Predicting Recidivism in Juvenile Offenders on Community-Based Orders: The Impact of Risk Factors and Service Delivery

In 1999, the Queensland government trialled the Youth Justice Service which fundamentally changed the way supervision, rehabilitation and reintegration services were provided to young offenders on community based orders. The Youth Justice Service aims to monitor order compliance, address risk factors associated with the offending behaviour and assist young people to develop skills to successfully navigate their pathways in the future. After controlling for developmental risk factors and key features of the intervention process, the study found that while the Youth Justice Service might have had some temporary deterrent effect it was no better than the traditional service delivery model at preventing recidivism, as measured at 18-months post-intervention.