NCJ Number
184476
Journal
American Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 24 Issue: 2 Dated: Spring 2000 Pages: 271-285
Date Published
2000
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examines attitudes of Louisiana juvenile justice practitioners toward rehabilitation of juvenile offenders.
Abstract
A statewide survey was mailed to 3,947 lawyers, judges, probation officers, social workers, and volunteer coordinators. Responses were grouped by legal training and casework training. Louisiana practitioners had not abandoned the concept of rehabilitation for juvenile offenders. However, they did support punishment as a viable option when treating offenders. Job descriptions were less important in determining support for rehabilitation than were demographic variables. The demographic variables included age, minority status, sex, and education level. A practitioner’s training background did not exert a sustained impact on his or her support for rehabilitation. Instead, professional opinions appeared to be shaped by perceptions of juvenile crime trends. The study did not probe the extent to which practitioners supported punishment and what they envisioned that punishment to entail. The investigation highlights the importance of understanding the people who work in and around the juvenile court process. Tables, references