Criminal Recidivism Among Hong Kong Male Juvenile Probationers

Hong Kong juvenile probationers are scarcely studied. The purpose of this study was to explore the 6-month short-term recidivism
rate of 92 male juvenile probationers (aged 14–20 years), with and without controlling for their index crime. Generally, 30%
of the juveniles reoffended within the 6-month follow-up period (82 and 18% were adjudicated of a nonviolent and violent offense
respectively). Eight personality and psychosocial properties (self-esteem, life satisfaction, social bond, positive and negative
affect, impulsivity, pro-offending attitudes, and self-perceived life problems) were assessed in both Wave 1 and Wave 2 periods.
Only three properties (negative affect, self-perceived life problems, and self-esteem) yielded significant changes within
the 6-month period. Beyond the exploratory analyses, another aim of this study was to identify significant predictors of recidivism
in these rarely sampled juvenile probationers. Results indicated that type of crime, onset age of delinquent behavior, frequency
of delinquency involvement in the past year, social bond, negative affect, impulsivity, and pro-offending attitudes were significant
risk factors for recidivism. These findings highlight the need for social workers and other youth justice personnel to prioritize
the intervention resources for juvenile probationers in light of the high estimated lifetime cost of crime for young offenders.
Cognitive-behavioral treatment modalities with emphases on family functioning and problem-solving strategies were found to
be an effective intervention approach for juvenile offenders. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.