NCJ Number
179351
Date Published
December 1998
Length
47 pages
Annotation
Nebraska commissioned a task force study of its juvenile justice system to identify future legislative and executive actions necessary to address gaps in the organization and delivery of juvenile services.
Abstract
In reviewing the progress of juvenile service initiatives in Nebraska, the task force determined reforms to date have not had a significant impact on the improvement and availability of service capacity within the juvenile justice system. Youth rehabilitation and treatment centers remain crowded, and community-based residential and nonresidential service capacity has not been sufficient to have a meaningful impact. Increases in the number of court dispositions to the Probation Department and the Office of Juvenile Services, high caseloads, lack of system coordination, and insufficient funding appear to be contributing factors. The task force had difficulty developing a description of the number, characteristics, and needs of juvenile offenders and at- risk youth and found there was no single juvenile justice information system from which to gather and analyze data. The task force developed a number of recommendations to address gaps in the organization and delivery of juvenile services. These recommendations focus on the philosophy of the juvenile justice system, the organization and structure of juvenile services, community resource needs, juvenile service staffing needs, the placement of juvenile delinquents committed to state custody, youth rehabilitation and treatment centers, the role of education in the juvenile justice system, parental involvement and accountability, juvenile justice system costs, and how to expedite cases. Appendixes contain a comprehensive juvenile justice system intervention model, population trend data for Nebraska, and juvenile statistics. 5 tables and 4 figures