NCJ Number
223647
Date Published
April 2008
Length
124 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings and recommendations of the Juvenile Delinquency Court Assessment offering a comprehensive examination of California’s delinquency court system.
Abstract
Highlights of important findings include: (1) additional resources are needed to maintain caseloads at a responsible level for judicial officers, attorneys, and probation officers; (2) judicial officers, attorneys, and probation officers who were surveyed expressed a general dissatisfaction with the sufficiency of information about, and the availability of, services for youth; (3) judicial officers, attorneys, and probation officers also expressed frustration concerning the availability of information to them at various points in the delinquency court process such as, including mental health assessments and information on youth’s educational status; (4) a need to measure the effectiveness of system responses to youthful offenders; (5) a need to improve many juvenile detention facilities and juvenile court facilities; and (6) a need for juvenile delinquency courts to be staffed with those who are educated in juvenile law issues and experienced in and committed to the juvenile delinquency assignment. Several recommendations were set forth by the Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee to the California juvenile justice community and are summarized in the areas of case-level performance, services and sanctions, court management, and professionals and court users. On behalf of the Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee of the Judicial Council of California, the Center for Families, Children and the Courts, a staff division of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) conducted the AOC’s first comprehensive research study of how the superior courts of California handle delinquency matters. The Juvenile Delinquency Court Assessment (JDCA) examined the courts’ handling of juvenile delinquency cases in a comprehensive manner.