This longitudinal study aimed to evaluate a newly developed cumulative measure for substance use problems as predictor of criminal recidivism in youth. Questionnaires-based substance-related behaviors (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and further drugs), and interview-based psychiatric disorders were assessed in a sample of 142 male adolescent forensic outpatients in Zurich, Switzerland (mean age 16.8 years, SD = 1.4 years). Cox regressions were used to test whether substance use behaviors/disorders were predictors of officially recorded criminal offenses 365 days after the initial assessment. The cumulative substance problem score (SPS) was a valid measure for assessing the risk of criminal recidivism for youth having 2-3 (OR 2.24-2.56) and 4+ problems (OR 3.40-4.37) in comparison to youth with 0-1 problems. Forensic experts and clinicians should comprehensively assess substance use patterns in juvenile offenders and may use the SPS as an indicator for further criminal risks. Additional analysis of the SPS in other forensic samples and cultures would be worthwhile.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10578-020-00986-7 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Rehabilitative measures as a legal response for adolescents convicted for drug offences: The Swedish system.
Nordisk Alkohol Nark
January 2025
Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, Stockholm, Sweden.
Involvement in minor drug offences at an early age can be a signal of the onset of a potential drug issue. This is why Sweden has considered the criminalization of personal use as a strategy to deter the progression of drug use. This study investigated how the judiciary and social services succeed in identifying and providing support to adolescents convicted of drug offences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe role of epidemiologists in addressing the public health consequences of the United States criminal legal system.
Am J Epidemiol
January 2025
Department of Public Health Leadership and Practice, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Exposure to the United States criminal legal system - whether through contact with law enforcement, incarceration in a jail or prison, or community supervision - is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. There is mounting evidence that mass incarceration drives health inequities, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. However, relative to its outsized impacts on health and health inequities, the criminal legal system has received limited attention in epidemiology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUsing Active and Passive Smartphone Data to Enhance Adolescents' Emotional Awareness in Forensic Outpatient Setting: A Qualitative Feasibility and Usability Study.
JMIR Form Res
December 2024
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & Psychosocial Care, Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Background: Delinquent behavior in adolescence is a prevalent issue, often associated with difficulties across multiple life domains, which in turn perpetuates negative life outcomes. While current treatment programs show partial success in improving behavioral changes and reducing recidivism, comprehensive conclusions regarding the overall efficacy of these interventions have yet to be established. In forensic outpatient settings, the discrepancy between adolescents' limited emotional awareness and the predominant emphasis on cognitive reflection, combined with low treatment adherence, may be factors that undermine treatment efficacy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDo Emergency Department Observation Units Help Prevent Revisits for Patients with Renal Colic?
Am J Emerg Med
December 2024
Department of Emergency Medicine, Good Samaritan University Hospital, 1000 Montauk Highway, West Islip, New York, United States of America. Electronic address:
Introduction: Renal colic is generally considered a diagnosis appropriate for discharge home once pain is adequately controlled and no other admission criteria are met. The increasing prevalence of ED observation units (EDOU) represent another disposition option for patients with renal colic. In this study, we sought to describe the rates of 14-day revisits for renal colic among patients placed in an EDOU as compared to those discharged from the ED.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIs Stopping of Testosterone-Lowering Medication in Men Convicted of Sexual Offenses Associated With an Increase in Recidivism Risk?
Sex Abuse
December 2024
Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
There is some evidence that testosterone-lowering medications (TLM) may be an effective treatment for men convicted of sexual offenses by attenuating paraphilic sexual fantasies and behaviors and reducing the recidivism risk. To date, however, only little is known about the effects of TLM stopping on risk-relevant aspects. Therefore, the current study aimed at examining the recidivism risk as measured by Stable-2007 as well as official records of reoffenses in 29 men having stopped TLM treatment as compared to 37 men with ongoing TLM treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!