Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

Examining Risk Factors Of Juvenile Delinquency And The Predictive Validity Of A Juvenile Risk Assessment Instrument Across Urban And Rural Communities, Kelly Vannan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Juvenile delinquency among the nation's youth is an ongoing concern. An essential task of juvenile justice workers is to identify and measure risk factors that impact a youth's likelihood of recidivating. The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (FDJJ) utilizes the Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT) to assess the risk for recidivism among all juveniles referred to the system. The current study examined how youths' level and types of risk, as well as the ability of the PACT to predict the odds of reoffending and the time to reoffend, vary across urban and rural communities. This study drew upon theories of …