RHODE ISLAND - DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MALE POPULATION AT THE RHODE ISLAND TRAINING SCHOOL, JULY 1, 1976 - JUNE 30, 1977

• NCJ Number: 59320
• Author(s): W J FONTAINE
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 109 pages
• Corporate Author: Rhode Island Dept of Corrections
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

DATA ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF 387 MALE JUVENILES WHO WERE DETAINED AT THE RHODE ISLAND TRAINING SCHOOL FROM 1976 TO 1977 ARE PRESENTED IN 20 TABLES.

Abstract

THE TABLES COVER 10 VARIABLES (AND THEIR INTERRELATIONSHIPS): CLASSIFICATION, RACE, AGE AT FIRST COMMITMENT, AGE AT CURRENT COMMITMENT, AGE AT RELEASE, NUMBER OF PREVIOUS DETENTIONS, LENGTH OF DETENTION, TYPE OF OFFENSE, RESIDENCE, AND CHILD WELFARE SERVICE INTERVENTION. ACCOMPANYING THE TABLES ARE NOTES DEFINING THE VARIABLES, EXPLAINING THE CROSS-TABULATIONS PRESENTED IN THE TABLES, AND POINTING OUT HIGHLIGHTS. A SUMMARY OF FINDINGS NOTES THAT OF 222 REGULAR COURT DETENTIONS AT THE SCHOOL, 160 OCCURRED AFTER ADJUDICATION (122 SENTENCED, 4 FOR STUDY AND EVALUATION, 34 AWAITING FURTHER PLACEMENT). OF 155 YOUTH CENTER DETENTIONS (JUVENILES HOUSED IN A SECURE RESIDENCE), 119 FOLLOWED ADJUDICATION. OVER 75 PERCENT OF THE DETAINEES WERE WHITE, AND ABOUT 18 PERCENT WERE BLACK. SLIGHTLY OVER ONE-THIRD OF YOUTH CENTER DETENTIONS INVOLVED BLACKS. WHITES WERE MORE LIKELY THAN BLACKS TO BE SERVING THEIR FIRST DETENTION. THE MEDIAN LENGTH OF DETENTION WAS 141 PERCENT LONGER FOR BLACKS THAN FOR WHITES. BLACKS WERE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS THAN WERE WHITES OR HISPANICS (52 PERCENT FOR BLACKS, 24 PERCENT FOR WHITES, 18 PERCENT FOR HISPANICS). MEDIAN AGE AT FIRST COMMITMENT WAS 15.8 YEARS. YOUTHS WHOSE FIRST COMMITMENT WAS AT AN EARLY AGE WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE RECIDIVISTS THAN WERE OTHER YOUTHS. AGE AT FIRST COMMITMENT WAS LOWER FOR CHILD WELFARE CLIENTS THAN FOR OTHER YOUTHS. THE MEDIAN AGE AT CURRENT COMMITMENT WAS 16.5. THE MEDIAN LENGTH OF DETENTION WAS CONSIDERABLY LONGER FOR BOYS COMMITTED AT YOUNGER AGES. STATUS OFFENDERS AND ARSONISTS HAD THE LOWEST MEDIAN AGE OF COMMITMENT, OFFENDERS DETAINED FOR LARCENY AND ROBBERY THE HIGHEST. THE MEDIAN AGE AT RELEASE WAS 16.8 FOR REGULAR COURT DETENTIONS, 17.3 FOR YOUTH CENTER DETENTIONS, 15.9 FOR YOUTHS AWAITING ADMISSION TO THE DIAGNOSTIC CENTER, AND 16.7 FOR OTHER YOUTHS AWAITING FURTHER PLACEMENT. MORE THAN HALF OF ALL DETENTIONS INVOLVED YOUTHS WHO HAD NOT BEEN COMMITTED PREVIOUSLY. FIRST DETENTIONS WERE CONSIDERABLY SHORTER THAN SECOND OR SUBSEQUENT DETENTIONS. (LKM)