NCJ Number
144278
Date Published
1992
Length
84 pages
Annotation
This longitudinal study examined attorney involvement by juvenile offenders and whether attorneys seem to make a difference in how juvenile cases are concluded. Complete data sets were collected by the National Center for Juvenile Justice from juvenile courts in California, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania.
Abstract
The first phase of the research showed aggregate trends and described the degree of attorney involvement for all juveniles, across all years, and for all five States combined. The second phase involved a State-by-State analysis of the same data. The findings showed that the proportion of property offenses alleged in petitioned cases has decreased between 1980 and 1989, while the proportion of drug offenses increased and the proportion of public order and status offenses varied widely from State to State. The largest referral for all jurisdictions among the petitioned cases was law enforcement; the smallest referral source was schools. The proportionate use of private counsel over time has remained constant in most States (about 16 percent of the cases) or decreased slightly. The States vary in their use of probation over time; for most States, the use of probation has increased. The proportion of cases involving white defendants has declined in all States over time. The findings show that using a private attorney in juvenile cases resulted in fewer placements, greater use of probation, and a slightly higher proportion of release. 8 tables, 18 figures, and 3 appendixes