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Abstract
As a response to the needs of judicial officers to correctly predict juvenile offender recidivism, the current study sought to create a prediction model of recidivism based on academic factors. The current study included analyses of 61 youth and examined current grade in school, last semester grade point average, and their average number of suspensions and absences per month for the previous academic year. The study found that the model using these four factors statistically significantly predicted the likelihood of recidivism and was able to significantly predict those whom did not recidivate. In follow up analyses, the average number of suspensions per month was statistically significantly related to recidivism. Other factors examined include: gender of offender, offense severity, attitude to school and teacher, and tardies. Future research examining the overall prediction model and the impact of suspensions is recommended.