Persistent juvenile offenders as a special challenge in prison and social-therapeutic treatment

Law enforcement authorities in Germany register juveniles and adolescents as persistent offenders who have repeatedly committed serious violent crimes in the past and who are at risk of a criminal career. This article examines young persistent offenders in the context of juvenile prison and sociotherapy. In a complete survey of the sociotherapy unit (n & x202f;= 191) and a parallelized comparative sample (n & x202f;= 43) from the juvenile prison in Berlin, Germany, approximately half of the inmates in each sample were identified as persistent offenders. The persistent juvenile offenders exhibited a range of social and criminogenic risk factors and showed more behavioral problems in prison. There were also indications that persistent offenders were more strongly involved in organized crime. The investigation of post-release delinquent behavior showed that persistent offenders emerged in police reports more frequently (60% vs. 31%) and faster after release (1.2 years vs. 1.8 years) with a violent offence. An impact of sociotherapy on persistent offenders could be demonstrated for occurrence of nonviolent offences. Further analyses point to a relationship between organized crime and delinquent behavior after release. The present study reveals various challenges in dealing with young persistent offenders and discusses adaptations of interventional measures in juvenile prisons with respect to the specific criminogenic needs of this subgroup.