NCJ Number
83857
Date Published
1981
Length
59 pages
Annotation
This report is an overview of a five-volume study of youthful offenders committed to the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (DOC) from 1968 to 1979, including a profile of the total sample, differences in the population over time, and recidivism rates.
Abstract
A review of recent statistics on juvenile crime concludes that empirical evidence does not support the popular perception that juvenile crime is rising. For this study, a sample of youthful offenders 17 years of age or younger at commitment was drawn from a DOC computerized data base for the period 1972-79. The sample of individuals committed from 1968 to 1971 was drawn from records of three adult institutions -- Walpole, Concord, and Framingham. Variables relating to commitment, institutional history, juvenile court history, social background, and recidivism were examined. This report first presents a profile of the sample of youthful offenders. A disproportionate number was black or Hispanic, most had fairly extensive criminal histories, and two-thirds were committed for offenses against the person. These offenders spent the majority of their time in medium security institutions and tended not to receive alternative placements to other facilities. Most had completed their formal school experience and often were not living with both natural parents prior to prison. The recidivism rate of youthful offenders released from 1968 to 1978 was 30 percent, which is much higher than yearly recidivism figures for the total population released by the DOC. To examine changes in this population, youths committed over the 12 years were divided into three groups of 4 years each. Analysis indicated that youths committed to prison in the latter years have remained very similar to their earlier counterparts, except that they have more extensive criminal histories. This finding does not necessarily mean an increase in serious juvenile crime, but may reflect an increase in the detection of such crime. The juvenile justice system and adult corrections have also changed their handling of youthful offenders in imposing longer sentences and being less hesitant about placing them in maximum security institutions. The report contains 26 footnotes and 19 references. The appendixes provide additional materials on variables analyzed by the study. For Vols. 2 and 4, see NCJ 81889 and 83858.