Separating the Men From the Boys: The Comparative Advantage of Juvenile Versus Criminal Court Sanctions on Recidivism Among Adolescent Felony Offenders (From Sourcebook on Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders, P 238-260, 1995, James C. Howell, Barry Krisberg, et. al., eds)

• NCJ Number: 165071
• Author(s): J Fagan
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 23 pages
• Grant Number(s): 87-IJ-CX-0044
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Transferring juveniles to adult court was examined with respect to its impacts on recidivism rates, based on data from 800 youths in four matched counties in New Jersey and New York.

Abstract

Sanction and recidivism rates for adolescents ages 15-16 charged in juvenile court with felony robbery and burglary in two northern New Jersey counties were compared with matched samples in matched counties in southeastern New York State whose cases originated in the criminal court. The four counties are part of a large metropolitan area and regional economy that hares demographic, social, and cultural commonalities. The concentrations of delinquency risk factors and crime problems among juveniles and young adults are comparable in the four counties. Data came from official records in each jurisdiction. Results suggested that efforts to criminalize adolescent offending or to narrow the scope of the juvenile court to exclude these offenses may not produce the desired results and in fact may be counterproductive. Findings indicate that a special jurisprudence for adolescent crimes and a separate jurisdiction for juvenile offenders should continue. In addition, the current trajectory of juvenile court reforms should continue. Tables, notes, and 94 references