NCJ Number
145136
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1993) Pages: 179-195
Date Published
1993
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Indeterminate approaches to juvenile parole policy remain dominant in the United States.
Abstract
Between November 1987 and November 1988, researchers sent a survey to the departments of correction, youth services bureaus, and legislative service agencies in the 50 States to obtain comparative data on current trends in juvenile parole and aftercare policy. Of the 47 States that provided adequate information, 66 percent of the respondents have standards for discharge from parole in their statutes, 28 percent of the respondents have standards in administrative rules, and 76 percent of the respondents have standards in agency policies. Few States (19 percent) have developed a coherent aftercare policy. Even in States that have instituted determinate sentencing provisions for serious juvenile offenders, parole length is subject to substantial discretion and indeterminacy. Policy has been based more on principles of crime control and accountability than of consistency or equality, States have no standard approach to reducing disparity in lengths of parole. 1 figure and 37 references