NCJ Number
140192
Date Published
1992
Length
23 pages
Annotation
Two Los Angeles County Juvenile Justice Centers were evaluated to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of their unique operational structures.
Abstract
The Centers were established in response to the lack of coordination among integral parts of the criminal justice system. Centers house, under one roof, all public agencies involved in the juvenile justice system (juvenile court, police department, sheriff's department, probation department, district attorney and public defender offices, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the Los Angeles Department of Social Services). Such a team approach is intended to foster greater respect for and understanding of each agency's role in the juvenile justice system. The Centers differ from the conventional system with respect to handling juvenile referrals. Center evaluation was accomplished to determine if the team approach reduced case processing time and whether the team approach had any effect on supervision outcome (defined as recidivism during and after probation). In general, Juvenile Justice Centers were more efficient than the conventional system in processing juvenile referrals. Differences were significant and consistent at all stages of the process from arrest to investigation and petition filing and from court hearing to adjudication and disposition. The Centers' structural format proved to be a remarkable way of confronting the increased bureaucratization of the juvenile justice system in major urban areas. Offenders in Center catchment areas had about the same recidivism rate as those in the conventional system. 3 tables and 10 charts