Evaluating the positive and negative benefits of crime: Development and validation of the Decisional Balance Scale for Adolescent Offenders (DBS-AO)

AbstractPurpose rrent study focuses on the development and validation of the Decisional Balance Scale for Adolescent Offenders (DBS-AO). This measure was designed to systematically evaluate adolescent offenders’ motivation to end or maintain their criminal behaviors, a critical yet missing component for most assessment measures and treatment programs focused on adolescent offenders. based on the decisional balance theory were generated via focus groups and refined through confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) using 238 adolescent offenders from a maximum-security institution. Their results were compared to the stages of change and psychopathic characteristics. s A demonstrated a good fit for a three-factor model. The first scale, Cons, assesses the negative consequences of ending criminal behavior (e.g., monetary loss). In contrast, the Pros-Self evaluates the positive consequences for offenders when they terminate criminal activities (e.g., improved self-respect). Finally, the Pros-Others considers the positive consequences experienced by significant others when offenders stop engaging in crime (e.g., increased safety). The DBS-AO three scales demonstrated good scale homogeneity and initial evidence of construct validity with the Stages of Change scale. sions S-AO provides a theory-driven model for addressing motivational issues for adolescent-offender treatment, which is currently lacking in most interventions for adolescent offenders.