DELINQUENCY DISPOSITIONS - AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF PROCESSING DECISIONS IN THREE JUVENILE COURTS

• NCJ Number: 34734
• Author(s): L E COHEN
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 58 pages
• Grant Number(s): 72-SS-99-6006
• Sponsoring Agency: National Criminal Justice Information & Statistics Service
• Corporate Author: Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Ctr
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS STUDY EMPIRICALLY ANALYZES DELINQUENCY DISPOSITIONS TO DETERMINE THE VALIDITY OF CHARGES THAT BIASES OPERATE SO THAT MINORITY AND LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC GROUP YOUTHS RECEIVE DISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT IN JUVENILE COURTS.

Abstract

MULTIPLE REGRESSION AND PREDICTIVE ATTRIBUTE ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES ARE USED TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH SOCIAL BIOGRAPHIES AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES OF JUVENILES, AS OPPOSED TO 'LEGALLY RELEVANT' CRITERIA (I.E., NUMBER OF PRIOR COURT REFERRALS AND SEVERITY OF THE OFFENSE FOR WHICH THE YOUTH IS CHARGED) ACCOUNT FOR THE VARIATION IN THE NATURE AND SEVERITY OF JUVENILE COURT DISPOSITIONS IN THE DENVER (COLORADO), MEMPHIS-SHELBY COUNTY (TENNESSEE), AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY (PENNSYLVANIA) JUVENILE COURTS FOR 1972. THESE DATA DO NOT SUPPORT THE CONTENTION THAT RACE AND CLASS BIAS PERMEATE OUR JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. RATHER, THE ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF VARIATION IN THE NATURE AND SEVERITY OF 'TREATMENT' METED OUT IN THE THREE COURTS APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR BY PRIOR PROCESSING DECISIONS. CHILDREN WHO HAD FORMAL PETITIONS FILED AGAINST THEM WERE MOST APT TO HAVE BEEN ACCORDED SEVERE DISPOSITIONS, AND FORMAL PETITION DECISIONS WERE FOUND TO BE MOST SUBSTANTIALLY RELATED TO LEGAL CRITERIA SUCH AS THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE OFFENSE FOR WHICH THE YOUTH IS CHARGED. THIS REPORT IS PART OF A UTILIZATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE STATISTICS PROJECT DESIGNED TO DEMONSTRATE THE USE OF EXISTING DATA IN ADDRESSING ISSUES OF CURRENT INTEREST. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)