Runaway History and Past 30-Day Opioid Misuse in Justice-Involved Adolescents.

This study used a sample from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (n= 79,960) to analyze the association between runaway history and past 30-day opioid misuse (OM) among justice involved adolescents. Past 30-day OM was confirmed using a urine analysis. Adolescents who were runaways in their lifetime were twice as likely to misuse opioids, and those who were runaways at the time of arrest were three times as likely to be opioid misusers compared to adolescents who never ran away or been kicked out of a home.

No youth left behind to human trafficking: Exploring profiles of risk.

The objective of this study was to analytically identify risk profiles for juvenile human trafficking (JHT) based on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and health risk behaviors. First, the study examined which types of ACEs and health risk behaviors were more prevalent among trafficked adolescents using a sample of 913 male and female juvenile-justice-involved adolescents with suspected or verified JHT abuse reports documented between 2009 and 2015 and a comparison group (matched by age, gender, race, ethnicity, and location). Second, latent class analysis was used to identify profiles of risk for JHT.

The Effects of Neighborhood Context on Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Among Adolescents Involved in the Juvenile Justice System: Latent Classes and Contextual Effects.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been identified as a key risk factor associated with a wide range of negative life outcomes, including juvenile delinquency. Much less work has explored whether certain combinations of ACEs, or typologies of trauma, exist, and whether or not these subgroups are differentially associated with certain youth-level and/or community-level characteristics. The current study uses latent class analysis to examine ACE typologies among a sample of over 92,000 juvenile offenders between the ages of 10 and 18 in the state of Florida (52% male, 37.

Human Trafficking of Minors and Childhood Adversity in Florida.

Objectives: To examine the link between human trafficking of minors and childhood adversity.

Methods: We compared the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and cumulative childhood adversity (ACE score) among a sample of 913 juvenile justice-involved boys and girls in Florida for whom the Florida child abuse hotline accepted human trafficking abuse reports between 2009 and 2015 with those of a matched sample.

Results: ACE composite scores were higher and 6 ACEs indicative of child maltreatment were more prevalent among youths who had human trafficking abuse reports.

Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality in Psychiatric Diagnoses and Treatment in a Sample of Serious Juvenile Offenders.

Psychiatric disorder prevalence has been shown demonstrably higher among justice-involved adolescents than youth in the general population. Yet, among arrested juveniles, little is known regarding racial/ethnic differences in disorder prevalence, the role of trauma exposure in the diagnosis of behavioral disorders, or subsequent psychiatric treatment provided to adolescents with such diagnoses. The current study examines racial/ethnic disparity in psychiatric diagnoses and treatment of behavioral disorders associated with delinquency, controlling for traumatic experiences, behavioral indicators, and prior offending among serious juvenile offenders.

The Mobility of Youth in the Justice System: Implications for Recidivism.

Both residential mobility and community disadvantage have been shown to be associated with negative outcomes for adolescents generally and juvenile offenders specifically. The current study examines the effects of moving among a large sample (n = 13,096) of previously adjudicated youth (31.6 % female, 41.

Maltreatment, Child Welfare, and Recidivism in a Sample of Deep-End Crossover Youth.

Although research has oft-documented a maltreatment-delinquency link, the effect of involvement in-and timing of-child welfare system involvement on offending has received less attention. We examine whether the timing of child welfare involvement has differential effects on recidivism of deep-end juvenile offenders (youth who have been adjudicated delinquent by the court and placed in juvenile justice residential programs). The current study uses a large, diverse sample of 12,955 youth completing juvenile justice residential programs between 1 January 2010 and 30 June 2013 in Florida (13 % female, 55 % Black, 11 % Hispanic).

Youth Arrested for Trading Sex Have the Highest Rates of Childhood Adversity: A Statewide Study of Juvenile Offenders.

A history of childhood adversity is associated with high-risk behaviors and criminal activity in both adolescents and adults. Furthermore, individuals with histories of child maltreatment are at higher risk for engaging in risky sexual behavior, experiencing re-victimization, and in some cases, becoming sexual offenders. The purpose of the current study was to examine the prevalence of individual and cumulative adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) reported by 102 offending youth who were arrested for trading sex and 64,227 offending youth who were arrested for various other crimes, using Florida's Positive Achievement Change Tool.

Trauma changes everything: examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and serious, violent and chronic juvenile offenders.

Among juvenile offenders, those who commit the greatest number and the most violent offenses are referred to as serious, violent, and chronic (SVC) offenders. However, current practices typically identify SVC offenders only after they have committed their prolific and costly offenses. While several studies have examined risk factors of SVCs, no screening tool has been developed to identify children at risk of SVC offending.