Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

Although much is known about the consequences of low self-control, little is known about how it develops during adolescence and what types of experiences trigger important changes. This study considers this by examining a key component of low self-control—risk-seeking propensity—to determine its stability and change during early adolescence, its effects on changes in delinquency, and its responsiveness to a comprehensive delinquency-reduction program. These issues were examined with data from the Children at Risk (CAR) program, a randomly assigned intervention that targeted early adolescents. The analysis revealed substantial stability in risk seeking, but there was evidence of change as well, and these changes were associated with contemporaneous changes in delinquency. Risk-seeking changes were not, however, a result of participation in the CAR program, despite that program’s success at reducing some forms of delinquency. The theoretical and policy implications of these findings are addressed.

The prospective link between early life exposure to violence and victimization and subsequent antisocial behaviors is known as the cycle of violence. Although the cycle of violence has been linked to an array of behavioral and psychiatric outcomes, less is known about its relationship to compliance with the juvenile/criminal justice systems. Data from 813 confined delinquents selected from the California Youth Authority and the Traumatic Experiences scale from the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument Version 2 (MAYSI-2) were used to examine the cycle of violence and three forms of misconduct. After controlling for other 18 demographics, delinquent history, commitment offense type, and comorbid psychiatric symptoms that are consistent with the importation model of inmate behavior, the authors found that wards with greater exposure to early life trauma evinced more sexual misconduct, suicidal activity, and total misconduct reviewed by the parole board. Implications and discussion for future research are offered.

Brubaker, S. J., & Fox, K.C., (2010) Urban African American girls at risk: An exploratory study of service needs and provision. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice. 8(2), 122-137. Original DOI: 10.1177/1541204009361179. This article has been retracted due to the republishing of this article in the July 2010 issue of Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 8(3). The July issue will be a special issue titled Issues in Race and Social Control, dedicated to the author of the article, Kristan C. Fox. Please find the republished article now in Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 8(3), 250-265, DOI: 10.1177/1541204010376319.

One of the most commonly recommended strategies for youth to stop bullying is to report incidents to an adult. Although reporting is preferred, ultimately, victims will use strategies that they perceive to be most effective. This study investigated victims’ strategies to stop bullying, as well as their perceptions of each strategy’s effectiveness. In all, 50% of participating school students (n = 2,615) reported at least one form of victimization. The most common strategies used against bullying were fighting back (63%), ignoring the bullying (52%), telling an adult at home (44%), and reporting the abuse to a peer (42%). The most successful strategies reported were counter-aggression (75%), making a safety plan (74%), and telling a peer (71%) or an adult at home (71%). Implications for practice are for school staff to deconstruct the idea of counter-aggression as an effective strategy against violence and to improve perceptions of staff responses to victimization.

This article describes the development and validation of a scale designed to measure positive peer influence. Participants from six teen court sites completed an anonymous survey (N = 202), which included the newly developed Teen Court Peer Influence Scale (TCPIS). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test three measurement models to determine the best fit to the data. The final measurement model included three reciprocal factors: positive cognitions, positive identity development, and modeling positive behaviors. The model illustrated strong psychometric properties and provides a framework that may be used to augment practice.