NCJ Number
99815
Date Published
Unknown
Length
119 pages
Annotation
California's 1977 Juvenile Justice Reform Law has had the effect of reducing the sizes of police juvenile units and changing their priorities from prevention and diversion to investigation and prosecution.
Abstract
The law (AB3121) encourages police to approach cases involving juveniles in much the same manner as adult cases, i.e., conduct criminal investigations to obtain evidence and pursue prosecution. This contrasts with the previous priorities of police juvenile units, which were prevention and diversion. Knowledgeable representatives of 31 California police departments were interviewed by telephone to determine structural and size changes in juvenile units, program changes, changes in functional priorities, perceptions of AB3121's impact, and perceptions of causes of any changes in juvenile units. The interviews, focusing on the 1975-79 period, revealed that juvenile specialization had decreased, and investigative priorities had increased relative to prevention functions. Interviews with representatives of 88 police departments in 24 States found patterns in police juvenile units similar to those revealed in the California study. Appendixes contain the interview guides. 5 references.