PATHWAYS TO DESISTANCE: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF SERIOUS ADOLESCENT OFFENDERS

This study follows 1200 serious adolescent offenders, ages 15 to 17 at baseline, for six years after court involvement for a felony offense. The goals of the study are to: 1) identify initial patterns of desistance from antisocial activity in serious adolescent offenders; 2) describe the role of social context and developmental changes in promoting positive behavioral change; and 3) compare the effects of juvenile justice sanctions and interventions in promoting positive change and desistance from criminal behavior. Adolescent offenders are drawn from two large metropolitan areas, Phoenix and Philadelphia. Subjects with substantial offending histories are recruited at intake, disposition, and release from incarceration; and will be interviewed twice annually for a minimum of three years, followed by annual interviews after that. Interviews include a review of relevant official records. Data will be collected on background characteristics (e.g., service and sanction history), mediating factors (e.g., vocational opportunities), changes in functioning (e.g., drug and alcohol use), and juvenile justice sanctions and interventions. Data analysis will focus on identifying subgroups of offenders and estimating the impact of life events, interventions, and sanctions on desistance from and continuation of criminal behavior. Because the population under study consists entirely of serious adolescent offenders, the researchers have ensured that a significant portion of the sample contains youth reentering the community from secure correctional facilities. (Otherwise, the possibility exists that the entire sample might be incarcerated for the length of the project, reducing the study's ability to identify factors related to later desistance.)

NCA/NCF

This study follows 1200 serious adolescent offenders, ages 15 to 17 at baseline, for six years after court involvement for a felony offense. The goals of the study are to: 1) identify initial patterns of desistance from antisocial activity in serious adolescent offenders; 2) describe the role of social context and developmental changes in promoting positive behavioral change; and 3) compare the effects of juvenile justice sanctions and interventions in promoting positive change and desistance from criminal behavior. Adolescent offenders are drawn from two large metropolitan areas, Phoenix and Philadelphia. Subjects with substantial offending histories are recruited at intake, disposition, and release from incarceration; and will be interviewed twice annually for a minimum of three years, followed by annual interviews after that. Interviews include a review of relevant official records. Data will be collected on background characteristics (e.g., service and sanction history), mediating factors (e.g., vocational opportunities), changes in functioning (e.g., drug and alcohol use), and juvenile justice sanctions and interventions. Data analysis will focus on identifying subgroups of offenders and estimating the impact of life events, interventions, and sanctions on desistance from and continuation of criminal behavior. Because the population under study consists entirely of serious adolescent offenders, the researchers have ensured that a significant portion of the sample contains youth reentering the community from secure correctional facilities. (Otherwise, the possibility exists that the entire sample might be incarcerated for the length of the project, reducing the study's ability to identify factors related to later desistance.)

NCA/NCF

This study follows 1200 serious adolescent offenders, ages 15 to 17 at baseline, for six years after court involvement for a felony offense. The goals of the study are to: 1) identify initial patterns of desistance from antisocial activity in serious adolescent offenders; 2) describe the role of social context and developmental changes in promoting positive behavioral change; and 3) compare the effects of juvenile justice sanctions and interventions in promoting positive change and desistance from criminal behavior. Adolescent offenders are drawn from two large metropolitan areas, Phoenix and Philadelphia. Subjects with substantial offending histories are recruited at intake, disposition, and release from incarceration; and will be interviewed twice annually for a minimum of three years, followed by annual interviews after that. Interviews include a review of relevant official records. Data will be collected on background characteristics (e.g., service and sanction history), mediating factors (e.g., vocational opportunities), changes in functioning (e.g., drug and alcohol use), and juvenile justice sanctions and interventions. Data analysis will focus on identifying subgroups of offenders and estimating the impact of life events, interventions, and sanctions on desistance from and continuation of criminal behavior. Because the population under study consists entirely of serious adolescent offenders, the researchers have ensured that a significant portion of the sample contains youth reentering the community from secure correctional facilities. (Otherwise, the possibility exists that the entire sample might be incarcerated for the length of the project, reducing the study's ability to identify factors related to later desistance.)

NCA/NCF

This study follows 1200 serious adolescent offenders, ages 15 to 17 at baseline, for three years after court involvement for a felony offense. The goals of the study are to: 1)identify initial patterns of desistance from antisocial activity in serious adolescent offenders; 2)describe the role of social context and developmental changes in promoting positive behavioral change; and 3) compare the effects of juvenile justice sanctions and interventions in promoting positive change and desistance from criminal behavior. Adolescent offenders are drawn from two large metropolitan areas, Phoenix and Philadelphia. Subjects with substantial offending histories are recruited at intake, disposition, and release from incarceration; and will be interviewed twice annually for a minimum of three years. Interviews include a review of relevant official records. Data will be collected on background characteristics (e.g., service and sanction history), mediating factors (e.g., vocational opportunities), changes in functioning (e.g., drug and alcohol use), and juvenile justice sanctions and interventions. Data analysis will focus on identifying subgroups of offenders and estimating the impact of life events, interventions, and sanctions on desistance from and continuation of criminal behavior. Because the population under study consists entirely of serious adolescent offenders, the researchers have ensured that a significant portion of the sample contains youth reentering the community from secure correctional facilities. (Otherwise, the possibility exists that the entire sample might be incarcerated for the length of the project, reducing the study's ability to identify factors related to later desistance.)

NCA/NCF

This study follows 1200 serious adolescent offenders, ages 15 to 17 at baseline, for six years after court involvement for a felony offense. The goals of the study are to: 1) identify initial patterns of desistance from antisocial activity in serious adolescent offenders; 2) describe the role of social context and developmental changes in promoting positive behavioral change; and 3) compare the effects of juvenile justice sanctions and interventions in promoting positive change and desistance from criminal behavior. Adolescent offenders are drawn from two large metropolitan areas, Phoenix and Philadelphia. Subjects with substantial offending histories are recruited at intake, disposition, and release from incarceration; and will be interviewed twice annually for a minimum of three years, followed by annual interviews after that. Interviews include a review of relevant official records. Data will be collected on background characteristics (e.g., service and sanction history), mediating factors (e.g., vocational opportunities), changes in functioning (e.g., drug and alcohol use), and juvenile justice sanctions and interventions. Data analysis will focus on identifying subgroups of offenders and estimating the impact of life events, interventions, and sanctions on desistance from and continuation of criminal behavior. Because the population under study consists entirely of serious adolescent offenders, the researchers have ensured that a significant portion of the sample contains youth reentering the community from secure correctional facilities. (Otherwise, the possibility exists that the entire sample might be incarcerated for the length of the project, reducing the study's ability to identify factors related to later desistance.)

NCA/NCF