NCJ Number
146320
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 40 Issue: 1 Dated: (1994) Pages: 84-95
Date Published
1994
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This report examines the impact disposition case advocates have had on the number of juveniles committed to State correctional facilities from San Francisco.
Abstract
San Francisco's juvenile probation system historically has recommended the incarceration of a large percentage of youthful offenders in juvenile detention centers and State correctional institutions. Child advocates have sought to reduce the number of juveniles institutionalized through the use of defense-based disposition reports that counter the effects of the probation system reports. This study examined changes in the rate of juvenile commitments in San Francisco as a result of defense-based disposition case advocacy which was initiated in 1980. Commitment rates were analyzed over time and in comparison to 10 other counties in California. Researchers found a 73-percent reduction in the number of juveniles sent to State correctional facilities between 1980 and 1990. Furthermore, while San Francisco had the highest percentage of juvenile commitments in relation to arrest rates of the 10 counties compared, by 1990 it had the lowest. The findings of this study indicate that disposition case advocacy is effective in reducing the number of juveniles offenders who are institutionalized. 4 tables, 4 figures