NCJ Number
215575
Date Published
June 2006
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This study identified risk factors that are predictive of serious juvenile offending and developed a profile of the serious juvenile offender in Hawaii.
Abstract
Juveniles who have the following characteristics are especially “at-risk” of being serious juvenile offenders: male, academic failure, risky sexual behavior, frequent drug use, and death of a significant other (not parent). While experiencing abuse/neglect and witnessing domestic violence are generally understood as predictive factors of serious offending, juvenile probationers versus those committed to the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF) bore no significant differences in these areas. Improvement in intervention programming for at-risk youth requires both the identification of traumatic experiences and the understanding of the manner in which such experiences affect social behavior. Policy recommendations include: (1) better fostering youths’ attachment to school and education; (2) provide substance abuse treatment and grief counseling as needed; (3) develop healthy, therapeutic mechanisms for youth to address histories of abuse and/or neglect; (4) allow for opportunities that improve juvenile offenders’ decisionmaking; and (5) find positive male mentors who promote healthy lifestyles and discourage risk-taking behavior for male offenders. Tables, references and appendix A-C