NCJ Number
86954
Date Published
1982
Length
599 pages
Annotation
This document is the final report of the Suburban Youth Project, which sought to determine the effect of the family situation of youths upon their court processing and to gain an understanding of the nature of the problems handled by a middle-class suburban juvenile court.
Abstract
In addition, the study examined the incidence and characteristics of gifted and talented youths who came into the court system. Information was gathered from court, police, and diversion program records of a suburban jurisdiction on all youths (710) who had delinquency petitions filed on them in court during 1980 or received district attorney level referrals to the juvenile diversion program (452). Information was also obtained from observation of court and agency activities and interviews with court personnel between 1980-1982. Youths and their families willing to participate were screened for giftedness by interviewers, a battery of intelligence tests, and a panel of experts for artistic performance, if appropriate. Findings note the unremitting pressures of growth upon the court and the limitations of its resources. Specific data are reported on the court process, the court population, offenses and prior records, diversion, case processing time, adjudication and disposition, and coparticipants. Family data on the juveniles processed reports the custodial status, general stability, mental illness and alcohol or drug problems, and physical abuse histories of the families. The giftedness study identified 48 youths as gifted -- 18 percent of the 268 youths screened and 7 percent of the approximately 700 youths eligible for screening during the interview year. These youths appeared more likely to have high abilities in the area of fluid intelligence than gifted youths in normal populations and their giftedness was not necessarily associated with high achievement. Charts and tabular data are provided.