Overview of the JJ System
In-Depth View of Policing
Juveniles
The Juvenile Justice System
• Really a “system?”
– Some argue that the CJS is not really a
system
– The JJS is in some respects a series of “addons” to the criminal justice system
The Legislature
• Establishes jurisdiction
– At what age is an adolescent no longer a
“juvenile?”
– For what crimes might a 15 year old be
“waived” to adult court?
• Local legislators pass “ordinances”
– Loitering
– Curfews
The Cops
• For juveniles—city cops and sheriffs
– Feds typically turn over juveniles to local
authorities
• Police as the gatekeepers of CJS and JJS
– Primary source of juvenile court referrals
– Discretion is key research and policy issue
• Police determine proper jurisdiction
Juvenile Intake
• The Link between the police and the
juvenile court
– No real CJS counterpart
• An “intake officer” screens cases
– Like police, they have a great deal of
discretion—they can “Divert” cases!
– Intake hearing may be formal or informal
• Some are similar to adult “PSI”
Prosecutors of Juveniles
• Typically get the most “serious” cases
• Broad discretion in how they dispose of
cases
• Important decision:
– File petition or act on petition filed by police
– But, cases can go to court without petition
Judge/Adjudication
• Most proceedings now fairly formal
– Adversarial process
– Judge hears both sides and makes decision
• Should youth be adjudicated “delinquent”
• Are youths in “need of supervision”
• Dispositions for adjudicated youth
– Nominal
– Conditional
– Custodial
Juvenile Corrections
• Range of “sanctions” or “dispositions”
similar to adult corrections
– State “industrial schools” as prisons
– Smaller, “non-secure” placements
– Range of intermediate sanctions
– Juvenile Probation
The Police and Juveniles
• Da do do do, da da da da, that’s all I’ve got to say to
you….
• History
– First police departments = 1830s-1840s
– First attempts to formally deal with juveniles?
• Policewomen hired to work with delinquents
and runaways (early 1900s)
• Police Athletic League launched in the 1920s
• In mid 1920s, August Vollmer forms first
“youth bureau”—spread rapidly in the 1930s
Current Specialization
• Juvenile Officers
• Juvenile Units
• Gang Control Units
Police Culture and Juveniles
• No status in working with juveniles
– No celebrated “arrests” (not a “real” arrest)
• How are police rewarded?
– Often warned and released by courts
• “Kiddie Court”
– Due Process measures have made job more
difficult
Police Discretion
• What are the range of options available to
Police?
• What factors constrain discretion?
• What extra-legal factors drive police
decision making?
Attitudes of Juveniles Towards the
Police
• Who is likely to have “issues” with the men in
blue?
–
–
–
–
Males
Minorities (esp. A.A.)
Older Juveniles
Members of the lower class
• Where do these attitudes come from?
– Experience with police vs. Culture/Environment
Police and Procedural Law
• State v. Lowery (1967)
– Exclusionary rule
• New Jersey vs. T.L.O. (1985)
– School searches
Other Police Related Controversies
• Should Juvenile Records be “Sealed” or
“expunged?”
• Should juveniles be:
– Fingerprinted
– Photographed
Community Policing
• Direct engagement with residents
• Proactive crime prevention
• Decentralized operations (familiar with
neighborhood)
• Citizens as partners
• “Problem Oriented Policing”