Risk Factors for Future Offending in Child and Adolescent Firesetters Following a Fire Service Intervention Program

Abstract

Research has established links between youth firesetting and general antisocial behavior. The current study sought to better understand these links by identifying fire-specific and general risk factors for offending from a national sample of children and adolescent firesetters ( N = 1,790), from a New Zealand Fire Service intervention program, up to 10 years after intervention. Most (62%) had committed an offense post-intervention, primarily moderate or severe offending. Only 5% had committed an arson offense post-intervention. Nearly all measures of victimization, psychosocial/emotional problems, previous conduct problem behavior, and child-welfare history were associated with post-intervention offending and/or offending severity. Pre-intervention offending and being older (aged 12+ years) at intervention were the major independent risk factors for offending. A protective factor was firesetting having occurred at home. Findings highlight young firesetters’ broad patterns of pervasive antisocial behavior and multiple adverse family, environmental, and individual factors that accompany and contribute to wide-ranging, non-fire-related offending.

The predictive validity of the family risk survey and child risk survey for identifying persistent firesetting risk

“…It therefore seems that fire safety education intervention as the sole treatment is effective for most (two-thirds) young people who engage in firesetting behavior, but not sufficient to eradicate this behavior for all participants. The rate of persistent firesetting is consistent with a recent meta-analysis investigating firesetter reoffending (Perks et al, 2019), but higher than the rare studies reporting evaluations of firesetter interventions specifically (e.g., Lambie et al, 2019;5% arson recidivism). These discrepancies in persistent firesetting figures are likely to be a result of the varied measurement of persistent firesetting used as an indication of program success (e.g., criminal convictions of fire offenses verses parent-report firesetting and/or matchplay).…”

“…Fire service‐led intervention programs can often be a first‐point of professional contact for young people with problematic underlying psychosocial disturbances when firesetting behavior is identified (Henderson et al, 2010 ; Lambie et al, 2019 ). Although fire safety education delivered by fire services is viewed as appropriate for low‐risk firesetters, a review of interventions conducted by Baretto et al ( 2004 ) reported that evidence suggests fire safety education alone has limited effectiveness for eradicating firesetting behavior in young people marked by significant behavioral or emotional disturbance.…”

Firesetting Reoffending: A Meta-Analysis

“…However, the evidence base is expanding, with more sophisticated evaluations of firesetting treatment emerging. For example, Lambie et al (2019) followed a national sample (n = 1,790) of children who had been through the New Zealand Fire Awareness and Intervention Programme (FAIP). They found that, according to police records, 62% engaged in a further offense of any kind and 5% committed arson over the 10 years following the intervention.…”

Public Perceptions and Attitudes Towards People with Arson Convictions: A Preliminary Examination and Comparison with Sexual Convictions

“…Mental illness more broadly has been more consistently associated with fire-setting, particularly schizophrenia, mood disorders, personality disorders, and alcohol abuse (Nanayakkara et al, 2015;Sambrooks et al, 2021), but again the majority of people who commit arson do not have a diagnosed mental illness (Tyler & Gannon, 2012). Lastly, research has reported that fire interest and play are relatively normative developmental behaviours during childhood, and a substantial proportion of suspicious fires (50-63%) within Aotearoa New Zealand are attributed to young people (Fire and Emergency New Zealand, 2011;Lambie et al, 2019). However, due to the emphasis on diversion services in youth justice, relatively few young people are charged or convicted for arson.…”

“…In comparison, there were 26,630 charges for sexual assault or related offences within this time period (2016-2020), 47.9% of which resulted in a conviction (Ministry of Justice, 2021a). Although youth are thought to be responsible for approximately half of all suspicious fires, the vast majority of charges and convictions are made against adults (Fire and Emergency New Zealand, 2011;Lambie et al, 2019;Ministry of Justice, 2021b). This is likely due to the focus on diversion services within Aotearoa New Zealand's youth justice system (Barretto et al, 2018).…”