As a three-year research project(2017-2019), the purpose of the research is to provide policy implication for successful reentry of high risk juvenile offenders at juvenile correctional facilities. Using panel design the research examines changes in the juvenile offenders’s attitude, perception, and behavior over time. In particular, this year we examined changes in reentry variables and correlates of the changes in order to figure out factors of successful reentry. We also conducted in-depth interview for qualitative analyses in relation to correlates of successful reentry. In addition, we conducted literature review of juvenile justice systems in other nations in terms of reentry process, followed by the juvenile justice system in South Korea and limitations of the current system. Finally, we provide implication for successful reentry after both quantitative and qualitative analyses and literature review of foreign cases.
A total of 533 juvenile offenders at 9 juvenile correctional facilities participated in the first survey between May 18th, 2018 and May 31st, 2018. Out of 533 juveniles 399 offenders were on parole, while the rest of them were released without parole. 200 youths on parole participated in the second survey between July and December 2018, 170 youths participated in the third survey between December 2018 and April 2019, and 78 youths participated in the fourth survey between Jun and July 2019. 32 juvenile offenders out of 134 who got released without parole participated in the second survey between October 2018 and March 2019. As a comparison group we conducted the first survey with 463 juvenile offenders on probation at 19 probation offices between July 9th, 2018 and August 3rd, 2019. The second survey was conducted with 263 youths between February and March 2019, and the third survey was conducted with 217 youths between Jun and July 2019. Willingness to follow law, positive self-image, and accepting responsibility for crime are used to measure perception/attitude characteristics of reentry, preparation for job, GED, or certificate, illegal gambling, delinquency on cyberspace, violent behavior, warning on probation, recidivism, and probation revocation were used to measure behavioral characteristics of reentry. As correlates of reentry individual, family, peer, community related variables are measured.
The results of univariate analyses show the following results. First, there exist significant differences in willingness to follow law, positive self-image, preparation for job/GED/certificate, gambling, delinquency on cyberspace, violent behavior, number of crime, time to the first crime, warning, number of warning, and time to the first warning between juvenile offenders on parole and juveniles on probation. Second, for juvenile offenders on parole abuse at home was significantly related to warning; gender, age, seduction to crime, abuse, and community security level were significantly related to recidivism; and age, education level, and living with parents were significantly related to parole revocation. For juvenile offenders on probation risky lifestyles, religiosity, alcohol problems, abuse at home, pro-social peer association, parental attachment, self-control, and time spent with family were significantly related to warning; strain, risky lifestyles, community security level, and self-control were significantly related to recidivism; and age, risky lifestyles, negative labeling, community security level, and parental attachment were significantly related to probation revocation.
Multiple/logistic analyses provided the following results. For the youth offenders on parole, decreases in seduction to crime/risky lifestyles/religiosity/association with deviant peer and increase in self-control/social support increased willingness to follow law; Increase in religiosity/negative emotion regulation/association with pro-social peer/social support and decrease in negative labeling led to increase in positive self-image. Increase in social support increased accepting responsibility for crime. Increase in religiosity/negative emotion regulation/association with pro-social peer/community security level/social support increased preparation for job. Increase in attachment with officers and decrease in strain/alcohol problem increased preparation for GED or certificate. Increase in risky lifestyles/parental attachment/association with deviant and pro-social peer and decrease in attachment with officers increased gambling. Increase in seduction to crime/alcohol problem/association with deviant peer increased delinquency on cyberspace. Increase in seduction to crime/alcohol problem/association with deviant and pro-social peer and decrease in negative emotion regulation/attachment with officer led to increase in violent behavior. Decrease in alcohol problem and increase in abuse at home increased warning. Increase in seduction to crime/abuse at home/community security level increased recidivism. No variable had significant effect on parole provocation. For the youth on probation, decrease in seduction to crime/risky lifestyles and increase in self-control/attachment to officer increased willingness to follow law. Decrease in seduction to crime and increase in negative emotion regulation/parental attachment/association with pro-social peer/social support/attachment with officer led to increase in positive self-image. Decrease in risky lifestyle and increase in parental attachment/community security level/attachment with officer increased accepting responsibility for crime. Increase in parental attachment/abuse at home/association with pro-social peer/social support/attachment with officer increased preparation for job. Increase in age/parental attachment/abuse at home/attachment with officer led to increase in preparation for GED or certificate. Increase in seduction to crime/risky lifestyles/alcohol problem/association with deviant peer/negative labeling led to increase in gambling. Increase in seduction to crime/association with deviant peer and decrease in association with pro-social peer increased delinquency on cyberspace. Increase in seduction to crime/alcohol problem/association with deviant peer/community security level increased violent behavior. Increase in religiosity/association with pro-social peer and decrease in time spent with family led to increase in warning. Increase in strain and social support increased recidivism.Increase in negative labeling and community security level led to increase in probation revocation.
According to network analyses with juvenile offenders on parole using preand post-release, there was no significant change in type and quality of network. For the type of network, the majority of the youth had network of peer-senior/junior-boy/girl friend, while only some of the youth had network of family. In particular, there is almost no youth who had network of officer/teach at school or correctional institution. In relation to the quality of network, quality of network had more influence than type of network on reentry. For instance, increase in network of family-teacher led to increase in willingness to follow law and accepting for responsibility for crime. However, increase in network of males/people in the same community/seduction to crime and decrease in attachment increased delinquency on cyberspace, violent behavior, warning, and recidivism.
Latent class analyses provided the following results. First, using the data of the first survey three groups appeared, stable group, externalizing group, and mixed-unstable group. There was no significant difference in recidivism, warning, and parole revocation for youth offenders on parole, while the externalizing group showed the highest score on recidivism, warning, and probation revocation for the youth on probation. Second. the stable group showed the highest score on positive attitude measures among the three groups for the youth on probation, while significant changes appeared across surveys, but not among the three groups for the youth on parole. The stable group of the youth on probation showed the most positive changes, while the mixed-unstable group of the youth on parole showed the most negative changes. Third, the analyses of changes in reentry measures between the youth on probation and the youth on parole and between males and females showed significant differences in negative behavioral measures of reentry between the parolees and the probationers and between males and females. In particular, emotional problems of the mixed-unstable group did not get better over time, and females showed more internalizing problems than males. Fourth, correlates of reentry were dependent on type of subgroup. For the youth on parole, strain and alcohol problems were major correlates of reentry for the stable group, personal, family, peer, and community factors influenced reentry for the externalizing group, while age, seduction to crime, negative labeling, attachment with officer were major correlates of reentry for the mixed-unstable group. For the youth on probation, association with pro-social peer and alcohol problems were significant factors of reentry for the stable group, community security level and social support were major correlates of reentry for the externalizing group, while seduction to crime, negative labeling, and attachment with officer influenced reentry for the mixed-unstable group.
Based on the findings of the quantitative and qualitative analyses and the literature review on the juvenile justice system in other nations in terms of reentry process and resources, the following implications are suggested. First, there should be smooth transition system from institution to community including consistent reentry services, separate reentry system for youth offenders who are released without parole, and enacting laws and regulations for network among public and private institutions. In addition, the ministry of justice should allot more finances and human resources for reentry of the young offenders. Second, as reentry services in institution we suggest establishing systematic uation system, diversifying job related programs, developing programs for positive self-image/self-esteem/resilience of recovery/restoring family relationships/ visiting service providers in hometown, sharing information between correctional facilities and probation offices, and improving the post-institution program. As reentry services in community, we suggest establishing systematic networking among public and private institutions, probation officers balancing monitoring and providing services, customized programs for the youth released without parole, utilizing coaching program, and developing services for parents of youth offenders such as counselling. Third, we suggest providing youth offenders with job preparation/training centers based on the youth’s needs and residential facilities after getting released from institution and establishing long-term plans, such as making correctional facilities smaller. Finally, we suggest providing more customized programs and services for female offenders, offenders with mental issues, and offenders in the mixed-unstable group.