Identifying Risk and Protective Factors in Recidivist Juvenile Offenders: A Decision Tree Approach

PLoS One. 2016 Sep 9;11(9):e0160423. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160423. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Research on juvenile justice aims to identify profiles of risk and protective factors in juvenile offenders. This paper presents a study of profiles of risk factors that influence young offenders toward committing sanctionable antisocial behavior (S-ASB). Decision tree analysis is used as a multivariate approach to the phenomenon of repeated sanctionable antisocial behavior in juvenile offenders in Spain. The study sample was made up of the set of juveniles who were charged in a court case in the Juvenile Court of Almeria (Spain). The period of study of recidivism was two years from the baseline. The object of study is presented, through the implementation of a decision tree. Two profiles of risk and protective factors are found. Risk factors associated with higher rates of recidivism are antisocial peers, age at baseline S-ASB, problems in school and criminality in family members.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Criminals*
  • Decision Trees
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Juvenile Delinquency
  • Male
  • Peer Group
  • Protective Factors*
  • Risk Assessment*
  • Risk Factors
  • Spain

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain) [DER2014-58084-R]. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.