The article by Mennis et al. is part of an
NIJ-funded project and investigates the relationship
between neighborhood characteristics
and rates of juvenile delinquency and recidivism
in Philadelphia. Such research is justified by the
fact that correctional scholarship has neglected
the role that neighborhoods play in reinforcing
or weakening the treatment effects of youth aftercare
programs. In addition, the outcome of
such programs suggests that half of their clients
reoffend at some time during the year after release,
and one third return during this time to
a more secure placement.
Using a variety of neighborhood characteristics,
including collective efficacy, socioeconomic
status, and crime, univariate relationships
and forward-stepwise regression analysis are
employed to explore interactions among the explanatory
variables in estimating delinquency
rate and recidivism rate. Results indicate that
both delinquency and recidivism are concentrated
in impoverished neighborhoods with violent
crime, although this relationship is far
stronger for delinquency than for recidivism.
After accounting for the influence of crime and
poverty, African American neighborhoods tend
to exhibit higher delinquency rates, but lower
recidivism rates, than other neighborhoods.