What factors best protect against reoffending for youth of different ages?
The Youth Protective Factors Study is a multistate, multiyear research initiative examining how risk and protective factors influence youth reoffending—particularly violent offenses—to help juvenile justice systems improve supervision, services, and long-term public safety outcomes.
Introduction
Many jurisdictions use risk assessments to guide key juvenile justice decisions. But little is known about whether youth’s strengths or “protective factors” reduce their risk of reoffending; how these factors can best be assessed; and the resulting implications for case planning, service delivery, and resource allocation.
As policymakers’ concerns about youth crime and violence grow, it’s critical that juvenile justice systems focus resources on youth who are at the highest risk of seriously reoffending. Likewise, jurisdictions must use resources efficiently to tailor supervision and service strategies to best meet these youth’s needs – and potentially increase their protective factors – in ways that promote long-term public safety.
The study seeks to help systems achieve this goal by answering the following questions:
- What risk factors best predict reoffending, particularly reoffending for violent and other person offenses, for youth of different ages?
- Which protective factors (or strengths), if any, are most important for recidivism reduction?
- What services—risk reduction and/or strengths enhancing—are most effective in reducing general and personal reoffending, and how do these vary for youth of different ages?
To access study results, please click here to visit the teams’ full website.