Juvenile Justice System: A Case Study

Introduction
This paper will explore the impact of child abuse and maltreatment on delinquency and arrest rates. First, I will discuss brain development and levels of empathy adolescents appear to display. I will then factor in other possibilities that may have an effect on delinquency and arrest rates. Other possibilities will include: systematic factors [such as institutional racism] and brief discussion on the school-to-prison pipeline. After reviewing the population, I will share research that highlights child abuse and maltreatment in relation to juvenile justice. Finally there will be a discussion on treatment options; treatments included will cover mandated and volunteer admission. Recidivism rates amongst youth will be shared along with the significance of restorative justice. The interest in this topic sparked from my interest in the criminal justice system along with motivation and ideas proposed at my field placement, The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA).
Research Question
As mentioned previously, this paper will question whether or not there is an impact

of child abuse and maltreatment on juvenile delinquency and arrest rates. Based off of my own experiences in the criminal justice system, a history of abuse and neglect appear to be common theme amongst youthful offenders [or as I like to call them, my clients]. Adults involved with the criminal justice system have also reported experiencing child abuse and neglect or other related traumas. Some studies, which will be discussed below, highlight strong significance between juvenile and adult offenders with a history of trauma.
Learning Issue
With adolescents having ongoing brain development, they are more likely to engage in
risk-seeking behavior and less capable of making decisions based on long-term consequences
than the average adult with a fully developed brain (Cauffman & Steinberg, 2012). Although
this does not mean that adolescents should not be held responsible for their actions, it does mean
that they are perhaps less culpable than adults for the decisions they make (Ortiz, 2004).
Essentially, adolescent brains are wired to make impulsive decisions based on short-term
consequences. This leads many adolescents, especially those with added stress and histories of
trauma and abuse (Ortiz, 2004), to become involved in the juvenile justice system.
Systemic factors, such as institutional racism, also affect adolescent involvement in the justice system. In Illinois, adolescents who are Black are seven times more likely to be arrested
than adolescents who are White (Ishida, 2015). Black adolescents are five times more likely to
be arrested for drug related offenses, even though studies show that White adolescents use drugs
at a higher rate than Black adolescents (Ishida, 2015). Most arrests in Cook County are
concentrated in eight zip codes on Chicago’s South and West sides (Ishida, 2015).
The school-to-prison pipeline refers to the effect that zero-tolerance school policies have
on funneling students from schools into the criminal justice system (ACLU, 2015). These
policies result in automatic suspension or expulsion, and school-based arrests. The school-to prison pipeline targets minority, special-needs, and foster care involved youth. In Chicago,
Black students represent 42 percent of the CPS population, and 75 percent of school-based arrests (Project NIA, 2013).
Abuse and Juvenile Justice Involvement
One study (The Rochester Youth Development Study) showed strong relationships between childhood maltreatment and later delinquency. The Rochester study was a longitudal study that followed 1,000 urban adolescents over time. It was found that childhood abuse and maltreatment was a risk factor for formally recognized delinquency, violent self-reported offending acts along with less server self-reported delinquency. Through out the study, child maltreatment appeared to be a key risk factor for more serious crimes, such as assaults, but not lesser forms of delinquency, such as underage drinking (Kelley, Thornberry, & Smith, 1997).
Another study showed that abuse and neglect as a child increases the chances of arrest as an adolescent by 59 percent. It increases the chances of getting arrested as an adult by 28 percent (Widom & Maxfield, 2001). One study looked at more than 1,500 cases over time (the researchers matched 900 cases of substantiated child abuse with more than 650 cases of children who had not been abused). When the researchers looked at the children's race, they found that white children who had been abused and neglected were no more likely to be arrested for a violent crime than those who had not been abused or neglected. In fact, the likelihood of being arrested for a violent crime increased by 30 percent if there was abuse as a child (Widom & Maxfield, 2001).
Substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect increased the odds of arrest, general and violent offending, and illicit drug use in young adulthood (Smith, Ireland, & Thornberry, 2005). Female survivors of abuse, whom are aging out of foster care, are more likely to be involved in risky criminal behavior. A longitudinal study of 732 youth, with more than half being female, female youth with histories of abuse or neglect who are aging out of foster care self-reported more criminal behavior in late adolescence and throughout transition to early adulthood than their female peers (Smith, Ireland, & Thornberry, 2005). Male foster youth and their male peers noted more similar rates of risky criminal behavior. Most alarming, is that the percentage of female foster youth reporting ever being arrested by age 19 was higher than females and males in the general population across the United States (Smith, Ireland, & Thornberry, 2005). For instance, 34 percent of female foster youth reported being arrested compared to 20 percent of males and 3 percent of females across the nation (Smith, Ireland, & Thornberry, 2005). The proportion of arrests to self-reports of criminal behavior is much higher for those aging out of foster care that for those in the general population, especially, for female young adults.
Treatment and Interventions
Adolescents in the juvenile justice system are sometimes mandated to treatment.

Mandated clients are typically less engaged, less motivated, and may have difficulty developing
trust (Sung, Steven, Feng & Tabachnick, 2004). Most models of mental health treatment are not designed for non-voluntary clients, leading to lack of participation and overall less effective treatment with mandated clients. Suggested methods for better engaging a mandated client include motivational interviewing, solution-focused therapy, and strengths-based interviewing (Clark, 1996; Corcoran, 2011). These methods focus on meeting the client where they are at, focusing on goals the client sets for themselves, and building the client’s motivation to succeed (Jong & Berg, 2001).
Recidivism rates, although difficult to consistently define and measure, are very high

in
Illinois. Adolescents had a re-arrest rate of 86 percent within three years in Illinois (Bostwick,
Boulger, & Powers, 2012). 68 percent of juveniles in Illinois were re-incarcerated within three years (Bostwick, Boulger, & Powers, 2012). The use of restorative justice practices and increasing family involvement in adolescent treatment has been shown to reduce recidivism rates (Garfinkel, 2010; Ashley & Stevenson, n.d.). There are several evidence based therapy models that increase family involvement, but they are difficult to implement when adolescents are incarcerated due to logistical, financial, and psychological barriers (Garfinkel, 2010).
Restorative justice practices take a pragmatic approach to healing the harm caused by the crime by involving the survivor, the offender, and the community (Restorative Justice Online, 2015). By seeing crime as an injury to the survivor and the community, restorative justice creates meaningful ways of healing that incorporate both the offender and the survivor, leading to increased satisfaction on the part of the survivor, and increased rehabilitation on the part of the offender (Ashley & Stevenson, n.d.). Peace circles, appropriated from Native American (and Canadian First Nation) cultural practices, provide space for open communication between the offender, survivor, and community and serve to empower all parties involved while promoting respect and understanding (Ashley & Stevenson, n.d.).
Summary
This paper will examine the impact of child abuse and maltreatment on delinquency and arrest rates. This topic was chosen, because of my high interest in the criminal justice system and motivation from my field placement at the ICJIA. Possibilities that may influence young offenders to engage in criminal behaviors are discussed first. Brain function in adolescents was discussed in a way that shows the current adolescent brain is still developing. When abuse and neglect occur, it interrupts the normal brain development to try to understand the trauma it was exposed to during the abuse. Levels of empathy start to decrease and likelihood of risky criminal behavior is heightened. Systematic factors, such as, institutional racism, are factored in; highlighting that there is a higher percentage of Black adolescent getting arrested than there are with any other population.
After reviewing the other possibilities that contribute to criminal behavior, this paper addressed the research question posed, which is does child abuse and maltreatment have and impact on juvenile delinquency and arrest rates. The answer concluded on many of the studies, is yes, there is a strong relationship between being abused, maltreated, and neglected as a child and increased risk of criminal behavior. In one study, it was found the young girls were more at risk of the risky criminal behavior than the boys.
Treatment was the final topic discussed and it is clear that any form of treatment used with youth involved with the juvenile justice system must be tailored to their individual needs. Youthful offenders normally would have to undergo some form of treatment; whether it be mandated treatment or volunteer driven. Methods that are best used with young offenders to increase forms of engagement are motivational interviewing, solution-focused therapy, and strengths-based interviewing. These methods focus on meeting the client where they are at, focusing on goals the client sets for themselves, and building the client’s motivation to succeed.