Despite 30 years of expanding procedural rights for juveniles, young offenders have not been provided with a constitutional right to a speedy trial. Yet concerns about timeliness are often equally pressing in the juvenile court. This study examines the timing of juvenile justice by analyzing delinquency case processing in nearly 400 jurisdictions. One fourth of all cases required 90 days or more to reach disposition—the maximum recommended by national standards. Processing time varied according to jurisdiction size, the rate of formal adjudications, and other characteristics of juvenile court caseloads.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 92 S.Ct. 2182 (1972).
2.
Bernard, Thomas J.
1992. The Cycle of Juvenile Justice. New York: Oxford University Press.
3.
Butts, Jeffrey A.1996. “Speedy Trial in the Juvenile Court.”American Journal of Criminal Law23:515-560.
4.
Butts, Jeffrey A.
and Gregory J. Halemba. 1994. “Delays in Juvenile Justice: Findings from a National Survey.”Juvenile & Family Court Journal45:31-46.
5.
Butts, Jeffrey A.
, Howard N. Snyder, Terrence A. Finnegan, Anne L. Aughenbaugh, Nancy J. Tierney, Dennis S.Sullivan, and Rowen P. Poole. 1995. Juvenile Court Statistics 1992. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
6.
Feld, Barry C.
1993. Justice for Children: The Right to Counsel and the Juvenile Courts. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
7.
Flicker, Barbara D.
1982. Standards for Juvenile Justice: A Summary and Analysis. 2d ed.Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
8.
Hewitt, William E.
, Geoff Gallas, and Barry Mahoney. 1990. Courts That Succeed: Six Profiles of Successful Courts. Williamsburg, VA: National Center for State Courts.
9.
Inhelder, Barbara
and Jean Piaget. 1958. The Growth of Logical Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence. New York: Basic Books.
10.
In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1, 87 S.Ct. 1428 (1967).
11.
In re Winship. 397 U.S. 358, 90 S.Ct. 1068 (1970).
12.
Institute of Judicial Administration-American Bar Association
. 1980. Standards Relating to Pretrial Court Procedures. Cambridge, MA: Author.
13.
Kent v. United States, 383 U.S. 54 (1966).
14.
Lawyers Conference Task Force on Reduction of Litigation Cost and Delay
. 1986. Defeating Delay: Developing and Implementing a Court Delay Reduction Program. Chicago: American Bar Association.
15.
Mahoney, Anne R.1985. “Time and Process in Juvenile Court.”The Justice System Journal10:37-55.
16.
Mahoney, Anne R.
1987. Juvenile Justice in Context. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
17.
McKeiver v. Pennsylvania, 403 U.S. 528 (1971).
18.
National Conference of State Trial Judges
. 1985. Standards Relating to Court Delay Reduction. Chicago: American Bar Association.
19.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
. 1980. Standards for the Administration of Juvenile Justice: Report of the National Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Washington, DC: Author.
20.
Rothman, David J.
1980. Conscience and Convenience: The Asylum and Its Alternatives in Progressive America. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.
21.
Sampson, Robert J.
and John H. Laub. 1993. “Structural Variations in Juvenile Court Processing: Inequality, the Underclass, and Social Control.”Law and Society Review27:285-311.
22.
Sanborn, Joseph B. Jr.1993. “The Right to a Public Jury Trial: A Need for Today's Juvenile Court.”Judicature76:230-238.
23.
Schall v. Martin, 467 U.S. 253 (1984).
24.
Schlossman, Steven L.
1977. Love & the American Delinquent: The Theory and Practice of “Progressive” Juvenile Justice, 1825-1920. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
25.
Shine, James
and Dwight Price. 1992. “Prosecutors and Juvenile Justice: New Roles and Perspectives.” Pp. 101-133 in Juvenile Justice and Public Policy: Toward a National Agenda, edited by I. M. Schwartz. New York: Lexington Books.
26.
Stull, B.D.1982. “Speedy Trial Rights for Florida's Juveniles: A Survey of Recent Interpretations by Florida Courts.”Nova Law Journal6:437.
27.
Szymanski, Linda A.
1990. Courts Exercising Family Court Jurisdiction. Pittsburgh, PA: National Center for Juvenile Justice.
28.
Wilson, John J.
and James C. Howell. 1993. Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders: Program Summary. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
