This is an archive of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP's) electronic newsletter OJJDP News @ a Glance. The information in this archived resource may be outdated and links may no longer function. Visit our website at https://www.ojjdp.gov for current information.
July | August 2015

New Publications

All OJJDP publications may be viewed and downloaded on the publications section of the OJJDP website. Print publications may be ordered online at the National Criminal Justice Reference Service website.

Studying Deterrence Among High-Risk  Adolescents Studying Deterrence Among High-Risk Adolescents (Bulletin)
NCJ 248617
Pathways to Desistance Bulletin Series

This bulletin presents some key findings on the link between perceptions of the threat of sanctions and deterrence from crime among serious adolescent offenders. Some of the findings show that there was no meaningful reduction in offending or arrests in response to more severe punishment (e.g., correctional placement, longer stays), policies targeting specific types of offending may be more effective at deterring youth from engaging in these specific offenses as opposed to general policies aimed at overall crime reduction, and that in response to an arrest, youth slightly increased their risk perceptions, which is a necessary condition for deterrence.

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Coming Soon—

Beyond Detention Series
The following bulletins from the Office's Beyond Detention series present findings from the OJJDP-sponsored Northwestern Juvenile Project—a longitudinal study of youth detained at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago, IL.

Violent Death in Delinquent Youth After Detention

The authors looked at mortality rates among the youth enrolled in the project. Among their findings: The standardized mortality rate for delinquent youth is more than four times the rate for youth in the general population. More specifically, the mortality rate for delinquent female youth is nearly eight times the rate in the general population, African American youth experience the highest mortality rate, and the vast majority of deaths among delinquent youth were homicides from gunshot wounds.

Perceived Barriers to Mental Health Services Among Detained Youth

The authors examined youth’s perceptions of barriers to mental health services, focusing on youth with alcohol, drug, and mental health disorders. Among their findings: Most frequently, youth did not receive services because they believed their problems would go away without outside help (56.5 percent); nearly one-third of youth (31.7 percent) were not sure whom to contact or where to get help; and nearly one-fifth of the sample (19.1 percent) reported difficulty in obtaining help.

 

Psychiatric Disorders in Youth After Detention

The authors discuss findings related to the prevalence and persistence of psychiatric disorders in youth after detention. Five years after the first interview, more than 45 percent of male juveniles and nearly 30 percent of female juveniles had one or more psychiatric disorders. Substance use disorders were the most common and most likely to persist. As compared to African Americans, non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics had higher rates of substance use disorders. Females had higher rates of depression over time.

 

Detained Youth Processed in Juvenile and Adult Court: Psychiatric Disorders and Mental Health Needs

This bulletin presents results of a study of the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among youth transferred to adult criminal court compared with those processed in juvenile court. Results of this OJJDP-sponsored study indicate that many youth are being transferred to adult criminal court, with males, African Americans, Hispanics, and older youth significantly more likely to be processed in adult criminal court than females, non-Hispanic whites, and younger youth. Among youth processed in adult criminal court, those sentenced to prison had significantly greater odds than those who received a less severe sentence of having a disruptive behavior disorder, a substance use disorder, or co-occurring affective and anxiety disorders.