U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Risk Factor Matrix

Use the table below to find programs by risk factor and age range. You can use the Search box to limit the result by title or by effectiveness code. You can use the table headers to sort by Age Range to see groups of programs for specific ages

Risks by Domain and Age Range
Risk Domain 0-2 3-5 6-11 12-17 18+
A lack of health insurance Family          
Abusive parents Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Antisocial parents Family      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Antisocial/delinquent beliefs Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Association with antisocial/aggressive/
delinquent peers; high peer delinquency
Peer    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Association with gang-involved peers/relatives Peer    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Availability and use of drugs in the neighborhood Community    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Availability of firearms Community    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔

Belief in physical aggression to resolve
disagreements and violent tendencies

Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Broken home/changes in caretaker Family      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Bullying School      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Child maltreatment (abuse or neglect) Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Chronic absenteeism School        ✔    
Community disorganization Community      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Conduct disorders (authority conflict/rebellious/
stubborn/disruptive/antisocial)
Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Delinquent siblings Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Developmental trauma exposure Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Difficult temperament Individual    ✔    ✔      ✔    ✔
Drug dealing Individual        ✔    ✔    ✔
Early and persistent noncompliant behavior Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Early dating/sexual activity/fatherhood Individual        ✔    ✔    ✔
Early onset of aggression/violence Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Economic deprivation/poverty/residence
in a disadvantaged neighborhood
Community      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Exposure to firearm violence Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Exposure to violence and racial prejudice Community    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Family history of problem behavior/
criminal involvement
Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Family poverty/low family socioeconomic status Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Family violence (child maltreatment,
partner violence, conflict)
Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Father’s gang membership (for males only,
but only with frequent contacts and maltreatment)
Family        ✔    ✔    ✔
Fearless Individual          ✔    ✔
Feeling unsafe in the neighborhood Community    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Few social ties (involved in social activities,
popularity)
Individual        ✔    ✔    ✔
Foster care placement Family        ✔    ✔    ✔
Frequent school transitions School    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Frequent truancy/absences/suspensions;
expelled from school; dropping out of school
School    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Gang involvement in adolescence Individual        ✔    ✔    ✔
Gang membership Peer    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
General delinquency involvement Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Growing up in foster care Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Having a teenage mother Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
High alcohol/drug use Individual      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
High drug dealing Individual        ✔    ✔    ✔
High parental stress/maternal depression Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
High-crime neighborhood Community    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Hyperactivity/impulsivity Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Identified as learning disabled School    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Illegal gun ownership/carrying Individual        ✔    ✔    ✔
Jailing or imprisonment of a household member Family        ✔    ✔    ✔
Lack of guilt and empathy Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Lack of orderly and structured activities
within the family
Family      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Leading peers in antisocial behavior
and committing crimes for peer status or revenge
Peer        ✔    ✔    ✔
Life stressors Individual      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Lived/living with a gang member Family        ✔    ✔    ✔
Living in a small house Family        ✔    ✔    ✔
Low academic aspirations School    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Low achievement in school School    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Low intelligence quotient Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Low math achievement test scores (males) School        ✔    ✔    ✔
Low neighborhood attachment Community      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Low parent college expectations for child School        ✔    ✔    ✔
Low parental attachment to child/adolescent Family      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Low parental education Family        ✔    ✔    ✔
Low parental supervision Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    
Low perceived likelihood of being caught Individual      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Low psychosocial maturity (low temperance,
responsibility, and perspective)
Individual        ✔    ✔    ✔
Low school attachment/bonding/motivation/
commitment to school
School    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Makes excuses for delinquent behavior
(neutralization)
Individual        ✔    ✔    ✔
Maternal drug, alcohol, and tobacco use
during pregnancy
Family    ✔    ✔      ✔    ✔
Medical/physical condition Individual      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Mental health problems Individual      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Mother’s gang membership (for females only) Family        ✔    ✔    ✔
Moved to a new neighborhood Community    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔  
Neighborhood antisocial environment Community        ✔    ✔    ✔
Neighborhood physical disorder Community        ✔    ✔    ✔
Neighborhood youth in trouble Community    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
No job or less than full-time employment
in early adulthood (age 16+)
Individual      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Non-normative school transitions (i.e., changes
due to residential moves or mid-year transfers)
School      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Old for grade/repeated a grade School      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Parent proviolent attitudes Family      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Parental criminality Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Parental neglect and abuse Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Parental psychiatric disorder Family    ✔    ✔      ✔    ✔
Parental substance abuse Family    ✔    ✔      ✔    ✔
Parental use of physical punishment/harsh
and/or erratic discipline practices
Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Peer alcohol/drug use Peer        ✔    ✔    ✔
Peer rejection Peer    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Per capita family income Family          ✔    ✔
Perceived racial discrimination Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Performance on standardized math assessments
in the 6th and 10th grades
School        ✔    ✔    ✔
Physical violence/aggression Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Poor parental supervision (control, monitoring,
and child management)
Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Poor parent-child relations or communication Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Poor refusal skills Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Poor school attitude/performance;
academic failure
School      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Poor student-teacher relations School    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Poorly defined rules and expectations
for appropriate conduct
School    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Poorly organized and functioning schools/
inadequate school climate/negative labeling
by teachers
School      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Pregnancy and delivery complications Family    ✔    ✔      ✔    ✔
School attendance School        ✔    ✔    ✔
Sibling antisocial behavior Family        ✔    ✔    ✔
Single parent household Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Student failure in the first grade School      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Trouble at school School      ✔    ✔    ✔  
Unhappy parents Family    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Unsafe schools School      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Victim of child maltreatment Individual      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Victimization and exposure to violence Individual      ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔
Violence at age 13 Individual        ✔    ✔    ✔
Violent victimization Individual    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔    ✔

 

Date Created: December 16, 2020