Session: Disrupting Trajectories of Violence and Related Outcomes: Patterns and Opportunities for Prevention (Society for Prevention Research 22nd Annual Meeting)

Youth who are at high risk for chronic violence can be identified early in life based on individual, family, and community risk factors. Individual differences in antisocial behaviors show stability across development. For example, research has found that conduct problems during early adolescence are associated with conduct problems and criminal behavior during late adolescence and into young adulthood. However, although conduct problems in childhood and early adolescence signal increased risk for the early initiation of later behavior problems, not all aggressive children go on to develop these problems. Research has identified heterogenous developmental patterns and trajectories of criminal and violent behavior. To elucidate patterns of continuity and the potential for desistance, developmental research designed to understand heterogeneity in the risk profiles that emerge among youth has tremendous potential for informing prevention.

The field of research on the development of violence has explored transactional models that take into account both the continuity of trajectories as well as consideration of influences at multiple levels throughout development. The development of antisocial behavior involves interplay between the risk characteristics of individuals and their environments across the lifespan. These include social environments created by families and peer groups, as well as other key community contexts. Research to continue to refine our understanding of developmental patterns of delinquency and violence can help identify dynamic opportunities to maximize the impact of prevention strategies.

Preventive interventions with the greatest potential for impact target environmental context and/or social interactional patterns at key points of the life course. A clear problem facing the field is how to deliver interventions at a population level, so that the reach and potential for impact of prevention strategies can be optimized. Research on developmental trajectories can further inform the development and testing of population-level interventions to inform opportunities for prevention.

The proposed symposium will present research findings exploring developmental trajectories of delinquency and violence. The first paper will present data on predictors of different patterns of juvenile incarceration. The second paper will report findings of trajectories and latent classes of female perpetration of violence and delinquency. The third paper will explore opportunities for prevention by reporting findings from a systematic review of the impact of justice policies on violence. The discussion will integrate the results of the three papers and address implications for research, policy, and practice.