Future orientation in justice-involved youth: The effects of adverse and positive childhood experiences, and being dual-status.

Background: Justice-involved youth face diverse challenges and are likely to experience more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and fewer positive childhood experiences (PCEs), which can have implications for their orientation toward their future. Future orientation is thought to influence behavior, but little is known about how it is shaped. While future orientation and its correlates likely matter for all justice-involved youth, the recently recognized subcategory of Dual Status Youths (DSYs) might be especially sensitive to influences on future orientation.

Objective: This study explores the effects of cumulative adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), cumulative positive childhood experiences (PCEs), and DSY classification on the likelihood of having a positive orientation toward the future.

Participants And Setting: The researchers analyze a sample of 3604 justice-involved youth on probation in a large metropolitan area in Texas.

Method: The sample includes juveniles who received the full Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT) risk/needs assessment. The analytical plan included t-tests and two logistic regression analyses.

Results: Findings were that DSY are exposed to more ACEs and fewer PCEs than non-dual status justice-involved youth. Results indicated that a greater number of PCEs is associated with future orientation, but DSY status and ACEs are not.

Conclusions: Juvenile justice programming must strive to cultivate PCEs in justice-involved youth prior to the completion of their probation supervision.