Profiling Serious Juvenile Offenders in Juvenile Institutions: Change in Risk Factors in Their Population

Abstract

A large sample of 74% of all serious juvenile offenders in the Netherlands (n = 1,147) was studied with the aim to define which risk factors play a role in the this high-risk group. The Juvenile Forensic Profile with good psychometric qualities was developed to measure seventy risk factors in seven domains: ‘history of criminal behavior,’ ‘family and environment,’ ‘offense-related risk factors and substance use,’ ‘psychological factors,’ ‘psychopathology,’ ‘social behavior/ interpersonal relationships,’ and ‘behavior during stay in the institution.’ A risk profile of serious juvenile offenders was created and the change in the population of ten years time was analyzed. There was improvement on some risk factors in the sample, and significant increase on one risk factor (IQ). In conclusion, the youth who were given mandatory treatment orders in 1995 had similar risk factors to those who were given such orders in 2005.

Keywords:

• serious juvenile offenders
• risk factors