NCJ Number
168215
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 24 Issue: 3/4 Dated: (1997) Pages: 153-161
Date Published
1997
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Adolescents involved in a juvenile court diversion program in a northeastern State was studied with respect to their characteristics, their families of origin, parental employment, offenses, and processing in the diversion system.
Abstract
The 50 participants were selected randomly from the agency's 943 closed juvenile cases. Data came from case records. Three-quarters of the juveniles were males. The most common family structure was an intact family with three children. The youths were most often the second or third child. Most of the youths were in school. Their fathers tended to have blue-collar employment. The mothers employed outside the home were usually teachers or sales personnel. The youths committed a variety of offenses; retail theft accounted for 28 percent of the offenses. Other offenses in decreasing order of frequency included possession of malt beverage, breaking and entering, petty larceny, unlawful trespassing, stolen property, and unlawful mischief. Alcohol was an important factor in the commission of some of the offenses committed by intoxicated juveniles. The contracts that were part of the diversion program often required apologies to victims, community service, and restitution. Findings indicated that the youths committed minor offenses and supported the thesis of net widening. Tables and 15 references (Author abstract modified)