Discriminant Factors for Adolescent Sexual Offending: On the Usefulness of Considering Both Victim Age & Sibling Incest

Understanding the pathways and circumstances of juvenile sexual offending is of utmost importance. However, juvenile sexual offenders (JSO) represent an especially diverse group of individuals, and several categorizations have been proposed to obtain more homogeneous subgroups. Victim age-based and family relation-based categorizations are particularly promising because they seem theoretically and clinically relevant. Empirical results however are still inconsistent, and most studies have not considered these two dimensions jointly. 

The first goal of this study was to further examine the value of subgrouping JSO according to the age of their victim. A second goal was to determine the supplementary value, if any, of considering sibling incest. Based on a sample of 351 male JSO, it was first confirmed that sexual abuse of children was more strongly related to asociality (social skill deficits) than sexual abuse of peers, the latter being more closely associated with antisociality (general delinquency). 

The relevance of considering mixed-type JSO (with both child and peer victims) separately was also confirmed. More importantly, multivariate statistical analyses demonstrated that adding sibling incest to the equation was useful. JSO of intra-familial child were significantly more likely to have been victimized during their own childhood compared to JSO with extra-familial victims. Nevertheless, adolescents who had committed sibling incest obtained middle ground results on most variables (except for crime severity), suggesting that they constitute a distinct but not extreme, subgroup. 

This study confirmed the utility of using both the age and the family relation with the victim in characterizing juvenile sexual offending.

Purchase full article at:   http://goo.gl/rSU1wu

By:  Joyal CC1, Carpentier J1, Martin C1.

• 1Psychology Department, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, G9A 5H7; Research Center, Institut Philippe-Pinel de Montréal, Quebec, Canada; International Center for Comparative Criminology, Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada. 
• Child Abuse Negl. 2016 Feb 19;54:10-22. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.01.006.

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health

Modifiable Neighborhood Features Associated with Adolescent Homicide

IMPORTANCE:

Homicide is a leading cause of adolescent mortality. To our knowledge, relatively little has been studied in terms of the association between environmental neighborhood features, such as streets, buildings, and natural surroundings, and severe violent injury among youth.

OBJECTIVE:

To assess associations between environmental neighborhood features and adolescent homicide in order to identify targets for future place-based interventions.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:

Population-based case-control study conducted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from April 15, 2008, to March 31, 2014. We identified adolescents who died by homicide at 13 to 20 years of age from 2010 to 2012 while residing in Philadelphia. We used incidence-density sampling and random-digit dialing to recruit control participants ages 13 to 20 years matched on sex and indoor-outdoor location at the time of each index case participant's homicide.

EXPOSURES:

To obtain environmental data about modifiable features that were present in the immediate surroundings of our case and control participants, blinded field researchers used standardized techniques to photograph case and control participant outdoor locations. Photographic data were stitched together to create 360° panoramic images that were coded for 60 elements of the visible environment.

MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURE:

Adolescent homicide.

RESULTS:

We enrolled 143 homicide case participants (mean [SD] age, 18.4 [1.5] years) and 155 matched control participants (mean [SD] age, 17.2 [2.1] years) who were both outdoors at the time of the homicide. In adjusted analyses, multiple features of Philadelphia streets, buildings, and natural surroundings were associated with adolescent homicide. The presence of street lighting, illuminated walk/don't walk signs, painted marked crosswalks, public transportation, parks, and maintained vacant lots were significantly associated with decreased odds of homicide. The odds of homicide were significantly higher in locations with stop signs, security bars/gratings on houses, and private bushes/plantings.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:

Using a population-based case-control design, we identified multiple modifiable environmental features that might be targeted in future randomized intervention trials designed to reduce youth violence by improving neighborhood context.

Purchase full article at:   http://goo.gl/bwImBg

By:  Culyba AJ1, Jacoby SF2, Richmond TS3, Fein JA4, Hohl BC5, Branas CC2.

• 1The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania2Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
• 2Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
• 3Biobehavioral and Health Systems Department, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
• 4The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 5Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway. 
• JAMA Pediatr. 2016 Mar 7. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.4697. 

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health

The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Guidelines for The Treatment of Adolescent Sexual Offenders with Paraphilic Disorders

The primary aim of these guidelines was to evaluate the role of pharmacological agents in the treatment of adolescents with paraphilic disorders who are also sexual offenders or at-risk of sexual offending. Psychotherapeutic and psychosocial treatments were also reviewed. Adolescents with paraphilic disorders specifically present a different therapeutic challenge as compared to adults. In part, the challenge relates to adolescents being in various stages of puberty and development, which may limit the use of certain pharmacological agents due to their potential side effects. In addition, most of the published treatment programmes have used cognitive behavioural interventions, family therapies and psychoeducational interventions. Psychological treatment is predicated in adolescents on the notion that sexually deviant behaviour can be controlled by the offender, and that more adaptive behaviours can be learned.

The main purposes of these guidelines are to improve the quality of care and to aid physicians in their clinical decisions. These guidelines brought together different expert views and involved an extensive literature research. Each treatment recommendation was evaluated and discussed with respect to the strength of evidence for efficacy, safety, tolerability and feasibility. An algorithm is proposed for the treatment of paraphilic disorders in adolescent sexual offenders or those who are at risk...

In summary: Psychosocial education was an unclear combination of CBT and education mainly focused on sexual attitude and the improvement of victim empathy. Only four studies (Hains et al., ¹⁹⁸⁶; Graves et al.¹⁹⁹²; Lab et al. ¹⁹⁹³; Heran ²⁰⁰⁵) had comparison groups receiving non-specific treatment or a waiting-list control group. Psychosocial education treatments were principally delivered in peer group settings. In total, more than 500 male adolescent sexual offenders (no females) were included in these programmes. Recidivism rates were used as outcome measures in about half of studies, 8–20% recidivism for sexual offences was observed depending on the duration of the follow-up (10 years when the recidivism rate was 20%). In the other studies different outcome measures were used and cannot be compared except for victim empathy, which was improved. Generally, due to the various and uncontrolled study designs used, the results were not convincing...

In summary: This combination of well-structured CBT and family therapy seems very promising, especially for sexual offences but has only been studied by one North American group. It needs to be replicated by other groups. The studies were randomised and the comparison groups were using, in most cases, CBT as usual, a hundred adolescents (mainly sexual offenders, including three females) were receiving MST...

In summary: Psychosocial education was an unclear combination of CBT and education mainly focused on sexual attitude and the improvement of victim empathy. Only four studies (Hains et al., ¹⁹⁸⁶; Graves et al.¹⁹⁹²; Lab et al. ¹⁹⁹³; Heran ²⁰⁰⁵) had comparison groups receiving non-specific treatment or a waiting-list control group. Psychosocial education treatments were principally delivered in peer group settings. In total, more than 500 male adolescent sexual offenders (no females) were included in these programmes. Recidivism rates were used as outcome measures in about half of studies, 8–20% recidivism for sexual offences was observed depending on the duration of the follow-up (10 years when the recidivism rate was 20%). In the other studies different outcome measures were used and cannot be compared except for victim empathy, which was improved. Generally, due to the various and uncontrolled study designs used, the results were not convincing...

From this review we may conclude that for the treatment of adolescent sexual offenders:

• overall, there is a low level of scientific evidence;
• randomised controlled trials are lacking, which can be attributed to the logistic, legal and ethical challenges faced by researchers on such sensitive social issues (Långström et al. ²⁰¹³);
• research focused on pharmacological treatment is also lacking;
• the effectiveness of segregated treatment units for juvenile sexual offenders has not been proven; however, it is often necessary for the juvenile to be temporarily placed outside of his family home when he has perpetrated against family members.

The study results indicate the following useful trends:

• when pre- and post-evaluation is available, it is in favour of the treatment group (as in adults), particularly in juvenile sexual offenders at moderate risk of reoffending;
• drop outs of treatment programmes do worse in the long term than sexual offenders who completed the programme (as in adults);
• differences between “older” and “younger” adolescents are suggested (Hunter and Goodwin, ¹⁹⁹²);
• information concerning potential adverse outcomes of treatment is not available;
• motivation for treatment is generally not assessed. Due to the high rate of treatment non-compliance, incorporating into pre-treatment and treatment programmes strategies that minimise attrition may be helpful (Reitzel and Carbonell ²⁰⁰⁶). In general, adjudicated youths are more motivated for treatment; and
• finally, the important roles that caregiver discipline and youth association with deviant peers play in the development and maintenance of antisocial behaviour have been supported consistently by an extensive correlational and longitudinal literature (Loeber & Farrington ¹⁹⁹⁸)... 

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/FJauTf

By:  Florence Thibaut, a , * John M. W. Bradford, b Peer Briken, c Flora De La Barra, d Frank Häßler, e Paul Cosyns, f and on behalf of the WFSBP Task Force on Sexual Disorders

a University Hospital Cochin, Faculty of Medicine Paris Descartes, INSERM U 894 CPN, Paris, France

b University of Ottawa, Institute of Mental Health Research, Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Queen’s University, Clinical Director, Forensic Treatment Unit, Brockville Mental Health Centre, Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, Brockville, Ontario, Canada

c Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

d East Psychiatry and Mental Health Department, University of Chile, Clinica Las Condes, Chile

e Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Medicine of Rostock, Rostock, Germany

f University Forensic Centre (University Hospital of Antwerp), Belgium

^* Chair: Florence Thibaut (France). Co-Chairs: John W. Bradford (Canada), Paul Cosyns (Belgium). Secretary: Peer Briken (Germany). Members: Flora de la Barra (Chile), Yesim Taneli (Turkey), Harvey Gordon (UK), Ariel Rosler (Israel), Elie Witztum (Israel).

CONTACT Professor Florence Thibaut ; Email: rf.phpa@tuabiht.ecnerolf, University Hospital Cochin (site Tarnier), Department of Psychiatry and Addictive disorders, 89 rue d’Assas, 75006Paris, France.

World J Biol Psychiatry. 2016 Jan 2; 17(1): 2–38. Published online 2015 Nov 23. doi:  10.3109/15622975.2015.1085598

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health

Factors Associated with Recidivism among Adolescents Girls in Conflict with the Law in an Institution in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil

Recidivism is a challenge for the Brazilian socio-educational system because it is associated with personal, social and environmental factors, especially among juvenile offenders. 

This study examined key characteristics and potential association with recidivism in 391 female adolescent offenders from a correctional institution in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil, between 2004 and 2011. Cross-sectional data on socio-demographics, drug use and offense characteristics from institutional information were examined. Associate factors with recidivism were examined using negative binomial regression analyses. 32.5% of offenders were recidivists at present admission and the mean frequency of recidivism among recidivists was 2.16. About half (53.6%) of the sample reported drug use. 

After the adjustment, recidivism was positively associated with: age; offender's drug use; residence status; offense type; and no family drug use. Factors associated with juvenile offenders' recidivism confirm findings from elsewhere, and should inform targeted interventions in Brazil.

Select socio-demographic, drug use and offense characteristics of female adolescent offenders (n = 284). Brasília, Federal District, Brazil, 2004-2011. 

Characteristic	Frequency (n = 284)	%
Age (years)
≤ 15	99	39.4
16	80	28.2
17	96	33.8
18	9	3.2
Type of offence
Robbery/Attempted robbery	116	40.8
Theft	20	7.0
Drug dealing/Possession	74	26.1
Attempt against life	28	9.9
Threat and extortion	14	4.9
Bodily injury/Fight/Contempt	12	4.2
Other	20	7.0
Offender drug use
No	134	47.2
Yes	150	52.8
Family drug use
No	215	75.7
Yes	69	24.3
Attending school at the time of detention
No	185	65.1
Yes	99	34.9
Residence status
Parents/Other relatives	198	30.3
On her own	86	69.7

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/7QsiAm

By:  Gallassi AD1, Santos SL1, Santos VD1, Nakano EY2, Fischer B3, Galinkin AL4, Wagner GA5.

• 1Faculdade de Ceilândia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
• 2Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
• 3Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.
• 4Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
• 5Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
• Cad Saude Publica. 2015 Dec;31(12):2569-76. doi: 10.1590/0102-311X00171014. 

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health

Correlates of African American Female Adolescent Offenders 3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or “Ecstasy”) Use and Sexually Transmitted Infection Morbidity

The current study was designed to determine the extent to which self-reported ecstasy use in a population of juvenile adolescent detainees in a southern state is associated with high-risk health behaviors pertaining to sexually transmitted infection (STI) symptomology and past history of STI occurrence. Participants were 764 African American females extracted from an overall sample of 2,260 juvenile offenders housed at selected Youth Development Campuses in the state of Georgia. Significance tests were conducted using univariate logistic regressions to examine the independent associations of participant’s self-reported ecstasy use and dichotomized HIV risk behavior correlates and history of having a prior STI before the most recent incarceration Participants who reported ecstasy use prior to incarceration were 1.7 (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 0.78–3.64) and 1.8 times (OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.24–2.81) more likely respectively to indicate having had genital warts or chlamydia, and were more than 1.5 times (OR = 2.21, 95% CI = 0.83–5.44) and two times more likely to report having had gonorrhea or herpes, accordingly. Prevention programs for adolescent offender populations should develop interventions that target adolescents’ substance use behavior as a function of STI risk taking as well as being culturally competent to deal specifically with these problem behaviors.

...Findings demonstrate that the use of this drug occurred among approximately 16% of the study sample, a rate higher than the level of use observed by von Sydow and colleagues in their study, albeit their measure was ecstasy/stimulant/hallucinogen use in a sample of adolescents and young adults (von Sydow, Lieb, Pfister, Höfler, & Wittchen, 2002). Our findings of participants’ reported history of ecstasy use prior to this incarceration period was nearly half that of the 30% reported by Cottler and associates in their investigation of ecstasy abuse and dependence among adolescents and young adults, a sample that was 52% were female and 23% nonwhite (Cottler, Womack, Compton, & Ben-Abdallah, 2001). We also observed significant higher rates of STI symptomology in the form of feeling that they needed to urinate frequently, pain in the lower pelvis or deep in the vagina during sex, and bleeding from the vagina at times other than participant’s regular menstrual cycle. African American female detainees in our sample who reported using the drug were significantly more like to report having had chlamydia, with the likelihood of having had gonorrhea previously approaching significance.

This investigation is important for several reasons. First, use of ecstasy can have a neurotoxic impact on users leading to deficits in memory and verbal ability (Cowan et al., 2009; Montgomery & Fisk, 2008; NIDA, 2004), and other problems associated with ecstasy use include but are not limited to lowered immune function and sleeping disorders (Connor, 2004; Schierenbeck et al., 2008). Last, adolescent users of ecstasy under 18 years of age are considered to be more vulnerable to its potential neurotoxic effects (Buchert et al., 2001), which makes it an important item of investigation in terms of problem behaviors that may occur due to its use, in particular behaviors that manifest in the form of sexual risk taking and outcomes associated with STI morbidity...

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/RvyNsg

By:  Torrance Stephens,a Rhonda Conerly Holliday,b Shakita Hopkins,c Shanhol Rose,d Ronald Braithwaite,b and Selina Smithe

Department of Psychology; and Department of Political Science, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

^bDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

^cDepartment of Biology, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

^dDepartment of Biology, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia, USA

^eInstitute of Public and Preventive Health, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA

CONTACT: Torrance Stephens ; Email: moc.liamg@dhpsnehpetst Department of Psychology and Department of Political Science, Clark Atlanta University, Knowles Hall 107, 223 James P. Brawley Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA

J Hum Behav Soc Environ. 2016; 26(2): 194–201.

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health

Adolescent Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder Growing Up: Follow-Up of Self-Reported Sexual Experience

Systematic research on sexual development in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains scant, notwithstanding the often-suggested relation between ASD, atypical, and even sexually offensive behaviours. 

This study compared follow-up data related to lifetime sexual experience (LTSE) in a homogeneous group of adolescent boys with ASD (n = 30), aged 16-20, with a matched group of boys in the general population (n = 60). Most boys in the ASD and control groups reported masturbation and having experienced an orgasm. 

The proportion of boys with ASD that had no partnered sexual experience was larger than in the control group. This difference was mostly explained by significantly fewer boys with ASD, compared with controls, who reported experience with kissing and petting; no significant differences emerged relating to more intimate partnered sexual experiences. The results suggest the existence of a subgroup of boys who have not (yet) entered the arena of partnered sexual experiences-a finding in line with research in adult samples. 

There were no differences relating to sexual abuse or coercion. Exploration of the partnered experiences revealed a variety of types of partners, mostly of comparable age. Several boys with ASD had not anticipated their sexual debut. Although they felt ready for it, some boys reported regret afterward. 

The hypothesised sexual developmental trajectories are subject to further research, but the sexual experience in this sample and the assumed developmental differences indicate the need for early, attuned, and comprehensive sexuality-related education and communication.

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/e5qXxa

By:  Dewinter J1,2, Vermeiren R3,4, Vanwesenbeeck I5,6, Van Nieuwenhuizen C7,8.

• 1Scientific Centre for Care and Welfare (Tranzo), Tilburg University, PO Box 90153 (T618), 5000 LE, Tilburg, The Netherlands. jeroen.dewinter@antwerpen.be.
• 2GGzE Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, PO Box 909 (DP1104), 5600 AX, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. jeroen.dewinter@antwerpen.be.
• 3Curium-LUMC, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO box 15, 2300 AA, Leiden, The Netherlands.
• 4Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU Medical Centre Amsterdam, PO Box 303, 1115 ZG, Duivendrecht, The Netherlands.
• 5Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, PO Box 80140, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
• 6Rutgers, PO Box 9022, 3506 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
• 7Scientific Centre for Care and Welfare (Tranzo), Tilburg University, PO Box 90153 (T618), 5000 LE, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
• 8GGzE Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, PO Box 909 (DP1104), 5600 AX, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. 
• Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2016 Jan 20.

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health

Eliminating the Competency Presumption in Juvenile Delinquency Cases

The legal presumption used in virtually all juvenile delinquency cases in the U.S. is that all juveniles are competent to stand trial. This Article calls for the elimination of that legal presumption, which is historically based on the Dusky v. United States decision and in the adult criminal justice system. 

The recent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court recognize the developmental and organic brain differences between adults and juveniles. Current research demonstrates a higher frequency rate of incompetence based on intellectual deficiencies among children when compared with adults found to be not legally competent to stand trial. 

By eliminating the competency presumption for juveniles in both delinquency and adult criminal proceedings, the party seeking an adjudication would be responsible for establishing that the accused juvenile is in fact, competent to stand trial. Foreign jurisdictions in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America have long required higher thresholds--at least fourteen years of age--for holding juveniles accountable for criminal misconduct, none of them presuming that juveniles are competent to go to trial. In the alternative, by expanding the factors currently in use for determination of juvenile competency by adding developmental immaturity and mental illness, juvenile justice systems could identify the reduction of recidivist offending as the primary systemic objective.

Full PDF article at:   http://goo.gl/XjgWw8

By:  Katner DR1.

• 1Tulane Law School. 
• Cornell J Law Public Policy. 2015 Spring;24(3):403-50.

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health

Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Recidivism in Youth Offenders

The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of childhood maltreatment on youth offender recidivism in Singapore. The study used case file coding on a sample of 3,744 youth offenders, among whom about 6% had a childhood maltreatment history. The results showed that the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory 2.0 (YLS/CMI 2.0) ratings significantly predicted recidivism for nonmaltreated youth offenders, but not for maltreated youth offenders. Using propensity score matching, the result from a Cox regression analysis showed that maltreated youth offenders were 1.38 times as likely as their nonmaltreated counterparts to reoffend with a follow-up period of up to 7.4 years. The results implied that the YLS/CMI 2.0 measures were insufficient for assessing the risk for recidivism for the maltreated youth offenders, and that other information is needed to help assessors use the professional override when making the overall risk ratings.

...Specifically, the present study showed that the recidivism rate for maltreated offenders was higher at 57% as compared with 38% for nonmaltreated offenders. This pattern of higher recidivism rate among maltreated offenders was similar to previous studies. For example, the recidivism rate was 56% versus 41% among U.S. youth who were involved in both child protection and juvenile probation services as compared with those delinquency cases only (Huang et al., 2012). These results suggest that youth offenders with a childhood maltreatment history are at higher risk of reoffending than those without.

The current study also showed that the maltreated youth offenders had different profiles. For example, the maltreated offenders were arrested for the first time about half a year younger on average than the nonmaltreated offenders. This is consistent with previous research in that childhood maltreatment may “speed up the age” when an individual becomes involved in criminal activities (Widom, 1989). In addition, previous studies have found that earlier engagement in criminal activities is one of the strongest predictors of recidivism (Barrett, Katsiyannis, & Zhang, 2010; Benda, Corwyn, & Toombs, 2001; Cottle et al., 2001; K. C. Thompson & Morris, 2013). Prevention programs can thus focus on dealing with the youth’s early entry into the juvenile justice system, especially for the maltreated children, by promoting effective parenting skills and increasing family supervision (Borum, 2003). It is also important that existing policies relating to youth services ensure that these maltreated youth are promptly provided with the relevant treatment services to address trauma-related problems.

On top of the differences pertaining to personal traits, the current research showed that more maltreated youth offenders were from a background with household and parental problems. These findings suggest that children from certain families are more likely to be maltreated and such differences in their background may confound the true relationship between childhood maltreatment and recidivism. Unlike most of the previous studies that gauge childhood maltreatment effect without a proper control group, the present study used nonmaltreated youth offenders with similar backgrounds as control. Controlling for other variables and differences in the follow-up period, the maltreated youth offenders were 1.38 times as likely to reoffend as the nonmaltreated offenders. In other words, childhood maltreatment was a unique contributor of youth offender recidivism even after controlling for their YLS/CMI 2.0 Overall Risk Ratings, as well as another 15 risk factors relating to their personal characteristics, household environment, and parental background.

There is a possibility that maltreated youth offenders might have developed distinct characteristics that made them more prone to future criminal behavior. Specifically, maltreated youth offenders had significantly higher levels of criminogenic needs in terms of antisocial personality. This suggests that the link between childhood maltreatment and delinquency may be mediated by personality traits... 

Below:  Survival curve for maltreated and nonmaltreated youth offenders with different risk levels of recidivism in the full sample

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/HekxwQ

By:  Dongdong Li, Chi Meng Chu, Joseph Teck Ling Goh, Irene Y. H. Ng, and Gerald Zeng

Joseph Teck Ling Goh, Ministry of Social and Family Development;

Contributor Information.

Dongdong Li, Centre for Research on Rehabilitation and Protection, Ministry of Social and Family Development, 512 Thomson Road, #12-00 MSF Building, Singapore 298136, Singapore; e-mail: gs.vog.fsm@gnodgnod_il.

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health