Forensic Psychology in Juvenile Delinquency and Recidivism

Vitopoulos, N. A., Peterson-Badali, M., Brown, S., & Skilling, T. A. (2018). The Relationship Between Trauma, Recidivism Risk, and Reoffending in Male and Female Juvenile Offenders. Journal of Child &Amp; Adolescent Trauma, 12(3), 351–364. Web.

The authors are affiliated with the University of Toronto as researchers in the field of psychology. The report’s intended audience was the policymakers involved in modifying the RNR framework of assessing and managing risks of juvenile offenses. Accordingly, the article expands the knowledge on forensic psychology issues on juvenile delinquency, underemphasizing trauma as a risk in juvenile (re)offenses. Vitopoulos et al. (2018) stipulated that past literature provided distinct empirical grounds for trauma being a resonating factor instigating juvenile crimes. However, the integration of the phenomenon is underemphasized in correctional interventions. Thus, the article offers a new perspective in considering trauma identification as a recourse to rehabilitating juvenile delinquents and reducing reoffence and recidivism.

The article attempts to give empirical evidence of the interlink of post-traumatic stress symptomology, childhood adversity, and maltreatment as risk factors for recidivism and reoffending. Furthermore, trauma is considered a gender-salient risk factor that was equally ignored in juvenile rehabilitation in the RNR responsitivity principle. Consequently, females were hypothesized to have higher childhood maltreatment rates and traumatic events. Hence, the research considered Youth Reported Stress Post Traumatic Stress trends, deducing that females scored higher in their traumatic assessment (M= 12.00, SD = 6.20) than males (M= 9.00, SD = 4.90). Moreover, females were more likely to experience more than two maltreatments than boys, with 45% of them against 26% respectively. The data reinforce the central assumption and connote that RNR is gender neutral despite acknowledging that trauma is gender salient. Conclusively, the research is significant to my study, enlightening the research topic centered on understanding how mental health links to recidivism issues.

Stankovic, M., Simonovic, N., Bulatovic, J., Stojiljkovic, J., Hadzi-Pesic, M., & Nesic, M. (2019). The prediction of criminal recidivism in male juvenile delinquents. Psihologija, 52(3), 285–301. Web.

The authors are researchers working within Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München philosophy and psychology departments. The intended audience is the forensic psychology analysts who have presented a gap in their studies, failing to integrate the idea of personal experiences and characteristics of delinquents as a factor of recidivism. The study’s empirical basis was presented to defend the assumption that there are predictors of juvenile delinquents’ probability of recidivism based on the delinquent’s personality traits and family experiences. Characteristics considered included openness to experience, neuroticism, conscientiousness, extraversion, aggressiveness, positive valence, and negative valence. On the other hand, systematic analysis was conducted using the Quality of Family Interaction scale to determine the state of experiences among delinquents compared with non-delinquents.

The research findings indicate that the personal traits of neuroticism, parental rejection, negative valence, and aggression were viable risk factors for recidivism. Research findings indicate a correlation between individual characteristics and juvenile delinquency as they indicate a variation in their neuroticism and conscientiousness with higher and lower dispositions for delinquents and non-delinquents, respectively. It implied that non-delinquents were more conscientious and less neurotic, offering less predictor of the risk of recidivism. The disposition was also predicted by the high scoring for delinquents who were not accepted by their mothers as a limitation of family interaction. As such, there are significant correlations between personality traits and experience and the potential risk of recidivism.

Accordingly, the article feeds into my research on the holistic application of forensic psychology to make suitable predictions of recidivism risk. The study reveals that negative valence presented negative self-perceptions that reinforced traits. They form manipulative features in delinquents that support predicting the probability of their (re)offense. As such, rehabilitative systems reveal gaps in the application of forensic psychology in rehabilitating juvenile delinquents, considering their traits. The article is essential in understanding the potential adjustments in the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders.

Fairfax-Columbo, J., Fishel, S., & DeMatteo, D. (2019). Distinguishing “incorrigibility” from “transient immaturity”: Risk assessment in the context of sentencing/resentencing evaluations for juvenile homicide offenders. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 5(2), 132–142. Web.

Fairfax-Columbo, Fishel, and DeMatteo are seasoned researchers acknowledged by Drexel University. Their perceived audience is the implementors of the RNR assessment framework. Consequently, the authors purposed to show the differences between Incorrigibility and transient immaturity as definitive factors in juvenile risk assessment of recidivism. Under these assumptions, incorrigibility suppositions argue that offenders sustain their tendencies throughout their lifetime. Inversely, the transient principle perceives offensiveness as a risk factor that diminishes with the lapsing of the sentencing time.

The evaluation centers on the modifications of law allowing juvenile life without parole JLWOP sentences and LWOP as the harshest sentencing. Court judgments relied on the risk assessment of whether a felon was incorrigible or irreparably corrupt, determining their probability of recidivism. Thus, the article evaluated the assessment tools based on the long-term effectiveness of risk determination of a youth homicidal convict to refrain from further offenses while sentenced. The discrepancy in the conviction of risk forms the basis of the study evaluating the Designed Calculation of Violence Risk in Youth and the Youth Level of Service/Case Management as tools exploited. These assessments are considered essential in supporting the RNR framework (Risk-Need-Responsivity) employed as a standard model for determining risk factors that can be corrected or adjustable.

Nonetheless, the article assumptions are that criminal restraint is experienced between ages 20-30 through gradual desistance as follows (56.8% among Ages 19-26, 38.4% among Ages 27 and 36, 23.2% among Ages 37 and 46, and 10.7% among Ages 47 and 56). Therefore, the authors offer insight into my research on the potential for risk reduction over time that can be enhanced with correctional initiative or risk reduction therapy. It presents a case for transient immaturity that the risk of offense is diminished in the incarcerated over time.