Examining a Crossover Youth Bias in Sentencing
Crossover youth are youth who were both victims of maltreatment and have committed a criminal act. One study has suggested that these youth receive harsher sentences than young offenders who have not been involved with the youth protection system, suggesting a bias in juvenile justice sentencing. The objective of the present study was to examine whether an adolescent’s status as a crossover youth is a significant predictor of his or her sentencing outcome, while controlling for important covariates and analyzing sex differences. Official records for Quebec adolescents who pled guilty or were convicted of a crime between 2005 and 2010 were consulted and a logistic regression model of the likelihood of a custodial sentence was developed. Findings revealed that a history of maltreatment predicted the imposition of a custodial sentence for male crossover youth, after age, ethnicity, and the severity and type of offence were controlled for. Given the results of this study, future studies should evaluate the efficacy of sentencing on rehabilitation by considering changes in offending behaviours and any change in safety issues within the family home.