NCJ Number
66512
Journal
LAW ENFORCEMENT, JUDICIAL AND CORRECTIONAL STATISTICS Volume: 5 Issue: 2 P 1-9
Date Published
Unknown
Length
9 pages
Annotation
PRELIMINARY STATISTICS FROM A SAMPLE SURVEY OF JUVENILES HANDLED BY 320 POLICE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS CANADA DURING DECEMBER 1976 ARE PRESENTED.
Abstract
THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL AND THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE. SURVEY GOALS WERE TO EXAMINE THE AGE DISTRIBUTION AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE JUVENILES, TYPES OF OFFENSES, AND USE OF SUCH PROGRAMS AS DIVERSION. JUVENILES WERE DEFINED AS ANYONE UNDER AGE 16 IN MOST PROVINCES. ALL POLICE FORCES SERVING JURISDICTIONS WITH OVER 50,000 POPULATION WERE SURVEYED, AS WERE A 20 PERCENT RANDOM SAMPLE OF SMALLER JURISDICTIONS. THE RESULTING SAMPLE OF 8,903 PERSONS INCLUDED APPROXIMATELY THREE-FOURTHS OF THE JUVENILES INVOLVED WITH THE POLICE DURING THE MONTH. ALMOST TWO-THIRDS WERE APPREHENDED FOR PROPERTY CRIMES; FOUR PERCENT FOR VIOLENT OFFENSES AGAINST PERSONS; AND SEVEN PERCENT FOR TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS. THE NUMBERS AND VARIETY OF OFFENSES GREW WITH EACH INCREASING AGE GROUP. METROPOLITAN AREAS WERE CHARACTERIZED BY HIGHER PROPORTIONS OF VIOLENT OFFENSES AND MINOR THEFT THAN WERE OTHER AREAS. HALF THE JUVENILES HAD NO RECORDED PRIOR CONTACT WITH THE POLICE. THREE-QUARTERS OF THE JUVENILES WERE MALE. POLICE CHARGED ONE-THIRD OF THE JUVENILES, RECOMMENDED CHARGES FOR ANOTHER 11 PERCENT, AND GAVE WARNINGS IN 42 PERCENT OF THE CASES. GIVING OF WARNINGS WAS MOST PREVALENT IN ONTARIO (65 PERCENT) AND LEAST PREVALENT IN MANITOBA (UNDER 3 PERCENT). VARIATIONS AMONG DEPARTMENTS WITHIN PROVINCES AS WELL AS VARIATIONS BETWEEN PROVINCES WERE FOUND. TABLES ARE INCLUDED. THE REPORT IS IN ENGLISH AND IN FRENCH. (CFW)