NCJ Number
82279
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
A criminologist explains why more juveniles are incarcerated today than in the past by looking at the consequences of the push toward community-based treatment.
Abstract
Despite public policy intention to the contrary, data show that the dominant local response nationwide to juvenile delinquents is an unofficial 12-day lockup either in a juvenile detention facility or in the local jail. More youths diverted from the system are sent to community-based institutions than formally adjudicated delinquents. Restraint remains the dominant public response to youth crime. Studies on juvenile treatment programs in California illustrate the discrepancy between social control policies and the stated goal of due process in juvenile court. From 1965 to 1973, the number of youths detained increased from 400,000 to 600,000, a gain of 50 percent. Expanded criteria for determining what constitutes a deviant act, a deviant character, and a deviant situation have increased the opportunity for placing juveniles in correctional facilities. Further, the expansion of occupations and organizations related to the juvenile justice system has been associated with a marked increase in official juvenile delinquency rates and so-called deviant behavior. The country is confronted by a doubled-headed policy dilemma: delinquency by youth and delinquency created by specialists inventing new forms of deviant behavior. Strategies to reduce the excessive social and fiscal costs of unnecessary treatment are discussed. Questions and answers conclude the discussion.