An Empirical Test of Dual System Pathways. (July 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Herz, Denise C.; Eastman, Andrea Lane; Suthar, Himal
• Is Part Of: Youth violence and juvenile justice. Volume 21:Number 3(2023)
• Page Start: 195
• Page End: 221
• Publication Date: 2023-07
• Subjects: crossover youth -- dual system youth -- dual jurisdiction youth -- dual status youth -- dually involved youth -- child welfare and juvenile justice involvement; Youth and violence -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile justice, Administration of -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile delinquency -- United States -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Juvenile corrections -- United States -- Periodicals; 364.360973
• DOI: 10.1177/15412040221138042
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1541-2040

Abstract

Although a growing body of research has documented the characteristics and experiences of young people with child welfare and juvenile justice system contact (i.e., dual system involvement), less is known about the pathways leading to dual system involvement. Sequence analysis was used to empirically identify pathways by plotting child welfare and juvenile justice spells for a cohort of 4404 dual system youth in Los Angeles County between 2014 to 2016. Procedures produced a five-cluster model delineated by the extent of child welfare involvement and the ages at which involvement occurred. Comparisons across pathways demonstrated that youth with less child welfare involvement in childhood had the least intrusive juvenile justice experiences and lower recidivism than youth experiencing longer and deeper child welfare involvement in late childhood and adolescence. Pathway findings have significant implications for building a delinquency prevention continuum prior to system involvement and after involvement for young people and their family members who enter the child welfare system.