NCJ Number
85038
Journal
Lincoln Law Review Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: (1981) Pages: 1-12
Date Published
1981
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Observations are presented from an assessment of Salt Lake County's Home Detention Program, which is intended to ensure the juvenile detainee's appearance at court and to prevent further acts of delinquency during the period of supervision.
Abstract
The Home Detention Program was developed when the Detention Center became overcrowded. The program insists upon the establishment of a clear agreement between the juvenile and the judge handling the case, in writing and signed, presenting the limits of the juveniles' behavior, commitments to school and work, and the obligation to cooperate with treatment plans. The Home Detention staff is expected to enforce the agreement. The juvenile's failure to cooperate means an immediate return to detention. Home Detention has dealt with the full range of juvenile offenses, including serious criminal charges. In the short run, even juveniles with serious records seem to respond well to Home Detention. The Home Detention Program should be directed by the Detention Center rather than the juvenile court. Because of overcrowding at the Center, it has the incentive to seek the placement of persons in the Home Detention Program. The staff should be representative of the racial or ethnic composition of the population it serves so as to give juveniles role models. The staff should also be knowledgeable about resources outside the juvenile justice system, such as vocational training, job placements, schools, halfway houses, etc. Further, the staff should work as closely as possible with the parents of the juveniles as they may grow in parenting skills and revise a debilitating home environment. Sixteen footnotes are provided.