NCJ Number
17417
Date Published
Unknown
Length
64 pages
Annotation
AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VARIOUS STATUS AND LEGAL VARIABLES AND THE DECISION TO DETAIN OR RELEASE PRIOR TO ADJUDICATION ALL JUVENILES REFERRED TO THE DENVER JUVENILE COURT IN 1972.
Abstract
INFORMATION WAS GATHERED FROM DATA COLLECTED ROUTINELY BY THE JUVENILE COURT OF DENVER. FOR EACH CHILD BROUGHT BEFORE THE COURT, A CASE HISTORY RECORD IS COMPILED WHICH CONTAINS DETAILED INFORMATION REGARDING THE JUVENILE'S AGE, SEX, ETHNICITY, RESIDENCE, OFFENSE, CRIMINAL HISTORY, AND HOME SITUATION. THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE UTILIZED IN THIS ANALYSIS (DETENTION DECISION OUTCOME) WAS DIVIDED INTO DETAINED AND NOT DETAINED CATEGORIES. IDENTIFICATION OF FACTORS WHICH APPEARED TO BE RELATED TO THIS DECISION WAS ATTEMPTED BY FIRST EXAMINING THE BIVARIATE, THEN THE MULTIVARIATE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE DETENTION DECISION AND THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES. THE STUDY INDICATED THAT THE VARIANCE IN DETENTION DECISION OUTCOMES WAS MOST SUBSTANTIALLY RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF PREVIOUS TIMES THE CHILD HAD BEEN REFERRED TO THE COURT. IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT IDLE YOUTH, LOWER CLASS YOUTH, AND YOUTHS REFERRED BY MISCELLANEOUS AGENCIES RATHER THAN POLICE WERE DETAINED MORE FREQUENTLY. SERIOUSNESS OF OFFENSE DID NOT SEEM TO BE RELATED TO DETENTION DECISIONS. THIS REPORT IS PART OF A UTILIZATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE STATISTICS PROJECT DESIGNED TO ILLUSTRATE TO STATE AND LOCAL PLANNERS AND OTHER USERS OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE STATISTICS HOW AVAILABLE DATA CAN BE UTILIZED FOR SOLVING PRACTICAL PROBLEMS.