JUVENILES IN DETENTION CENTERS AND JAILS - AN ANALYSIS OF STATE VARIATIONS DURING THE MID 1970'S

• NCJ Number: 66330
• Author(s): J E POULIN; J L LEVITT; T M YOUNG; D M PAPPENFORT
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 87 pages
• Grant Number(s): 77JN-99-0002
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: University of Chicago
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REPORTS OF THE NATIONAL JUVENILE JUSTICE ASSESSMENT CENTERS

Annotation

STATES' USE OF SECURE DETENTION CENTERS AND JAILS FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS DURING THE MID-1970'S IS DESCRIBED AND DIFFERENCES AMONG STATES ARE EXPLAINED.

Abstract

STATE PLANS AND STATES' MONITORING REPORTS ON STATUS OFFENDER DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION ARE AMONG REPORT DATA SOURCES. OTHER SOURCES INCLUDE PUBLISHED AND UNPUBLISHED STUDIES AND THE FBI UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA INDICATES THAT DURING THE MID-1970'S ABOUT 520,000 JUVENILES WERE BEING ADMITTED ANNUALLY TO DETENTION CENTERS IN THE U.S., WHILE ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF ALL ADMISSIONS OCCURRED IN CALIFORNIA, OHIO, TEXAS, WASHINGTON, AND FLORIDA. CALIFORNIA LED THE NATION WITH A TOTAL OF 139,423 ADMISSIONS IN 1975. APPROXIMATELY 120,000 JUVENILES WERE DETAINED ANNUALLY IN ADULT JAILS IN THE MID-1970'S, WHILE OVER 50 PERCENT OF THESE ADMISSIONS OCCURRED IN IDAHO, ILLINOIS, KENTUCKY, MINNESOTA, NEW MEXICO, OHIO, OREGON, TEXAS, VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN. ALTHOUGH NO CLEAR REGIONAL DIFFERENCES ARE APPARENT, SEVERAL MOUNTAIN AND WESTERN STATES RELIED MORE ON ADULT JAIL DETENTIONS FOR JUVENILES THAN DID EASTERN, PARTICULARLY NORTHEASTERN, STATES. THE COMBINED RATES OF ADMISSION TO BOTH CENTERS AND JAILS IN EACH STATE RANGED FROM 117 TO 4,734 PER 100,000 JUVENILES; THE WEST HAD SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER COMBINED RATES. STATUS OFFENDERS CONSTITUTED 26 PERCENT OF ALL ADMISSIONS. ANALYSIS DID INDICATE SOME FACTORS AFFECTING STATE RATES OF ADMISSION. FOR EXAMPLE, DEGREE OF URBANIZATION IS POSITIVELY RELATED TO DETENTION CENTER RATES AND NEGATIVELY RELATED TO JAIL DETENTION. RATES OF REFERRAL TO COURT INTAKE ARE POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH RATES OF DETENTION CENTER ADMISSION, AND JUVENILE ARREST RATES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH JAIL ADMISSION RATES. OVERALL, THE ANALYSIS POINTS TO CONSIDERABLE VARIATION IN STATES' USE OF DETENTION, A VARIATION THAT MUST BE CONTROLLED. REMEDIAL APPROACHES ARE SUGGESTED. FOR ONE, DECISIONMAKING FOR INTAKE AND REFERRAL MUST BE DOCUMENTED WITH WRITTEN CRITERIA AND WRITTEN AGREEMENTS BY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIALS. IN ADDITION, AN INFORMATION SYSTEM SHOULD BE CREATED TO MAINTAIN DATA ON JUVENILE PLACEMENT. FINALLY, POLICE DIVERSION PROGRAMS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR REDUCING JUVENILE ADMISSIONS TO JAIL, AND ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION AND COURT DIVERSION PROGRAMS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR REDUCING DETENTION CENTER ADMISSIONS. FOOTNOTES, TABLES, MAPS, DATA SOURCES, AND 24 REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.