Examining Relationships Between Treatment Motivation, Service Engagement and Recidivism in Canadian Adolescent Justice System-Involved Boys

Treatment motivation and engagement impact justice system-involved individuals’ ability to benefit from rehabilitative services but are understudied in justice system-involved youth. We examined relationships between treatment motivation, service engagement, and recidivism in 116 Canadian justice system-involved youth probationers. Recidivism risk factors (criminal history, family circumstances, education, peers, substance abuse, leisure, personality/behavior, and antisocial attitudes) and a two-item measure of willingness to participate in services derived from the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) were associated with engagement but age, internalizing, and Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire (CVTRQ) scores were not. When significant correlates were entered in a linear regression, only criminal history, education, and leisure significantly predicted engagement. Engagement predicted recidivism controlling for risk but did not moderate the risk-recidivism relationship. Findings suggest that service engagement is an important treatment target for justice system-involved youth. Developing a valid motivation measure for youth is a research priority.