Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify and determine the individual and group-level factors associated with recidivism for children in a long-term Positive Peer Culture (PPC) program. The current study focuses specific attention on the role of child maltreatment in understanding the risk of recidivism. It is widely accepted that victims of child abuse and neglect are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior as compared with their nonmaltreated counterparts. Yet little is known about dependent youth in the juvenile justice system. The maltreatment-delinquency literature focuses almost exclusively on the initial risk of juvenile or adult offending. Moreover, the comparison groups are always children in the general population rather than children in the juvenile justice system. Method: The sample includes 286 adjudicated delinquent offenders. Hierarchical nonlinear modeling is used to partition effects at the individual and group levels. Results: Overall, 117 (41%) of the sample was arrested. Youth with a history of physical abuse and neglect were more likely to have a subsequent arrest (50% vs. 37%). Conclusion: PPC programs may not be the most effective strategy for dependent youth in the juvenile justice system.
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