The vast majority of mentally ill offenders are not violent, although their illness necessarily manifests itself in ways that society often finds unacceptable. The number of mentally ill offenders is growing because needed mental health care is not available to those who are no longer hospitalized due to the deinstitutionalization movement and the…

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 provided financial incentives to states to divert and deinstitutionalize status offenders. Recently, criticisms are surfacing that the federal involvement in the status offender issue was inappropriate and had given children the freedom to run away. Concern about victimization of girls…

The detention of juveniles in adult jails and lockups has long been a moral issue characterized by sporadic public concern and minimal action towards its resolution. Approximately 500,000 or more juveniles are held in jails each year. Rationales for keeping children in jails have included public safety, protection of children from themselves or…

The problem of mentally ill offenders is discussed in this report. Mentally ill offenders are described as generally not violent, with their behavior resulting in charges such as shoplifting, vagrancy, and trespassing. Factors increasing the number of mentally ill offenders are discussed, including the inability of families and communities to…

A total of 1,040 publicly operated state and local juvenile detention, correction, and shelter facilities held 49,322 juvenile residents on February 1, 1985, an increase of 1% from the previous year. About 93% of the juveniles were accused of, or had been convicted for, acts which would be criminal offenses if committed by adults. Most of the rest…

In 1987, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics interviewed 2,621 juveniles and young adults confined in 50 long-term, state-operated institutions in 26 states. More than one-quarter of the sample were over the age of 18. The results of the survey revealed that nearly 40% of the sample were being held for a violent offense. More than 60% used drugs…

This practicum addressed the need to reduce the number of verbal altercations and consequent disciplinary actions occurring between detained youth and the child care staff at a maximum security juvenile detention center. Observations of verbal interaction between detainees and staff, pre-practicum testing, and staff's self-reports revealed poor…

A statistical portrait of crime and deliquency in California in 1985 is presented in this document. These topics are discussed and illustrated by data tables and graphs: crimes (violent, property); arrests (felony, misdemeanor, changes in rates); adult felony arrest dispositions (dispositions, arrestees convicted); adult corrections (supervision,…

A statistical portrait of crime and deliquency in California in 1986 is presented in this document. These topics are discussed and illustrated by data tables and graphs: crimes (violent, property); arrests (felony, misdemeanor, changes in rates); adult felony arrest dispositions (dispositions, arrestees convicted); adult corrections (supervision,…

This document is a 10-year statistical summary (1976-1985) of young criminal offenders in the state of California's Youth Authority Program. The effect of Youth Authority policy and legislative influences on Youth Authority population are discussed. A brief textual summary of the changes in this 10-year period includes the following findings: (1)…

Presents a brief look at the history of corrective institutions, explores some of the goals of correction, and discusses the need for community involvement. (CJ)

The picture of education of children confined to custodial institutions is not a bright one. Lip service is paid to education as a valuable rehabilitative tool, yet implementation of this ideal is not forthcoming. (Author/DN)

The Task Force to Develop Standards and Goals for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention was initiated in the Spring of 1975 by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) of the U.S. Department of Justice. The efforts of this task force resulted in nine reports, each one dealing with one aspect of the Juvenile Justice System. This…

This publication contains presentations made at the National Symposium on the Serious Juvenile Offender. The meeting was convened to identify key policies and to assess present attitudes and information regarding youth who commit serious crimes--especially violent crimes. The National Juvenile Justice Act stimulated the development of criteria for…

This paper assesses the parens patriae orientation, which is often considered to be at the core of the operation of juvenile courts, and discovers that existing ideas concerning its role must be revised. In opposition to common theory it appears that parens patriae at best shares influence with a number of other orientations in juvenile courts,…