NCJ Number
94505
Date Published
1982
Length
37 pages
Annotation
This working draft of dispositional guidelines for the Minnesota juvenile courts establishes the advisory sanction level for each juvenile based on the seriousness of the current offense and offense history. It is one part of a two-pronged approach wherein treatment decisions are separated from sanction decisions.
Abstract
These sanctions have been tested in 13 counties, revised, and will be tested again before finalization. The draft outlines the principles governing the dispositional guidelines; notably, sanctions are proportional in severity to the current offense, emphasize the current offense, are less severe than for adults, and allow some choice. Using a chart, the handbook explains the ranking system used for offense seriousness and how to calculate scores for offense history. The advisory sanction level in this system is located at the intersection of the severity ranking and the offense-history point total. The sanctions recommended generally are fines, work, probation, or combinations of the three. Institutionalization is suggested only in cases where the crime ranks high in seriousness and the offender has a high previous-offense score. Other tables give equivalents for fines, work, and probation as well as detail sanction combinations for individual sanction levels. The report includes offense severity scales and their relevant statute numbers, a list of offenses defined as thefts, theft-related, and forgery-related, and tables to calculate the mandated surcharge on all criminal fines, which goes to support victim services. Differences between the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission's offense severity table and the Minnesota Citizens Council on Crime and Justice's juvenile offense severity scale are identified.