Pathways to Desistance

• NCJ Number: 248666
• Author(s): Edward P. Mulvey; Carol A. Schubert
• Date Published: 2018
• Length: 0 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2008-IJ-CX-0023; 2005-JK-FX-K001
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description

Annotation

This web site provides access to various types of information on the Pathways to Desistance study, which is a multi-site, longitudinal study of serious adolescent offenders as they transition from adolescence into early adulthood, which this website calls the "largest longitudinal study of serious adolescent offenders ever done."

Abstract

This home web page provides access to information on the nature of the study, the people who manage and staff the study, funders, the study design, the design of the codebook, related publications, and related news and events. Information on the study indicates that between November of 2000 and January of 2003, 1,354 adjudicated youths from the juvenile and adult court systems in Maricopa County (Phoenix), Arizona (n = 654) and Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania (n = 700) were enrolled in the study. The youth were at least 14 years old and under 18 years old at the rime of their committing offense. They were found guilty of a serious offense (predominantly felonies, with a few exceptions for some misdemeanor property offenses, sexual assault, or weapons offenses). Each study participant was followed for 7 years past enrollment, with the end result being a comprehensive portrait of life changes in a wide array of areas over the study period. The study had the following three objectives: 1) To identify distinct initial pathways out of juvenile justice system involvement and the characteristics of the adolescents who progress along each of these pathways; 2) To describe the role of social context and developmental changes in promoting desistance or continuation of antisocial behavior; and 3) To compare the effects of sanctions and selected interventions in altering progression along the pathways out of juvenile justice system involvement.