NCJ Number
86178
Journal
New Designs Volume: 3 Issue: 5 Dated: (September/October 1982) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
W A Lofquist
Date Published
1982
Length
31 pages
Annotation
Juvenile justice practitioners offer some program approaches for minor and first offenders and for serious offenders, and examine historical trends in dealing with juvenile delinquents.
Abstract
Modern corrections policies are beginning to diverge from those of the past. Many corrections administrators no longer believe in the power of institutions to reform young offenders, and judges are now holding juveniles accountable for their crimes. These shifting attitudes have been accompanied, it not caused by, the dramatic surge in violent juvenile crime, particularly property crimes. One way to reach minor offenders is through Community Youth Aid Panels, citizens' panels set up to review juveniles' cases and recommend alternative sentences (i.e., community service work, counseling), with no formal arrest record kept if youths finish their assigned tasks. The report describes the successful Delaware County, Pa., citizens' panel, noting its planning and training components. Another innovation is the model Street Law Diversion Program in Washington, D.C., which gives first offenders a reasonable grasp of the law and how it applies to them. This educational approach enables students to learn to resist opportunities to break the law. Program costs and funding sources are discussed, along with its successful replication in 10 jurisdictions nationwide. Society needs rational sanctions and dispositional alternatives to deter juvenile crime; community-based programs are especially suited to effective deterrence, reintegration, and community protection. Reference notes, suggested reading lists, and program data accompany several articles. For individual articles, see NCJ 86179-86182.