Risk Factors, Promotive Factors, and Gainful Activity in a Sample of Youth Engaged in Delinquent Behaviors

A large body of research on justice-involved youth focuses on risk and promotive factors associated with delinquent behaviors. However, few studies of youth involved with the justice system have centered on predictors of positive adjustment post-adjudication, that is, once a youth has been charged with an offense and a formal delinquent decision has been made in court. Understanding factors related to the cessation of delinquent behavior in justice-involved youth is critical to designing and implementing successful community transition programs following adjudication. Using 1208 youth (85.1% boys) from the Pathways to Desistance dataset, the present study identified risk and promotive factors that were associated with gainful activity (engagement with work or school) in the community two years after adjudication, regardless of recidivism. Multiple imputation was used to account for missing data. The regression analysis predicting gainful activity was significant. Younger age at first arrest and greater violence exposure predicted less gainful activity; living with the biological father, more parental monitoring, and higher levels of motivation to succeed predicted more gainful activity. These findings suggest the importance of individual, family, and community processes in promoting a successful transition back into the community following adjudication for youth engaged in delinquent activity.