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Juvenile Delinquency

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Juvenile delinquency—negative behaviors of children and teens that may result in crimes or legal action—frequently causes widespread problems in communities. RAND's research on juvenile delinquency includes populations from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and features studies related to crime and juvenile justice, at-risk populations, violence, bullying, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and adolescent mental health.

Research Brief
As Youthful Arrests Spike, Their Consequences Rise, Too
Americans ages 26 to 35 are 3.6 times more likely to have been arrested by age 26 than those who are at least age 66. The consequences may be serious and lasting for these young people—and for the nation.
Jul 19, 2019
Journal Article
To Educate or to Incarcerate: Examining Disparities in School Discipline
Several factors contribute to disparities in office referral, suspension, and expulsion in high schools. Helping students engage in school may protect against disproportionate school discipline.
Sep 30, 2016

Explore Juvenile Delinquency

Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2021–2022
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program serves young people ages 16 to 18 experiencing difficulty in traditional high school. This report covers the program years 2021–2022 and is the seventh in a series on this quasi-military residential program.
Jun 1, 2023
Report
Promising Services for Justice-Involved Youth: A Scoping Review with Implications for the Los Angeles County Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act
The authors of this report provide a review of the literature that evaluates programs for youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system to identify promising and effective practices, describing implications for Los Angeles County.
Jan 5, 2023
Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2020–2021
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program serves young people experiencing difficulty in traditional high school. This report documents program trends in 2020–2021 and presents analyses on the Job ChalleNGe program.
Aug 22, 2022
Report
A Gap Analysis of the Los Angeles County Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act Portfolio
This report presents findings from a gap analysis, which examined the extent to which best practices for juvenile justice systems are considered in funding decisions for Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act–funded programs in Los Angeles County.
Jan 4, 2022
Report
Examining Career and Technical Education in National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Programs
The authors examined career and technical education opportunities for participants in the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, a residential, quasi-military program for youth ages 16-18 who are experiencing difficulty in traditional high school.
Apr 12, 2021
Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2019–2020
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program serves young people experiencing difficulty in traditional high school through a 5.5-month residential program. The authors of this report document the progress of program participants in 2019 and 2020.
Mar 15, 2021
Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2018–2019
In the fourth annual report on the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe, a residential, quasi-military program for youth struggling in traditional high school, researchers provide information on participants who entered the program in 2018.
Nov 6, 2020
Report
Evaluation of a Trauma-Informed Program for Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth: The Pilot Program at Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center
In this report, the authors present the results of a process and outcome evaluation of a trauma-informed pilot program run by the Colorado Division of Youth Services (DYS) in one of their residential youth facilities.
Jan 30, 2020
Report
Process Evaluation of AssetPlus
A process evaluation of the roll-out of AssetPlus (assessment and planning framework used by youth offending teams) in England and Wales. Practitioners supported the ideas behind AssetPlus but faced challenges with easy use and information-sharing.
Dec 18, 2019
Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2017–2018
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program is a residential, quasi-military program for youth ages 16 to 18 who are experiencing difficulty in traditional high school. An ongoing program analysis seeks to understand how the achievements of ChalleNGe graduates compare to similar youth who do not participate in the program.
Oct 15, 2019
Blog
Boris Johnson, Teacher Training, Youth Arrests: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on Boris Johnson's Brexit challenge, how educators feel about their training programs, a spike in youth arrests, and more.
Jul 26, 2019
Blog
Trump-Kim Summit, Climate Change, Zarif: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the Trump-Kim summit, how cities can prepare for climate change, Mohammad Javad Zarif's resignation, and more.
Mar 1, 2019
News Release
Younger Americans Much More Likely to Have Been Arrested Than Previous Generations; Increase Is Largest Among Whites and Women
Americans under the age of 26 are much more likely to have been arrested than Americans born in previous decades, with the increase in arrest rates occurring most rapidly among white Americans and women. The rising rate of arrests and convictions is associated with a variety of negative ramifications.
Feb 25, 2019
Article
Helping Police Find Better Strategies to Fight Crime
Which policing strategies are the most effective? A new RAND toolkit aims to help law enforcement agencies identify the best approach for the situation, and the key steps to success.
Dec 14, 2018
Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2016–2017
This report presents information on recent participants of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe, a quasi-military program for young people lacking a high school diploma. It also documents program progress in academics, fitness, and other areas.
Aug 20, 2018
Journal Article
The Long-Term Economic Impact of Criminalization in American Childhoods
In this article, I document some salient and disturbing trends concerning the interaction of American youth with the criminal justice system based on a module I recently added to the PSID.
Aug 17, 2018
Report
Los Angeles County Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act: Fiscal Year 2016–2017 Report
This annual report to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors evaluates the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act, which offers programs to high-need juvenile probationers and at-risk youths.
Aug 8, 2018
Journal Article
Education for Incarcerated Juveniles: A Meta-Analysis
Though the evidence base about what works in juvenile correctional education remains incomplete, the existing research does suggest promising directions for future programmatic investments.
Jul 3, 2018
Report
Leveraging Research and Philanthropy to Reduce Crime and Violence in the Mississippi Delta
The crime and violence rates in the two most populous cities in the Mississippi Delta region are significantly higher than in their surrounding areas. How are foundations funding crime and violence reduction in these areas?
Jun 29, 2018

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RAND Topic:
Juvenile Delinquency

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Jill Portnoy Donaghy

Policy Researcher

Jill Portnoy Donaghy is a criminologist whose research focuses on biological, psychological, social, and health-related risk factors for crime, aggression, and other antisocial behaviors in children, adolescents, and adults. She is particularly interested in the effects of stress on a range of…
Alex R. Dopp

Behavioral and Social Scientist

Alex Dopp (he/him) is a behavioral and social scientist at the RAND Corporation. Also an implementation scientist and child clinical psychologist, he studies the use of research evidence, and related policy implications, for improving youth mental health and substance use services. He has rare…

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