The Effect of Legislative Rationales on Youths’ Self-Concept: A Replication Study

• In Event: Juvenile Justice Intervention Evaluations

Abstract

Since the inception of the juvenile justice system, there has been a division between adult offenders and juvenile offenders. Further, within the juvenile justice system there is a distinction between youth who commit delinquent acts and youth who commit status offenses. There are competing philosophies regarding the treatment of said status offenders. While some argue intervention is the best approach in order to decrease unwanted behavior, others argue involvement with the justice system lead to negative consequences. There is a need to assess which responses are best regarding addressing youth offenders. The present study assesses the replicability of Jennings, Gibson, Lanza-Kaduce (2009), who explored the relationship between different legislative rationales for managing status offending and youths’ self-concepts.

Authors

• Danielle M Fenimore, Texas State University

• Allison J. Fernandez, Texas State University