Fewer Than Half of Crimes Against Children Reported to Authorities

By |

Crimes against kids go largely unreported, says a study by researchers at the University of New Hampshire.  Of the more than 4,500 children ages 10 to 17 surveyed for the study, 58 percent reported being the victim of a crime in the last year.  However, only 46 percent reported the incident to authorities. The study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, says that, because of the fear of retaliation, cases of abuse and violence against children often go unreported.  In many cases families chose to handle incidents informally, without involving police, due to the sensitive nature of the crimes.  The study’s authors say this often prevents the victims from receiving needed counseling. Crimes most likely to be reported included bullying, neglect and theft, researchers said.

Wealth of Research from Center for Juvenile Justice Reform

By |

Georgetown University's Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, led by Director Shay Bilchik, has published a number of research studies that tackle a wide variety of juvenile justice issues.  We've highlighted a few of the best below.  Be sure to check out the Center's website for many more resources. Improving the Effectiveness of Juvenile Justice Programs: A New Perspective on Evidence-Based Practice
Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems
Supporting Youth In Transition to Adulthood:  Lessons Learned from Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice
Racial and Ethnic Disparity and Disproportionality in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice: A Compendium
Bridging Two Worlds: Youth Involved in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems, A Policy Guide for Improving Outcomes

VIDEO: OJJDP Highlights National Gang Survey

By |

In a 2008 study, the National Gang Center reported a 15 percent increase in cities, towns and rural areas that have experienced gang activity since 2002.  For a breakdown of all the numbers, check out the video below.

Probation Domination

By |

Probation was the most serious verdict in one-third of teen crime in the U.S. In 2007, 1.7 million delinquency cases were handled by courts with juvenile jurisdiction. This has increased 34% over the past three decades. Nearly 60% of the cases were ordered by the court while the remainder agreed to some form of voluntary probation. This is according to a report by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Marijuana Use Speeds Onset of Schizophrenia, Study Says

By |

For those at risk, marijuana use hastens the onset of schizophrenia, according to a new study.  Researchers found those with a genetic predisposition for psychosis would begin to experience symptoms an average of 2.7 years earlier if they smoked marijuana, and that can mean a greater disruption to their life. “We’ve known for many years that people who develop schizophrenia earlier have a number of poorer outcomes,” Michael Compton, co-author of the report, told the magazine  Miller-McCune. Schizophrenia typically begins between the ages of 18 and 28.  According to the researchers, developing symptoms earlier makes it harder for schizophrenics to succeed later in life because it impacts their ability to graduate high school or finish college. Even though the disease is genetic 80 to 85 percent of the time, many at risk have no family members who suffer from schizophrenia.

Ecstasy Sending More Kids to the Emergency Room, Study Says

By |

Emergency room visits related to use of the illegal drug Ecstasy saw a dramatic increase between 2004 and 2008.  A study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found ER visits grew from 10,220 to 17,865 in those years, an increase of more than 74 percent. The national study, Emergency Room Visits Involving Ecstasy, also reports that nearly 18 percent of Ecstasy-related ER trips involved children between the ages of 12 and 17. Side effects of Ecstasy include anxiety attacks, tachycardia, hypertension and hyperthermia.  However, the severity of these effects is sharply increased when Ecstasy is used with other substances.  According to the study, more than 77 percent of Ecstasy-related ER visits involved the use of at least one other substance. “The resurgence of Ecstasy use is cause for alarm that demands immediate attention and action,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D.

Depressed Dads More Likely to Spank Says New Study

By |

Fathers suffering from depression are more likely to spank their children and less likely to read to them, a new study finds.  The research, published in Pediatrics, found that 41 percent of fathers with depression hit their child in the last month, nearly three times as frequently as fathers who weren’t depressed,  ScienceDaily reported. The University of Michigan Health System study looked at 1,746 fathers of one-year-old children.  Of those, 7 percent were diagnosed with depression.  Depressed fathers were also less likely to read to their children.  Forty-one percent of depressed dads read to their kids at least three times per week compared with 58 percent of fathers without depression. "This study is important because it demonstrates that depression in fathers has very tangible effects on how those fathers interact with their young children," said Sarah Clark, one of the authors of the study. You can read more information here.

Researcher Finds More Effective, Lower Cost Solution For Juvenile Justice Treatment

By |

New research finds that using a method of therapy involving family and community is more effective and costs the juvenile justice system significantly less than traditional methods that focus only on the individual. Charles Borduin, a University of Missouri professor who pioneered multi-systemic therapy (MST), used a cost-benefit analysis of 176 juvenile offenders to determine that the method is 10 times cheaper than therapy that focused exclusively on the offender, according to ScienceDaily. "Most current treatments are based on the idea that the problem lies entirely within the child," Borduin said. "If you look at the scientific literature, it's not about the individual kid -- it's about family problems, low household warmth, high levels of conflict, abuse, neglect, involvement with the wrong group of kids, school problems, and so on.”

Although MST has high costs upfront, Borduin said that using MST on one juvenile offender resulted in savings of $75,110 to $199,374 over a 14-year period.

Parents Are Teen’s Best Tool for Preventing Binge Drinking, Study Says

By |

Parental attention is the best way to prevent teen binge drinking, according to a thesis from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.  But, boys and girls differ in what form of attention works best, says the thesis’ author, Anna-Karin Danielsson.  Girls need close, loving relationships with their parents while boys usually require parents who keep tabs on where they are and who they are with. Danielsson studied 1,200 kids ranging in age from 13 to 19, according to Science Daily.  Kids showing warning signs of risky behavior were less likely to engage in binge drinking after their parents intervened.

The Brain May Be the Key to Criminality

By |

The brains of criminals are biologically different from those of the general population, according to new research. In one study, researchers scanned the brains of 21 people with anti-social personality disorder, a condition that often leaves people with no sense of right or wrong.  The scans showed certain portions of the brains were smaller on average for those with the disorder than those without. Other studies showed deformations and smaller overall brain sizes in those with severe anti-social personality disorder. These and other studies were recently covered in a story by  Foxnews.com. Researchers say that many of these differences can be spotted in the brains of children who are very young, but they also say the traits are not  fixed but can be corrected.