Data on 876 juvenile offenders in six jurisdictions were examined to determine if case outcomes (restitution, probation, or incarceration) differed based on the locale.
Data were obtained from an investigation conducted by Schneider and Ervin (1990); however, they did not focus on this aspect of their data. The six sites examined are Ventura, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; Clay, Ga.; Boise, Idaho; Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Dane, Wis. For all sites, 66 percent received restitution, 28 percent received probation, and 8 percent received incarceration. The findings show that some courts apparently avoid incarceration for juvenile offenders, even though the offenders have committed a serious crime and are not new to the court. On the other extreme, in Ada County (Boise), Idaho, incarceration is the option most often chosen (61 percent of the cases). Widely discrepant sentencing for presumably similar offenders and offenses is apparently unjust. On the other hand, given differences among people and different pressures and perceptions in different communities, perhaps the findings are to be expected. Uniform reactions to offenders in different jurisdictions might be an ideal but may not be realistic, given that people in different areas have different needs, perceptions, prejudices, etc. Still, awareness of the extreme differences based on locale can show the need for policymakers to aim at more uniform court responses and to investigate further whether other communities show a wide array of sentences. Research should also determine whether disparity in dispositions is based on race, gender, social class, and other characteristics of the accused. 1 table and 10 references