Recidivism And Juvenile Crime

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Recidivism has consistently proven to be a major issue among juvenile delinquents. Youths who commit crimes present a major concern to society because as research shows, many juveniles who engage in criminality continue this behavior into adulthood. Every year about 1.5 million adolescents are arrested in the United States and most of these are for repeat offences (Leverso, Biebly, & Hoelter, 2015). In 2010, more than 31 million juveniles came under supervision of the juvenile justice system. Many juveniles who are placed in correctional supervision significantly struggle to desist from crime and after they are released from supervision, they may become repeat offenders (Burraston, Cherrington, & Bahr, 2012). The juvenile justice system strongly …show more content…
Previous research has identified that demographic characteristics, family difficulties, and early life experiences are significant risk factors for juvenile criminality and recidivism. These factors are, along with juvenile recidivism, are also associated with a juvenile offender’s likelihood of committing crime as an adult. To reduce an individual’s risk of recidivism and involvement of crime as adult, programs are available that specifically help juveniles who are at risk of recidivating and these programs are also beneficial for helping individuals desist from crime as adults. By analyzing the risk factors associated with juvenile crime and recidivism, the likelihood of a juvenile offending as an adult can be assessed. Programs designed to target the risk factors may prevent recidivism among juveniles, as well as decrease their likelihood of offending as an …show more content…
Static risk factors at the individual level include male gender, neuropsychological functioning, being convicted at an early age, and problem behavior beginning at an early age. The static environmental risk factors include parental neglect, maltreatment, and conflicts with parents. Dynamic risk factors at the individual level include a diagnosis of conduct disorder and substance abuse, and psychopathic traits. The dynamic environmental risk factors include living in poor social environments, disadvantaged neighborhoods, and having criminal peers. It should be noted that both categories of static risk factors are permanent and they cannot be changed through intervention. Dynamic risk factors however can be changed by intervention. Depending on the criteria that juveniles meet, the likelihood of becoming involved in crime, as well as the probability of recidivating, depends upon the severity of these factors. Since the factors cannot be treatment, static risk factors are typically higher among juvenile recidivists rather than dynamic ones are. The static factors associated with recidivism are young age of first offense, history of parental abuse and neglect, and a large number of past offenses. These are typically more severe among juvenile recidivists than for other juvenile offenders and explains why juvenile recidivism is higher among juveniles who