Gender and Urbanity Group Comparisons of the Impact of a Health Risk Factor on Juvenile Recidivism
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Gender and Urbanity Group Comparisons of the Impact of a Health Risk Factor on Juvenile Recidivism Richard Dembo 1 & James Schmeidler 2 & Jennifer Wareham 3 & Jessica Faber 4 Received: 9 June 2020 / Accepted: 27 October 2020/ # Southern Criminal Justice Association 2020
Abstract Research has demonstrated justice-involved adolescents are at high risk for substance use, acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and engaging in risky sexual practices. Substance use and risky sexual practices have public health consequences and may place youths at risk for other long-term outcomes, such as recidivism. This study utilized data collected at two juvenile assessment centers (JACs) for 4033 adolescents criminally arrested/charged to explore gender (male vs. female) and location (urban JAC vs. rural JAC) group differences in health risk and recidivism. Results indicated a single factor of health risk comprised of biological assay test results for marijuana use and STIs and self-reported number of sexual partners fit the data for each of the groups. This health risk factor significantly predicted recidivism (return to JAC) for urban males and rural females, and near significantly predicted recidivism for rural males. Age and race differences were found in associations with the health risk factor and recidivism. The results confirm that marijuana use and sexual behavior reflect a risk propensity and should be considered when assessing needs for intervention services for justice-involved youths. Keywords Justice involved youth . JAC . Sexual risk-taking behavior . STIs .
Marijuana use . Recidivism . Urban and rural trends . Health risk factors
* Richard Dembo [email protected]
1
Criminology Department, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave, SOC 107, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
2
Psychiatry Department, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
3
Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
4
Agency for Community Treatment Services, Inc., Tampa, FL, USA
American Journal of Criminal Justice
Introduction Adolescents’ involvement in the juvenile justice system represent a significant public health problem. Annually, over a 1 million youth under the age of 18 are arrested in the United States (Sickmund & Puzzanchera, 2014), with most cases disposed in juvenile courts (Furdella & Puzzanchera, 2015). Of those cases, more than a quarter involve females. In 2013, juveniles younger than age 16 at the time of referral to court accounted for 53% of all delinquency cases handled. Youth involved in the juvenile justice system experience a disproportionate prevalence of serious mental health issues, including substance use and depression. For example, in a study of youth processed at a Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) urinalyses (UA) found youths tested at intake demonstrated high rates of recent marijuana use (Dembo et al., 2017). Youth involved in the juvenile justice system often present with co-morbidity of mental health, substance use, and other problems, which may increase
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