Children and Youth Under 18 in the Juvenile Justice System: Institutionalization and Victimization

• NCJ Number: 115263
• Author(s): D J Berkman; K V Turney; D M Place; P S Alexander
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 138 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79-JN-AX-0013
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: American Justice Institute
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Best Practice/State-of-the-Art Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study presents the results of a national assessment of state-of-the-art-knowledge (as it existed in 1981) regarding the institutionalization and victimization of youth under 18 years old in the juvenile justice system as well as data on juveniles managed in the criminal justice system.

Abstract

This report outlines the formal legal procedures and informal mechanisms involved in the institutionalization of juveniles in adult and juvenile facilities. Three aspects of institutionalization as they existed in 1981 are examined: the actual number of juveniles under 18 years old in institutions, increases or decreases in this number, and the proportion of institutionalized juveniles in secure facilities. A literature review (1981) focuses on juvenile victimization in and by institutions. Legal challenges that may be brought on behalf of incarcerated juveniles are also discussed. The report concludes by explaining policy implications of a number of issues affecting victimized youth under 18 years old in juvenile and adult institutions. These include the reduction of juvenile justice system dependency on institutions, the need for a viable Federal institutionalization policy, the need for States to take a more critical role in protecting the rights and addressing problems of juveniles placed outside the home, and the need for local agencies and institutions to take action to prevent institutional abuse. The report points to information gaps regarding institutionalization of youth under 18, the need for further research in this area, and the juvenile justice system's over-reliance on institutionalization in general. 141 references, 16 tables.