NCJ Number
79074
Date Published
1980
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Duration of detention of youth in Wisconsin county jails, juvenile detention centers, and police lock-ups for the years 1974, 1978, and 1979 is examined.
Abstract
In 1974, the mean hours of detention for males was about 75 hours and 68 hours for females. White youth were detained for about 62 hours, while black youth were held about 85 hours. Youth from other minority races were detained three times longer than white youth. When the mean hours of detention by offense categories were examined, the duration of detention was found to be related to offense severity. The glaring exception to this was detention for status offenses, which produced the second longest duration of detention, next only to felonies against persons. When the mean duration of detention for 1978 and 1979 was examined, the relationships described for 1974 continued with one exception. The mean duration of detention for drug offenses was 66 hours in 1974. This was reduced to 14 hours in 1978 and to 4 hours in 1979. Sex, race, offense type, and age were examined as factors determining the length of detention duration. The effect of sex accounted for 13.2 hours of detention, while age did not prove to be an explanatory factor for the length of detention. Those who committed person felony were detained for 112.4 hours longer than the average youth. Youth from minority races were detained prior to their adjudication for a longer duration than white youth when the other factors were held constant for the year 1974 and 1978. As a function of the revision of the Children's Code, this relationship was reversed for 1979. This can be attributed to the increased use of group homes as a dispositional alternative prior to adjudication and the willingness of parents to assume responsibility for their children prior to adjudication. Tabular data, eight footnotes, and five references are provided.