DOI: 10.3886/icpsr39104.v1
title: Youth Trauma Experiences and the Path from Child Welfare to Juvenile Justice, Chicago, Illinois, 2007-2017
title: Version 1

description: This study examines how child characteristics, measures of trauma, risks, strengths, type and duration of child welfare involvement, and community factors affect the likelihood of child welfare system-involved youth encountering the juvenile justice system in Chicago, IL.
This study draws on four sources of administrative data. Data were obtained from the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (IDCFS) and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ); from one county juvenile court and probation services division (Juvenile Probation and Court Services [JPCS] of the Cook County Circuit Court); and from one municipal police department (the Chicago Police Department [CPD]). The researchers used these data to match youth across systems and to provide detailed knowledge about child welfare system involvement, trauma experiences, child strengths and risks, and particular juvenile justice outcomes. Arrest data is available through September 2017. Child welfare and juvenile court data are available through December 2017. Data for juvenile corrections from the IDJJ is only available through June 2016; however, the researchers used a corresponding indicator in the juvenile court data to capture this outcome through December 2017.
description: The researchers sought to answer the research question: "How do child characteristics, measures of
trauma, risks and strengths, type and duration of child welfare involvement, and ecological
factors affect the likelihood of child welfare system-involved youth entering the juvenile
justice system?" To operationalize the research question, the researchers examined the following hypotheses:

<strong>Hypothesis 1</strong>: Controlling for youth characteristics, age of entry into the child welfare system, type/duration of child
welfare system involvement, and community factors, the probability of youth entering the juvenile justice system will
increase as the severity of trauma exposure (as measured by the CANS) increases.
<strong>Hypothesis 2</strong>: Controlling for youth characteristics, age of entry into the child welfare system, and type/duration of
child welfare system involvement, the probability of youth entering the juvenile justice system will increase as the
severity of community distress as measured by the Urban Hardship Index increases.
<strong>Hypothesis 3</strong>: Controlling for youth characteristics, age of entry into the child welfare system, type/duration of child
welfare system involvement, and community factors, the probability of youth entering the juvenile justice system will
increase as the severity of youth risks (as measured by the CANS risks, trauma stress symptoms, and
behavioral/emotional needs domains) increases.
<strong>Hypothesis 4</strong>: Controlling for youth characteristics, age of entry into the child welfare system, type/duration of child
welfare system involvement, and community factors; the probability of youth entering the juvenile justice system will
increase as the number of youth strengths (as measured by the CANS strengths and life domain functioning domains)
in a youth's life decreases.

The researchers tested each of the four hypotheses using survival models to analyze how trauma exposure, community distress, youth
risk, and youth strengths affect the probability of juvenile justice involvement.
description: This study uses an observational, longitudinal cohort study design. The researchers identified a cohort of youth that
had been involved in the child welfare system at some point in their lives and captured all child
welfare system events (e.g., investigations, substantiated allegations of maltreatment, out-of-home placements, etc.) along with demographic characteristics of the youth. The researchers then observed these youth over time to identify if and when they experience a juvenile justice system
contact--specifically an instance of arrest, detention, court involvement, probation sentence,
or juvenile corrections--before age 18.
This study uses a survival analysis approach (Cox proportional-hazard regression) to assess the characteristics and timing associated with
youth crossing over into the juvenile justice system and having particular types of juvenile
justice system involvement (arrest, detention, court involvement, probation sentence, or
juvenile corrections).
description: The study cohort was drawn from all youth residing in Chicago who had a first child welfare
case opened after January 1, 2007. The researchers used this cutoff date for case opening because
that is when the CANS (trauma) data first became available in Illinois, due to the IDCFS
statewide implementation of the CANS Assessment during all Integrated Assessments (IA). The
CANS is a tool administered to young people who are placed in foster care and has not been
used consistently across time. It helps clarify (among other things) the extent to which young
people have experienced trauma.
The sample was further restricted to youth born between 1996 and 2002 to allow enough time
to follow youth through the age the researchers expected to see them in the juvenile justice system. This resulted in a sample of 22,885 youth. Because the researchers were interested in trauma
experiences among children and youth who crossed over from child welfare to juvenile justice,
they included in the study only those young people for whom they had CANS information. To do
this, the sample was then linked to the CANS assessment through the IDCFS CYCIS system
identifier. The researchers restricted the sample to youth with at least one completed CANS assessment (n =
2,072) who do not have pre-existing juvenile justice involvement at the time of the CANS. The
resulting study cohort contained 1,633 youth.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Youth Trauma Experiences and the Path from Child Welfare to Juvenile Justice, Chicago, Illinois, 2007-2017
description: Youth, born 1996-2002, residing in Chicago who had a child
welfare case opened after January 1, 2007.
description: No data are included in this collection. Researchers interested in inquiring about the data used in this project should refer to data source section of the project's final report. Data provider agency names along with the specific study data that were requested are listed in the report.