NCJ Number
179959
Journal
Juvenile Justice Update Volume: 5 Issue: 6 Dated: December/January 2000 Pages: 1-11
Date Published
2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Changes in the treatment of juvenile status offenders are described that concern decriminalization, court interventions, and juvenile delinquency prevention.
Abstract
Historically, juvenile delinquency included what is now termed "status offenses." This began to change in 1961 when California legislators enacted sweeping statutory revisions. One such change separated non-criminal conduct from the juvenile delinquency definition and differentiated status offenders from delinquents. New York made similar changes a year later, creating the status offender term of person in need of supervision. Illinois, Colorado, New Jersey, Montana, and Ohio took similar actions. Taking a somewhat different approach, Pennsylvania and Florida placed status offenders within their definitions of child dependency and neglect and shifted service responsibility from probation officers to social service agencies. In the following years, numerous national organizations urged the repeal of court jurisdiction over victimless crimes committed by juveniles. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) was enacted by Congress in 1974, and the JJDPA reduced the number of status offenders apprehended and the number of referrals to juvenile courts. The treatment of status offenders is examined in light of juvenile court handling of such offenders, status offender referrals, juvenile violence, truancy, curfews, alcohol abuse, and community assessment centers. The effectiveness of interventions with status offenders in reducing juvenile delinquency is discussed. 3 references