NCJ Number
129403
Date Published
1990
Length
23 pages
Annotation
Juvenile delinquency is examined in behavioral contexts that focus on the police and juvenile courts.
Abstract
Police departments and juvenile courts are the primary agencies that screen youth into delinquent or criminal categories. A Wisconsin study notes that fewer than 3 percent of all cases processed by the police reach the juvenile court, and the most consequential screening of children who become officially labeled as delinquent occurs at the police level. Police departments vary significantly, however, in their policies toward the release or referral of persons with whom they have contact. Most apprehended persons are reported by citizen complainants rather than by police initiative. Police handling of serious offenses is based primarily on legalistic criteria rather than on racial or class distinctions. In street crime, relations between gang members and police are strained by the police role in conflicts between gang members and other segments of the community, such as local store owners and school and park officials who look to the police for backup authority. Police-citizen relationships are often paradoxical. On the one hand, police interference is resented; on the other hand, police protection of persons and property is demanded. If police are the gatekeepers of the juvenile justice system, juvenile courts are the chief adjudicators and arbiters of justice. A national survey of juvenile courts indicates that the greatest disagreement between juvenile court judges and probation officers involves changing juvenile values and attitudes. The survey also reports that juvenile courts are minimally influenced by external organizations despite close involvement with them. Juvenile courts are faced with the necessity of adapting to continuous change in the larger society as well as in the immediate task environment. 36 notes, 4 tables, and 1 figure