NCJ Number
75624
Date Published
Unknown
Length
88 pages
Annotation
The components and operation of an information system providing data on youths processed through the juvenile justice system in Yellowstone County, Mont., are described, along with a summary of the information system's intended impact on evaluation efforts.
Abstract
The information system was initiated to provide the Juvenile Research Office of the Crime Attack Team in Yellowstone County with the ability to evaluate their projects and the county's juvenile justice system. The system was based on the realization that existing data collection systems and files in various law enforcement agencies and the courts were inconsistent or overlapping and thus hindered adequate research and evaluation. The new information system was designed to be a single, comprehensive system to support all juvenile agencies and units in the county. Its goals were to provide a computerized juvenile information system compatible with the city and county law enforcement information system, to develop an operational report system for the system for the referral center which processed selected status offenders and youths in need of supervision, and to develop an evaluation component to measure the effectiveness of certain projects in the county. The report discusses the basic structure and elements of the information system, the reporting forms used, and data flow within the system. Also described are initial file preparation, the reporting system for the juvenile referral center, and the system's evaluation component. Flow charts, other charts, forms, lists of specific types of data collected, and maps are provided.