NCJ Number
232024
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2010 Pages: 273-293
Date Published
August 2010
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This study investigated schools as a source of referrals to the juvenile courts across five States and provided clarity about the direct relationship between schools and the juvenile delinquency system.
Abstract
Federal legislation and concern about high-profile school shootings have placed attention on safe schools and school discipline. Anecdotal evidence and several reports indicate that in response to calls to promote safety, schools are increasingly referring students to the juvenile courts for acts of misbehavior. Using data from the National Juvenile Court Data Archive, the study reported here examined school referrals (SR) to the juvenile courts in five States from 1995 to 2004. The authors studied SR over time as well as the proportion of total referrals originating in schools. There was variability in the number of referrals to the juvenile courts originating in the schools and in the trends of SR across States as well as the odds that referrals originated in schools. The authors found evidence that in four of five States, referrals from schools represented a greater proportion of total referrals to juvenile courts in 2004 than in 1995. They also found differences in the odds of SR to out-of-school referrals (OSR) by race and by gender in some States but not in others. The findings suggest that States may differ in the way in which their schools respond to misbehavior and in the way their schools directly refer students to the juvenile courts. The authors conclude with a discussion of the implications of the findings. Tables, figures, and references (Published Abstract)