JUVENILE COURT INTAKE - AN ANALYSIS OF DISCRETIONARY DECISION-MAKING

• NCJ Number: 14978
• Author(s): C W THOMAS; C M SIEVERDES
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 29 pages
• Grant Number(s): 73-NI-03-0002
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

RESULTS OF A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH VARIABLES NOT IMMEDIATELY RELATED TO AN ALLEGED OFFENSE MAY ALTER THE PROBABILITY THAT VARIABLES TIED TO THE OFFENSE WILL BE PREDICTORS OF CASE DISPOSITIONS.

Abstract

IN THIS ANALYSIS, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO LEGAL VARIABLES - SERIOUSNESS OF OFFENSE AND PRIOR OFFENSE RECORD - AND THE DECISION TO REFER CASES FOR A FORMAL HEARING IN THE JUVENILE COURT IS EXAMINED. INFORMATION WAS ABSTRACTED FROM THE OFFENSE RECORDS OF 346 JUVENILES FROM A SMALL EASTERN CITY NEAR NORFOLK, VIRGINIA. WHILE THE INITIAL ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT BLACKS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE REFERRED THAN WHITES, OLDER JUVENILES MORE THAN YOUNGER JUVENILES, THOSE FROM UNSTABLE FAMILY BACKGROUNDS MORE THAN THOSE FROM STABLE FAMILY BACKGROUNDS, THOSE WHO HAD CO-DEFENDANTS MORE THAN THOSE WITHOUT CO-DEFENDANTS, AND THOSE WHO WERE RELATIVELY OLDER AT THE POINT OF BOTH THEIR FIRST AND THEIR MOST RECENT OFFENSE MORE THAN THOSE IN YOUNGER AGE CATEGORIES, THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE MOST RECENT OFFENSE WAS CLEARLY SHOWN TO BE THE BEST PREDICTOR OF CASE DISPOSITION. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE MOST RECENT OFFENSE WAS SHOWN TO VARY CONSIDERABLY WHEN THE OTHER VARIABLES IN THE ANALYSIS WERE HELD CONSTANT. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT BOTH LEGAL AND EXTRA-LEGAL FACTORS ARE BEING TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION IN THE DETERMINATION OF WHETHER TO REFER A GIVEN CASE FOR A FORMAL HEARING IN THE JUVENILE COURT. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)