NCJ Number
249260
Date Published
July 2011
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study - a product of the University of Pennsylvania's project on "Understanding the 'Whys' Behind Juvenile Crime Trends" - examined whether and how changes in criminal and juvenile justice practices and policies influenced violence by juveniles in urban areas during the 1990s.
Abstract
Specifically, the study examined whether selected changes in policing, adult incarceration, juvenile detention, and waivers of juveniles to adult court reduced juvenile violence in a sample of large U.S. cities from 1994 to 2000. The study controlled for changes in a variety of community characteristics. The study found indications that police resources and strategies contributed to reduced violence by juveniles during the 1990s, but there was little or no evidence of beneficial effects from incarceration of juveniles with adults, the detention of juveniles, and waivers of juveniles to adult court. The study was based on a sample of 97 cities with populations of 100,000 or more during the 1990s. The cities were among a national sample of jurisdictions randomly selected for an evaluation of the Federal Community Oriented Policing Services Program (the COPS program), which was conducted between 1995 and 2000. An examination of community policing strategies was part of the study. The arrest rates of juveniles for various types of serious violent crimes as reported by Uniform Crime Reports were used as the measure for violence by juveniles. 4 tables, 25 references, and appended list of study cities and community policing tactics and community input scale items