CRIME AND DELINQUENCY IN CALIFORNIA, 1978 - PART 2

• NCJ Number: 60976
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 77 pages
• Corporate Author: California Dept of Justice
• Sale Source: California Dept of Justice; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS REPORT BY THE CALIFORNIA BUREAU OF CRIMINAL STATISTICS PROVIDES VARIOUS ADULT AND JUVENILE ARREST, DISPOSITION, AND PROBATION STATISTICS FOR 1977 TO 1978, ALONG WITH COMPARATIVE DATA FOR 1973 TO 1977.

Abstract

THE BUREAU REPORTS 150,004 FINAL DISPOSITIONS OF ADULT FELONY ARRESTS FOR 1978, A NUMBER HAVING DECLINED FROM THAT IN 1975 DUE TO CHANGES IN THE MARIJUANA LAWS. THE GREATEST NUMBER OF FELONY ARRESTS FOR 1975-1978, MINUS MARIJUANA, WERE FOR ASSAULT, BURGLARY, AND THEFT. OF THOSE 84,000 ADULTS CONVICTED, ABOUT 26 PERCENT WERE ON PROBATION AND 65 PERCENT WERE JAILED OR IMPRISONED. FOR 1975-1978, ABOUT 79 PERCENT OF ARRESTEES HAD CRIMINAL RECORDS, 80 PERCENT WERE MALE, 45 PERCENT WHITE, AND 30 PERCENT BLACK. IN 1978, ABOUT 1 PERCENT OF THE CALIFORNIA ADULT POPULATION 18 OR OVER WAS UNDER CORRECTIONS SUPERVISION. FROM 1973-1978, STATE CORRECTIONS POPULATIONS DECLINED WHILE LOCAL POPULATIONS INCREASED; TOTAL POPULATION DECLINED BY ABOUT 1,300. PROBATION FIGURES REMAINED STABLE FOR 1977-1978, WITH ABOUT 72,000 PERSONS BEING PLACED ON PROBATION. MAJOR CHANGES IN THE JUVENILE COURT LAWS WERE ENACTED DURING THE YEAR. STATUS OFFENSES WERE PLACED UNDER THE WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONAL CODE, AND JUVENILES CHARGED WITH RUNNING AWAY, TRUANCY, ETC., BECAME ELIGIBLE FOR PROBATION WHILE JUVENILES 16 OR OVER CHARGED WITH FELONIOUS OFFENSES SUCH AS RAPE, MURDER, ARMED ROBBERY, ASSAULT, ETC. WERE DIRECTED TO ADULT COURTS UNLESS FITNESS FOR JUVENILE COURTS COULD BE DETERMINED. FROM 1977-1978, JUVENILE ARRESTS DECREASED 8.7 PERCENT, SUCH ARRESTS FOR ALL CAUSES AMOUNTING TO ABOUT 350,000, OR 20 PERCENT OF TOTAL CALIFORNIA ARRESTS. LAW VIOLATORS OUTNUMBERED STATUS OFFENDERS TWO TO ONE AT DISPOSITION, AND MOST OFFENDERS OF ALL TYPES RECEIVED PROBATION. CALIFORNIA CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES IN 1978 EMPLOYED ABOUT 98,000 PEOPLE FULL-TIME AND SPENT $2.8 BILLION, AN INCREASE OF 79.3 PERCENT OVER 1972-1973. A GLOSSARY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE TERMS, PENAL CODE REFERENCES, AND APPENDIXES CONTAINING FURTHER ARREST DATA ARE INCLUDED. (PAP)