Tale of Two Jurisdictions: Youth Crime and Detention Rates in Maryland & the District of Columbia

• NCJ Number: 208862
• Author(s): Lisa Feldman; Michael Males; Vincent Schiraldi
• Date Published: October 2001
• Length: 25 pages
• Corporate Author: Building Blocks for Youth
• Sale Source: Building Blocks for Youth
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded February 24, 2005.

Annotation

This study probed the possibility of reducing the number of juveniles in detention without incurring a corresponding rise in the rate of juvenile crime in two neighboring jurisdictions: Maryland and Washington, DC.

Abstract

Over the past decade, the use of detention in juvenile cases has increased substantially, spurred on by politicians’ current “get tough” attitude toward juvenile offenders and the effects of new adult-court transfer legislation. As juvenile detention rates grow, overcrowding in these facilities has been commonplace and rates of minority detention are vastly disproportionate. The current analysis compared data on the juvenile arrest rates and detention rates in Washington, DC, and Maryland in order to answer the question of whether it may be possible to reduce the number of youths held in detention without spurring an increase in juvenile crimes. Data under analysis included interview data with experts in both jurisdictions, newspaper articles and reports to the government regarding secure detention, and average daily population information for juvenile facilities in both jurisdictions. Officially generated data on juvenile detention was “highly inadequate” in the District of Columbia. Juvenile crime trends in both jurisdictions were compared using juvenile arrest figures for violence and property crimes. Results of statistical analyses indicated that the use of juvenile detention was sharply reduced in the District of Columbia during the 1990's, while its rates of juvenile crime declined at the same time, most notably for violent crimes. Maryland’s rate of juvenile detention during the same time period rose 3 percent, while its rate of juvenile crime declined only slightly. In comparison, the District of Columbia experienced a 55 percent decline in violent juvenile crime at the same time that Maryland experienced only a 15 percent decline in violent juvenile crime. Following a brief review of the history of juvenile detention in both jurisdictions, the study concludes that both jurisdictions should expand the use of community-based programming as an alternative to juvenile detention. Figures, endnotes, appendix