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Idle hands: how youth leisure risk relates to recidivism and how probation officers address it in case planning
Dissertation

Idle hands: how youth leisure risk relates to recidivism and how probation officers address it in case planning

Lena L. A. DeYoung
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Apr 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011351
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DeYoung_Lena_2026598.48 kB
PDF Embargoed Access, Embargo ends: 31 May 2028

Abstract

Juvenile justice Juvenile probation Leisure time Positive youth development Risk assessment
Engagement in primarily unstructured and unsupervised activities has been linked to increased misbehavior among young people, whereas engagement in positive youth development (PYD) activities can lead to more favorable long-term outcomes. Despite these findings, court-ordered conditions for youth on probation rarely emphasize structured or prosocial use of leisure time, and little research has directly examined whether risk in the leisure/recreation domain is associated with subsequent legal system involvement. To address these gaps, the current study examined (1) the extent to which youths' leisure/recreation risk/need classification on the YLS/CMI at juvenile legal system intake was associated with their risk for recidivism, and (2) how juvenile probation officers (JPOs) prioritize leisure-related risk/needs classifications when creating a youth's case plan and whether they recommend that youth engage in PYD activities to target risk in this domain. Study 1 utilized existing archival data, including YLS/CMI classifications and subsequent referral data, for 3,698 youth with first delinquency allegations, and Study 2 involved an experimental vignette-based design to examine JPOs' case-planning decisions for a hypothetical youth on probation. Results indicated that leisure/recreation risk was associated with the persistence of system involvement among youth, but not with the likelihood of initial system reentry. In probation case planning, high leisure/recreation risk was acknowledged and most frequently associated with recommendations for participation in a club or sport. PYD programming was frequently recommended across conditions, regardless of leisure/recreation risk classification. At the same time, the leisure/recreation domain was viewed as secondary to other risk domains when determining overall case planning priorities. These findings suggest that although probation officers recognize leisure-related risk, they may rely on broadly defined PYD interventions rather than explicitly targeting youths' use of unstructured time. Together, findings suggest a partial alignment between the contribution of leisure/recreation-related risk to recidivism and JPOs' use of practical strategies to mitigate that risk. They also highlight the need to better understand how PYD strategies are defined and applied within the juvenile legal system to promote best outcomes for legally involved youth and their communities.

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