Objective Juvenile Detention Criteria: The California Experience (From Reforming Juvenile Detention: No More Hidden Closets, P 47-68, 1994, Ira M Schwartz and William H Barton, eds. -- See NCJ-166824)

• NCJ Number: 166828
• Author(s): D Steinhart
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 22 pages
• Sale Source: Ohio State University Press
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This discussion addresses the development of objective juvenile detention criteria in San Francisco, using model juvenile detention criteria developed by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD).

Abstract

NCCD's model juvenile detention criteria were first developed and applied in a Los Angeles County pilot project in 1985. The centerpiece of the model was and is a screening instrument that awards points for specific risk factors. The San Francisco screening instrument uses three basic risk factors: severity of offense (up to 10 points); arrest history (up to 5 points); and probationary status (up to 6 points). The instrument also has a fourth, catch-all risk factor category ("special detention cases"), and any description in this category immediately earns 10 points and qualifies the youth for detention. The retention of the intake officer's discretion is a critical feature of the NCCD model juvenile detention screening system. The screening instrument cannot, by its nature, anticipate every nuance and circumstance that may apply and be relevant in individual cases. A discussion of the application of the NCCD juvenile detention criteria in San Francisco addresses the troubled history of juvenile detention, the tailoring of the objective detention criteria to San Francisco's needs, juvenile justice management issues related to the adoption of objective juvenile detention criteria, the effect of the new detention criteria on juvenile hall population levels in San Francisco, public safety issues, and the need for continued monitoring of objective detention criteria. A follow-up study of youth released in accordance with the San Francisco juvenile detention criteria shows that the criteria are working well to meet community public safety goals; however, there is a continuing need to monitor objective juvenile detention criteria. If points or risk factors on the form are adjusted, there is a renewed need to monitor the public safety impact of the changes made. 2 tables, 9 notes, and a 9-item bibliography