Monteal, QUE, Canada. Help provided by the juvenile justice system substantially increased the risk of boys engaging in criminal activities during early adulthood, according to a long-term study of male-based criminal behavior.

The different behavioral patterns of the sexes during adolescence pose many challenges, but exacerbate further when young males exhibit extremes in criminal behavior that could influence more peaceful males and young females. This has special relevance to residents of economically challenged and/or high-crime areas.

Young people who transition to correct the misalignment of their brains and anatomical sex do so in a social context. Natal individuals provide peer-based role models, both good and bad, that can stimulate emotional reactions and judgment. While little is known about such effects, current research does at least contribute to a more realistic appraisal of the social matrix whithin which transition occurs.

"For boys who had been through the juvenile justice system, compared to boys with similar histories without judicial involvement, the odds of adult judicial interventions increased almost seven-fold," says study co-author Richard E. Tremblay, a professor of psychology, pediatrics and psychiatry at L'Université de Montréal and a researcher at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center.

The research team sought out boys from kindergarten who were at risk for delinquent behavior and who were enrolled at 53 schools from the poorest neighbourhoods in Montreal.

• 779 participants were interviewed annually from the age of 10 until 17 years.
  
  
• 17.6 percent of participants ended up with adult criminal records y their mid-20s for infractions that included homicide (17.9 percent); arson (31.2 percent); prostitution (25.5 percent); drug possession (16.4 percent) and impaired driving (8.8 percent).

"The more intense the help given by the juvenile justice system, the greater was its negative impact," Dr. Tremblay stresses. "Our findings take on even greater importance given that the juvenile justice system in the province of Quebec has the reputation of being among the best. Most countries spend considerable financial resources to fund programs and institutions that group deviant youths together in order to help them. The problem is that delinquent behavior is contagious, especially among adolescents. Putting deviant adolescents together creates a culture of deviance, which increases the likelihood of continued criminal behavior."

Assessing the current situation, Dr. Tremblay acknowledges at least two solutions for this problem. Tremblay says

• "The first is to implement prevention programs before adolescence when problem children are more responsive.
  
  
• The second is to minimize the concentration of problem youths in juvenile justice programs, thereby reducing the risk of peer contagion."

Additionally, it appears that the content of the prevention programs may need review to ensure their relevance and avoidance of unintended effects.

The TS-Si News Service is a collaborative effort by TS-Si.org editors, contributors, and corresponding institutions. Sources can include the cited individuals and organizations, as well as TS-Si.org staff contributions. Articles and news reports do not necessarily convey official positions of TS-Si, its partners, or affiliates. We welcome your comments. Use the form below to leave a public comment or send private correspondence via the TS-Si Contact Page. We will not divulge any personal details or place you on a mailing list without your permission.


TS-Si is dedicated to the acceptance, medical treatment, and legal protection of individuals correcting the misalignment of their brains and their anatomical sex, while supporting their transition into society as hormonally reconstituted and surgically corrected citizens.

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