Juvenile Delinquency

Subterranean Sources of Juvenile Delinquency In China: Evidence From Birth Cohort Surveys

by David Drissel

Exploring the Overlap in Male Juvenile Sexual Offending and General Delinquency: Trauma, Alcohol Use, and Masculine Beliefs

by Adam Brown

Deconstructing PTSD: Traumatic Experiences, Posttraumatic Symptom Clusters, and Mental Health Problems among Delinquent Youth

by Stephen Becker

Patricia K. Kerig, Karin L. Vanderzee, Stephen P. Becker, Rose Marie Ward.
Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 5, 129-144 doi:    10.1080/19361521.2012.671796

This study investigated interrelations among trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters,... more This study investigated interrelations among trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters, and mental health problems among adjudicated adolescents. Girls scored higher than boys on measures of exposure to interpersonal trauma, PTSD symptom clusters, and mental health problems. Results of path analyses were consistent with the hypothesis that PTSD symptom clusters differentially mediate the relations between trauma exposure and mental health problems, with unique patterns of results for boys and girls. For all youth, avoidance mediated the association between trauma and internalizing symptoms whereas reexperiencing and arousal acted as mediators of externalizing. However, for boys only, noninterpersonal traumas also were related to PTSD symptoms, which in turn acted as mediators of internalizing. For girls only, reexperiencing and arousal acted as mediators of internalizing and associated symptoms of PTSD acted as a mediator of externalizing.

Predictors of Recidivism among Delinquent Youth: Interrelations among Ethnicity, Gender, Age, Mental Health Problems, and Posttraumatic Stress

by Stephen Becker

Stephen P. Becker, Patricia K. Kerig, Ji-Young Lim, Rebecca N. Ezechukwu
(2012). Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 5, 145-160.
doi: 10.1080/19361521.2012.671798

This study investigated the interrelations among mental health problems, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), age,... more This study investigated the interrelations among mental health problems, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), age, ethnicity, gender, and recidivism over a three-year period in a sample of 417 male and 170 female juvenile offenders. At the time of first admission to a juvenile detention center, boys reported higher alcohol/drug use, whereas girls reported greater anger/irritability. Caucasian offenders evidenced higher rates of alcohol/drug use and somatic complaints than African American offenders. Younger age was related to higher levels of anger/irritability and depression/anxiety, although older adolescents with PTSD reported the highest levels of alcohol/drug use, anger/irritability, somatic complaints, and depression/anxiety. Across multiple admissions to detention, alcohol/drug use increased for all youth, whereas somatic complaints decreased for boys only. Younger offenders were more likely to recidivate than older offenders; however, girls and younger African American youth with PTSD were more likely to reoffend than were their peers.

Transitions of Truants: Community Truancy Board as a Turning Point in the Lives of Adolescents

by Kevin Wright

Johnson, Charles L, Kevin A. Wright, and Paul S. Strand (2012). "Transitions of Truants: Community Truancy Board as a Turning Point in the Lives of Adolescents." Journal of Juvenile Justice, 1(2), 34-51.

School dropout represents a major turning point in a person’s life that could be seen as an initial step on a... more School dropout represents a major turning point in a person’s life that could be seen as an initial step on a difficult pathway to reduced conventional opportunities. The challenge is to identify interventions that can successfully reintegrate students back into a school setting in a manner that encourages continued attendance and involvement. One such program is the West Valley Community Truancy Board in Spokane, Washington. In addition to the truancy board process, the program employs a court-appointed officer to mentor students and manage the overall process of identifying and attending to the risks and needs that promote truancy. Guided by Sampson and Laub’s (1993) age-graded theory of informal social control and Cullen’s (1994) application of social support to delinquency, the current analysis seeks to determine the overall effectiveness of the truancy board based on both quantitative analyses of outcomes and qualitative interviews with key actors. We discuss the implications for the ongoing theoretical, empirical, and policy debates surrounding truancy intervention.

Frederick, B. J. & Fradella, H. F. (In press). Leopold and Loeb. SAGE Social History of Crime and Punishment in America (pp.___-___). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

by Brian Jay Frederick

Co-authored with Dr Henry F. Fradella, J.D.

Encyclopedia entry for the "SAGE Social History of Crime and Punishment in America." Article discusses... more Encyclopedia entry for the "SAGE Social History of Crime and Punishment in America." Article discusses Leopold & Loeb, convicted of the murder of a young boy in a wealthy neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

“Nothing really matters”: Emotional numbing as a link between trauma exposure and callousness in delinquent youth

by Stephen Becker

Patricia K. Kerig, Diana C. Bennett, Mamie Thompson, Stephen P. Becker.
Journal of Traumatic Stress.
doi: 10.1002/jts.21700

This study investigated the interrelations among trauma exposure, emotional numbing, and callous–unemotional traits in... more This study investigated the interrelations among trauma exposure, emotional numbing, and callous–unemotional traits in a sample of 276 youth (68 girls and 208 boys) recruited from 2 juvenile detention centers. Youth completed interview measures of trauma exposure and betrayal trauma, as well as self-report measures of emotional numbing and callous–unemotional traits. Results of path analyses using nonparametric bootstrapping procedures indicated findings consistent with the hypothesis that the association between trauma exposure and callous–unemotional traits was mediated by the general numbing of emotions, R2 = .40, and also specifically by numbing of sadness, R2 = .27. In addition, further analyses indicated that numbing of fear, R2 = .18, and sadness, R2 = .26, statistically mediated the relations to callous–unemotional traits only for those traumatic experiences involving betrayal. Gender was not found to moderate these effects.

No Man's Land: Transitional Space and Time in Carlos Saura's Deprisa, deprisa, 2008

by Tom Whittaker

Whittaker, Tom. Mobile soundscapes in the quinqui film. In: Stone R. & L. Shaw ed(s). Screening Songs in Hispanic and Lusophone Cinema. Manchester, University of Manchester Press. 2012

by Tom Whittaker

The Effects of School Bonds, Discipline Techniques in School and Victimization on Delinquency of High School Students

by Halil Eksi

Halime ÜNAL Cem Şafak ÇUKUR
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice - 11(2) • Spring • 560-570

Delinquency has become an import social problem in Turkey, especially in schools. Along with this trend, empiricalmore Delinquency has become an import social problem in Turkey, especially in schools. Along with this trend, empirical
studies have started to pay attention to delinquent acts in schools. However, most of these studies have
mainly focused on the nature and prevalence of the delinquent behaviors. There are limited numbers of studies
that explore relationships between school related factors and delinquency among Turkish students. Thus, the
main purpose of the present study is to examine how various delinquent behaviors (property delinquency , violent
behavior, delinquency in in school and substance use) are related to some school related factors such as
school bonds (attachment to teacher and commitment to school), discipline techniques used in schools (coercive
and inductive discipline) and victimization in the school. For this, a total of 3742 students from 11 high schools
in İzmir were chosen through stratified cluster sampling techniques. The mean age of the sample was 16.8
and percentage of male students was 52. Self-report instruments used in previous studies were mainly adapted
to measure school-related variables and various delinquent involvements. Due to the censored nature of dependent
variables (delinquent involvements), Tobit regression techniques were used in analysis. The analysis revealed
that commitment to school had an effect in the reduction of all kinds of delinquent acts that are assessed
in this study. Results also indicated that coercive discipline techniques and victimization in schools were positively
related to delinquent involvements regardless of the nature of delinquency. Overall, findings have confirmed
that schools should be considered as an important social context along with family, communities or neighborhood
that also affect various processes related to delinquency.

Developmental trajectories of violence and theft

by Eric Lacourse

Juveniles and Computers: Should We Be Concerned?

by Art Bowker

Federal Probation, December 1999, Vol. 62. No. 2, Pg. 40-43

The computer age has brought numerous changes, greatly facilitating communication and increasing educational... more The computer age has brought numerous changes, greatly facilitating communication and increasing educational opportunities for our youth. Unfortunately, it has also opened up new opportunities for delinquency. Juveniles are now using computers to commit fraud and counterfeiting offenses that were once only adult offenses, expanding the monetary costs of delinquency. In addition, juveniles can now use computers to commit offenses across the country or even around the world. Author Arthur L. Bowker explores the ramifications of “computer delinquency” and why it needs to be addressed in this article on a brave new world of offending.

The Advent of the Computer Delinquent

by Art Bowker

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, December 2000 Volume 69, Number 12

Advanced technology has spawned a new and younger generation of computer criminals. Advanced technology has spawned a new and younger generation of computer criminals.

A longitudinal-experimental approach to testing theories of antisocial behavior development

by Eric Lacourse

Developmental trajectories of boys' delinquent group membership and facilitation of violent behaviors during adolescence

by Eric Lacourse

Child Soldier

by Nandi Crosby

This creative nonfiction essay is from a larger body of work I am constructing on my relationships with current prisoners. Child Soldier focuses on the various challenges of engaging an African American prisoner who was sentenced to 30 years at the age of 16.

Un Remedio contra la Delincuencia: el Trabajo infantil en las instituciones de encierro de la ciudad de México durante la posrevolución

by Susana Sosenski

The influence of family factors in young sexual offenders behaviours

by Ricardo Barroso

Published in "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll: Psychological, Legal and Cultural Examinations of Sex and Sexuality". Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press

Baron, Stephen W., and David B. Tindall. 1993. "Network Structure and Delinquent Attitudes within a Juvenile Gang." Social Networks, 15:255-273.

by David Tindall

Though there is agreement in the literature that juvenile delinquency is a group phenomenon, there is controversy... more Though there is agreement in the literature that juvenile delinquency is a group phenomenon, there is controversy regarding the explanation of this finding. Subcultural theorists argue that youths become delinquent through peer socialization in gangs, while control theorists contend that adolescents become delinquent & associate with delinquent others because they have weakened bonds to the conventional social order. Here, data collected via participant observation of a gang of 35 "punks" in a western Canadian city are drawn on to examine the role of social bonds & group structure in the generation of delinquency through the application of social network analysis. Results support the control explanation: those members who have the weakest bonds, regardless of gang participation, have the most delinquent attitudes. Though companionship alone does not lead youths to become delinquent, it should still be considered important in the explanation of delinquency.

The Cascade County, Montana, Community Youth Justice Council Program: A New Citizenship Model

by Texas State PA Applied Research Projects

Raffray, Lane A., "The Cascade County, Montana, Community Youth Justice Council Program: A New Citizenship Model" (1997). Applied Research Projects, Texas State University-San Marcos. Paper 85.
http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/85