Aggression and Academic Misconduct Among Justice-Involved Youth: The Roles of Facility Environment, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Competency

Abstract

As compared to adult populations, there is a significant dearth of studies examining official misconduct among juveniles, leaving important gaps in our knowledge. Utilizing a sample of youth completing juvenile justice residential placement in Florida across four fiscal years ( n = 5739), the current study seeks to examine the joint effects of facility environment and individual characteristics on institutional misconduct, represented by aggression and academic misconduct in facilities. Academic Youths’ severity of criminal involvement, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), emotional and communication skills, and history of violence or drugs all contributed to explaining their aggression and academic misconduct in facilities. The level of institutional security consistently emerged as a significant predictor for academic misconduct and aggression. Aggression in facilities was more sensitive to the severity of ACEs. Policy implications and limitations are discussed.