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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:31 pm
Time: 9:31 pm
Results for juvenile offenders (arizona)
1 results foundAuthor: Lai, Annie Title: Protecting What Works: Juvenile Diversion in Maricopa County Summary: In 2010, four percent of Arizona’s youth, or 41,040 juveniles, received at least one delinquency referral to the juvenile justice system. About half of these youth had not had any previous contact with the justice system, and 66 percent were referred for misdemeanors or status offenses. Fortunately, the rate of juveniles referred to the justice system who are being diverted is on the rise. Diversion is a process by which juveniles can avoid formal court processing, and therefore, a delinquency record, by successfully completing one or more diversion “consequences.” The consequences can range from writing an apology to community service, counseling, or teen court. In 2010, 46% of the youth referred were diverted. Two-thirds of the youth diverted had never been referred to the court before. More than 86% of these youth had one prior referral or less, and 83% were referred for non-felony offenses. The concept of diversion has been around since the early days of the juvenile justice system. It is based on evidence that processing youth offenders through the court system can do more harm than good. Indeed, court involvement for low-level offenders has been shown to be related to lower educational attainment, more limited employment prospects and higher rates of reoffending. By handling such cases outside of the formal system, courts and prosecutors can avoid exacerbating these effects and also reduce the strain on overloaded dockets. In 1967, partly in response to concerns that processing youth through the formal system could lead to further delinquency, the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice called on communities to establish local youth agencies or bureaus that could serve as an alternative to putting youths through court. The Commission’s recommendation led to a proliferation in diversion programs in the late 1960s and 1970s. Today, most diversion programs are no longer sustained by federal grants, but by state and local funding sources. As these budgets continue to get slashed, policy-makers will undoubtedly face pressure to reduce the investment in good quality diversion programs and shift more of the cost onto the families of referred youth who may not be able to afford the cost. This would be a mistake. Diversion offers an important opportunity for many young people who, with limited intervention, need never return to the juvenile justice system. By investing in diversion, we not only increase the chance that these youth will succeed, but also save money over the long run and enhance public safety. In 2010, following the announcement of some significant changes to the diversion program by the local county attorney’s office, the ACLU of Arizona undertook an investigation of juvenile diversion in Maricopa County. Maricopa County contains 60% of the state’s population and is home to the large metropolitan community of Phoenix. It handles just over half of the state’s juvenile referrals and an almost equal share of the diversion. As part of its investigation, the ACLU of Arizona examined data from the juvenile court, probation department and two private contractors that were retained by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) to provide fee-based diversion services. The ACLU also interviewed court and probation department staff, juvenile defenders, a juvenile prosecutor, and representatives from the private companies. This paper presents the findings and recommendations of the investigation. Details: Phoenix: American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, 2011. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 19, 2011 at: http://www.acluaz.org/sites/default/files/documents/ACLU%20Juvenile%20Diversion%202011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.acluaz.org/sites/default/files/documents/ACLU%20Juvenile%20Diversion%202011.pdf Shelf Number: 123411 Keywords: Juvenile DiversionJuvenile Offenders (Arizona) |