Juvenile Justice News
Group Home Placements Double Risk for Delinquency
Results from a new study found that youth in the child welfare system who enter group homes are about 2 1/2 times more likely to enter the juvenile justice system compared to youth with similar backgrounds who are served in foster care.
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and California State University at Los Angeles were provided access to data by the Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Probation in Los Angeles County. They compared the arrests of more than 4,000 youth in group homes to approximately 4,000 youth in foster care.
According to the study, "Juvenile Delinquency in Child Welfare: Investigating Group Home Effects":
- The evidence indicates that placement in a group home as opposed to foster care significantly increases the risk of arrest. One in five youth in group homes (20%) were arrested compared with less than one in 10(8%) youth in foster care.
- African-American youth placed in group homes have a 64% greater chance of being arrested than white youth.
- The vast majority of arrests occur while the youth is under the supervision of the group home rather than post-placement.
- Youth residing in group homes were significantly more likely to be arrested for violent and threat-related offenses.
The study is available on the Children and Youth Services Review and the Child Welfare League of America websites. (www.cwla.org)
For more information, visit www.childwelfare.com/Kids/cysr.htm.
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