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Abstract
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The records of 378 children presenting to a juvenile court were reviewed for histories of child maltreatment, based on evidence from a formal investigative process by the Department of Social Services. The children came from two groups: delinquents, who had engaged in criminal activity, and status offenders, whose legal involvement was due to non-criminal behavior, such as running away and truancy. Fifty-five percent of the status offenders and 45% of the delinquents had substantiated histories of maltreatment. The percent of status offenders who had been sexually abused was seven times higher among runaways (35%) than among the other members of the group (5%). The percent of delinquents who had been physically maltreated was significantly greater among those convicted of committing violent crimes (27%) than among the non-violent delinquents (14%). Thus, maltreatment may contribute significantly to delinquent behavior.
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this article by Famularo et al. was to examine the histories of abuse among children and adolescents brought before a juvenile court.
METHODOLOGY:
A non-experimental case study design with a non-probability sample of 378 children was used to review and analyze data from records presented to a juvenile court. Delinquents were defined as persons under the age of 18, who had committed an act that would constitute a misdemeanor or felony if committed by an adult. Status offenders were defined as children whose legal involvement was solely due to behaviors that would not constitute offenses once they reach 18 years of age (truancy, running away, disobedience). Analysis involved 3 types of group comparisons. First, delinquents were compared to status offenders by incidence of maltreatment as a child and the type of maltreatment. Second, status offenders relationship between type of maltreatment and type of status offense was analyzed. Third, relationship between type of maltreatment and type of crime (violent vs non-violent) was analyzed.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
42% of the delinquents and 52% of status offenders had suffered maltreatment. The group difference in percentage do to maltreatment was statistacally significant at p=.05. Among status offenders, maltreatment was 58% physical, 17% emotional, 12% sexual, and 16% neglect. 74% of the runaways had been maltreated, and of these 35% were sexually maltreated - which was seven times greater than the rest of the sample (35% vs. 5%, p<.001). In the delinquent group 21% were abused, 7% sexually abused, 13% emotionally abused, and 15% neglected. 51% of the delinquents who had committed violent crimes had been maltreated. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Child Abuse Effects
KW - Child Abuse Victim
KW - Child Physical Abuse Victim
KW - Child Physical Abuse Effects
KW - Child Neglect
KW - Child Emotional Abuse Victim
KW - Child Emotional Abuse Effects
KW - Child Sexual Abuse Victim
KW - Child Sexual Abuse Effects
KW - Sexual Assault Effects
KW - Sexual Assault Victim
KW - Domestic Violence Effects
KW - Domestic Violence Victim
KW - Juvenile Delinquency
KW - Delinquency Causes
KW - Child Abuse-Delinquency Link
KW - Juvenile Offender
KW - Juvenile Justice System
KW - Juvenile Court
KW - Juvenile Runaway
KW - Status Offender
KW - Victim Turned Offender
Language: en |