NCJ Number
132098
Journal
Journal for Juvenile Justice and Detention Services Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1990) Pages: 22-24
Date Published
1990
Length
3 pages
Annotation
New York City's juvenile justice system has taken 12 steps to control admissions and the length of stay in juvenile detention centers, resulting in less extreme overcrowding than in the past and than currently exists in many other large cities.
Abstract
These steps include the limitation, by law, of juvenile detention to youths who would be unlikely to appear in court or would present a serious risk of committing criminal offenses if they were not detained. Other steps include the administration of juvenile detention by the city's Office of Probation as a service to the family courts, the use of senior probation officers as intake staff, careful intake decisionmaking, immediate fact-finding and detention hearing by a judge after intake interviews, and cooperation between the police and court staff. Other steps include a quota system for admissions, judges' adherence to the concept of minimum detention, the use of day centers and intensive supervision as alternatives to detention, differential probation caseloads, and the reduction of long stays. As a result of these measures, less than 15 percent of all juveniles apprehended for delinquent acts are detained. 5 references