NCJ Number
69318
Date Published
1980
Length
48 pages
Annotation
PROPOSED STATUTORY REVISIONS AND PROGRAM CHANGES FOR SERIOUS JUVENILE OFFENDERS ARE ANALYZED IN TERMS OF THEIR POSSIBLE EFFECTS ON THE JUVENILE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IN MINNESOTA.
Abstract
BASED ON DATA FROM A CRIME CONTROL PLANNING BOARD'S STUDY OF THE MINNESOTA JUVENILE COURT POPULATION, THE RESEARCH FINDINGS CITED IN THIS REPORT CONCERN THE REALITY AND EXTENT OF THE SERIOUS JUVENILE OFFENDER PROBLEM; THE POSSIBILITY OF SERIOUS JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PREDICTION; AND STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH JUVENILES CLASSIFIED AS SERIOUS OFFENDERS. THE IMPACT OF A GIVEN SOLUTION ON THE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS IS ASSESSED IN TERMS OF INCREASING RATES OF SERIOUS JUVENILE OFFENDER TRANSFER TO THE ADULT SYSTEM AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT INCARCERATION. THIS PAPER ALSO EXAMINES INFORMATION ON SUCH TOPICS AS STATUTORY PROVISIONS IN OTHER STATES REGARDING THE DEFINITIONS OF SERIOUS JUVENILE OFFENDERS AND THE PROGRAMS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN MINNESOTA FOR SERIOUS JUVENILE OFFENDERS. THE MAJOR RESEARCH FINDINGS SHOWS SIZABLE VARIATIONS IN QUANTITATIVELY ASSESSING THE SERIOUS JUVENILE OFFENDER GROUP (I.E., BETWEEN 100 AND 4,000) INDICATING THAT THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM IS CONTINGENT UPON THE SERIOUS OFFENDER DEFINITION. THE INCREASE IN THE ADULT COURT CASELOAD COULD BE AS HIGH AS 40 PERCENT. DEFINITIONS OF SERIOUS JUVENILE OFFENDERS HAVE SO FAR FAILED TO PREDICT WHICH JUVENILES WILL CONTINUE TO COMMIT SERIOUS ADULT CRIMES. THE MOST LIKELY JUVENILES TO COMMIT REPEAT SERIOUS CRIMES ARE 14-YEAR-OLDS WITH PRIOR FELONY RECORDS (PREDICTION ACCURATE IN 3 OUT OF 4 CASES). THREE TABLES AND ONE GRAPH ARE INCLUDED IN THE TEXT. TWO APPENDIXES GIVE (1) A SUMMARY OF THE DATA BASE FOR THE STUDY OF THE MINNESOTA JUVENILE COURT POPULATION, AND (2) A BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH 6 ENTRIES.