NCJ Number
78615
Journal
Kriminologisches Journal Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: (1980) Pages: 116-123
Date Published
1980
Length
8 pages
Annotation
To facilitate planning of educational measures for young prisoners, statistics on the length of pretrial detention, factors affecting the detention term, and consequences of various terms of detention are provided.
Abstract
Data were gathered for a period of 1 year (1977) at the Uelzen branch of the Lueneburg juvenile corrections facility using questionnaires for structured interviews. The 136 prisoners surveyed were administered the first part of the questionnaire upon admission, the second after the main trial, and the third at release. Results show that about half the sample spent between 2 weeks and 3 months in detention; 25 percent stayed longer than 3 months and another 26 percent less than 2 weeks. The duration of detention was not correlated to age or to the type of offense committed. A slight but nonsignificant relationship existed between length of detention and previous detentions: juveniles who had been detained previously were more likely to stay longer in pretrial detention. The duration of detention thus seemed to be a function of factors affecting the speed of proceedings. The longer detention lasted, the more likely detainees were to receive strict sentences after detention. While probation became less likely as the period of detention lengthened, the opposite was true for detainees with the longest and shortest periods of detention. Chances of probation were greater for a first-time detainee than for a repeater and for an individual not placed in detention than for a detainee. Pretrial detention thus tends to reinforce criminal careers, to disrupt social relationships, and to stigmatize detainees. It is concluded that educational measures in pretrial detention for juveniles is best avoided or kept as short as possible. A 13-item bibliography and tables are furnished.