The Contribution of Psychiatric Disorder to Juvenile Recidivism

Abstract

Youths formally referred to probation authorities in Texas (791 male, 200 female) self-administered a structured diagnostic interview at intake. Data on demographics, offense characteristics, and reoffending (within 12 months of baseline) were extracted from official justice records. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the contribution of diagnosis to recidivism, adjusting for demographic and offense characteristics. Baseline externalizing disorders were associated with increased recidivism risk for both genders, whereas youths’ recidivism risk was not influenced by anxiety disorder. Girls with comorbid substance use and affective disorder were nearly four times more likely to reoffend than girls with no disorder. In contrast, among males, this disorder profile was associated with only approximately half the level of recidivism risk. Results substantiate practice guidelines that recommend comprehensive mental health assessment in juvenile justice settings and identify youths with certain mental health needs who might be well served by diversion programs.

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders, comorbidity patterns, and repeat offending among male juvenile detainees in South Korea: a cross-sectional study

“…Various studies have studied the association between psychiatric disorders and repeat offending [21–25], but the specific disorders that predicted repeat offending differed among studies, and positive findings were reported with regard to SUDs [23], affective disorders [23], oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) [24], and CD [21, 25]. Some of these previous studies did not take into account comorbidity [24, 25], and this may have affected the results, considering the high rate of comorbid disorders.…”

“…Some of these previous studies did not take into account comorbidity [24, 25], and this may have affected the results, considering the high rate of comorbid disorders. McReynolds and colleagues reported that SUDs and DBDs, along with their comorbidity, predicted repeat offending [23]. Anxiety disorder predicted repeat offending only when it was comorbid with DBDs, and affective disorders were associated with repeat offending only when combined with SUDs in males [23].…”

“…McReynolds and colleagues reported that SUDs and DBDs, along with their comorbidity, predicted repeat offending [23]. Anxiety disorder predicted repeat offending only when it was comorbid with DBDs, and affective disorders were associated with repeat offending only when combined with SUDs in males [23]. However, this study used broad diagnostic grouping categories and did not investigate individual psychiatric disorders.…”

Psychiatric Disorder in Detained Male Adolescents as Risk Factor for Serious Recidivism

“…As no empirical evidence for such speculation is available, such stereotyping must critically be examined. 6 An important, but sparse, body of studies [7][8][9][10][11] focuses on psychiatric disorders as predictors of recidivism in severe juvenile delinquents. These 5 studies suggest that psychiatric disorder is, to some extent, related to future offending.…”

Individual and Familial Variables for Predicting Successful Completion of a Juvenile Justice Diversion Program

“…Reich (2014) reported that approximately half of his sample of youth placed in alternatives to the New York City justice system had been flagged with possible mental health concerns. Mental health problems have also been linked to higher rates of recidivism (McReynolds, Schwalbe, & Wasserman, 2010;Sullivan, Beysey, Hamilton, & Grillo, 2007). Even more pertinent, Sealock and Manasse (2012) observed that young offenders under stress and with poor coping skills are less likely to respond well to treatment.…”