presented by:

Sarah Vidal

at the:

UROP Symposium

University of California, Irvine

May 13, 2006

Supervision of Juvenile Offenders

Probation.... Most commonly used community-based

treatment program for delinquent youths (Siegel, Welsh & Senna, 2003).

In 2002, of the 1,615,430 juvenile cases, 618,553 (38%) of the cases were placed on probation (Stahl, Finnegan, & Kang, 2005).

Founded on the premise that youthful offenders may, through intervention, become prosocial and productive members of the community.

Probation Officers... Develop relatively intensive relationships with

youth that combine control (in the interest of community safety) with care (in the interest of probationer rehabilitation).

Perform wide range of duties. Have the authority to significantly affect

“decision-making and service delivery” at every stage of juvenile justice processing (Bilchik, 1999).

Probation Officers: Supervising and Decision-making Strategies

Professional characteristics (Reese

et al., 1988, Sluder & Reddington, 1993)

Personal characteristics: Attitudes and schemas

(Reese et al., 1988, Drass & Spencer, 1987, Lurigio & Caroll, 1985))

Characteristics of the offender

(Lurigio & Caroll, 1985, Edens et al., 2003)

Supervising & decision-making

strategies

Probation Officers: Supervising and Decision-making Strategies

child abuse

Juvenile Offenders

psychopathic traits

ethnicity

Psychopathy Grandiose Manipulative Superficially

charming Insincere Untruthful Egocentric

Impulsive Sensation seeking Irresponsible Lacks remorse Lacks empathy Cold-hearted

(Cleckley, 1941, 1976, Hare 1991, 2003)

Juvenile Psychopathy Violence and psychopathy

(Gretton et al., 2004, Frick et al., 2003, Salekin et al., 2004)

Criticisms: traits – normative

development of adolescents stigma attached to labels and

traits – perceived dangerousness (Murrie et al., 2005)

label and traits promote harsher punishment (Chauhan et al., in press, Edens et al., 2003)

Ethnicity Influences legal-decision

making Disproportionate

representation of minority offenders in the juvenile justice system (Weich & Angulo, 2001)

Impact of “superpredator” news (Gilliam and Iyengar, 1998)

Child Abuse Child abuse and delinquency (Horwitz et al.,

2001, Kelley et al., 1997). Mitigates punitive legal-decision making about

youth (Bridges & Steen, 1998; Horwitz, Widom, McLaughlin, & White, 2001).

Attributions for psychopathic traits Classic Theories of Psychopathy:

Primary Psychopath – innate characteristics Secondary Psychopath – environmental factors

The Present Study: GoalsTo determine whether and how psychopathy,

ethnicity, and child abuse affect officers’ perceptions of a juvenile’s dangerousness,

treatment amenability, and supervision difficulty

decision-making about placement and detention of a juvenile,

choice of supervision strategies that range in their emphasis on care versus control

Experimental Design

Vignette study Ethnicity Abuse Psychopathy

1. Ethnicity “Jake…Caucasian” vs. “DeShawn…African American”

2. Abuse X experienced a stable upbringing.

He was raised by a single mother and had little contact with his father. During periods of financial hardship, his mother had to leave him at her brother’s home. Nevertheless, X describes a happy childhood with multiple caretakers who obviously loved him. His mother, uncle, and grandmother often made sacrifices to meet his needs and wishes (e.g., for toys, baseball participation). They were consistent in their discipline and interest in his schoolwork. Even over recent years, X’s family members have attempted to provide guidance and support. His records indicate no child abuse of any form.

X experienced an unstable upbringing. He was raised by a single mother and had little contact with his father. His mother often disappeared, leaving him at her brother’s home for long periods. X was emotionally and physically abused in that home. At age 8, he was hospitalized for a concussion, a broken arm, and severe cigarette burns on his arms, chest and back. He was also severely malnourished. Authorities found evidence of ongoing abuse and neglect, and X was removed from his uncle’s home. After alternately living with his mother and grandmother for several years, X began living largely on the streets last year.

3. Psychopathy In interviews, X was superficial

and insincere. When confronted with inconsistencies, he quickly changed his story to adapt to a new series of facts. X persistently tries to charm, con, and manipulate others to obtain what he wants. At his core, he is cold-hearted. He has no empathy for the convenience store clerk or anyone else he has harmed. He will not accept responsibility for his actions, instead blaming other people or external circumstances. In my opinion, X is a psychopath with a troubling pattern of antisocial behavior.

In interviews, X presented as an unsophisticated, but earnest young man. He was forthright and candid, providing careful and thorough answers to questions. He was visibly upset about disappointing his grandmother and causing her “heartache.” He clearly has empathy for the convenience store clerk, accepts full responsibility for his actions, and is genuinely remorseful. In my opinion, X does not meet the criteria for any formal mental disorder, but exhibits a troubling pattern of antisocial behavior.

Participants

• 204 juvenile probation officers at Orange County and San Diego County Probation Departments

• 68% females, 32% males

•mean age of 36.46 (SD = 7.21)

3%8%

32%

7%

50%

Caucasian African AmericanHispanic AsianOther

Results

Perceptions Recommendations Supervision approach

Perceptions of Juveniles

Likelihood of dangerousness & Supervision difficulty Psychopathic >

Nonpsychopathic Abused > Nonabused

Program adherence & treatment amenability Psychopathic <

nonpsychopathic

Program Adherence & Treatment Amenability

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

Psychopathic Nonpsychopathic

*F

acto

r S

core

Ave

rage

Recommendations for Juveniles

Residential Placement

00.05

0.10.15

0.20.25

0.30.35

Psychopathy Abuse

Transfer to adult court Intensive supervision &

Commitment to correctional facility Psychopathic >

Nonpsychopathic Psychological counseling

Abused > Nonabused Residential placement

Psychopathic >Nonpsychopathic

Abused > Nonabused

*

*

Par

tial

eta

sq

.

Supervision Approach

0

0.005

0.01

0.015

0.02

0.025

0.03

0.035

Strictness Extra Mile

Abused

Psychopathic

**

Par

tial

eta

sq

.

Conclusions: Psychopathy Psychopathy label does promote stigma, which

emphasize community protection over rehabilitation: perceived dangerousness secure residential placement commitment to juvenile correctional facility less likelihood of treatment adherence and amenability

Nevertheless, juvenile probation officers seem to use the psychopathy label wisely, as they are not likely to recommend: transfer to adult court

Conclusions

Abuse Abused juvenile offenders are perceived to be

dangerous just like psychopathic juvenile offenders. However, juvenile probation officers are likely to

recommend treatment such as psychological counseling and promote offender’s rehabilitation.

Ethnicity No effects (but no manipulation check available)

No interactions Psychopathy and abuse Psychopathy and ethnicity

Implications Juvenile probation officers play a vital role in

handling juvenile probation cases. Their recommendations and decisions can

significantly affect a juvenile case, much more, a juvenile’s life.

Youths exhibiting psychopathic traits describe a challenging population, which may need special supervision and immediate intervention strategies.

Developing "best practices" in juvenile probation.

Future Research

Larger sample size Explore racial and gender issues Include other juvenile justice personnel

(i.e. judges, prosecutors)

• Dr. Jennifer Skeem – my thesis mentor

• Dr. Val Jenness – Honors Seminar advisor

• Psychology and Law Research Lab – particularly to Dia, Jada, and Elizabeth

• UROP – for funding

• Nick & Aida – my parents

• Gleyneth and Mark – my siblings

A MILLION THANKS to...

Contact Information

Sarah VidalUndergraduate Student

Department of Psychology and Social Behavior

Department of Criminology, Law, and Society

(949) 291-7516

vidals@uci.edu