U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Does Out-of-Home Placement Mediate the Relationship Between Child Maltreatment and Adult Criminality?

NCJ Number
228656
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 344-355
Author(s)
Sarah DeGue; Cathy Spatz Widom
Date Published
November 2009
Length
12 pages
Annotation

This study examined the role of out-of-home placement as a mediator of adult criminality.

Abstract

The results of this study showed a neutral or slightly positive effect on adult criminality compared to no placement, consistent with earlier findings for the same sample using criminal history data. However, prior delinquency and placement instability were significant risk factors for adult criminality. Gender, not race, was identified as a significant moderator of the relationship between placement and adult criminality. The results of the study suggest that it may be time to move beyond a one-size-fits-all understanding of the short- and long-term criminal effects of childhood abuse and neglect and the interventions intended to prevent those consequences. Most research to date examining child welfare placement as a mediator between childhood maltreatment and criminal behavior has examined shorter-term outcomes related to juvenile delinquency. This study of 772 maltreated children provides an update and extension to previous research and examines, in depth, the role of placement as a mediator of adult criminality. In addition, it examines differential associations between placement and adult criminality by race and gender. Tables and references