Infusing Positive Youth Development into
Juvenile Justice Policy and Practice
Jeffrey A. Butts, Ph.D.
May 4, 2009
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Juvenile Justice Interventions Should be
Comprehensive
A comprehensive approach to youth crime would
address all theoretically relevant causes of youth crime…
… not just causes for which we already have programs.
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Theory is Not Just for Class Papers
Cause
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Effect
4
Crime is Not a Mental Health Disorder
 Some young offenders have mental health problems…
and they must be treated
 But mental health treatment is not crime reduction
 Even a perfect mental health treatment system would
not end juvenile crime and recidivism
 The overlap between crime and mental health is
misunderstood (and often misused)
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Prevalence of Mental Health Problems
U.S.
All All
U.S.
Adolescents
Adolescents
Juvenile
Assessment
Center
Population
(diversion)
Using the
same broad
standard…
U.S. Department
Department of
of
U.S.
Health
and
Human
Health and Human
Services (1999),
(1999), Mental
Mental
Services
Health: A
Health:
A Report
Report of
of the
the
Surgeon General
General
Surgeon
21%
Probation
Intake
Population
69%
46%
29%
McReynolds et al.
(2008), Crime and
Delinquency
Wasserman et al.
(2005), American
Journal of Public Health
What Does This Mean?
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Chicago
Detention
Population
21%
Teplin et al. (2002),
Archives of General
Psychiatry
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Prevalence of Mental Health Problems
Social and
Economic
Disadvantages
Justice System
Contact
?
Offenders with
Mental Health
Problems
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Mental Health
Diagnoses
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Substance Abuse
Drug problems are also more common the
deeper one looks into the juvenile justice
process, from arrest, to referral, adjudication.
Why?
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100%
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When they first enter the juvenile system,
the prevalence of substance abuse among
young offenders is similar to other teens.
Substance-abusing offenders, however, are
more likely to be retained through to the
more restrictive stages of justice processing.
The preponderance of drug-abusing
youth in the deep end of the justice
system is a function of how case
decisions are made. Drug-abusing
youth are treated more coercively.
11%
25%
49%
Youth at a
Juvenile
Assessment
Center
Youth
Referred to
Juvenile
Probation
Youth Held in
Secure
Detention
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Thus, they are a larger
subgroup by the end of the
juvenile justice process.
Youth with Drug Issues are Handled More
Coercively in the Juvenile Justice System
 This could be an accurate and legitimate use of
resources if drug-using youth are at higher-risk of future
offending and in need of stronger sanctions.
 Just what type of drug users are referred to the juvenile
justice system?
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10
Substance Use Disorders
Among Youth Referred to a
Juvenile Assessment Center
Abuse Disorders
Alcohol
Marijuana
Other drug
2%
4%
1%
Dependence Disorders
Alcohol
Marijuana
Other drug
No Disorder
Source: McReynolds et al. (2008)
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1%
5%
1%
89%
Among Youth Referred to
Juvenile Probation Intake
Abuse Disorders
Alcohol
Marijuana
Other drug
7%
10%
3%
Dependence Disorders
Alcohol
Marijuana
Other drug
3%
13%
4%
No Disorder
75%
Source: Wasserman et al. (2005)
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Substance Use Disorders of Youth Offenders
 Approximately 10% to 25% of young offenders have
substance use issues that could be called “problematic”
– either abuse or dependence
 Most of these substance use issues involve alcohol and
marijuana (80% to 90%)
 Very few youth ( 5% ?) have addiction and dependence
problems involving serious, illegal drugs
 What should our response be?
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Where are the Programs?
What intervention models do we have for
young offenders not primarily affected by
mental health issues or substance abuse?
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Positive Youth Development
 Strengths and assets
 Attachment, engagement, and socialization
 Usefulness and belonging
 Broad system of community-based supports
 Allow all youth to experience opportunities and activities
that youth in wealthy communities take for granted:
•
•
•
•
Supportive relationships
Rewards for work
Skill development
Success in learning
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•
•
•
•
Physical activity and sports
Music and the arts
Civic engagement
Community/political involvement
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Youth Development Approach
Evidence-based?
Interventions that have been proven by
rigorous evaluations to be effective in
meeting their stated goals at high levels of
statistical confidence.
Science-based?
Interventions that address specific factors
shown by social science research to be
associated with the extent and severity of
anti-social behavior among youth.
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Long-term
Goal
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Who “Invented” Youth Development?
 Nobody “invented” it
 Traces are found in the work of Jane Addams etc.
(empowerment, belonging, arts, civic engagement)
 1970s: researchers started to advance particular models
Kenneth Polk and Solomon Kobrin (1972). Delinquency Prevention
Through Youth Development. Washington, DC: Youth Development
and Delinquency Prevention Administration.
 1990s: A wide range of models influential in education,
prevention and community-based services
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Community Network for Youth Development
San Francisco
National Research Council
40 Developmental Assets
Institute for Applied
Research in Youth
Development
Tufts University
Promising and Effective Practices
National Youth Employment Coalition
National Clearinghouse
and Families & Youth
Youth Development Framework
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Research on Comprehensive Models
Supports the potential of a youth development
approach to juvenile justice interventions
Hawkins and Weis
“The Social Development Model: An Integrated
Approach to Delinquency Prevention.”
Journal of Primary Prevention
1985
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Survey of Youth Assets (Univ. of OK)
Supports the potential of a youth development
approach to juvenile justice interventions
Youth with particular asset
Positive peer role model
Rate of weapon carrying
compared to other youth
55% as likely
Positive non-parental adult role model
63%
Involved in community activities
48%
Report future aspirations
53%
Able to exercise responsible choices
63%
Report good family communication
59%
* 14% of sample reported some weapon carrying
Aspy et al. (2004), Journal of Counseling and Development
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Change is Never Easy
How Do We Transform the Juvenile
Justice System to Focus Interventions
on Attaching Youth to Assets and
Facilitating Youth Development?
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Very Different Perspectives
Traditional Justice
Youth Development
Target
Youth deficits
Youth strengths
Goal
Control
Attachment
Strategy
Deter and
provide treatment
Connect and engage
Tactics
 Sanctions
 Supervision
 Services
 Re-establish youth
bonds with community
 Connect youth and family
with pro-social activities
 Build on youth assets
and interests
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Youth Development Approach May be an
Evidence-Based Model Some Day
Requires an accumulation of findings
from numerous, high-quality studies.
Depends on sustained investment by
service providers, researchers, and
funding sources.
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Contact Information
Jeffrey A. Butts, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President for Research
Public / Private Ventures
Philadelphia Office
2000 Market Street
Suite 600
Philadelphia, PA 19103
New York Office
122 East 42nd Street
42nd Floor
New York, NY 10168
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www.jeffreybutts.net
jbutts@ppv.org
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Oakland Office
Lake Merritt Plaza
1999 Harrison St., Suite 1550
Oakland, CA 94612
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References
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Garland, and Patricia A. Wood (2001). Prevalence of Adolescent
Substance Use Disorders across Five Sectors of Care. Journal of the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(4): 419–
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Aspy, Cheryl B., Roy F. Oman, Sara Vesely, Kenneth R. McLeroy,
Sharon Rodine, and Ladonna Marshall (2004). Adolescent violence:
The protective effects of youth assets. Journal of Counseling and
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Bernburg, Jón Gunnar and Marvin D. Krohn (2003). Labeling, Life
Chances, and Adult Crime: The Direct and Indirect Effects of Official
Intervention in Adolescence on Crime in Early Adulthood.”
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www.ppv.org
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juvenile detention. Archives of General Psychiatry 59(Dec): 11331143.
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