NCJ Number
42926
Date Published
1977
Length
180 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY ATTEMPTED TO DETERMINE THE SOURCES OF VARIABILITY IN THE DECISION MAKING OF A DISTRICT JUVENILE COURT.
Abstract
TO ASSESSS THE INFLUENCE OF THE SOURCES OF VARIABILITY ON THE DISPOSITIONAL PROCESS, A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK WAS CONSTRUCTED FROM THE ORGANIZATIONAL LITERATURE USING THE NATURAL SYSTEMS MODEL. THIS MODEL STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSIDERING THE INFLUENCE OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT ON ITS ACTIVITIES. FROM DESCRIPTIVE STUDIES OF THE JUVENILE COURT, THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT WAS CONCEPTUALIZED AS BEING COMPRISED OF 1) COURT'S RELATIONS WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND THE SCHOOLS, AND 2) THE DISCRETION WHICH COURT PERSONNEL EXERCISE AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE COURT. DATA WERE GATHERED FROM THE CASE FILES OF THE MAIN OFFICE AND TWO STATELLITE OFFICES OF THE DISTRICT JUVENILE COURT AND SUBJECTED TO A MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS. THESE ANALYSES UTILIZED THE THREE TARGET VARIABLES OF PLACE, TIME, AND DECISIONMAKER AND VARIABLES DENOTING SOCIAL-BIOGRAPHICAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE JUVENILE AND ASPECTS OF HIS OFFENSE. INTERVIEW MATERIALS GATHERED IN THE THREE OFFICERS WERE EMPLOYED AS INTERPRETATIVE DEVICES. THE RESULTS OF THE ANALYSES INDICATE THAT THE DECISION MAKING OF THE JUVENILE COURT IS CHARACTERIZED BY VARIABILITY RATHER THAN THE UNIFORMITY ASSUMED BY THE CONFLICT MODEL. THIS VARIABILITY EXISTED AMONG THE THREE OFFICES, AS WELL AS WITHIN THE MAIN OFFICE AND WAS DUE IN LARGE MEASURE TO THE SPECIFIC NATURE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT OF EACH OFFICE. THE RESULTS RAISE SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ADEQUACY OF THE CONFLICT MODEL AS A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH TO EXAMINE JUVENILE COURT DECISIONMAKING AND PROVIDE BASIS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK PREMISED IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL LITERATURE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)...BDS