Deck 12: B: Assessment and Treatment of Young Offenders

Question 1

Describe primary,secondary,and tertiary intervention strategies.Describe an example of each strategy.

Answer 1

1.Primary intervention strategies: strategies that are implemented prior to any violence occurring with the goal of decreasing the likelihood that violence will occur later on
-Incredible Years Parenting Program or Project Head Start or SNAP Under 12 Outreach Project could be described here
2.Secondary intervention strategies: strategies that attempt to reduce the frequency of violence
-Multisystemic therapy
3.Tertiary intervention strategies: strategies that attempt to prevent violence from reoccurring
-Treatment based approaches such as in-patient or residential treatment,community-based treatment,positive rap music in prison program

Question 2

Name the three childhood psychiatric disorders that occur with frequency in young offenders.Provide two characteristics of each.

Answer 2

-Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
a.inattention
b.restlessness
c.does not listen when spoken to
d.difficulty in organization
e.loses items
f.fidgets
g.talks excessively
-Oppositional defiant disorder
a.negative behaviour
b.hostile behaviour
c.defiant behaviour
d.loses temper
e.deliberately annoys others
f.vindictive
-Conduct disorder
a.initiates physical fights
b.physically cruel to animals
c.sets fires
d.lies for gain
e.truant before 13 years of age

Question 3

Describe the Offender Risk Assessment and Management System,including the two scales that are used within this system to assess risk with young offenders.

Answer 3

ORAMS is a set of tools developed by Manitoba Corrections to assess the different risks offenders pose.Two scales can be used with young offenders: Inmate Security
Assessment and Primary Risk Assessment.
1.Inmate Security Assessment (ISA)-Young Offenders
The objective of the ISA is to obtain information to assess a young offender's threat to him- or herself and others in an institution.Dangerous behaviour includes suicide,assaults on other inmates or staff,and escape risk.This scale is completed once an offender has been admitted into an institution for security reasons and also assists decisions relating to institutional placement or transfer.
2.Primary Risk Assessment (PRA)-Young Offenders
This scale is a modified version of the Youthful Offender-Level of Service Inventory (YO-LSI).It is used to predict a young offender's risk to reoffend in any type of offence (as opposed to specific types of offences,such as sexual assault).This information is then used to determine the degree and type of supervision needed and to assist in the formulation of a case plan.

Question 4

What is the difference between reactive aggression and proactive aggression? Which is related to an earlier onset of problems?

Question 5

Name the two types of adolescent offenders described by Moffitt.Provide two characteristics associated with each type of adolescent offender.

Question 6

Provide three criticisms of the Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA).

Question 7

What is the relationship between youth gang involvement and delinquency? Discuss using research to back up your points.

Question 8

Compare the key changes to the youth criminal justice system associated with the Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA),the Young Offenders Act (YOA)and the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).

Question 9

State three main objectives of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Question 10

Define "resilient" and identify four ways that protective factors are effective.

Question 11

Three childhood psychiatric diagnoses occur with some frequency in young offenders.Identify the three disorders,describe each,and discuss the relationship between these disorders (i.e.,is diagnosis with one type likely to result in the diagnosis with another?).

Question 12

Describe the difference between internalizing problems and externalizing problems.Provide examples of each and identify which is more difficult to treat.