NCJ Number
174670
Journal
American Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: Spring 1997 Pages: 181-212
Date Published
1997
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This study used data from a statewide survey of Florida juvenile court judges to examine judicial support for the rehabilitative ethic in juvenile corrections.
Abstract
Although its juvenile justice policy retains a treatment focus, Florida has gone further than most States in increasing procedural formalization, granting decision-making authority to prosecutors, differentiating administrative roles, and placing statutory limits on judicial authority and discretion over placement decisions. Thus, as respondents in a case study of support for the treatment ethic, Florida juvenile court judges may provide significant insights into the extent to which changes in the "new" juvenile court may weaken commitment to rehabilitation as a professional ideology. The population for this study consisted of all Florida circuit judges assigned to the juvenile bench (n=75). During August and September 1992, each judge was sent an eight-page questionnaire; 53 judges returned usable questionnaires (70 percent response rate). Descriptive findings show strong support for rehabilitation as an overall goal for the juvenile justice system and the treatment ideal as a focus of staff efforts. In an effort to account for variation among judges in the intensity of this support, the study compared four explanatory models: ideological influences, organizational environment, court work group, and individual experiences. Neither ideological influences nor individual experiences (with the exception of number of years as a judge) contributed to explained variance in support for rehabilitation. Rather, the organizational-environment variables and one court-work-group indicator (having similar views as other judges) accounted for the greatest relative impact on the dependent variable. 5 tables and 78 references