NCJ Number
187584
Date Published
2000
Length
55 pages
Annotation
This ninth in a series of 12 publications entitled, "Pathways to Juvenile Detention Reform," discusses juvenile warrant cases, probation violators, and post-adjudication detention, and it offers strategies and solutions used in various jurisdictions to reduce unnecessary detention in these special cases.
Abstract
This publication, along with the rest of the publications in the series, is a product of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The project's objectives were to eliminate the unnecessary use of secure detention for juveniles; minimize failures to appear and the incidence of delinquent behavior; redirect public finances from building new facility capacity to responsible alternative strategies; and to improve conditions in secure detention facilities. A chapter on minors detained on warrants discusses the nature and extent of the problem and JDAI strategies and solutions for minors with warrants. The latter include an analysis of the warrant caseload, risk screening and intake procedures, differentiation of warrants, alternatives to detention for minors with warrants, clearing the backlog of invalid warrants, and ensuring court appearance. A chapter on minors detained on probation violations considers the nature and extent of the problem and JDAI strategies and solutions for juvenile probation violators. The latter include gathering adequate data, adopting written guidelines, mandatory risk screening, supervisory review of detention recommendations, non-judicial handling of technical violations, alternative programs, interagency coordination strategies, considering a non-detention policy for technical probation violators, and dealing with mandatory detention laws. A chapter on minors in post-adjudication and post-disposition detention provides a review of problems between the adjudication and the disposition hearings and a more extensive examination of post-disposition detention time spent by children waiting for or returned from out-of-home placement. A chapter on lessons learned from the JDAI sites advises that remedies must be linked to adequate data and analysis of the problem population; detention goals, policies, and procedures should be clearly articulated in writing; remedies for special detention cases are most likely to succeed in a context of comprehensive detention reform; detention reform jurisdictions have produced models worth replicating; and strategies for the control of special detention cases are not necessarily costly. A list of 6 resources