NCJ Number
153339
Date Published
1990
Length
46 pages
Annotation
Santa Clara County (California) contracted with the Institute for Law and Policy Planning to update its 1987 Program Plan for Juvenile Justice System Development; this report presents consultants' major findings and recommendations to the county's probation department.
Abstract
Consultants conducted analyses in three areas: profile and tracking, population projections, and program description and analysis. In the profile and tracking analysis the study found that over half of the juveniles are released in 5 days or less, corresponding with the maximum time allowed before the detention hearing. A secondary peak in the distribution occurs at 20-25 days, corresponding with the time of the jurisdictional hearing. Small peaks occur at 60 and 90 days, corresponding with 30-day and 60-day sentences after the second hearing. Regarding population projections, the juvenile population for the county fell throughout the 1980's, relieving growth pressures on the juvenile justice system. This population is now expected to increase rapidly. If the juvenile system maintains its current operating practices, the population of the Juvenile Hall will increase by 35 percent by the year 2000, requiring a bed capacity of 432. The consultants describe all juvenile facilities and programs currently operating in the county and then briefly analyze each of the programs to estimate their short-term and long-term effects on Hall population. Apparently the programs that have been recently established will help keep the population down, but their overall impact may not be sufficient to prevent system growth. Seven recommendations by the consultants focus on long-term impact, and six recommendations pertain to short-term impact. 10 figures, appended supplementary information, and 26 references