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YOUNG OFFENDERS

NCJ Number
53334
Author(s)
D CHALLINGER
Date Published
1977
Length
206 pages
Annotation
TYPICAL JUVENILE OFFENDERS WHO HAVE BEEN FORMALLY DEALT WITH BY THE POLICE IN AUSTRALIA ARE THE FOCUS OF THIS REPORT.
Abstract
WHEN A JUVENILE OFFENDER HAS BEEN APPREHENDED BY THE POLICE IN VICTORIA, THE OFFICERS INVOLVED CONTACT THE YOUTH'S PARENTS. SUBJECT TO PARTICULAR FACTS OF A CASE, THE POLICE MAY BE ABLE TO EXERCISE THEIR DISCRETION AND THE MATTER MAY BE HANDLED WITH PARENT COOPERATION AND DISCIPLINE. THIS DISCRETION ALLOWS THE POLICE OFFICER TO ISSUE AN INFORMAL WARNING TO A JUVENILE OFFENDER AND THE PARENTS. INITIAL INTERACTION BETWEEN THE POLICE AND A JUVENILE OFFENDER CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE ON WHETHER FORMAL PROCEDURES EVENTUATE. CHILDREN BELONGING TO TWO CATEGORIES CAN BE BROUGHT BEFORE THE COURT: CHILDREN CHARGED WITH OFFENSES PRESCRIBED UNDER ACTS OF PARLIAMENT RELATING TO CRIMES AND OFFENSES AND CHILDREN WHO ARE SUBJECTS OF CARE AND PROTECTION APPLICATIONS UNDER THE SOCIAL WELFARE ACT. JUVENILE-POLICE CONTACTS DURING 1975 WERE EVALUATED. OF 13,084 CASES, 1,930 WERE PROTECTION APPLICATIONS. THE ELIMINATION OF FAMILY-BASED AND UNDER-AGE PROTECTION APPLICATIONS REDUCED THE NUMBER OF CASES UNDER STUDY TO 12,213. THE FINAL SAMPLE, EXCLUDING 1 YOUTH APPREHENDED FOR STEALING BUT WHO HAD NOT REACHED 8 YEARS OF AGE, CONSISTED OF 12,212 POLICE CONTACTS (4,363 OFFICIAL POLICE WARNINGS TO OFFENDERS OVER 8 YEARS OF AGE AND 7,849 COURT APPEARANCES). JUVENILE OFFENDERS WERE ASSESSED IN RELATION TO THEIR CHARACTERISTICS AND THE NATURE OF THEIR OFFENSES, THEIR FAMILIES, EDUCATIONAL FACTORS IN DELINQUENCY, DISTRIBUTION, DELAYS BETWEEN APPREHENSION AND FORMAL HANDLING, AND RESULTS OF POLICE CONTACTS. MOST OFFENSES INVOLVING FORMAL POLICE CONTACT WERE DIRECTED TOWARD PROPERTY BY LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WHOSE POLICE CONTACT GENERALLY CONCLUDED IN A SALUTARY BUT RELATIVELY MINOR MANNER. SUPPORTING DATA FROM THE STUDY ARE PROVIDED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN INFORMATION ON THE BIRTHPLACE AND AGE OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS, AND REFERENCES ARE CITED. (DEP)