NCJ Number
173305
Date Published
1996
Length
72 pages
Annotation
Many changes have occurred during the 1990's in juvenile justice systems throughout the United States, particularly with respect to strategies for dealing with serious crime, transfer to adult courts, and juvenile delinquency early intervention and prevention.
Abstract
Changes that have taken place include significant shifts in the trial of juveniles as such or as adults in criminal courts, and this seems to be strategy of first choice in many States. A few States, however, have attempted innovative alternatives, such as extending the jurisdiction of juvenile or family courts, blending jurisdiction by allowing courts to give adult sentences and then suspending those sentences conditioned on the successful completion of a juvenile disposition, or creating new serious juvenile offender procedures and dispositional options and facilities. Several States have also established new juvenile correctional facilities and administrative structures to run them, and there has been a proliferation of juvenile boot camps across the country as well. A second strategy of choice in many States has been to create a higher level of parental responsibility for the acts of their children. Some States give juvenile or family courts jurisdiction over the parents of youth, and many States make parents responsible for the costs of services provided to their children. In addition, parents are increasingly being ordered to participate in treatment and counseling programs to alter their parenting practices. A third strategy of choice in many States involves opening court proceedings and records concerning juveniles to public access. Many States now require that arrest or charging actions be reported to schools, and law enforcement agencies are given greater access to juvenile records and are subject to fewer limitations on the use of fingerprints, photographs, and other identifying information. The media and the public are also allowed greater access to juvenile proceedings and records, and victims are afforded the right to attend and participate in court hearings in juvenile delinquency cases. Finally, States are beginning to make more progress in dealing with the over- representation of minority youth in secure confinement and in developing programs for girls. Specific recommendations to address the juvenile crime problem are offered that focus on treatment, prevention, and family support. 188 references and 4 figures