Young Offenders in Custody: Risk and Adjustment

Abstract

This article explored results from a study of 113 incarcerated male youths, who were age 12 to 15 at the time of their indexed offense. Using a widely used, normed measure of psychosocial functioning, the study examined the relationship between preexisting risk factors and/or institutional risk factors and adjustment in custody. Preexisting risk or vulnerability significantly predicted adjustment to custody, as did several risk factors within facilities (worry about victimization, perceiving victimization as likely, and experiencing conflicts with inmates as difficult). Risk factors associated with institutional life appeared to contribute to a young person’s adjustment beyond the risk factors a young person may walk into an institution with. One commonly used measure of institutional functioning, number of custodial rule infractions, did not appear to be a valid indicator of how a youth felt or adjusted to a facility. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed.

The Relationship Between Depression and Other Psychosocial Problems in a Sample of Adolescent Pregnancy Termination Patients

“…This rate is well above the estimated 8% previously estimated for the general adolescent population (Cicchetti and Toth 1998), and even higher than estimated prevalence rates for other at-risk adolescent samples (Cesaroni and Peterson-Badali 2005;Kazdin 2000). This is hardly surprising, considering the social stigma associated with pregnancy termination in our culture (Joffe 2005), which may contribute to elevated reports of psychosocial problems in this study.…”

“…Prevalence rates of depression for adolescents overall are estimated as high as 8% (Cicchetti and Toth 1998), while prevalence rates for at-risk adolescent populations, such as those involved in the juvenile justice system, can run up to four times higher (Cesaroni and Peterson-Badali 2005;Kazdin 2000). Adolescent females are at an increased risk for depression when compared to males and this difference between genders parallels those of the adult population (Bogard 2005;Cicchetti and Toth 1998;Van Vorhess et al 2008).…”

The Importance of Institutional Culture to the Adjustment of Incarcerated Youth and Young Adults

“…Taken together, our studies on incarcerated youth (Cesaroni and Peterson-Badali 2005, 2010 indicate that young people's pre-existing vulnerabilities (e.g., family instability, child welfare involvement, educational difficulties, etc.) as well as institutional vulnerabilities (prison stresses, fear of victimization, and low social support) predict youths' adjustment, whether defined in terms of internalizing behaviours (e.g., depression, sadness, withdrawal, anxiety) or well being (i.e., whether or not the incarceration experience has been painful and whether youth feel lonely, isolated, tense, or stressed).…”

Masculinity and Resistance in Adolescent Carceral Settings

“…The goal of the first study was an initial exploration of the experiences of adolescent incarcerated males (Cesaroni and Peterson-Badali 2005). One-hundred-and-thirteen incarcerated male youths, who were age 12 to 15 at the time of their indexed offence, were interviewed from July 1999 to September 1999 in 11 facilities.…”