NCJ Number
98037
Journal
New Designs for Youth Development Volume: 5 Issue: 6 Dated: (November/December 1984) Pages: 15-23
Date Published
1984
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study conducted in May and June 1984 to learn what lessons might be apparent from Pennsylvania's experience in prohibiting the jailing of juveniles since the end of 1979.
Abstract
Six Pennsylvania counties were visited to learn what adaptations to the law were made, and a limited comparison was made with six similar Virginia jurisdictions where juveniles are still jailed. Virginia's jail statistics were obtained from the Department of Corrections Research and Reporting Unit and were checked and corrected by local probation authorities. In Pennsylvania, chief probation officers were interviewed. Additionally, they supplied statistics on the number of admissions to jails before and after the prohibition, on the number of juvenile admissions and on the number of certifications to adult courts in the same period. Results reveal that prior to the passage of the Pennsylvania law, juvenile court judges and probation officers made the same dire predictions regarding the proposal as are being made in Virginia. For example, it was feared that detention homes would be unable to cope with the resulting problems of overcrowding or the management of aggressive older delinquents. However, analysis indicates that detention admissions throughout Pennsylvania have actually deceased. Moreover, an increase in varied treatment programs has succeeded in diverting juveniles from jails and lessening reliance on secure juvenile detention. Finally, objections to the law have disappeared. Other States, including Virginia, could prohibit juvenile jailing as Pennsylvania has with the same constructive results. Eight notes are included.