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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 12:45 am
Time: 12:45 am
Results for juvenile waiver
2 results foundAuthor: Davis, Antoinette Title: No Place for Youth: Girls in the Adult Justice System Summary: During the past three decades, states across the country passed legislation making it easier to move youth under age 18 into the adult criminal justice system (Puzzanchera & Addie 2014; Johnson, Lanza-Kaduce, & Woolard; Mulvey & Schubert 2012; Griffin, Addie, Adams, & Firestine 2011). These laws made youth eligible for transfer to the adult court system for a greater number of crimes, lowered the age of adult criminal responsibility, increased the ability of prosecutors to file cases in adult court directly, and excluded certain crimes from eligibility for juvenile court adjudication. These legislative changes resulted in an unprecedented rise in youth serving time in adult criminal justice facilities (i.e., jails and prisons). Not only does this phenomenon add a layer of difficulty to the operation and staffing of facilities charged with overseeing these young offenders, but it also directly conflicts with research showing that housing youth in adult correctional facilities is harmful, on a variety of levels, for young people. Adult jails and prisons are not designed for the confinement of youth, and as a result most are not equipped to meet the inherent and specific needs of adolescents. Studies show that youth in adult confinement do not receive age-appropriate educational, medical, or rehabilitative services. They are subject to conditions that are developmentally inappropriate and physically and emotionally unsafe; these conditions run counter to rehabilitative goals. In addition, a growing body of research shows that youth confined in adult facilities are exposed to seasoned offenders and, as compared to youth who are placed in juvenile facilities, are more likely to recidivate with more severe crimes upon release (Hahn et al., 2007; Redding 2010; Fagan, Kupchik, & Liberman 2007; Johnson, Lanza-Kaduce, & Woolard 2011). Although not widely considered by practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders, a growing proportion of youth prosecuted as adults are female. In 2010, girls were defendants in 8% of all cases judicially waived from juvenile to adult courts (Puzzanchera & Addie 2014). This bulletin focuses on the population of girls under age 18 who are confined to adult facilities in the United States. It provides a summary of current research, incorporates the voices of practitioners, and offers recommendations for improving conditions and outcomes for girls who are sentenced to adult facilities. Data examined for this bulletin include results of a national survey of correctional administrators conducted by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) in 2014. The NIC/NCCD survey was designed to collect information from members of the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) about issues and challenges that adult facilities face in serving youth under age 18, with a particular focus on girls. ASCA is a professional organization whose membership consists of current and former administrators of correctional facilities or the correctional system of a jurisdiction. Survey findings are included throughout the bulletin, and results are summarized in the appendix. NIC and NCCD also held a listening session with a select group of corrections professionals; these individuals have extensive experience overseeing state correctional departments or women's correctional facilities and providing services for female offenders. Quotes from this listening session are highlighted in the bulletin. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. National Institute of Corrections, 2015. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 6, 2016 at: https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.nicic.gov/Library/031370.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.nicic.gov/Library/031370.pdf Shelf Number: 139018 Keywords: Female OffendersJuvenile DetentionJuvenile in Adult FacilitiesJuvenile OffendersJuvenile WaiverWaiver to Adult Court |
Author: Merfish, Brett Title: RAISE THE AGE: 17-Year-Olds in the Criminal Justice System. Arrests, Jail Bookings, and Case Outcomes Among 17-Year-Olds in Texas, 2012-2015 Summary: Texas is one of only seven states in which 17-year-olds accused of committing crimes are automatically shuffled into the adult criminal justice system rather than the juvenile justice system, regardless of the crime. Treating 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system is out of step with the societal consensus for "maturity" as well as with research on brain development that finds youth are inherently less likely to consider the outcomes of their actions, more prone to risky behavior, and more vulnerable or susceptible to negative influences and outside pressures. Sending youth into the adult system has serious consequences for their mental health and physical well-being; 17-year-olds face physical and psychological risks when placed in adult prisons that lead to higher rates of suicide, depression, and physical and sexual victimization. In addition, having an adult criminal record creates future barriers to education, employment, housing, and military service. Seventeen-year-olds are not able to vote, serve on juries, or serve in the military, yet they are treated as adults by the criminal justice system. Moreover, the crimes 17-year-olds are arrested for and the crimes for which they're booked in jail closely resemble the crimes for which younger juveniles in Texas are arrested and detained. In short, 17-year-olds are very much like their 16-year-old counterparts but they receive different treatment by the criminal justice system - treatment that leads to higher recidivism rates and more negative effects on their well-being. The following data analysis examines the arrests (including arrests by Houston-area school district police officers), jail bookings, and case outcomes for 17-year-olds in Texas over the last four years for which complete data were available (2012-2015). Unless otherwise noted, data were obtained from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), the Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS), and the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD). Some top-level findings of the analysis are: - The majority of 17-year-olds are arrested for low-level misdemeanor offenses. - Fewer 17-year-olds are being arrested each year - with a 17% decrease from 2013 to 2015. The number of arrests of 17-year-olds is closer to other juveniles than to adults or 18-year-olds. - The top three offenses leading to arrests of 17-year-olds were theft (20.8% of offenses), drug possession (19.1%), and assault (10.8%). - For drug offenses, 75.5% of arrests were for marijuana possession, representing 14.4% of all arrests of 17-year-olds. - Of arrests of 17-year-olds by Independent School District (ISD) officers in the Houston area over an almost two-year period, 35.9% were for drug possession, mainly small amounts of marijuana. - Data from a sample of counties show an annual downward trend of 17-year-olds being booked into jail; possession of marijuana (19.3%) and theft (18.1%) were the most common offenses. - The offenses most commonly resulting in jail bookings for 17-year-olds varied only slightly between counties. These findings and the following data analysis make a compelling case for treating 17-year-olds as juveniles within the criminal justice system. The rates at which they are arrested along with the offenses for which they are booked resemble the rates and offenses for 16-year-olds; yet their different treatment leads to very different outcomes. Raising the age will ensure that 17-year-olds who are charged with a criminal offense are treated in a developmentally appropriate way. Details: Austin, TX: Texas Appleseed, 2017. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 21, 2017 at: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/Raise%20the%20Age%20Report_041117.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/Raise%20the%20Age%20Report_041117.pdf Shelf Number: 145071 Keywords: Age of Responsibility Juvenile Court JurisdictionJuvenile Justice Reform Juvenile Justice System Juvenile OffendersJuvenile Waiver Waiver to Adult Court |