Youth with a child welfare history and juvenile legal involvement disproportionately experience rearrest relative to legally-involved youth without this dual history. As pre-arrest diversion can effectively reduce likelihood of recidivism among youth referred for school-based incidents, this study sought to examine whether diversion could also disrupt the relationship between dual-system involvement and recidivism arrest among youth with school-based incidents. Secondarily, this study also examined the risk relationships between characteristics of youth's involvement with the child welfare system, including cumulative time involved and number of out-of-home placements experienced, and likelihood of recidivism arrest, as well as the role of diversion in disrupting these relationships. Data from 2,107 youth either diverted or arrested for school-based incidents revealed that diversion decreased the likelihood of recidivism arrest for youth without and without a history of child welfare involvement, but it did not disrupt the risk relationship. Data did not demonstrate risk related to cumulative time involved in the child welfare system and findings were mixed in regard to the relationship between number of out-of-home placements and likelihood of recidivism arrest. Diversion did not change either of these relationships. Universal diversion policies for youth accused of low-level, school-based offenses should be pursued while continuing to consider possible interventions to attenuate risk and improve outcomes for child welfare involved youth.
Metrics
57 Record Views
Details
Title
Preventing dual-system involvement for youth with a child welfare history
Creators
Lea Elizabeth Parker
Contributors
Naomi E. Goldstein (Advisor)
Awarding Institution
Drexel University
Degree Awarded
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Publisher
Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Number of pages
iii, 61 pages
Resource Type
Dissertation
Language
English
Academic Unit
Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University