NCJ Number
100273
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 25 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1985) Pages: 321-343
Date Published
1985
Length
23 pages
Annotation
A questionaire study focused on the influences on British magistrates' decisionmaking in truancy cases brought under section 1(2)(e) of the 1969 Children and Young Persons Act.
Abstract
Fifty-nine of 81 surveyed judges in the Sheffield juvenile court provided written responses to a hypothetical case description involving a 13-year-old boy. The narrative tried to present a typical truancy case. A small minority favored a care order. Most (47) preferred the social worker's recommendation for supervision. A majority were also in favor of introducing the controversial Leeds adjournment system. The magistrates were more likely to cite individual problems rather than social issues like poverty as the causes of truancy. The typical language of social inquiry reports may account for this finding. However, the magistrates' generally middle-class backgrounds and lack of personal experience with truancy also appear to be relevant. Professional reports provided to magistrates should focus on wider social issues than they now do. Footnotes, tables, 34 references. Study instrument appended. (Author abstract modified)