Interim Report of Desistance from Crime and Delinquency among Ex-Inmates of Japanese Juvenile Training Schools

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the current research is to identify factors associated with desistance from crime and delinquency using a sample of released inmates from juvenile training schools (JTSs) in Japan.
Method: Participants in the study were 127 ex-inmates released from the JTSs nationwide, ranging in age from 14 to 21 years old at the time of release. Self-reported questionnaires including life events, peer relationships and self-control were conducted for each of them at the time of release and about 2 years after release from the JTSs. The study originally plan to carry out up to 4 years follow-up survey, the same ex-inmates will answer same questionnaires during this period.
Result: This is an interim report of the larger ongoing project, which mainly exploring factors related to desistance with 4 years post-release follow-up, using official record, self-report, and narrative interview. Based upon our analysis, the desisters (N=72) showed statistically significant (p<.05) higher scores in the criterion for pro-social activities of their friends, the criterion for goal-orientation, and the criterion for internal self-control than re-commitment person to the JTSs (N=55), after controlling for confounding risk factors.

Author

• Tomohiro Tadano, Research and Training Institute Ministry of Justice Japan