NCJ Number
100641
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Dated: special issue (January 1986) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
B Krisberg
Date Published
1986
Length
143 pages
Annotation
Six articles examine key components of the current conflict between the old and new juvenile justice reform agendas.
Abstract
An overview of current policy debates analyzes new data on trends in juvenile crime and in the juvenile justice system. The administrator of the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) describes the major programmatic elements of OJJDP's new reform emphasis and their ideological rationale. Two articles on juvenile transfers to adult criminal courts provide empirical evidence of transfer consequences for the juveniles and the juvenile justice system. Conclusions are that (1) the juveniles remanded are not singularly dangerous or intractable, (2) transfers do not enhance public safety but are designed to deflect criticisms of the juvenile justice system, and (3) transfers result in longer case processing times and more severe sentences compared to juvenile court cases. A chronicle of the rise and fall of the juvenile probation subsidy also speculates about conditions necessary for rebuilding political support for liberal juvenile justice reforms. The final article examines empirical evidence on the deterrent effect of juvenile incarceration compared to other sentences. Tabular data and references.