NCJ Number
81452
Journal
Canadian Police College Journal Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: (1981) Pages: 117-128
Date Published
1981
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This paper compares juvenile rates in two cities in Alberta, Canada, to see if juvenile statistics provide a useful tool for studying the impact of deliberate policies.
Abstract
The two cities, Edmonton and Calgary, are almost identical in size. However, juvenile delinquency rates tend to be higher in Calgary than they are in Edmonton. In Edmonton, there is a deliberate practice to screen out 40 to 50 percent of the juveniles at the police level, rather than send them on to the juvenile court. In Calgary, there has been a deliberate policy to screen relatively few cases from the juvenile court. Seven tables are used to interpret categories of juvenile crime and to compare data from the two cities. For example, data show that Calgary initiates more juveniles into the system for offenses against property, but Edmonton brings about twice as many cases to the juvenile court for traffic and liquor offenses. Differences in how data are recorded are examined. The policy of charging a higher percentage of juveniles who commit property offenses in Calgary is reflected in these data; however, this did not seem to result in more juveniles receiving severe dispositions in 1978. Data on institutionalization are needed to understand dispositions more fully. It appears that screening was done more at the police level in Edmonton and more at the court level in Calgary. The opposite seemed to occur for traffic and liquor offenses, with Edmonton handling more at the court level than Calgary. As these data are used more frequently, it will be easier to learn if deliberate changes in policy are reflected at various levels of the juvenile justice system. Four references and tables are supplied.