Law Enforcement and Prosecutor Responses to the Serious Juvenile Offender (From Metropolitan Areas and Serious Juvenile Crime, 1982, Tape M-9 See NCJ-91384)

• NCJ Number: 91392
• Author(s): R Trojanowicz; W L Hart; L Pittman; B Crozier; R Schigur
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 0 pages
• Sale Source: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. Running time: 1 hr. 10 mins.

Annotation

One prosecutor and two police administrators from Michigan discuss classification for detention of juveniles waived to adult court, standards for waiving juveniles to adult court, and the police role in countering and preventing serious juvenile crime, particularly among juvenile gangs.

Abstract

The jail administrator of one of Wayne County's (Michigan) jails notes the difficulty of classifying waived juveniles when their juvenile records are prevented by law from being accessible to adult jail officials. Still every effort is made through careful diagnostic processes to determine the needs and characteristics of waived juvenile detainees, particularly regarding suicidal tendencies. Waived juveniles are segregated in wards with other juveniles. It is recommended that juvenile history information be exchanged with those responsible for the custodial care of juveniles waived to adult court. A juvenile prosecutor noted the following standards for determining if a juvenile should be waived to adult court: (1) nature of the alleged offense and general behavior pattern, (2) prior juvenile record, (3) physical and mental maturity, (4) the extent to which the youth has been exposed to juvenile treatment programs, and (5) the public interest. If it appears that the juvenile justice system and other government and community services have had sufficient opportunity to address the deviant patterns of the child, then waiver to the adult court is usually offered. The chief of police of the Detroit Police Department advises that all components of the criminal justice system dealing with juveniles should devise a policy for identifying and processing the serious juvenile offender. It is recommended that the police take an active role in preventing the development of serious juvenile offenders by participating in the development and operation of community programs for youth. Working with gang leaders can have a significant impact on turning their followers from crime.