The proposed study is designed to test the relationship between deviant peer exposure and recidivism among youth in the juvenile justice system. Deviant peer exposure has been strongly associated with growth in problem behavior among adolescents, a process termed deviancy training by Dishion and colleagues. Deviancy training has been demonstrated to operate in treatment settings with high risk adolescents as well as with children with ADHD but has not been well tested empirically in the juvenile justice system. Deviancy training in the juvenile justice system could exacerbate criminal behavior and potentially increase recidivism rates. Furthermore, growth in criminal behavior among adolescents has been found to be accompanied by growth in other maladaptive behaviors such as substance use and risky sexual behavior. Exacerbation of problem behaviors among youth involved in juvenile justice systems could be particularly problematic, as these youth have higher rates of mental health disorders than adolescents in the general population. Therefore, it is important to examine the role that deviancy training may play in increasing recidivism. This study takes advantage of a natural experiment created by current standard practices in the juvenile justice system in the state of South Carolina to evaluate empirically the effects of deviancy training and the role this plays in recidivism. South Carolina has a two prong system for pre-disposition psychosocial evaluations of youth who have been adjudicated delinquent. These evaluations can occur in community (home) or residential (secure facility) settings. Recidivism rates will be compared among similar youth with no prior offenses who are evaluated in the community to those evaluated in a residential setting. Recidivism is defined as re-arrest in the three year period following the pre-disposition evaluation. ANOVA and survival curve strategies will be used to assess the impact of deviant peer exposure on type and rate of future offenses. The role of potential moderating variables in this process (e.g. age, gender, family characteristics) will also be examined. Relevance: Increased recidivism among juvenile offenders represents a threat to public health through the psychological, physical, social, and financial impact of crime on both its victims and on youthful offenders.
| Shapiro, Cheri J; Smith, Bradley H; Malone, Patrick S et al. (2010) Natural experiment in deviant peer exposure and youth recidivism. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 39:242-51 |
