NCJ Number
100915
Date Published
1985
Length
191 pages
Annotation
Based on interviews with California juvenile justice personnel and a statewide telephone survey of 100 California police officials, the State Justice Department outlines 3 systems for collecting data on the subsequent criminal activity of juveniles exposed to treatment programs after having been found delinquent by a juvenile court.
Abstract
The first option uses juvenile court reports currently submitted to the Justice Department to document a juvenile's official involvement with the juvenile justice system. Probation departments could be required to report placement data. Juvenile recidivism would be measured as sustained court petitions. Juvenile court reports would be linked to subsequent adult records by name matching. The second option would also use current juvenile court information along with placement data not currently reported and would measure recidivism as sustained court petitions. It would differ from the first option by requiring fingerprint identification for juvenile offenders, thus ensuring more reliable followup of subsequent juvenile and adult offenses. The third option would mandate juvenile fingerprinting and arrest reporting and the maintenance of juvenile records, including placement history, in the criminal history system. Recidivism would be measured as rearrest or any action subsequent to arrest. The report estimates the costs of the options, summarizes legislation required to implement them, and assesses the options' impact on access to minors' fingerprints. Appendixes summarize interviews and present relevant statutes and regulations as well as Justice Department sample forms. 30 references.