Role of Placement Experiences in Mediating the Criminal Consequences of Early Childhood Victimization

The majority of the children were placed outside the home, primarily in foster care. Some influences on decisionmaking in placement include the characteristics of parents, such as substance abuse or criminal involvement, and whether families were receiving welfare or had a member with mental health problems, a child with behavioral problems, or an ineffective parent. These factors increased the likelihood that children were placed outside the home. Historically viewed as a temporary solution to a crisis situation, the average length of time spent in foster care in some cities was 5 years. Differences in arrest rates were found between children placed solely because of abuse or neglect, those placed for abuse or neglect in conjunction with delinquency, and foster care placement. Placement alone did not appear to risk of criminal behavior. 5 tables and 42 references