Compares the recidivism of 2,738 juveniles who were transferred to criminal court in Florida in 1987 to that of a matched sample retained in the juvenile system. By every measure of recidivism employed, including rates of reoffending, seriousness of reoffending, and time to failure, reoffending was greater among transfers than the matched…

This document describes three options for a statewide statistical system for tracking recidivism of juvenile delinquents placed outside their homes in treatment programs. The information is intended for use by the state in allocating resources. The options described involve potential use of juvenile court records, placement data, and/or…

This document contains several essays on topics of interest to researchers of rehabilitative efforts. The subjects covered include an historical look at chronic delinquents and their treatment programs; a review of West European programs; legal constraints on intervention; a review of evidence concerning biological contributions to criminality and…

This booklet reports the deliberations of a panel of 37 judges, prosecutors, and researchers who attended a national conference to consider dealing with repeat juvenile offenders. The five conference sessions focus on: (1) Assessing the Problem: Offense and Offender Characteristics; (2) Processing Offenders: An Empirical Review of Current…

This booklet provides a brief introduction to the juvenile justice system, in lay person's terms, for parents of juveniles in trouble and other nonprofessionals, such as merchants, teachers, and the general public. The booklet begins with some basic information about juvenile crime and the juvenile justice system, followed by answers to some…

Review of 40 attempts at prevention of juvenille delinquency shows none has successfully prevented delinquency. The authors' recommendations include separation of implementation and evaluation, enrichment or abandonment of the individual treatment approach, diversification of evaluative measures, and greater sensitivity to the rights of the…

This report, an examination of the administration of the federal Juvenile Justice Act from 1974 to the present, outlines the findings and recommendations of the National Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Following a statement of the proposed new direction in delinquency prevention, which focuses on the serious,…

This publication is the report of a study of the nationwide youth services bureau effort undertaken by the youth authority of California at the request of the Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention Administration in 1971. Questionnaires (dealing with types of program, organization, program administration, funding, staff, clients, and primary…

The accelerating growth of restitution as an institutionalized program in juvenile courts throughout the country is documented. According to studies, the number of formal restitution programs has increased from approximately 15 in 1977 to more than 400 in 1989. Program components include financial restitution, community service, victim-offender…

This document gives the findings and recommendations of a study designed to identify interventions which can reduce the criminality of chronic juvenile offenders. The findings presented should be of interest to researchers and practitioners who are attempting to devise methods of reducing the crimes of chronic offenders that are more effective and…

This paper describes some of the many problems now facing the juvenile justice system, which was for years a legal "stepchild." A historical review reveals that although the first juvenile court was founded in 1899, the first U.S. Supreme Court review did not occur until almost 70 years later. Then, in a landmark decision, juveniles were given…

This monograph is an analysis of the use of residential and non-residential programs as alternatives to secure detention for juveniles awaiting adjudicatory hearings in juvenile courts. The analysis is based on literature from the last decade supplemented by interviews and statistics from site visits to 14 juvenile court jurisdictions with…

Offers four judges' perspectives on the various changes in the juvenile court system focusing on the increased violence among juveniles as having the greatest effect on the courts; includes issues such as juveniles being tried in adult courts, the need to improve juvenile courts, and the role of public interest. (CMK)

Some evaluations have concluded that diversion programs for juvenile offenders (programs intended as community-based alternatives to formal justice dispositions) reduce recidivism only among youths with the least serious offense histories. To investigate the relationship of offense history to program effectiveness, three diversion programs were…

This booklet reviews programs and specialized services available for the serious juvenile offender without any attempt to evaluate the programs. The descriptions focus on alternative rehabilitation residential facilities, community-based programs, day-treatment, educational and vocational programs, and secure treatment facilities. In addition to…