Purpose

Research has demonstrated a link between out-of-home foster care and subsequent juvenile justice involvement. Understanding factors that may contribute to dual system involvement for young people who entered foster care is essential for disrupting this relationship.

Method

We used population-based linked administrative records to examine the prevalence of juvenile delinquency court petitions among individuals placed in out-of-home foster care in Los Angeles County from birth to age 18. By integrating records from child welfare and probation, this analysis of individuals born between 1998 and 2001 and who lived in the county’s out-of-home foster care system (N = 29,434) showed that 2,554 (8.7%) had encountered a juvenile delinquency court petition prior to turning 18.

Results

Regression results showed an increased rate of dual system involvement among young people in foster care who experienced unstable living conditions, periods of absence from care, commercial sexual exploitation, or group homes. Instability in living situations (staying in care for more than a year, with three or more homes or placements; RR = 1.31; CI = 1.16, 1.48) and history of group home care (RR = 1.43; CI = 1.25, 1.64) were significantly associated with a heightened rate of dual system involvement. As shown in the gender-stratified models, the magnitude of associations between dual system involvement and foster care experiences differed by gender.

Discussion

The current study aligns with prior studies showing a relationship between residential instability and group homes to subsequent delinquency court involvement. Findings set a baseline so future work can explore if policies aiming to reduce reliance on group care are associated with changes in the likelihood of dual system involvement.

中文翻译：

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与寄养机构和青少年犯罪法庭联系：从出生到 18 岁的前瞻性检查

目的

研究表明，家庭外寄养与随后的少年司法参与之间存在联系。了解可能导致进入寄养的年轻人参与双轨制的因素对于破坏这种关系至关重要。

方法

我们使用基于人口的关联行政记录来调查洛杉矶县从出生到 18 岁被安置在家庭外寄养机构的个人中青少年犯罪法庭请愿的普遍程度。通过整合儿童福利和缓刑的记录，这项分析1998 年至 2001 年间出生并居住在该县的家庭外寄养系统中的个人 ( N  = 29,434) 表明，2,554 人 (8.7%) 在 18 岁之前曾向少年犯罪法庭提出申诉。

结果

回归结果显示，在寄养家庭中经历过不稳定的生活条件、一段时间的缺席、商业性剥削或集体之家的年轻人中，双轨制参与率有所增加。生活状况不稳定（在三个或三个以上的家庭或安置中居住超过一年；RR = 1.31；CI = 1.16，1.48）和集体家庭护理史（RR = 1.43；CI = 1.25，1.64）与双系统参与率的升高显着相关。正如性别分层模型所示，双重系统参与与寄养经历之间的关联程度因性别而异。

讨论

目前的研究与之前的研究一致，表明居住不稳定和集体住宅与随后的少年犯罪法庭介入之间存在关系。研究结果设定了一个基线，以便未来的工作可以探索旨在减少对团体护理依赖的政策是否与双系统参与可能性的变化相关。