Youth At-risk for ‘Crossing Over’: Exploring the Roles of Family Living Status and Parental Criminality in Predicting Crossover Youth Status

• In Event: Crossover Youth: Juveniles Involved in Multiple Systems

Abstract

Research has shown that maltreated youth are at an increased risk of engaging in delinquent behavior and an even greater risk of recidivating than non-maltreated youth; yet, the literature examining these “crossover” youth and their experiences is scant. Existing literature suggests that unique risk factors are associated with a child that penetrates both systems, such as placement type and stability. This research, however, has seemingly overlooked two essential factors that influence system intervention, parental criminality and family living status. Recent reports document that between 36 and 50% of “crossover” youth have a parent with a history of criminal behavior, and more than 72% with a history of substance abuse. Furthermore, while placement instability has shown to precede and predict “crossover” youth status, literature has not empirically examined a child’s living situation in predicting this status. Therefore, does a child’s family life—as depicted by the presence of parental criminality and the family living status—play a role in his/her pathway to dual-system involvement? Using juvenile court files from a southwest urban jurisdiction, the purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics—individual and family-level—that are associated with a “crossover” youth status.

Authors

• Nancy Rodriguez, Arizona State University

• Arynn Alexandria Infante, Arizona State University

• Laura Beckman, Arizona State University