NCJ Number
68876
Date Published
1976
Length
171 pages
Annotation
SURVEYS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, ATTORNEYS, AND JUVENILE COUNSELING PERSONNEL IN SOUTH DAKOTA WERE CONDUCTED TO COMPILE THIS REPORT ON JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN SOUTH DAKOTA.
Abstract
JUVENILE OFFENSE DATA FOR 1975 WERE OBTAINED FROM SAMPLES OF 24 POLICE DEPARTMENT AND 13 SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENTS. THE AGENCIES REPORTED 5,322 JUVENILE CONTACTS IN 1975. REPEAT OFFENSES CONSTITUTED 43 PERCENT OF ALL OFFENSES. THE MOST FREQUENT OFFENSES WERE LARCENY-THEFT AND LIQUOR LAW VIOLATIONS. MALES AND NONWHITES WERE MORE FREQUENTLY REFERRED TO COURT THAN FEMALES. FROM THE SAMPLE DATA, IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT SOUTH DAKOTA LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES MADE OVER 12,000 JUVENILE CONTACTS IN 1975. THE SURVEY OF POLICE OFFICERS INDICATED THAT FEW REGULAR OFFICERS HAVE HAD ANY FORMAL TRAINING IN DEALING WITH JUVENILES; TRAINING IN COUNSELING JUVENILE OFFENDERS WAS THE MOST FREQUENTLY STATED TRAINING NEED. A SURVEY OF 530 ATTORNEYS, PRODUCING 203 RESPONSES, SHOWED THAT 157 HAD BEEN APPOINTED BY COURTS TO DEFEND JUVENILE OFFENDERS. FOR 68 OF THE 114 LAWYERS SO APPOINTED IN 1975, THESE CASES REPRESENTED LESS THAN 1 PERCENT OF THEIR TOTAL PRACTICES. OVER HALF THE OFFENSES WERE FELONIES; ABOUT ONE-THIRD WERE MISDEMEANORS; THE REMAINDER WERE STATUS OFFENSES. ALMOST 90 PERCENT OF THE ATTORNEYS HAD NEVER ATTENDED TRAINING PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE JUVENILE OFFENDER; OVER THREE-FIFTHS FELT SUCH TRAINING WOULD BE HELPFUL. MOST OF THE 50 STATE ATTORNEYS SURVEYED FELT THAT COUNSEL FOR JUVENILES HAVE ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF JUVENILE COURT PROCEEDINGS AND JUVENILE LAW. IN ADDITION, THREE-QUARTERS OF THE 95 COUNSELORS FROM 31 SOUTH DAKOTA YOUTH FACILITIES SURVEYED REPORTED WORK EXPERIENCE WITH JUVENILES OTHER THAN COUNSELING, THEIR MAJOR ACTIVITY WITH YOUTH. THEY ALSO NEEDED ADDITIONAL TRAINING. THE REPORT RECOMMENDS THAT (1) THE AVAILABILITY OF JUVENILE OFFENDER DATA IN SOUTH DAKOTA BE IMPROVED; (2) ADDITIONAL RESOURCES BE ALLOCATED TO IMPROVE THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM BE ADOPTED; AND (4) A UNIFORM POLICY FOR ATTORNEY ASSIGNMENT IN JUVENILE CASES BE CONSIDERED. TABULAR AND STATISTICAL DATA, GRAPHS, FOOTNOTES, AND A MAP ARE INCLUDED. THE METHODOLOGY AND POLICE JUVENILE POLICY ARE APPENDED.