NCJ Number
37435
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 22 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1976) Pages: 438-455
Date Published
1976
Length
18 pages
Annotation
THE SUBSEQUENT OFFENSE HISTORIES OF JUVENILE STATUS OFFENDERS AND JUVENILE DELINQUENTS WERE COMPARED TO DETERMINE OFFENSE TRENDS FOR EACH TYPE OF DELINQUENT AND TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF COURT PROCESSING ON DELINQUENCY.
Abstract
NUMEROUS AUTHORITIES HAVE ARGUED CONVINCINGLY THAT WHAT HAVE BEEN TERMED 'STATUS OFFENSES' SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE JURISDICTION OF THE JUVENILE COURT. THE AUTHOR NOTES THAT MANY ADVOCATES OF REFORM HAVE GONE ON TO ARGUE THAT SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT (1) STATUS OFFENDERS ARE NOT A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO SOCIETY BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT BEEN AND GENERALLY WILL NOT BECOME INVOLVED IN MORE SERIOUS OFFENSES AND (2) ANY MOVEMENT TOWARD MORE SERIOUS INVOLVEMENT STEMS MORE FROM THE STIGMATIZING CONSEQUENCES OF FORMAL LEGAL PROCESSING THAN FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE. TAKING ISSUE WITH THESE ASSUMPTIONS, THE AUTHOR STATES THAT SUCH ASSERTIONS ARE BASED ON INSUFFICIENT OR NONEXISTENT EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE. THIS ANALYSIS, BASED ON AN EXAMINATION OF THE OFFENSE HISTORIES OF A LARGE SAMPLE OF JUVENILES WHO APPEARED BEFORE ONE OF TWO URBAN JUVENILE COURTS ON ONE OR MORE OCCASIONS DURING A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD, SHOWS THAT MANY JUVENILES CHARGED WITH STATUS OFFENSES HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN CHARGED WITH OTHER TYPES OF OFFENSES, THAT JUVENILES WHOSE FIRST COURT APPEARANCE INVOLVED A STATUS OFFENSE ARE MORE LIKELY TO RECIDIVATE THAN THOSE FIRST CHARGED WITH A MISDEMEANOR OR A FELONY, AND THAT THERE IS LITTLE OR NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE CONTENTION THAT LEGAL PROCESSING IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSEQUENT INVOLVEMENT IN MORE SERIOUS DELINQUENCY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)