Excessive or biased preadjudicatory juvenile detention is one of the greatest abuses in the juvenile justice system. This article considers whether introducing full due process into juvenile detention proceedings would reduce detention abuses. It compares research findings on detention practices to legal goals of detention for juveniles and adults. The findings of a study of a system of juvenile detention that guarantees juveniles full due process rights, including bail, are then presented. An analysis of the reasons for juvenile detention suggests that changes in laws or standards unaccompanied by other important changes in the institutions dealing with juveniles will not remedy abuses.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alexander, R. P.et al.
1977 Juvenile Law Practice. Boston: Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education—New England Law Institute.
2.
Bailey, W. C.1981“Preadjudicatory detention in a large metropolitan juvenile court.”Law and Human Behavior5, 1: 19-43.
3.
Bookin, H. 1979 Detention in Context: Decisions to Detain Juveniles in Three Massachusetts Courts. Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University.
4.
Chused, R.1973“The juvenile court process: a study of three New Jersey counties.”Rutgers Law Rev.26, 2: 488-589.
5.
Cicourel, A. V.
1968 The Social Organization of Juvenile Justice. New York: John Wiley.
6.
Coates, R. B.
, A. D. Miller, and L. E. Ohlin 1975 Juvenile Detention and Its Consequences. Cambridge, MA: Center for Criminal Justice, Harvard University Law School. (unpublished)
7.
Cohen, L. E.
1974 Conferring the Delinquent Label: The Relative Importance of Social Characteristics and Legal Factors in the Processing of Juvenile Offenders. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms.
8.
Cohen, L. E.
1975a Pre-adjudicatory Detention in Three Juvenile Courts: An Empirical Analysis of the Factors Related to Detention Decision Outcomes. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service.
9.
Cohen, L. E.
1975b Who Gets Detained: An Empirical Analysis of the Pre-adjudicatory Detention of Juveniles in Denver. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration.
10.
Cohen, L. E.
and J. Kluegel1979“The detention decision: a study of the impact of social characteristics and legal factors in two metropolitan courts.”Social Forces58, 1: 146-161.
11.
Cohn, Y.
1978 “Criteria for the probation officer's recommendation to the juvenile court judge,” in D. H. Kelley (ed.) Delinquent Behavior. Belmont, CA: Dickenson.
12.
Creekmore, M.
1976 “Case processing: intake, adjudication, and disposition,” in R. Sarri and Y. Hasenfeld (eds.) Brought to Justice? Juveniles, the Courts and the Law. Ann Arbor: National Assessment of Juvenile Corrections, University of Michigan.
13.
Davis, F. J.
1975 “differential orientations to the juvenile court by Illinois judges, lawyers, probation officers and chiefs of police.” Presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, August.
14.
Dungworth, T.
1977 “Discretion in the juvenile justice system: the impact of case characteristics on prehearing detention,” in T. Ferdinand (ed.) Juvenile Delinquency: Little Brother Grows Up. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
15.
Ebbesen, E. B.
and V. J. Konecni1975“Decision making and information integration in the courts: the setting of bail.”J. of Personality and Social Psychology32, 5: 805-821.
16.
Emerson, R. M.
1969 Judging Delinquents: Context and Process in Juvenile Court. Chicago: Aldine.
17.
Emerson, R. M.
1974 “Role determinants in juvenile court,” in D. Glaser (ed.) Handbook of Criminology. Chicago: Rand McNally.
18.
Ferster, E. Z.
and T. F. Courtless1972 ``Juvenile detention in an affluent county.”Family Law Q.6 (Spring): 3-32.
19.
Ferster, E. Z.
, E. N. Snethen, and T F. Courtless1969“Juvenile detention: protection, prevention, or punishment?”Fordham Law Rev.38: 161-196.
20.
Frazier, C. E.
, E. W. Bock, and J. C. Henretta1980“Pretrial release and bail decisions: the effects of legal, community and personal variables.”Criminology18, 2: 162-181.
21.
Goldkamp, J. S.
1977 Bail Decision-Making and the Role of Pre-Trial Detention in American Criminal Justice. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms.
22.
Gottfredson, D. M.
and G. D. Gottfredson1969“Decision-maker attitudes and juvenile detention.”J. of Research in Crime and Delinquency6, 2: 177-183.
23.
Grandfield, J. J.et al.
1975 Ohio Juvenile Detention Survey. Columbus: Program for the Study of Crime and Delinquency, Ohio State University.
24.
Hasenfeld, Y.
1976a “The juvenile court and its environment,” in R. Sarri and Y. Hasenfeld (eds.) Brought to Justice? Juveniles, the Courts and the Law. Ann Arbor: National Assessment of Juvenile Corrections, University of Michigan.
25.
Hasenfeld, Y.
1976b “Youth in the juvenile court: input and output patterns,” in R. Sarri and Y. Hasenfeld (eds.) Brought to Justice? Juveniles, the Courts and the Law. Ann Arbor: National Assessment of Juvenile Corrections, University of Michigan.
26.
Isenstadt, P.
and R. Sarri 1976 “The juvenile court: legal context and policy issues,” in R. Sarri and Y. Hasenfeld (eds.) Brought to Justice? Juveniles, the Courts and the Law. Ann Arbor: National Assessment of Juvenile Corrections, University of Michigan.
27.
Kihm, R.
1980 Prohibiting Secure Detention: Assessing the Effectiveness of National Standards Detention Criteria. U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
28.
Kraus, J.1975“Decision process in children's court and the social background report.”J. of Research in Crime and Delinquency12: 17-29.
29.
Levin, M. M.
and R. C. Sarri 1974 Juvenile Delinquency: A Comparative Analysis of Legal Codes in the United States. Ann Arbor: National Assessment of Juvenile Corrections, University of Michigan.
30.
McAllister, V. L.
1974 Labeling Theory as Related to Juvenile Justice System Penetration. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms.
31.
McEachern, A. W.et al.1968“The juvenile probation system: simulation for research and decision-making.”Amer. Behavioral Scientist11: 1-43.
32.
Mulvey, E.
and J. Saunders1982“Juvenile detention criteria: state of the art and guidelines for change.”Criminal Justice Abstracts14, 2: 261-289.
33.
Pacquin, J.
1977 Characteristics of Youngsters Referred to Family Court Intake and Factors Related to Their Processing. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms.
34.
Pappenfort, D.
and T. Young 1977 Secure Detention for Juveniles and Alternatives to Its Use. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
35.
Pawlak, E. J.1977“Differential selection of juveniles for detention.”J. of Research in Crime and Delinquency14: 152-165.
36.
Peterson, R. T.1972“Juvenile justice and pre-adjudication detention.”UCLA-Alaska Law Rev.1 (Spring): 154-171.
37.
Poulin, J. E.
, J. L. Levitt, T. M. Young, and P. M. Tappenfort 1980 Juveniles in Detention Centers and Jails: An Analysis of State Variations in the Mid-1970s. Chicago: National Center for the Assessment of Alternatives to Juvenile Justice Processing.
38.
Rubin, T.
1972 Three Juvenile Courts: A Comparative Study. Denver, CO: Institute for Court Management.
39.
Saleeby, G.
1975 Hidden Closets: A Study of Detention Practices in California. Sacramento: State of California Department of Youth Authority.
40.
Sarri, R. C.
1974 Under Lock and Key: Juveniles in Jail and Detention. Ann Arbor: National Assessment of Juvenile Corrections, University of Michigan.
41.
Schultz, J. L.
and F. Cohen 1976 “Isolation in juvenile court jurisprudence,” in M. Rosenheim (ed.) Pursuing Justice for the Child. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
42.
Shaughnessy, E. J.
1974 Bail: Examination of an Institutional Process in Criminal Court, New York County. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms.
43.
Snyder, P. R.
and A. F. Mangano 1970 “Law-guardian representation and the treatment of delinquent children,” in P. Lerman (ed.) Delinquency and Social Policy. New York: Praeger.
44.
Sosin, M.
1976 “Staff perception of goal priorities,” in R. Sarri and Y. Hasenfeld (eds.) Brought to Justice? Juveniles, the Courts and the Law. Ann Arbor: National Assessment of Juvenile Corrections, University of Michigan.
45.
Sosin, M.
and R. Sarri 1976 “Due process—reality or myth?” in R. Sarri and Y. Hasenfeld (eds.) Brought to Justice? Juveniles, the Courts and the Law. Ann Arbor: National Assessment of Juvenile Corrections, University of Michigan.
46.
Suffett, F.1966“Bail setting: a study of courtroom interaction.”Crime & Delinquency12: 318-331.
47.
Summer, H.
1968 Locking Them Up. San Francisco: National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
48.
Thomas, C. W.
and C. M. Sierverdes1975“Juvenile court intake: an analysis of discretionary decision-making.”Criminology12 (February): 413-431.
49.
Thornberry, T. P.1973“Race, socioeconomic status and sentencing juvenile justice system.”J. of Criminal Law and Criminology64 (November): 90-98.
50.
Tjaden, C. D.
1980 “Assessing the effectiveness of juvenile detention: an experiment with intake criteria.” Presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology, San Francisco.
51.
Toborg, M. A.et al.
1981 National Evaluation of Pretrial Release, Chapter IV: The Release Process and Outcomes (draft). Washington, DC: Lazar Institute.
52.
Wald, P. M.
1976 “Pre-trial detention for juveniles,” in M. Rosenheim (ed.) Pursuing Justice for the Child. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
53.
Wheeler, S.et al.
1968 “Agents of delinquency control: a comparative analysis,” in Controlling Delinquents. New York: John Wiley.
54.
Whitlatch, W. G.1973“Practical aspects of reducing detention home population.”Juvenile Justice24 (August): 17-29.
55.
Wice, P. B.
1974 Freedom for Sale. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath.
56.
Young, T.
and D. Pappenfort 1977 Secure Detention of Juveniles and Alternatives to Its Use. Washington, DC: National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.
