NCJ Number
83251
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 49 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1982) Pages: 40-52
Date Published
1982
Length
12 pages
Annotation
A series of articles dealing with juvenile justice alternatives covers a proposal for fingerprinting, photographing, and the recording of juvenile criminal histories; operating a juvenile drug enforcement unit; police work with juveniles in schools; juvenile diversion; and juvenile detention.
Abstract
The opening article argues that restrictions on the compiling of juvenile criminal justice records has hampered the criminal justice system in its efforts to apprehend and deal appropriately with the dangerous juvenile offender. The compiling of fingerprints, photographs, and criminal records for juveniles is advocated. The presentation dealing with the operation of a juvenile drug enforcement unit describes some of the undercover techniques used by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office (Utah) to apprehend juvenile drug users dealing in drugs on or near school grounds. The goal of the unit is to provide early intervention in juvenile drug use and free the school environment from drug trafficking. The third article describes the work of the Tempe Police Department's (Ariz.) juvenile unit, which provides law enforcement and educational services in junior high and high schools. In addition to dealing with crime and status offenses among students, the unit teaches courses on various aspects of the criminal justice system. Police diversion of the juvenile offender is discussed in another article. Effective diversion is said to depend upon the existence and use of community services oriented toward juvenile problems, as well as police monitoring of the effects of the diversion program. The concluding article notes the destructive effects of placing juveniles in adult jails and argues for a carefully monitored policy that will ensure that criminal justice agencies, particularly police, act to ensure that juveniles are handled within the least restrictive alternative, based upon objective criteria. For the document on juvenile detention, see NCJ 83252.