A Classification of High-Risk Youths

Abstract

The authors report the results of developing and evaluating a classification of 315 arrested youths processed at the Hillsborough County Juvenile Assessment Center in Tampa, Florida. Cluster analysis of summary measures of nine baseline alcohol/other drug use and self-reported delinquency variables identified four groups of youths: (a) low-level delinquents and drug users, (b) high-level delinquents, (c) hair-test-identified marijuana and cocaine users, and (d) self-reported drug users. The validity of the typology was assessed by comparing the clusters of youths on their(a) educational experiences; (b) delinquency referral history; (c) neglect, abuse, and family problem history; (d) close friends’ problem behavior; and, of particular interest, given the focus of the analyses, (e) emotional/psychological functioning and mental health and substance abuse treatment history. The findings indicate the youths were experiencing overlapping delinquency, alcohol/other drug use, and emotional/psychological problems. The cooccurrence of these problems among youths entering the juvenile justice system extends findings of their co-occurrence reported in studies of incarcerated youths.

Traumatic Experiences and Juvenile Amenability: The Role of Trauma in Forensic Evaluations and Judicial Decision Making

“…In one study, high levels of delinquency were associated with higher rates of being neglected and physically abused, and higher rates of familial involvement in crime (Dembo and Schmeidler 2003). Other research, however, has found no significant difference in the total number of victimization experiences of delinquent and non-delinquent victims (Cuevas et al 2007).…”

“…The first goal was to describe how PTEs were reported in these evaluations and to compare the observed rates to those found in the broader juvenile justice population. Because higher levels of delinquency have been associated with higher rates of traumatic experiences in some studies (Dembo and Schmeidler 2003), and youth included in this study were charged directly in criminal court with relatively serious offenses, we expected rates of traumatic experiences to be similar to, or higher than, estimates of trauma in the juvenile justice population.…”

Childhood Sexual Abuse, Gender, and Depression Among Incarcerated Youth

“…For example, according to self-reports by delinquents institutionalized in a correctional facility, 24% fulfilled criteria for PTSD (Burton, Foy, Bwanaussi, Johnson, & Moore, 1994). From comprehensive psychological evaluations of 315 youth confined to an assessment center in the state of Florida, 22% scored above the clinical range for mental health problems (Dembo & Schmeidler, 2003). Steiner et al (1997) examined 205 delinquents who were under the supervision of the California Youth Authority and found that 16% were suffering from PTSD.…”

Evaluation of an Innovative Post-Arrest Diversion Program: 12-Month Recidivism Analysis

“…It has also been shown that youths who experience alcohol and substance use are more likely to be involved in delinquency (e.g., Ellickson & McGuigan, 2000;Greenwood, 1992;Loeber, Green, Lahey, Frick, & McBurnett, 2000). Moreover, emotional and psychological functioning problems have been associated with delinquent behavior (e.g., Boesky, 2002;Dembo & Schmeidler, 2003;Teplin, Abram, McClelland, & Dulcan, 2002). Typically, risk assessments cover two or more of these risk domains (Schwalbe et al, 2006).…”