The Perspectives of Black Youth on Risk and Protective Factors for Peer Involvement in the Juvenile Legal System
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21559936 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Daria Shamrova (0000-0001-7147-4543, Texas State University, corresponding author), Joana Tolchinsky (0000-0002-8273-0976, Michigan State University), Breanna Boppre (0000-0002-3864-4552, Urban Institute), Amy M Alberton (0000-0002-4746-0704, Texas State University), Jessica R Williams (0000-0003-0215-4591, Texas State University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 543-560 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0738-0151 • E-ISSN: 1573-2797 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10560-025-01031-z |
| OpenAlex | W4412974509 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 70 |
Youth of color are starkly overrepresented in the U.S. Juvenile Legal System. This study aims to understand the risk and protective mechanisms of youth involvement with the JLS based on the perspectives of African American/Black youth. More specifically, factors that hinder youth success and prevent them from becoming entangled in the JLS are explored as well as their recommendations for adults in power and their peers. Photovoice methodology was utilized with 13 youth attending a youth center in systemically overlooked community in a Midwestern urban community. The results suggest that youth identified four main protective factors including adult mentorship, education, sport, and social support, as well as three risk factors including experience of inequality, poor behavioral health, and lack of parental care. The findings here demonstrate the need for deflection and diversion through community-based approaches prior to entrenchment into the juvenile legal system. Based on the findings, prevention programs focused on mentoring, parental/familial support, sports, and mental health support have potential to prevent and reduce JLS. The youth recommendations are discussed in relation to individual, school and community level changes needed to prevent Black youth interactions with the JLS
Developmental psychology · Juvenile · Medical education · Mental health · Mentorship · Psychiatry · Youth studies · Child Welfare and Adoption · Health Policy Implementation Science · Medicine · Psychology · Youth Development and Social Support
A Systematic Review of Youth Participatory Action Research (Ypar) in the United States
Direct Protective and Buffering Protective Factors in the Development of Youth Violence
School Pathways to the Juvenile Justice System
Re-envisioning Child Well-being
Disparities in Youth Arrest Across Racial and Ethnic Subgroups
Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences and Juvenile Court Outcomes
Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE)
Solidarity in action
The push toward institutional control
Risk and Protective Factors of Juvenile Justice Involvement among Post-Adjudicated Young Women
Strengths Matter
Recidivism Among Justice-Involved Youth
School Behavior, School Performance, and Race as Focal Concerns in the Institutionalization of Juveniles
The Association Between Sleep Duration and Arrest Among Adolescents
The Criminalization of Young Children and Overrepresentation of Black Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
Racialized Gender Differences in Mental Health Service Use, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Recidivism Among Justice-Involved African American Youth
Risk and Protective Factors and Interventions for Reducing Juvenile Delinquency
Realizing Resilience in Trauma Exposed Juvenile Offenders
Parental Incarceration, Child Adversity, and Child Health
Describing associations between child maltreatment frequency and the frequency and timing of subsequent delinquent or criminal behaviors across development
A scoping review of strengths-based risk and needs assessments for youth involved in the juvenile legal system
Examining the Disconnect in Youth Pathways and Court Responses
Can the development of protective factors help disrupt the foster care-to-prison pipeline? An examination of the association between justice system involvement and the development of youth protective factors
Working upstream
Developing a framework for critical qualitative inquiry within a juvenile justice context
Conducting Youth Participatory Action Research (Ypar) Through a Healing-Informed Approach with System-Involved Latinas
Counter Stories on the Meaning of Sport in the Lives of Black Youth Who Are Incarcerated
Danger of strong causal reasoning in juvenile justice policy and practice
Differences in risk and protective factors between crossover and non-crossover youth in juvenile justice
Understanding violence and developing resilience with African American youth in high-poverty, high-crime communities
Using Methods That Matter
Incarcerated Youths’ Perspectives on Protective Factors and Risk Factors for Juvenile Offending
Youth‒Police Contact
Protective Factors for Antisocial Behavior in Youth
Adolescent Neglect, Juvenile Delinquency and the Risk of Recidivism
Prosocial Peers as Risk, Protective, and Promotive Factors for the Prevention of Delinquency and Drug Use
Back in on the Outside
Navigating Ethical Challenges in Qualitative Research With Children and Youth Through Sustaining Mindful Presence
Youth Participation in Photovoice as a Strategy for Community Change
Unjustified
Thinking Critically About Photovoice
The Varying Effects of Incarceration, Conviction, and Arrest on Wealth Outcomes among Young Adults
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |