Examination of long-term postrelease outcomes of juvenile homicide offenders

Homicide by juveniles, a matter of serious concern in the United States since the 1980s, remains a pressing issue due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. The present study explored long-term recidivism in a sample of 59 male juvenile homicide offenders sentenced to adult prison for murder or attempted murder in the early 1980s. The results indicated that nearly 90% of released offenders were rearrested during the 30-year follow-up period. More than 60% were rearrested for violent offenses. Race and time served were found to be significantly related to postrelease violence. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.