NCJ Number
153348
Date Published
1993
Length
29 pages
Annotation
These recommendations of the Protecting Society and Protecting Children working groups of Arizona's Youth and Crime Task Force provide "rough" guidelines for Arizona to redesign the way in which it deals with children as offenders and victims.
Abstract
The recommendations reflect several guiding principles. One is cohesion. The task force recommends creation of a single State children's agency with "one stop shopping" through locally controlled, multidisciplinary centers and centralized case and information management. A second principle is integrity. Accountability and predictability are encouraged through guidelines for the use of discretion in decisionmaking. A third principle is accountability. This refers to the creation of contexts within which juveniles can act responsibly to address harms they have caused. Choice and reparation are emphasized. The fourth principle is early intervention. The focus for youthful offenders is on the first three encounters with law enforcement. Risk/needs assessments for juveniles and abandonment of the adversary system at the front end are critical elements of the task force proposals. The task force also recommends that all cases of child abuse or neglect that meet written guidelines be investigated by interdisciplinary teams. Twenty-four recommendations are presented.