Delinquency? The Juvenile Justice System and the New Delinquent

• NCJ Number: 81987
• Author(s): Anonymous
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 55 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Report of the New York State Senate Committee on Crime and Correction and New York State Select Committee on Crime - This is the first of a three volume report.

Annotation

This report describes the results of a 1974 study of juvenile offenders processed through New York City's juvenile courts, particularly the disposition of juveniles charged with serious crimes.

Abstract

In response to accelerating juvenile crime, this project first analyzed records of persons arrested for violent crimes in New York City and discovered that 96 of the 98 children under 16 arrested for robbery in Manhattan were eventually released by the juvenile court. Furthermore, most males arrested for robbery had previous contact with the police before age 16. Case histories demonstrate lenient release policies for juveniles, inadequate treatment programs, and the common practice of adjusting a charge if the juvenile pleads guilty and the complainant agrees. Many juveniles came from problematic families and had early diagnoses of emotional disturbance but had not been treated. The study then tracked a sample of 51 juveniles arrested for robbery or homicide between October 1972 and 1973 through police, family court, and probation department records. Researchers concluded that the doctrine of confidentiality made information about the juvenile justice system unavailable to other governmental agencies and the public, thus isolating the system from reform pressures. Police practices were examined with attention to the issuing of youth division cards and detention facilities. An assessment of probation intake focused on the adjustment process which the study determined was a failure. Problems in recordkeeping and probation workers' training were noted. A review of court records revealed that so many reasons were found for adjournments before trial that it was more unusual for a case to be heard than dismissed. After the trial, a judge asks the probation department to investigate the juvenile's background and recommend disposition. The study discovered unnecessary delays in this process and difficulties in locating appropriate treatment facilities. See also NCJ 81988 and NCJ 81989.