NCJ Number
197338
Date Published
August 2002
Length
41 pages
Annotation
The impact that social factors may have on the disposition of juvenile offenders in Texas is analyzed in this article.
Abstract
This analysis was conducted to aid policy makers in identifying the most effective approach to reduce the severity and frequency of juvenile offending by means of provision of services to at-risk youth, first-time offenders, and offenders with special needs. A sample of 1,595 juvenile records was selected from 5 probation departments in 9 urban and mid-size counties, drawn from all referrals that resulted in a formal disposition in court during the first 6 months of 1999. It was found that examination of county variations was limited due to statistical limitations related to sample size; the percentage of juveniles identified as high risk, high need, or low stability differed among the counties; a majority of juveniles in all counties had no prior history; the majority of juveniles in each county were disposed to community supervision; juveniles with a higher number of indicators were disposed more severely but use of placement and Texas Youth Commission (TYC) differed by county; and the number of indicators impacted disposition of similar offenders but disposition practices differed by county. In conclusion, it was found that a higher proportion of chronic and serious juvenile offenders exhibited a higher number of social risk indicators than other adjudicated juveniles, and juveniles who exhibited high numbers of social risk indicators were disposed more severely than juveniles with fewer indicators. However, it is noted that disposition practices do vary among the departments. Appendices include specific information items collected from the record of each juvenile offender and prevalence of detailed factors collected from the record of each juvenile offender.