NCJ Number
140441
Journal
Crime & Delinquency Volume: 39 Issue: 1 Dated: special issue (January 1993) Pages: 90-105
Date Published
1993
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Juvenile aftercare decisionmaking systems that classify parolees according to perceived risk and needs are designed to standardize the treatment of these individuals by juvenile parole officials. This article analyzes a system implemented in Arizona to determine if the intensity of supervision received by parolees differed as a function of classification score.
Abstract
The Arizona Juvenile Aftercare Decision-Making System was implemented in 1988, after extensive interviews with parole officers and a review of 16 different reassessment tools developed for use in probation and parole across the country. The system translates a set of characteristics about each juvenile into numerical scores which are then used to structure the discretion of parole officers as they provide aftercare services to parolees. Decisions controlled by the system fall into two broad categories: appropriate placement environment, inhome or nonhome, and intensity of supervision provided by the parole officer deemed appropriate for each juvenile. To evaluate supervision intensity, interviews were conducted with parole officers and parole supervisors, and a random sample of 280 juvenile parolees was tracked for 90 days. Findings revealed that intensity of supervision did not differ based on the classification score, suggesting that the Arizona system did not control the decisionmaking of parole officers. A primary obstacle identified by parole officers in accomplishing their daily tasks involved a lack of both time and resources. Organizational factors affecting the way parole officers use the decisionmaking system to allocate time among parolees are discussed. An appendix provides additional information on procedures used to examine the quality or intensity of juvenile parole supervision. 25 references, 2 notes, and 5 tables