NCJ Number
162959
Date Published
1995
Length
91 pages
Annotation
Access to attorneys in State and local juvenile delinquency proceedings was examined by means of a review of 15 State laws and an analysis of juvenile counsel access and outcomes in California, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania.
Abstract
Results revealed that all 15 States guaranteed juveniles' right to counsel. Overall representation rates varied from 97 percent in California and 91 percent in Pennsylvania to 65 percent in Nebraska. Within the States the rates varied between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan regions. Representation rates by offense category also varied, with minimal variation in California and Pennsylvania across all categories and a wider variation across categories in Nebraska. However, 76 percent of all unrepresented cases in Nebraska were for less serious property offenses. The overall impact of representation on case outcomes varied according to the State and the offense category. In most cases, juveniles without representation were less likely than others to receive out-of-home placements. Characteristics other than representation were more strongly associated with placement decisions. Prosecutors and juvenile justice officials in the eight jurisdictions visited were generally favorable regarding the quality of counsel provided to juveniles. Tables, footnotes, and appended instruments and additional results