ANALYSIS OF THE 1975 JUVENILE OFFENDER POPULATION IN SUFFOLK COUNTY (NEW YORK), RESEARCH REPORT

• NCJ Number: 59543
• Author(s): K A MCSHANE; J J GOLBIN
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 43 pages
• Corporate Author: Suffolk County Probation Dept
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE JUVENILE OFFENDER POPULATION IN SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y., AS OF 1975 WAS STUDIED USING DATA OBTAINED FROM THE YOUTH SECTION OF THE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY WAS ANALYZED BY TOWNSHIP.

Abstract

IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A STATISTICAL DATA BASE FROM WHICH TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH THE ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR OF YOUTH, THE JUVENILE OFFENDER POPULATION WAS TRACED THROUGH DIFFERENT PHASES OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS WERE IDENTIFIED, AND DELINQUENCY AREAS WHERE PREVENTIVE, TREATMENT, OR CONTROL PROGRAMS WOULD HAVE GREATEST IMPACT WERE NOTED. DURING 1975, APPROXIMATELY 3,600 INDIVIDUALS UNDER 16 YEARS OF AGE BECAME INVOLVED IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN SUFFOLK COUNTY. OF THIS NUMBER, 65.3 PERCENT WERE CHARGED WITH JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND 34.7 PERCENT WERE ALLEGED TO BE PERSONS IN NEED OF SUPERVISION (PINS). THE YOUTH SECTION OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HANDLED 3,058 CASES AND INFORMALLY DIVERTED 8.7 PERCENT OF THESE CASES, REFERRING THE REMAINING 91.3 PERCENT TO PROBATION FAMILY COURT INTAKE. MOST JUVENILES WERE FORMALLY DIVERTED FROM THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM AT SOME POINT PRIOR TO ADJUDICATION. ABOUT HALF WERE DIVERTED PRIOR TO ANY COURT APPEARANCE. JUVENILES IN THE AGE RANGE FROM 13 YEARS TO 15 YEARS COMMITTED OVER 75 PERCENT OF ALL OFFENSES. SLIGHTLY OVER 50 PERCENT OF JUVENILE OFFENSES WERE PROPERTY-RELATED. MOST OFFENSES WERE COMMITTED IN THE TOWNSHIP WHERE THE JUVENILE LIVED. LESS THAN ONE-THIRD OF ALL OFFENSES WERE COMMITTED BY JUVENILES WHO HAD PRIOR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE POLICE. LESS THAN 15 PERCENT OF THE JUVENILE OFFENDER POPULATION COMMITTED MORE THAN 1 OFFENSE, ALTHOUGH THESE JUVENILES WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER 33 PERCENT OF ALL OFFENSES COMMITTED. THE INCIDENCE OF JUVENILE OFFENSES DID NOT VARY SIGNIFICANTLY FROM SEASON TO SEASON BUT TENDED TO BE HIGHEST IN THE SPRING AND THE SUMMER. MOST OFFENSES WERE COMMITTED BY MALES. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. INFORMATION ON THE JUVENILE DELINQUENT AND PINS POPULATIONS IN SUFFOLK COUNTY IS APPENDED. (DEP)