Objective: The prevention of delinquency can have long-term benefits for both the individual and society. Previous work has demonstrated positive effects of Treatment Foster Care Oregon (TFCO) on reducing delinquency across a 2-year period for adolescent females involved in the juvenile justice system. The present study examined whether the effects of TFCO are present across a 10-year period, and whether criminal offenses accrued in the juvenile justice system mediate the association between intervention condition and cumulative criminal offenses through emerging adulthood.
Method: The sample included 166 women (68% non-Hispanic White) who had been court mandated to out-of-home care as adolescents, randomly assigned to one of two interventions, and followed for an average of 10 years. Juvenile (< 18 years of age) and adult criminal records data were collected and coded for offense severity.
Results: Analyses revealed a significant effect of the TFCO intervention on cumulative criminal offense charge severity across the 10-year follow-up period (β = -.15, p < .05). This effect was mediated by offense charges that occurred after the baseline assessment and prior to Age 18, as shown through a significant indirect effect, β = -.09, p < .05, suggesting the importance of reductions in juvenile delinquency on later criminal offending.
Conclusions: Intensive out-of-home interventions that reduce juvenile offenses for youth with chronic delinquency may have sustained effects on adult criminality. Implications for prevention programs for female adolescents are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).