Jeffrey J. Shook

Violent Video Games, Delinquency, and Youth Violence: New Evidence

Violent video game playing is correlated with aggression, but its relation to antisocial behavior in correctional and juvenile justice samples is largely unknown. Based on a data from a sample of institutionalized juvenile delinquents, behavioral and attitudinal measures relating to violent video game playing were associated with a composite measure of delinquency and a more specific measure of violent delinquency after controlling for the effects of screen time, years playing video games, age, sex, race, delinquency history, and psychopathic personality traits. Violent video games are associated with antisociality even in a clinical sample, and these effects withstand the robust influences of multiple correlates of juvenile delinquency and youth violence most notably psychopathy.

Aging Out of Foster Care and Legal Involvement: Toward a Typology of Risk

This article uses data from a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health to explore variation in the risk of legal involvement among youths who have aged out of the child welfare system. Employing latent class analysis, it empirically derives subgroups of youths with common or shared characteristics of risk. The analyses identify four distinct subgroups: the low‐risk, moderate‐risk, high‐risk externalizing psychopathology, and high‐risk drug culture groups. Multinomial logistic regressions show that contextual and dispositional factors predict group membership. Attention to the factors that distinguish the groups may attenuate the risk for legal involvement for youths aging out of the child welfare system.

From child welfare to juvenile justice race, gender, and system experiences

At least one third of youth involved with juvenile justice experienced child maltreatment. Child welfare samples thus provide a means to examine how child welfare services moderate the relationship between maltreatment and delinquency, producing information essential for tailoring services to disrupt this link. This article contributes to understandings of which youth are likely to become involved with juvenile justice by examining its relationships with child welfare experiences and mental health and substance abuse service receipt, with particular attention to racial and gender differences. In multivariate analyses of a birth cohort of child welfare-involved youth, mental health services are associated with juvenile justice, and substance abuse services are predictive for White boys and out-of-home placement for girls. For youth experiencing out-of-home placement, mental health services are associated with increased likelihood of juvenile justice and substance abuse services with decreased likelihood, while congregate care predicts juvenile justice for girls and White youth.

Dynamics of Psychopathy and Moral Disengagement in the Etiology of Crime

Moral engagement produces strong emotions that help individuals refrain from serious criminal behavior, but what if a youth is unable to experience these emotions. Based on a sample of adjudicated delinquents and using a series of structural equation models, we test whether moral disengagement varies by level of psychopathy in relation to criminal onset and assess this stability across gender. Psychopathic personality features, moral disengagement, and family stress intermixed in diverse ways depending on the severity of psychopathic personality and gender. At higher levels of psychopathy, the effect of psychopathy on criminal onset was unmediated. However, moral disengagement was found to have mediating effects on criminal onset at lower levels of psychopathy. Study findings lend support to the hypothesis that due to core emotional deficits, youth high on psychopathy are unaffected by the mechanisms of moral disengagement. Results are discussed in light of theories of morality and psychopathy and the treatment of moral deficits among youthful offenders.

Patterns of Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Justice System Involvement Among Youth Aging Out of Child Welfare

Although research on youth aging out of the child welfare system has increased, there has been limited focus on how their experiences vary. In particular, there is a need to examine patterns in the involvement of these youth in other systems, which indicate constellations of challenges facing these young people as they transition out of care and into adulthood. Using administrative data from a large birth cohort of individuals born between 1985 and 1994 whose families have been involved in the child welfare system, this article presents an analysis of the mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice, and criminal justice system involvement of youth who have aged out of child welfare. Using a 2-step cluster analysis, we identify 5 subgroups of youth. Two of these groups, accounting for almost half of the youth, have little other system involvement and have child welfare care careers of relative stability. The other 3 groups, consisting of just over half of the youth, have much more extensive other system involvement, as well as care careers marked by instability and a greater proportion of time spent in congregate care.

Developmental Trajectories and Predictors of Juvenile Detention, Placement, and Jail Among Youth with Out-of-Home Child Welfare Placement

Youth who experience out-of-home placement in the child welfare system are more likely to have justice system involvement. However, research has yet to fully address the underlying heterogeneity of trajectories and trajectory groups regarding substantial justice system involvement within this population. Using administrative data from a child welfare placement sample of 794 children and youth in a large, urban county in Pennsylvania, this longitudinal study seeks to identify trajectory groups and their predictors as related to juvenile detention, placement, and county jail involvement. Five groups were identified and labeled as follows: (a) No/Low-Involved (70.7%), (b) Early Age Involvement (5.9%), (c) Late Adolescent/Adult Involvement (7.9%), (d) Short-Term/Highly Involved (7.8%), and (e) Chronically Involved (7.7%). We present descriptive profiles of these groups to highlight their differences. We then use multinomial logistic regression to examine predictors reflecting demographics, child welfare experiences, and experiences in other systems that further differentiate the 5 groups. Results demonstrate that placement factors affect the groups differently; for example, ever being in congregate care was significant only for the Chronically Involved justice system group. The No/Low justice system group had the highest percentage of total time in care in foster homes and had the highest percentage of young people with only 1 placement type. This study further demonstrates the need to better understand the heterogeneity of child-level characteristics within the child welfare population as a necessary step to disentangling the complex relationships between child welfare placements and justice system involvement. Further implications for research, policy, and practice are presented.

How Different are Their Experiences and Outcomes? Comparing Aged Out and Other Child Welfare Involved Youth

This paper adds to the growing body of research examining the experiences of youth aging out of the child welfare system. Through a comparison of youth aging out with two other groups of child welfare-involved youth-those whose families received child welfare services but were never placed out of home and those who were in out-of-home placement but did not age out-it presents a profile of their care careers and other system involvement (e.g., mental health, justice system). Analyses indicate that young people aging out of care have experienced significant amounts of time in out-of-home placement, a great deal of placement instability, and high levels of other system involvement. In general, their involvement is more extensive than that of the two comparison groups. However, the justice system involvement of youth who experienced out-of-home placement but did not age out is just as high as that of youth who have aged out. This finding highlights the importance of devoting resources not only to youth aging out of care but also to similarly-aged young people with prior child welfare involvement.

A Typology of Drug Selling Among Young Adults in the United States

Background: Although studies have found that young adults who sell drugs are more likely to be involved in risky behaviors than those who do not sell drugs, there has been relatively little research that has explored heterogeneity among young adults who sell drugs. Methods: Using a pooled sample of 18 to 25 year olds from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2006–2010) who report past-year drug selling (N = 5,373), this study employs latent profile analysis to specify latent groups and assess the correlates of group membership. Results: Findings indicate substantial differences among young adults who sell drugs. In particular, the analysis found four groups of drug sellers: normative (49.6%), club drug users (23.6%), polysubstance users (16.0%), and criminal offenders (10.8%). Club drug users were characterized by high levels of ecstasy and hallucinogen use, polysubstance users were more likely to be depressed and anxious, White and female than the other groups. Criminal offenders were overwhelmingly male and more likely to be comprised of African-Americans and Hispanics. Conclusions: Results indicate that drug selling in early adulthood varies substantially. Contrary to media and popular notions most drug sellers are not involved in crime and polysubstance using drug sellers are in clear need of mental health services. Further, most drug sellers in this age range are White. Findings suggest that policy efforts that operate under the assumption of homogeneity of drug selling may be misguided.

Incarcerating Juveniles in Adult Prisons Examining the Relationship Between Age and Prison Behavior in Transferred Juveniles

The experiences of juveniles in adult prisons have gained increased attention over the last several decades. This article adds to understandings of these experiences by examining the relationship between age and prison behavior among transferred juveniles (N = 763). Results reveal that juveniles committed to prisons at younger ages accumulate more misconducts than those committed at older ages. Results also indicate that African American youth, youth with mental health issues, youth with more extensive prior histories in the juvenile system, and youth committed for property and weapons offenses accumulated more prison misconducts. Policy and practice implications are discussed.

Comparison of Correctional Services for Youth Incarcerated in Adult and Juvenile Facilities in Michigan

Few studies have compared correctional service experiences of youth in adult prisons and juvenile facilities. This study compared 47 youth in juvenile facilities and 49 youth in adult prisons in Michigan. Controlling for offence history, socioeconomic background, and demographic characteristics, juvenile placement was found to be associated with more positive responses for counseling, medical services, and staff quality. Experiences with the quantity of education and work programs were similar, although the quality of education and work might have differed. Poor correctional services in adult prisons might be a reason for less effective rehabilitation, leading to lower deterrence.