NCJ Number
158758
Date Published
1994
Length
149 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the approach that the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) Juvenile Justice Statistics and Systems Development (SSD) Program is using to develop an integrated national juvenile justice statistical program.
Abstract
Specifically, the authors profile the approach taken by SSD to achieve the goals in each of SSD's three tracks. The first track, the Statistics Development Track, focuses on the development of an integrated set of national data collection efforts designed to meet the information needs of juvenile justice policymakers. The goal of the second track, the Dissemination Track, is to design and implement procedures and to prepare products that will provide decisionmakers the information they need and can use in a timely fashion. The third track, the Systems Development Track, is based on the understanding that local jurisdictions and Federal juvenile justice statistical efforts could benefit from improved local information systems. This report first describes the process for establishing a comprehensive program of national data collection efforts within topical areas. This process is documented by discussing the steps that have led to SSD's recommendations for an integrated set of juvenile custody statistical efforts. Other aspects of the process will be demonstrated by referencing efforts in the topical areas of transfer to criminal court, the court's response to child-abuse-and-neglect reports, and the incidence of law- violating behaviors by juveniles. The paper then outlines SSD's recommendations for a statistical information dissemination function within the OJJDP. The general goals and characteristics of a model dissemination program are listed, followed by recommendations for OJJDP. Finally, SSD's approach to developing quality local juvenile justice information systems is summarized. The appendix contains papers on juvenile custody statistics, a comprehensive plan for the development of national juvenile custody statistics, juvenile violent offending and victimization, an example of a statistical bulletin, and an example of a briefing paper. 3 tables