NCJ Number
82407
Date Published
1981
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This report discusses the effectiveness of Youth Service Bureaus (YSB's) in reducing juvenile delinquency and the number of cases entering the juvenile justice system, and in providing equal treatment to clients.
Abstract
The case of YSB's as delinquency reduction agencies is not proven, and some evidence suggests that involvement in the programs may increase delinquency. YSB's also seem to be failing to reduce the flow of juveniles into the justice system; they may be serving instead as conduits for increased social control and ultimately increased flow into the justice system. Moreover, critics of YSB's have charged that diversion will become a means of expanding coercive intervention in the lives of juveniles and their families without proper concern for their rights. Diversion programs can be questioned for their failure to protect due process rights, especially where participation in such programs is conditioned upon a formal admission of guilt. Moreover, although evaluations of person-centered diversion programs, characteristic of YSB's, are largely negative, YBS's are unlikely to change in the future. Sexist bias in YSB practices has also been observed, particularly regarding the female status offender. Diversion programs may represent an attempt on the part of the community to expand its control over the sex role behavior of young women. Future issues involving YSB funding, charters, stigma, evaluations, and assessments are mentioned. About 70 references and a table are included.