Juvenile Detention Practices in Oregon -- The Characteristics of Detainees, Their Offenses, and the Changing Use of Detention in Selected Years from 1975 to 1986; with History of Juvenile Detention Law in Oregon

• NCJ Number: 120455
• Author(s): D Craven; L Penny
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 58 pages
• Grant Number(s): 86-JF-CX-0041
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: Oregon Dept of Justice
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report examines the history of juvenile detention legislation enacted in Oregon since the passage of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974, and juvenile detention practices from 1975 to 1986 in compliance with that Act.

Abstract

The major mandates of the JJDPA are to remove juveniles from adult jails and to remove status offenders and nonoffenders from secure detention and correctional facilities. An empirical study shows that Oregon has greatly improved its juvenile detention practices, but there still is room for improvement. It found that the total number of admissions to detention declined from 13,192 in 1975 to 4,684 in 1984 (64.5 percent) and increased to 5,103 (8.9 percent) in 1985 and to 6,520 (27.8 percent) in 1986; admissions in 1986 were 49 percent of that in 1975; and the 1985 and 1986 increases were due primarily to the use of detention for post-adjudication confinement. Additionally, from 1975 to 1986, the proportion of female detainees decreased from 35 percent of total detainees to 25 percent, the proportion of status offenders and nonoffenders detained more than 24 hours decreased from 30.4 percent in 1975 to 2.5 percent in 1986, and no juveniles have been reported detained in adult jails since December 15 1983. Recommendations, 10 tables, 6 figures.