NCJ Number
89436
Date Published
1983
Length
36 pages
Annotation
Using official data and interviews with criminal justice officials, this paper portrays Idaho's handling of juveniles as punitive and lacking in rational policy development that could lead to innovation and change.
Abstract
Of the more than 26,000 Idaho youths arrested since 1980 (nearly twice the national average), slightly more than half spent at least some time behind bars. The number of jailed status offenders was so high (1,321) that it almost jeopardized Federal funding of Idaho programs designed to prevent juvenile delinquency and keep juveniles out of adult jails. Ironically, it is the habitual juvenile offender with frequent jailings who often receives the most rehabilitative attention, while those most amenable to treatment services are neglected in the early stages of their juvenile careers. While other States have developed innovative helping programs for juvenile delinquents in the community, since 1981, the Idaho Legislature has (1) lowered from 15 to 14 the age at which a youth can be prosecuted for serious crimes; (2) authorized funding for a maximum security unit at the Youth Services Center; and (3) revamped laws under which juveniles are prosecuted for alcohol and tobacco consumption, making prosecution in adult court mandatory. Overall, the typical legislative reaction to juvenile delinquency has been punitive. Idaho is considered by many observers to have suffered from a lack of informed policy for dealing with juvenile offenders. Localities tend to be left to their own devices in the administration of their juvenile justice programs, and there is wide disparity in judicial decisions.