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Juvenile Offense Behavior in Southcentral Alaska: A Report to the Southcentral Region of the Division of Family and Youth Services

NCJ Number
139166
Author(s)
N E Schafer; E E Read
Date Published
1989
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Data gathered from monthly activity reports of the southcentral regional office of Alaska's Division of Family and Youth Services were analyzed to determine if there were discernible changes in number and kind of referrals, types of youth referred, crimes for which juveniles were arrested, and disposition alternatives.
Abstract
Children were referred to Youth Services primarily by law enforcement officers. The vast majority of youth referred (79.3 percent) were not taken into custody by police. Referrals in the southcentral region decreased from 3,900 in 1986 to 3,348 in 1988. The total number of referrals for delinquent activities in Anchorage declined steadily over the 1985 to 1989 period. A stable 2 percent of all annual referrals for the region were assigned emergency placement. The most frequently arrested age group was 17-year-olds which accounted for 22.7 percent of the 3,306 arrested youths. More girls were arrested at age levels 13 to 16. Fluctuations in the proportions of both petitioned juveniles detained by the court and in rates of other adjustments in all locations suggest that court detention decisions were based on an assessment of individual cases and do not indicate any changes in court policy. 26 figures