DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38599.v1
title: Risk and Protective Trajectories, Community Context, and Juvenile Recidivism, Florida, 2015-2018
title: Version 1

description: The study examines trajectories of risk and protective factors throughout probation supervision, whether such trajectories affect the likelihood of recidivism, and how community context influences those relationships. A state-wide sample of Florida juveniles who completed probation supervision between 2015 and 2018 were included in the analysis. Probationers completed multiple risk/need assessments during their supervision, which were leveraged by the researchers, in combination with census tract information in which the youth resided, and multiple official measures of recidivism. Major categories of variables include criminal background, school records, family history, drug and alcohol use, mental health, social skills, and social disorganization and immigration levels for youth's neighborhoods. Probationer's age, sex, and race were collected as well.
description: The study examines trajectories of risk and protective factors throughout probation supervision, whether such trajectories affect the likelihood of recidivism, and how community context influences those relationships. Using probationer's assessments completed during community-based juvenile justice disposition between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2018, the investigation focused on four research questions: Identify whether specific trajectories of dynamic risk and protective factors among youth throughout their community-based dispositions; Assess the relationship between individual-level and community characteristics and trajectory group membership; Assess the extent to which changes in risk/need over time (i.e., trajectory groups) are associated with continued offending; Assess the potential of dual/joint trajectories of sub-dimensions of risk/needs to exist.
description: Data for this study was taken from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (FDJJ) Juvenile Justice Information System (JJIS). The FDJJ maintains a centralized system of data on all youth referred for delinquency (equivalent to an adult arrest), demographics, criminal background, justice system placement history, and risk/needs assessment data. All youth formally processed into the juvenile justice system in Florida are assessed for risk/needs using the Community Positive Achievement Change Tool (C-PACT). The C-PACT has two versions, a 46-item prescreen and a 126-item full assessment, both of which produce identical risk-to-reoffend classifications: low-, moderate-, moderate-high-, or high-risk. The full assessment also includes scores for criminal history, school, use of free time, employment, relationships, family, drugs/alcohol, mental health, attitudes/behaviors, aggression, and social skills. Youth assessed for low- or moderate-risk are reassessed every 180 days, while moderate-high and high-risk youth are assessed every 90 days. C-PACT sessions are conducted as semi-structured interviews, with trained staff members, and responses are corroborated whenever possible (with parents/guardians, child welfare workers, or teachers/school records), with the exception of criminal history items which are automated through the FDJJ's JJIS. Three separate measures of recidivism were used to allow for more robust findings: rearrest, readjudication, and placement. Rearrest meant arrest for a new offense within 365 days of the date the youth completed their community-based disposition. Readjudication was measured according to the official definition of recidivism for the FDJJ as an adjudication or adult conviction for an offense that occurred within 365 days of the youth completing the community-based disposition. Placement included assignment of a youth to a juvenile justice residential facility or adult prison for an offense that occurred within 365 days of the youth completing community-based dispositions. Juvenile and adult offenses were included because some youth turned 18 years of age during the one-year follow up period. The researchers also created two indexes to capture community contextual measures: concentrated disadvantage and immigration concentration. Concentrated disadvantage included the proportion of families living below the poverty line, median family income, the proportion of female-headed households, the unemployment rate, the proportion of the population with a high school degree, and the proportion of households receiving public assistance. Immigration concentration was composed of percentage foreign born, percent Latino, and percentage linguistically isolated.
description: The Prescreen Analysis Dataset covers youths who participated in the 46-item prescreen version of the C-PACT. Variables include recidivism, criminal background, justice system placement, school history, friendships, family, drug and alcohol use, attitudes, beliefs, and the social disorganization and immigration indexes. The youth's age, sex, and race/ethnicity are also included. The Fullscreen Analysis Dataset consists of youths who took part in the 126-item full assessment version of the C-PACT. Variables include recidivism, criminal background, justice system placement, school status, use of free time, relationships, living arrangements, drug and alcohol use, mental health, attitudes, behaviors, skills, and the social disorganization and immigration indexes. Youth's age, sex, and race/ethnicity are included as well.
description: Not applicable
description: Response Rates: Not applicable
description: Presence of Common Scales: Positive Achievement Change Tool (C-PACT)
description: The sample was derived from FDJJ administrative data of youth who completed community-based FDJJ placement between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2018. Community-based placements include formal diversion programs, probation supervision, day treatment/day reporting programs, and intensive family therapy as an overlay to probation supervision. In order to capture changes over time, the sample excluded youth who were assessed for risk/needs on less than four separate occasions. Additionally, youth classified with "other" or "unknown" race/ethnicity were excluded. The resulting sample included 7,117 youth with four C-PACT prescreen assessments, and 2,877 youth with four C-PACT full assessments.
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: Prescreen Analysis Dataset DS2: Fullscreen Analysis Dataset
description: Juvenile probationers from the state of Florida between 20015 and 2018. Smallest Geographic Unit: Zip Code
description: record abstracts