NCJ Number
218939
Date Published
November 2005
Length
50 pages
Annotation
This report presents results on a study of differences in the processing of juveniles in adult court in Manhattan and Queens, NY.
Abstract
The findings indicated that while there were significant similarities between the boroughs in terms of case and demographic characteristics, there were marked differences in case processing factors. Specifically, the results showed that juveniles prosecuted as adults across the boroughs were typically 15-year-old males charged with first- or second-degree robbery. On the other hand, when this “typical” juvenile offender was prosecuted as an adult, there were wide variations by borough in the likelihood of release, the likelihood of facing prosecution in Supreme Court, the likelihood of being incarcerated, and in the total duration of the case in terms of number of days and number of scheduled court appearances. The most significant difference was observed in duration of case by borough, with those in Manhattan subjected to an average of 22 court appearances and 18 months from disposition to sentencing in comparison to those with similar cases in Queens who were typically subjected to only 4 court appearances and 2 months from disposition to sentencing. Despite the differences in case processing factors, most of the juveniles in both boroughs were rearrested during the study period and the rearrest rate for Queens juveniles was slightly higher than for Manhattan juveniles, although this difference was not statistically significant. Data were drawn from the New York City’s Criminal Justice Agency, Inc. (CJA) database, which contains information on arrest, case processing, and case outcomes for most New York arrestees. Data were also drawn from CJA prearraignment interviews, the New York City Police Department’s Online Booking System, and the New York State Office of Court Administration court appearance history files. Recidivism was measured by official rearrest records. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Footnotes, exhibits, appendix