EFFECT OF THE ATTORNEY IN JUVENILE COURT - A STUDY WHICH COMPARES THE DISPOSITIONS OF CHILDREN WITH HIRED AND APPOINTED ATTORNEYS WITH THE DISPOSITIONS OF CHILDREN WITHOUT ATTORNEYS IN THE WHITFIELD COUNTY (GA) JUV COURT

• NCJ Number: 39810
• Author(s): J T HEARD
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 31 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE DISPOSITIONS THAT CLIENTS OF HIRED AND/OR APPOINTED ATTORNEYS RECEIVE IN DELINQUENT AND UNRULY CASES AS COMPARED TO THOSE CASES WITHOUT ATTORNEYS.

Abstract

THREE GROUPS OF SUBJECTS, WHO HAD COMMITTED DELINQUENT OR UNRULY ACTS, WERE SELECTED FROM THE DOCKET OF THE WHITFIELD COUNTY JUVENILE COURT FROM THE PERIOD JANUARY 1972 THROUGH MARCH 1974. GROUP ONE CONSISTED OF 12 SUBJECTS WHOSE COUNSEL WAS APPOINTED; GROUP TWO CONSISTED OF 16 SUBJECTS WHOSE COUNSEL WAS HIRED; GROUP THREE CONSISTED OF 20 SUBJECTS, SELECTED AT RANDOM FROM A TOTAL OF 1220 CASES DURING THE SAME PERIOD. THE DISPOSITIONS RECEIVED BY SUBJECTS WERE CONVERTED TO NUMERICAL SCORES BASED ON THE POINT VALUE, FROM ONE POINT (FOR CASE DISMISSED) TO EIGHT POINTS (FOR COMMITMENT TO A YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER). ANALYSIS REVEALED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DISPOSITIONS THAT SUBJECTS WITH ATTORNEYS RECEIVED AS COMPARED WITH THOSE WITH NO ATTORNEY. APPENDED MATERIALS INCLUDE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ON STUDY SUBJECTS, COMPARATIVE DATA ON GROUP DISPOSITIONS, AND A SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY....ELW