagnild, 2009). Data on family criminality, school achievement and socioeconomic status was also obtained for both groups. The greater the resilient potential the greater the opportunity of not to reoffend irrespective of being controlled by key risk factors.Objectives1-Do repeat offenders have lower resilient potential than one-time offenders? 2. If a relationship between resilience and repeat offending does exist, is this explained by family criminality, low school achievement or low socioeconomic status?MethodsPsychosocial interviews with each participant were conducted by the named author, under strict judicial conditions considering privacy in all cases, based on informed consent, with the condition of maintaining the concealed identity of the participants. In all cases it was clarified that youth participation was voluntary.Results Table 1.M (SD) M (SD) t d pAge 16.20 (0.41) 16.45 (0.50) 2.70 0.66 0.008Resilience M (SD) M (SD) t d pFactor I 29.92 (7.25) 63.45 (4.92) 27.16 5.41 <0.001Factor II 7.37 (1.95) 16.59 (1.87) 24.13 11.33 <0.001Total Resilience 37.29 (8.67) 80.09 (6.49) 27.82 5.59 <0.001Risk Factors % % chi d pFamily Criminality 44.9 3.9 20.81 1.03 <0.001Low School Achievement 98.0 11.8 71.31 3.15 <0.001Low Socioeconomic Status 42.9 11.8 10.73 0.69 0.001 Table 2. Independent Predictors of Repeat OffendingVariables β pCriminality in the family 2.994 <0.001Low school achievement 5.886 <0.001Low socioeconomic status (SES) -1.727 <0.001Note. All comparisons p<.001.ConclusionsTaking into account the lack of studies on resilience in juvenile offenders in both national and international research the findings of the present study provide an important contribution in the field of juvenile offending, particularly in the view of further interventions aimed at the prevention and rehabilitation in the near and long term of juvenile offenders in Argentina.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared