Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice

1. Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice Chapter 11

2. History of the Juvenile Courts • Focus on rehabilitation • Disposition fit the offender not the offense • Lacking culpability • No formal protections of due process • Kent v. United States • Assistance of counsel • In re Gault (1967) • All protections under the Bill of Rights • Due process • Perception of increase in juvenile crime

3. Processing in Juvenile Courts • Law enforcement contact • Intake • Hearing • Formal report conducted by the probation officer • Judge orders a sentence if the juvenile is found ‘delinquent’

4. Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Offenses • Behavior against the criminal code committed by an individual who has not reached adulthood • Most crimes are property crimes (45%), crimes against person (23%), crimes against public order (21%), drug offenses (11%) • Juvenile crime is at its lowest in 20 years • Offenders are becoming younger • More are sent to adult courts • Increase in crime among girls

5. Status offenses • Curfew • Loitering • Property crimes (1/3 of juvenile arrests) • Burglary (1/4 of all juvenile offenses) • Theft • Arson

6. Risk Factors for Juvenile Delinquency • Individual • Substance abuse, mental health concerns, impulsivity, and poor problem solving • Family • Poor parental attachment, lack of parental supervision, and harsh ineffective discipline • School • Academic difficulty, unrecognized learning disabilities, poor school attendance, academic dissatisfaction • Delinquent Peers and Gang membership • Offense history predict recidivism

7. Protective Factors • Intelligence • Negative attitudes toward delinquent behavior • Sociability/positive temperament • Positive family influence • Close relationship with a family member • School environment • Commitment to and participation in activities • Educational achievement

8. Juvenile Violence • Juvenile violence is higher than in previous generations and is high in industrialized countries • Homicide is the leading cause of death among Hispanics and African-Americans • Violent crime almost over 30 years

9. Risk Factors for Nonsexual Violence • Individual • impulsivity, hyperactivity, poor behavioral control greater risk taking, attentional problems, reduced intelligence, poor educational performance • Family • Parental with prior criminal history, low attachment, harsh discipline, poor supervision, child abuse, low socioeconomic status, family conflicts • Delinquent Peers and Gang membership • Neighborhood • Urban area, availability of drugs and guns

10. Risk Factors for Sexual Violence • 19% of rapes are by males under 19 years • 1/3 of child molesters are juveniles • 2-14% reoffending rate • Risk Factors for reoffending • Acquaintance of the victim • Not receiving any form of treatment • Less severe initial offenses • Younger offender • Little is known about female juvenile perpetrators

11. Role of Forensic Psychologists in Juvenile Court • Evaluate treatment amenability • Systemic functioning important • Identify treatment needs • Provide Treatment • Multi-modal interventions • Multi-systemic Therapy • Transfer Evaluations • Transfers to criminal courts

12. Competency Evaluations • Developmental immaturity is a factor • Insanity Evaluations • Extremely rare in juvenile cases • Risk assessment • Threat assessments • Early Assessment Risk List (EARL) • Structured Assessment of Violent Risk in Youth (SAVRY)

13. Special Issues in Regard to Juveniles: School Violence • School Violence and School Shooting • School shootings peaked 1990s and decreased after 1998 • Violent crime has decreased in schools • Use of school shooter profiles are ineffective • Threat Assessment • Specific form of risk assessment • Encourages identification of precise actions associated with behaving violently