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Impact of Pennsylvania Act 41 on the Processing and Delivery of Services to Status Offenders

NCJ Number
78529
Date Published
1980
Length
223 pages
Annotation
The report presents the results of a study designed to determine the impact of Pennsylvania Act 41 (1977) on the processing and delivery of services to status offenders.
Abstract
The field-based operational analysis included a round of interviews with State and local officials, a review of legislation and research issues relating to status offenders, analysis of 1,000 juvenile case records from 15 counties, in-depth interviews with key officials in the 15 counties, and a mail survey of county youth agencies and probation officers. Findings indicate that the jurisdictional shift of status offenders from the juvenile courts to county child and youth agencies has been accomplished since the passage of Act 41, although a good deal of the shift had already occurred prior to the law's passage. As a result of wide variation in the definitions of status offense behaviors, youth agencies process some cases involving delinquent behavior and the juvenile courts receive some cases involving ungovernability and family conflicts. Widespread relabeling of status offense behavior as delinquency as a result of Act 41 or in order to circumvent the decriminalizing intent of the act is not evident. A wide variety of public and private services is available overall, but the range differs greatly from county to county. The three services most consistently regarded as lacking are alternative education programs, employment services, and day treatment. The provisions of the act liberalizing the release of juvenile offenders' names has had little impact on juvenile court practices as the courts closely control the release of juvenile names and have not established policies under which identification of juveniles is routinely permitted. A list of issue statements with positions and comments of respondents representing the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of Pennsylvania Government; tables; and appendixes showing the basis for service delivery to status offenders, the definition of status offenses, and interview responses are furnished.