NCJ Number
77525
Date Published
1980
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This report presents statistics relating to the processing of juvenile offenders under New York State's law which allows 13-, 14-, and 15-year-olds to be prosecuted in the adult criminal court system for certain violent felonies.
Abstract
Mandatory sentences ranging from a minimum of 1 to 3 years for a C felony conviction to a maximum of 9 years to life for murder have been established for juveniles subject to criminal responsibility. Cases may be removed to a family court if criminal responsibility is not evidenced, and less severe youthful offender treatment is available under certain conditions. Between September 1, 1978 (when the legislation went into effect), and December 31, 1980, 3,208 juveniles were arrested in New York City for crimes subject to prosecution in the adult system. Of the 3,014 cases that reached criminal court, 2,608 had been arraigned on juvenile offender charges. Of this number, 1,069 were removed to the family court; 412 were dismissed; 897 had been indicted; and 230 were pending. From the cases indicted, 442 convictions on juvenile offender charges were attained with sentencing completed in 351 cases: 135 received probationary terms of 5 years, and 35 were sentenced to imprisonment for fewer than 4 years under the youthful offenders provisions; and 181 were sentenced to imprisonment as juvenile offenders. The city accounted for 86 percent of the juvenile offender arrests in the State, the suburban counties for 8 percent, and the upstate counties for 6 percent. Indictment rates were 30 percent in the suburban counties and 37 percent upstate, compared to 34 percent in New York City. As in the past, the typical victim of the juvenile offender was a peer, aged 13 through 19. Data tables are included.