Introduction: Positive Peer Culture (PPC) is a practice model often employed with juvenile offenders. PPC draws heavily from theories of social psychology and intends to prevent negative subcultures by harnessing and redirecting the power of peer influence. Despite the recognition that PPC is a group oriented approach, prior research has yet to disentangle individual and group effects when explaining important outcomes. The purpose of the current study is to use HLM to investigate the individual and group level factors that explain recidivism following long term residential care for adjudicated delinquents. The current study focuses particular attention on the role of child maltreatment in understanding the risk of recidivism. The current study is different from prior maltreatment – delinquency research in that few studies have investigated the experiences and outcomes associated with dependent youth after they enter the juvenile justice system.

Methods and Results: The data used in the current study represent two cohorts of youth released from a large residential program in the Midwest between 1992 and 1993 (n=286). The residential program serves primarily adjudicated delinquents in a strengths based, peer group environment. At intake, the average age was 15.7 years old. African American youth comprised 67% of the sample. The average number of prior adjudications was 3.16 and the average number of prior out-of-home placements was 4.42. Sixty-two percent were from single parent families. The average length of stay in residential care was 12.17 months. Recidivism was measured using official arrest data from the Department of State Police. Hierarchical non - linear models were fitted to predict recidivism. At the individual level, the direction and size of the maltreatment coefficient indicates that victims of physical abuse and/or neglect (as represented by a substantiated allegation) are significantly more likely to be arrested subsequent to participating in a long term residential program for juvenile offenders. Specifically, the odds are 1.58 times greater for victims of physical abuse and/or neglect. The odds of recidivism are 1.7 times greater for youth with three or more prior adjudications and 1.21 times greater for African American youth – as compared with white youth. At the group level, only one variable is significantly related to recidivism: staff turnover. Specifically, the odds of recidivism are 1.26 times greater for youth in cottages that experienced at least two changes in day treatment staff.

Conclusion: This much is known – victims of physical abuse and neglect are at an increased risk of engaging in delinquent behavior. The risks of initial offending include placement instability, placement type, chronic maltreatment and weak social controls. The findings from the current study indicate that victims of maltreatment are indeed at greater risk for recidivism. This finding should serve as a starting point for research that focuses specifically on understanding the experiences and outcomes of dependent youth in the juvenile justice system.