NYMC Faculty Publications

Juvenile Delinquency Treatment and Prevention: A Literature Review

Author Type(s)

Faculty

DOI

10.1007/s11126-014-9296-4

Journal Title

The Psychiatric Quarterly

First Page

295

Last Page

301

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2014

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Adolescent, Humans, Juvenile Delinquency, Psychotherapy, Social Values, Texas

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

In the last three decades there has been ample research to demonstrate that instituting Multisystemic Therapy for serious juvenile offenders, keeping them in the community with intensive intervention, can significantly reduce recidivism. When there is recidivism, it is less severe than in released incarcerated juveniles. Multisystemic Therapy provides 24 h available parental guidance, family therapy, individual therapy, group therapy, educational support and quite importantly a change of peer group. In New York City, there is the new mandate through the Juvenile Justice Initiative to implement interventions to keep juvenile offenders in the community rather than sending them to be incarcerated. However, this paper aims to examine how teaching prosocial values in early childhood can reduce the incidence of first-time juvenile delinquency. Programs such as the Perry School Project will be discussed to demonstrate that although somewhat expensive, these innovative programs nonetheless are quite cost-effective as the cost to society of adjudication, incarceration and victim damages are significantly greater. Along with teaching prosocial 0020 values, there has been renewed interest in early identification of youth at risk for developing Antisocial Personality Disorder. An update is given on the status of both promising approaches in early intervention to prevent serious juvenile delinquency and hence adult criminality.

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