Underlying predictors of clinicians' judgements of juveniles' amenability to treatment

The present study investigated variables clinicians consider most important when assessing a juvenile's amenability to treatment, and whether manipulating levels of these variables significantly affect such judgments. In Phase One, a survey was conducted of the American Academy of Forensic Psychologists (n = 147) and individuals who have published in the area of treatment amenability (n = 27). Respondents rated the importance of 18 variables with regard to assessing a juvenile's amenability to treatment. Respondents also rank-ordered the 18 variables from the most to the least important to consider when rendering such judgments. Fifty individuals (44 men and 6 women, mean age = 53.42) returned completed forms. Five variables were identified as the most important: response to treatment within the juvenile system, number of arrests, characteristics of the family, age at onset of aggressive and/or disruptive behavior and response to treatment outside the juvenile system. Phase Two examined whether manipulating the level of these five variables would affect clinicians' judgments of amenability to treatment. Amenability to treatment was measured by five dependent variables: general assessment of amenability; likelihood of recidivism; risk to public safety; compliance with treatment; and success of treatment. A survey was conducted of a random sample of the American Psychological Association (N = 1000). Respondents rated a juvenile's amenability to treatment based upon information regarding a hypothetical juvenile. Two hundred and seventy-five individuals (189 men and 86 women, mean age = 52.05) returned completed surveys. Five Multivariate Analyses of Variance were conducted. Results found that manipulating levels of four of the variables resulted in a significant change (p < .001) in clinicians' judgments of a juvenile's amenability to treatment. These variables included response to treatment within the juvenile system, number of arrests, characteristics of the family and response to treatment outside the juvenile system. Univariate tests found that for each of these four variables, the levels of the variables significantly differed on all of the dependent measures (p < .01). The results serve as a preliminary research step in this area by identifying variables considered most important in assessing a juvenile's amenability to treatment, and demonstrating that manipulations of these variables significantly affect such judgments.