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JUVENILE COURT STATISTICS, 1975

NCJ Number
62181
Author(s)
T S VEREB; T A FINNEGAN
Date Published
1975
Length
58 pages
Annotation
A 1975 STUDY FOUND THAT 1.317 MILLION JUVENILE DELINQUENCY CASES REFLECTED A 4.2 PERCENT DECREASE IN CASES DISPOSED OF JUDICIALLY AND A 15.8 PERCENT INCREASE IN CASES DISPOSED OF NONJUDICIALLY.
Abstract
IN ACCORDANCE WITH LEAA GRANT PROVISIONS, THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE (NCJJ) HAS EMPLOYED THE SAME METHODS PREVIOUSLY USED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION AND WELFARE (DHEW), TO CALCULATE ESTIMATES, TO ANALYZE DATA, AND TO PRESENT TABLES. ALL COURTS IN THE U.S. AND THOSE COURTS WHICH REPORTED IN BOTH 1974 AND 1975 WERE STRATIFIED ACCORDING TO THE SIZE OF THE TOTAL POPULATION SERVED BY THE COURT. ESTIMATES WERE THEN MADE FOR EACH STRATUM, USING AS AN INFLATION FACTOR THE RATIO OF THE POPULATION SERVED BY THE REPORTING COURTS TO THE POPULATION SERVED BY ALL COURTS IN THE STRATUM. THE ESTIMATES FROM EACH STRATUM WERE TOTALED TO ARRIVE AT THE NATIONAL ESTIMATE. THE ESTIMATED RATE OF DELINQUENCY CASES DISPOSED OF BY JUVENILE COURTS WAS DEVELOPED BY COMPARING THE ESTIMATED TOTAL DELINQUENCY CASES TO THE 1975 CENSUS BUREAU'S PROJECTED CHILD POPULATION, 10 THROUGH 17 YEARS OF AGE. THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF DEPENDENCY AND NEGLECT CASES DISPOSED OF BY JUVENILE COURTS IN 1975 WAS BASED ON DATA FROM COURTS REPORTING IN 1974 AND 1975 WHOSE JURISDICTIONS, INCLUDED 42 PERCENT OF THE CHILD POPULATION UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE DURING THE YEAR 1975. BASED ON THE DATA RECEIVED AND USING THE TRADITIONAL PROJECTION SCHEME, AN EXTRAPOLATION WAS MADE TO DEVELOP THE 1975 NATIONAL ESTIMATE OF DEPENDENCY AND NEGLECT CASES DISPOSED OF BY JUVENILE COURTS. THE ESTIMATED RATE OF DEPENDENCY AND NEGLECT CASES WAS DEVELOPED BY COMPARING THE ESTIMATED TOTAL OF DEPENDENCY AND NEGLECT CASES TO THE 1975 CENSUS BUREAU'S ESTIMATED CHILD POPULATION UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE. OF THE 1.317 MILLION JUVENILE DELINQUENCY CASES, 49 PERCENT WERE DISPOSED OF JUDICIALLY; 51 PERCENT OF THE CASES DISPOSED OF WERE CASES WHICH HAD BEEN ADJUSTED BY THE JUDGE, REFEREE, PROBATION OFFICER, OR OFFICER OF THE COURT WITHOUT THE INVOCATION OF THE COURT'S JURISDICTION THROUGH PETITION OR MOTION. EXTENSIVE TABLES CATALOGUE COLLECTED DATA. TERMS ARE DEFINED, AN EVALUATION FROM INCLUDED, AND NCJJ PUBLICATIONS LISTED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)