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Update
March 1999
Interagency Working
Group on the Link Between Child Maltreatment and Juvenile Delinquency
The term "maltreatment" refers to a range of scenarios in which
the parent or caretaker endangers or actually harms the health
and welfare of a child under age 18, including:
- Abuse of a child through the infliction of physical injury,
sexual exploitation, or serious emotional harm.
- Neglect of a child's basic needs in the areas
of physical care and supervision, educational development,
and emotional well being.
Research conducted to date clearly confirms that children who are maltreated
by their parents or caretakers not only suffer the immediate consequences
of abuse and neglect but also are at heightened risk for early onset
of and involvement in serious and violent delinquency and other adolescent
problem behaviors, including substance abuse, low academic achievement,
teen pregnancy, and mental health problems.
Introduction/History
Given this risk, the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention established the Interagency Working Group
on the Link Between Child Maltreatment and Juvenile Delinquency at
its meeting on February 3, 1998. The Working Group has provided a
forum for purposeful, thoughtful discussion of how to formulate a
coordinated, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary agenda for advancing
research, policy, and practice at the national, State, and local
levels on the link between child maltreatment and delinquency. To
inform this discussion, the Working Group first conducted a preliminary
assessment of the relevant research literature, policy issues, and
ongoing and planned program initiatives in the areas of child victimization
and delinquency.
The overall approach adopted by the Working Group is to view maltreatment
from the perspective of the abused and neglected child and to foster
efforts to more effectively prevent the occurrence of maltreatment
and intervene in its aftermath to lessen the negative consequences,
particularly delinquent behavior. This Working Group benefits from
(1) the active participation of practitioners, researchers, and interagency
representatives who have reached consensus that any recommended course
of action must be grounded in the realities of the developmental
needs of the abused and/or neglected child victim and the maltreated
juvenile offender and (2) coordination with the Deputy Attorney General's
Children Exposed to Violence Initiative, which is described below.
Recent and Planned Activities
The Working Group found it conceptually helpful to target five
categories of at-risk or victimized children who might benefit from
prevention or intervention strategies. The Working Group then began
the ongoing process of identifying effective or promising program
models that would assist jurisdictions in addressing the developmental
needs of each target group. The five target groups are described
briefly below along with a single suggested example of an appropriate
program model for each:
- The prenatal victim, whose mother exposes the unborn child
to alcohol or other drugs and/or is neglectful by failing to provide
proper nutrition or medical care. (Suggested program: Prenatal
and Early Childhood Nurse Home Visitation to reduce prenatal and
early childhood risks, including child abuse.)
- The child at high risk for maltreatment because
factors such as parental immaturity, poor stress management,
substance abuse or mental illness, domestic violence,
family history of incarceration, school failure, or
maltreatment of siblings. (Suggested program: Starting
Early, Starting Smart for integrated behavioral health
services within primary care and early childhood service
settings.)
- The maltreated child who
would benefit from early
intervention, including identification,
assessment, and treatment
to prevent subsequent delinquency.
(Suggested program: Model
Dependency Courts to expeditiously
address these cases and secure
safe permanent placements
for all maltreated children.)
- The
maltreated
child who
initiates
delinquency
at a very
young age
(12 years
and younger) and
requires
interventions
that would
both nurture
the victim
and help
him or
her to
replace
offending
behavior
with positive
alternatives.
(Suggested
program:
Sacramento
County
Community
Intervention
Program
to provide
maltreated
young delinquents
with a
multidisciplinary
team composed
of probation,
child welfare,
mental
health,
and community
workers
for assessment,
planning,
and referral
to services.)
- The
adolescent
offender
who
was
previously
and/or
is
currently
a
victim
of
maltreatment should
receive
consideration
for
individualized
treatment
and
rehabilitation
rather
than
incarceration
(which
is
not
only
punitive
and
very
expensive,
but
places
offenders
at
high
risk
of
further
victimization
and
recidivism
upon
release).
(Suggested
program:
Multisystemic
Therapy
to
promote
behavior
change
in
the
juvenile
offender's
environment,
using
the
strengths
of
each
system,
e.g.,
family,
peers,
school,
neighborhood,
and
indigenous
support
network,
to
facilitate
change.)
The search for effective and promising programs will continue as the
Working Group, with the assistance of the Child Welfare League of America,
begins to convene State forums on the link between child maltreatment
and juvenile delinquency. The Working Group is now working with State
authorities to plan its initial forums in South Carolina, Indiana,
and Alaska. Additional forums are also planned in other States. The
forums will be designed to foster collaborative systems of care by
bringing together State and local legislators and representatives of
child welfare, law enforcement, prosecution, juvenile justice, courts
and court administration, social work, education, public health, mental
health, child advocacy, the faith community, and research and evaluation.
These forums will also increase public awareness, identify promising
strategies and ongoing initiatives, outline the community-based collaborative
assessment and planning process, and allow for discussion of local
adaptation of effective and/or promising approaches. Forum participants
will discuss the dedication of resources (staff, funding, and facilities)
to provide intensive intervention, ways to access different funding
sources, and data sharing across systems.
The Working Group convened its most recent meeting on March 17,
1999, at which representatives of the Child Welfare League of America
and other involved Working Group participants provided an update
on progress in planning State forums. Working Group members also
identified and prioritized practical next steps for advancing the
group's recommended course of action. In addition, an update was
provided on the new Children Exposed to Violence Initiative, recently
announced by Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder. Under this initiative,
the U.S. Department of Justice will work with the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services and with State and local authorities
to address not only parent/caretaker abuse, but also the broader
concerns of children exposed to violence, including the witnessing
of violence and personal victimization of a child by a perpetrator
who is not the parent or caretaker. The initiative seeks to accomplish
the following:
- Improve justice system treatment of child victims and
witnesses of violence.
- Investigate suspicious child fatalities using
Child Death Review Teams.
- Propose model Federal
and State legislation that
would (1) make child abuse
offenses predicates for felony
murder and define murder
to include the death of a
child resulting from a pattern
of child abuse and (2) provide
a sentencing enhancement
whenever a violent crime
is committed in the presence
of a child.
- Strengthen
prevention
and intervention
initiatives focusing
on children
exposed
to violence,
including
making
available
$10 million
for the
Safe Start
demonstration
program
to help
up to 12
communities
promote
and build
upon proven
initiatives
like the
Child Development-Community
Policing
program,
a successful
partnership
between
the New
Haven Police
Department
and the
Yale University
Child Study
Center.
- Increase
public
awareness by
sponsoring
a
National
Summit
on
Children
Exposed
to
Violence
in
May
1999.
The Working Group continues to coordinate its efforts with the Deputy
Attorney General's Children Exposed to Violence Initiative-a distinct,
yet complementary effort to address child victimization.
To Be Discussed at the Meeting
The Council will be informed of the results of the Working Group's
most recent meeting, including plans for State forums, progress on
repackaging information for improved communication on the issue to
policymakers, and suggested priorities and a timeline for completing
the remainder of the action plan, as approved by the Coordinating
Council at its meeting of December 9, 1998.
Possible Next Steps
As the Working Group proceeds with ongoing efforts to facilitate
the State forum process and to identify proven effective and promising
program models, the Council may consider the following additional
tasks to be pursued under the proposed workplan:
- Developing advance reading materials for forum participants to
inform their discussion of State and local initiatives and help
them adapt effective and promising programs.
- Developing templates for forums for localities
to follow when convening their own sessions.
- Consolidating and/or repackaging
literature and other information on
research, evaluation, policy,
and programs in a readable
fashion for policymakers,
practitioners, and the public.
Development of Web-based
communications, in particular,
would facilitate timely communication
with a broad-based audience.
- Convening
a forum
with foundations interested
in funding
child,
youth,
and family
initiatives
to educate
the philanthropic
community
on the
link between
child maltreatment
and delinquency.
- Producing
a
satellite
teleconference with
selected
expert
speakers
to
raise
public
awareness
and
facilitate
information
sharing
on
effective
and/or
promising
program
strategies
to
combat
and
prevent
child
maltreatment
and
delinquent
involvement
of
victims.
- Communicating
with
OJJDP's
Study
Group
on
Very
Young
Offenders (7
to
12
years
old)
regarding
the
relationship
between
juvenile
justice,
mental
health,
and
child
welfare
services.
- Addressing
child
maltreatment
in
ongoing
longitudinal
studies
of
delinquency
and
youth
development to
better
understand
how
child
maltreatment
experiences
affect
victims
in
the
general
population
and
why,
and
under
what
circumstances,
certain
maltreated
children
thrive
and
avoid
such
pitfalls
as
delinquency,
drug
abuse,
mental
illness,
and
school
failure
as
they
develop.
- Reassessing
the
potential
Federal
role in
supporting
research
and
development
model
implementation,
demonstration
programs,
evaluation
efforts,
information
dissemination,
and
technical
assistance
and
training
(particularly
on
local
assessment
of
community
service
needs)
relating
to
maltreatment
and
delinquency.
Contact
Julie L. Herr
Juvenile Justice Program Specialist
Concentration of Federal Efforts Program
OJJDP
202-353-9260 - telephone
202-307-2093 - fax
herrj@ojp.usdoj.gov - e-mail
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