Justice Policy Reform for High-Risk Juveniles: Using Science to Achieve Large-Scale Crime Reduction

Posted: 1 Apr 2014

See all articles by Jennifer L. Skeem

Jennifer L. Skeem

University of California, Berkeley

Elizabeth S. Scott

Columbia University - Law School

Edward Mulvey

University of Pittsburgh - Medical Center (UPMC)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: March 2014

Abstract

After a distinctly punitive era, a period of remarkable reform in juvenile crime regulation has begun. Practical urgency has fueled interest in both crime reduction and research on the prediction and malleability of criminal behavior. In this rapidly changing context, high-risk juveniles—the small proportion of the population where crime becomes concentrated—present a conundrum. Research indicates that these are precisely the individuals to treat intensively to maximize crime reduction, but there are both real and imagined barriers to doing so. Mitigation principles (during early adolescence, ages 10–13) and institutional placement or criminal court processing (during mid-late adolescence, ages 14–18) can prevent these juveniles from receiving interventions that would best protect public safety. In this review, we synthesize relevant research to help resolve this challenge in a manner that is consistent with the law's core principles. In our view, early adolescence offers unique opportunities for risk reduction that could (with modifications) be realized in the juvenile justice system in cooperation with other social institutions.

Suggested Citation

Skeem, Jennifer L. and Scott, Elizabeth S. and Mulvey, Edward, Justice Policy Reform for High-Risk Juveniles: Using Science to Achieve Large-Scale Crime Reduction (March 2014). Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 10, pp. 709-739, 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2418993 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032813-153707

Jennifer L. Skeem (Contact Author)

University of California, Berkeley ( email )

120 Haviland Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-7400
United States

Elizabeth S. Scott

Columbia University - Law School ( email )

435 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10025
United States
(212) 854-9758 (Phone)
(212) 854-7946 (Fax)

Edward Mulvey

University of Pittsburgh - Medical Center (UPMC) ( email )

Pittsburgh, PA
United States

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