NCJ Number
100621
Date Published
1985
Length
136 pages
Annotation
This study commissioned by the Washington State Governor's Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee presents information and recommendations regarding the intake and release practices used by the State's 18 juvenile detention facilities.
Abstract
Data were collected from the Juvenile Court Information System's detention module and from juvenile detention facility records on juveniles referred to court between January 1, 1984, and June 30, 1984. A total of 12,451 juveniles were involved in the analysis. Data covered demographic data, referral offense charge, reason to detain, prior and subsequent court referrals, official making the decision to detain, length of stay, and available detention bed space. Court administrators and detention intake staff were interviewed. The emphasis was on releasing rather than detaining juveniles, and demographic characteristics appeared to influence the decision to detain juveniles in some jurisdictions. There was no single source of accurate data on juvenile intake and detention. Reasons given by court staff for variations in detention practices include varying decisionmaker philosophies, beds and staff available, and the availability of alternative resources. Recommendations pertain to the adoption of common definitions for steps in the detention process, uniform application of detention criteria, development of alternative community resources, and use of uniform detention data entry. Tabular data and examples of a detention intake checklist.