Juvenile probationers adjudicated of violent and nonviolent offenses in Hong Kong: are they psychologically different?

Abstract

Limited is known about Hong Kong juvenile offenders who are put on probation. This study consists of 109 male juveniles (aged 14-20 years) who served their probation sentence in a community transitional housing. Of the sample, 34 juveniles are adjudicated for committing a violent offense, while the remaining 75 juveniles are found guilty of a nonviolent offense. Six psychometric measures assessing eight psychological correlates (self-esteem, life satisfaction, social bond, positive affect, negative affect, impulsivity, pro-offending attitudes, and self-perceived life problems) are administered. Four offending history variables (onset age of delinquent behavior, age of first adjudication, number of prior adjudication, and frequency of self-reported delinquency in the past 12 month) are also studied. For exploratory purpose, univariate and bivariate analyses of these two groups (juvenile violent and nonviolent probationers) are first computed. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression analyses indicate that several static (offending history) and dynamic (psychological correlates) risk factors are predictors of the juvenile violent and nonviolent probationers’ self-anticipated re-offending risk. Limitations of the study are outlined.