NCJ Number
136848
Date Published
Unknown
Length
23 pages
Annotation
The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and other State legislation have emphasized the diversion of minor offenders and the deinstitutionalization of status offenders. Under California law, status offenders can only be detained or placed in nonsecure facilities, informal probation is stressed, and minors are given the opportunity for a 20-day crisis resolution placement.
Abstract
Data were collected on 700 cases of minors who were ordered into out-of-home placements in San Bernardino County. It was assumed that two types of minors would be placed by the Juvenile Court: those with extensive criminal histories and those who committed very serious crimes. The survey found that the California juvenile justice system has continued to deal with a significant number of delinquent minors in very traditional ways, usually through a process of relabeling. Minors whose referral offense would have been routinely disposed of through diversion have been pushed past diversion alternatives and past formal community supervision as well. As a result of this study, San Bernardino County Probation has implemented several programs to remove minors from juvenile placement. The juvenile hall population was restricted and intake controlled by an objective risk assessment instrument. The department developed a day care program, coordinating services from various child service agencies. Out-of-home placement was further restricted through the application of the Risk/Need instrument to the placement process. 3 tables and 2 appendixes