NCJ Number
52559
Date Published
1978
Length
26 pages
Annotation
CAREER PROGRESSIONS ARE EXAMINED TO DETERMINE THE POTENTIAL FOR PREDICTING IF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY REFERRAL RATES FOR SOME SEX, RACE, ETHNIC, AND RESIDENTIAL GROUPS. INCREASE OVER TIME.
Abstract
THIS REPORT IS AN OVERVIEW OF A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY TO ADULT CRIME IN RACINE, WIS. FACTORS THAT ARE CONSIDERED FOR DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT INDIVIDUALS WILL HAVE POLICE CONTACTS ANYTIME DURING THEIR LIFETIME ARE AREA OF RESIDENCE INDICATING SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AND RACIAL/ETHNIC POPULATION PROPORTIONS. ALTHOUGH THERE IS SOME INDICATION OF A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND ADULT CRIME, ATTEMPTS TO PREDICT ADULT CRIMINAL CAREERS FROM JUVENILE HISTORIES HAVE PRODUCED MIXED RESULTS UNABLE TO SUPPORT THE THEORY. THE FOLLOWING STRATEGIES MAY BE USED IN FORMULATING PREDICTIONS: USING INITIAL POLICE CONTACT TO PREDICT SUBSEQUENT CONTACTS AND FORECASTING PATTERNS BASED ON ASSUMPTIONS OF INCREASING GROUP HOMOGENEOUSNESS. A GROUP OF 1,352 PERSONS BORN IN 1942 AND A GROUP OF 2,099 PERSONS BORN IN 1949 WERE SELECTED FROM THE FILES OF THE RACINE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE FOLLOWING METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION WERE USED: EXAMINATION OF THE FILES OF THE JUVENILE BUREAU AND RECORDS DIVISION OF THE RACINE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND PARTICIPANT RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ASKED DURING INTERVIEWS (INTERVIEWEES INCLUDED 333 PERSONS FROM THE 1942 GROUP AND 556 FROM THE 1949 GROUP). THE QUESTIONS WERE GEARED TO OBTAIN RESPONSES ON THE NUMBER OF TIMES INDIVIDUALS MAY HAVE COMMITTED AN OFFENSE AND THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE POLICE CONTACT. ONCE POLICE CONTACT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED, IT IS NECESSARY TO DECIDE ON A DISPOSITION OF THE INCIDENT LEADING TO RELEASE OR REFERRAL TO TREATMENT OR COURT ACTION. REFERRAL RATES ARE DEPENDENT ON THE ACTION OF POLICE AND JUVENILE JUSTICE PERSONNEL WHOSE ATTITUDES AND ASSOCIATED BEHAVIOR MAY BE INFLUENCED BY EVENTS AND EXPRESSED CONCERNS OF CITIZENS' GROUPS. IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT A SMALL NUMBER OF PERSONS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR A DISPROPORTIONATELY LARGE NUMBER OF ALL POLICE CONTACTS IN BOTH GROUPS. THE POLICE CONTACT DATA INCLUDE AGE; RESIDENCE; TYPE OF COMPLAINANT; SERIOUSNESS OF CONTACT; POLICE DISPOSITION; AND PERTINENT GROUP COMPOSITION INFORMATION. THERE IS EVIDENCE TO INDICATE THAT LENGTHY CRIMINAL CAREERS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY MORE SERIOUS TYPES OF OFFENSES THAN ARE SPORADIC POLICE ENCOUNTERS. ONGOING WORK IN THE PROJECT IS DESCRIBED. TABULAR DATA, FIGURES, NOTES, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (JCP)