NCJ Number
74494
Date Published
1980
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Results and recommendations are reported from a study of runaway profiles and New York City's handling of runaways from other jurisdictions.
Abstract
Interviews were held with 19 runaways from other jurisdictions being held in secure detention in New York City from September through December, 1979. Case records of 10 other juvenile out-of-state runaways were also reviewed producing a total sample of 29. The sample population is described according to sex, age, race, jurisdiction of residence, runaway and criminal history, school history, and family background. Reasons for running away ranged from boredom to parental physical abuse. The present practice of indiscriminately incarcerating runaways in secure detention with juveniles charged with serious crimes derives from police interpretation of the Interstate Compact on Juveniles and a shortage of nonsecure facilities for juveniles. The Interstate Compact on Juveniles provides that runaways from other jurisdictions may be taken into custody without a requisition and brought before a judge who may appoint counsel or guardian ad litem and determine after a hearing whether sufficient cause exists to hold the person. Although New York does not jail its own runaways, runaways from other jurisdictions are incarcerated for lack of a comprehensive plan for New York's handling of runaways from other jurisdictions is presented. The plan provides for an integration of intake services, residential care, and the use of the resources of the runaway networks. Tabular data, footnotes, and a bibliography listing 17 references are provided.