NCJ Number
128838
Date Published
1984
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Information from 150 delinquent youths referred to Odyssey House, a residential treatment program in New Hampshire, during 1974-82 formed the basis of an analysis of the relationship between child abuse and later delinquency and the legal system's awareness of this connection.
Abstract
The sample included 99 males and 51 females. Sixty-six had child abuse histories, almost all involving a parent perpetrator. Physical abuse was the most common. Sexual abuse or neglect was also frequent. Overall, 36 percent of the youths experienced abuse from more than one parent or two or more different types of abuse. In addition, few of the youths had been identified as abused before entering treatment following involvement with delinquency courts. Furthermore, 83 percent of the 150 youths had engaged in 3 or more types of illegal activity with theft, burglary, and assault the most common offenses. However, the juvenile justice system has little awareness of the relationship between child abuse and delinquency. Results indicated that child abuse is a contributing factor in delinquency rather than the cause, that untreated abuse histories in delinquents will lead to further problems in adulthood, and that requiring juvenile courts to consider the abuse factor in determining dispositions would be desirable. For the full report of which this is an executive summary, see NCJ-128836.