NCJ Number
240653
Date Published
September 2012
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This fact sheet from the National Juvenile Justice Network presents the findings and policy implications from the Pathways to Desistance study.
Abstract
Findings from the study include the following: 1) youth in trouble with the law vary considerably and their future development or illegal behavior cannot be predicted based on the current offense; 2) substance abuse issues can significantly increase the risk for recidivism, while treatment for substance abuse reduces recidivism risk; 3) placing youth in a juvenile institution has no effect on their rate of re-arrest; and 4) youth provided with a more positive institutional experience have better outcomes upon release than youth treated more harshly in juvenile institutions. This fact sheet from the National Juvenile Justice Network presents the findings and policy implications from the Pathways to Desistance study. The study is a large, multi-site project that follows a sample of youth (n=1,300) ages 14-18 for 7 years after their conviction for a serious offense. The findings from the study have several implications for policy: policies about program eligibility or placement should not be based on criteria related to a youth's current offense; substance abuse services both within the community and within institutions should be increased for youth who commit serious offenses; youth who commit serious offenses should be placed in juvenile institutions less frequently and for shorter lengths of time; and States should promote policies, procedures, and assessment tools to ensure that youth in juvenile institutions are receiving services that most closely match their needs. 13 references