NCJ Number
130052
Journal
Law and Society Review Volume: 24 Issue: 5 Dated: (1990) Pages: 1109-1131
Date Published
1990
Length
23 pages
Annotation
Determining whether the positive association between formal processing and future delinquent activity is the result of deviance amplification or a selection artifact is important for both theoretical reasons and from a public policy perspective.
Abstract
The claim that more formal processing by juvenile justice agencies is part of a deviance amplification process that increases future criminal activity is examined. An alternative argument suggests that the positive association between being referred to court and future offending arises because of a selection artifact. Results from a variety of models which assume that selection bias does not exist show that referral to court has a significant positive effect on recidivism. But further analyses which recognize the potential heterogeneity in risk factors between referred and diverted cases reveal that this apparent labeling effect of court referral can instead be attributed to a selection artifact. The issues raised which future tests of deviance amplification should confront are: (1) A selection artifact may be responsible for the association between sanctions and future offending in previous analysis of nonexperimental data; and (2) More conclusive evidence is needed regarding the effects of sanctions on future criminal activity. 4 tables, 16 notes, and 48 references (Author abstract modified)