NCJ Number
96250
Date Published
1983
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study presents data on juvenile offenders released to parole in New York State from 1978 through December 15, 1982, a 4-year period after the enactment of the Juvenile Offender Law, which mandates parole for 13-15 year-olds convicted and sentenced in adult courts to indeterminate terms in a secure youth facility.
Abstract
There were 239 offenders who had been, or were about to be, released to parole supervision as of December 1982. Included were 15 cases in a status of community preparation (not yet released but having an imminent parole eligibility date), 8 in an absconder status, and 18 in a delinquent status. In addition, there were 28 cases in the revoked and returned category, as well as 33 offenders discharged from parole supervision. Most of the juvenile parolees were male (95 percent), black (74 percent), and between 17 and 19 years old. Most had not yet entered high school at the time of conviction; most had been convicted of robbery, and approximately 25 percent were reported to have engaged in controlled substance abuse, with slightly fewer reported to have abused alcohol. A comparison of those apparently successful under supervision with those whose paroles had been revoked showed that 74 percent of successful parolees were black; 86 percent were black among the unsuccessful parolees. The successful group was slightly older, with 26 percent above the age of 18; only 4 percent of those in the revoked group were over 18. The need for intensive prerelease programs and intensive supervision to obviate likely violations within the first 6 months on parole is cited. Various intervention strategies are discussed. Three data tables and six figures are included.