NCJ Number
183261
Date Published
1998
Length
46 pages
Annotation
This report provides an overview of juvenile court dispositions in Pennsylvania during 1998 and summarizes information provided by county juvenile probation departments.
Abstract
The primary unit of count is the "disposition," defined as "a referral disposed by the probation department and/or the court." Within a single delinquency referral, a youth may be charged with a number of offenses that may include a number of petitions; any one youth may be involved in a number of dispositions within a calendar year. In addition, a youth may be referred on more than one occasion and receive only one disposition. Dependency dispositions reported include only referrals to probation departments in which dependency is alleged without any allegations of delinquency. The data show that there were 39,769 delinquency-related dispositions in Pennsylvania during 1998. Probation was the most frequently used disposition (21.5 percent), followed in descending order by informal adjustment, consent decree, placement, complaint withdrawn, dismissed not substantiated, and warned/counseled. All remaining dispositions totaled 18.5 percent. The disposition of transfer to criminal court remained at approximately 1 percent of the total. Data show selected dispositions by race and ethnicity and by disposition type. Delinquency dispositions are shown for the period 1994-98. Other data show attorney representation for delinquency dispositions, dispositions by source of referral, and time lapse from referral to disposition. Other sections of data address delinquency placements, delinquency offenses, detention, demographics, dependency dispositions, and disposition and placement reviews. Extensive tables and figures and appended county class list and juvenile court statistical card