Given the close association of academic achievement not only to delinquency, but also to recidivism, further examination of this variable is warranted. We examined the records of 505 delinquent males committed to a state correctional facility during a recent 7-year period (1991-1997 inclusive). For each of the 7 years, three groups were identified: one group receiving remediation in math, one group receiving remediation in reading, and one group receiving no remediation. Results indicated that members of the remedial groups were twice as likely to be recidivists or parole violators as members of the nonremedial group. Factors predictive of membership in the remedial groups included verbal IQ, race, and age of first commitment.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Archwamety, T., & Katsiyannis, A. (1998). Factors related to recidivism among delinquent females in a state correctional facility. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 7(1), 59-67.
2.
Ashford, J.B., & LeCroy, C.W. (1990). Juvenile recidivism: A comparison of three prediction instruments. Adolescence, 25, 441-450.
3.
Beebe, M.C., & Mueller, F. (1993). Categorical offenses of juvenile delinquents and the relationship to achievement. Journal of Correctional Education , 44, 193-198.
4.
Block, J. (1995). On the relation between IQ, impulsivity, and delinquency: Remarks on the Lynam, Moffitt, and Stouthamer-Loeber (1993) interpretation . Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104, 395-398.
5.
Brier, N. (1995). Predicting antisocial behavior in youngsters displaying poor academic achievement: A review of risk factors. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 16, 271-276.
6.
Brunner, M. (1993). Reduced recidivism and increased employment opportunity through research-based reading instruction. Washington, DC: Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
7.
Davis, A.D., Sanger, D.D., & Morris-Friehe, M. (1991). Language skills of delinquent and nondelinquent adolescent males. Journal of Communication Disorders, 24, 251-266.
8.
Doren, B., Bullis, M., & Benz, M.R. (1996). Predicting the arrest status of adolescents with disabilities in transition. The Journal of Special Education , 29, 363-380.
9.
Falconer, K.O., & Cochran, J.R. (1989). Communication skills in male institutionalized juvenile offenders. Rocky MountainJournal of Communication Disorders, 5, 45-54.
10.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (1995). Uniform Crime Reports for 1994. Washington, DC : Author.
11.
Fendrich, M.C. (1991). Institutionalization and parole behavior: Assessing the influence of individual and family characteristics. Journal of Community Psychology, 19, 109-122.
12.
Finn, G.D., Stott, M.W., & Zarichny, K.T. (1988). School performance of adolescents in juvenile court. Urban Education, 23, 150-161.
13.
Glass, G.V., McGaw, B., & Smith, M.L. (1990). Meta-analysis in social research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
14.
Gottfredson, D.C. (1997). School-based crime prevention. In L. Sherman, D. Gottfredson , D. MacKenzie, J. Eck, P. Reuter, & S. Bushway (Eds.), Preventing crime: What works, what doesn't, what's promising (pp. 5-1-5-74). College Park, MD: Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice .
15.
Hawkins, J.D., Catalano, R.F., & Miller, J.Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin,112, 64-102.
16.
Joseph, J. (1996). School factors and delinquency: A study of African American youths. Journal of Black Studies, 26, 340-355.
17.
Katsiyannis, A., & Archwamety, T. (1997). Factors related to recidivism among delinquent youths in a state correctional facility. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 6(1), 43-57.
18.
Katsiyannis, A., & Archwamety, T. (1999). Academic remediation/achievement and other factors related to recidivism rates among delinquent youths. Behavioral Disorders, 24, 93-101.
19.
Kauffman, J.M. (1997). Characteristics of emotional and behavioral disorders of children and youth (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
20.
Kauffman, J.M. (1999). How we prevent the prevention of emotional and behavioral disorders. Exceptional Children, 65, 448-468.
21.
Klein, S.P., & Caggiano, M.N. (1986). The prevalence, predictability, and policy implications of recidivism. Santa Monica, CA : RAND.
22.
Lawrence, R. (1985). School performance, containment therapy, and delinquent behavior. Youth and Society, 17, 69-95.
23.
Leon, P., Rutherford, R., & Nelson, C. (1991). Special education in juvenile corrections. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children.
24.
Leschied, A.W., Coolman, M., Jaffe, P., & Sas, L. (1986). The role of the family court clinic in the assessment of school-related disorders with young offenders. Guidance & Counseling, 1, 19-24.
25.
Lewis, T.J., & Sugai, G. (1999). Effective behavior support: A systems approach to proactive school management. Focus onExceptional Children , 31(6), 1-24.
26.
Lichtenstein, S. (1993). Transition from school to adulthood: Case studies of adults with learning disabilities who dropped out of school. Exceptional Children, 59, 336-347.
27.
Lowry, R., Sleet, S., Duncan, C., Powell, K., & Kolbe, L. (1995). Adolescents at risk for violence. Educational Psychology Review, 7, 7-37.
28.
Markwardt, F.C., Jr. (1998). Peabody individual achievement test-Revised . Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
29.
Pollard, R.R., Pollard, C.J., & Meers, G.D. (1995). A sociological, psychological and educational profile of adjudicated youth with disabilities. Journal for Vocational Special NeedsEducation, 17(2), 56-61.
30.
Siegel, L.J., & Senna, J.J. (1994). Juvenile delinquency: Theory, practice, and law (5th ed.). St. Paul, MN: West.
31.
Spellacy, F.J., & Brown, W.G. (1984). Prediction or recidivism in young offenders after brief institutionalization. Journal of Clinical Psychology , 40, 1070-1074.
32.
Tremblay, R.E., Masse, B., Perron, D., Leblanc, M., Schwartzman, A.E., & Ledingham, J.E. (1992). Early disruptive behavior, poor school achievement, delinquent behavior, and delinquent personality longitudinal analyses. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 64-72.
33.
U.S. Department of Education. (1994). Mini-digest of education statistics, 1994. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
34.
U.S. Department of Education. (1996). Dropout rates in the United States: 1994. Washington, DC : National Center for Education Statistics.
35.
Wagner, M., D'Amico, R., Marder, C., Newman, L., & Blackorby, J. (1992). What happens next? Trends in post school outcomes of youth with disabilities. The second comprehensive report from the National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.
36.
Walker, H.M., Colvin, G., & Ramsey, E. (1995). Antisocial behavior in school: Strategies and best practice. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole .
37.
Wechsler, D. (1991). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (3rd ed.). San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corp.
38.
Wierson, M., & Forehand, R. (1995). Predicting recidivism in juvenile delinquents: The role of mental health diagnoses and the qualifications or conclusion by race. Behavior Research and Therapy, 33, 63-67.
