Title |
Legal, Individual, and Environmental Predictors of Court Disposition in a Sample of Serious Adolescent Offenders
|
---|---|
Published in |
Law and Human Behavior, January 2007
|
DOI | 10.1007/s10979-006-9076-2 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Elizabeth Cauffman, Alex R. Piquero, Eva Kimonis, Laurence Steinberg, Laurie Chassin, Jeffery Fagan |
Abstract |
Historically, the juvenile court has been expected to consider each youth's distinct rehabilitative needs in the dispositional decision-making process, rather than focusing on legal factors alone. This study examines the extent to which demographic, psychological, contextual, and legal factors, independently predict dispositional outcomes (i.e., probation vs. confinement) within two juvenile court jurisdictions (Philadelphia, Phoenix). The sample consists of 1,355 14- to 18-year-old male and female juvenile offenders adjudicated of a serious criminal offense. Results suggest that legal factors have the strongest influence on disposition in both jurisdictions. For example, a higher number of prior court referrals is associated with an increased likelihood of secure confinement in both jurisdictions. Juveniles adjudicated of violent offenses are more likely to receive secure confinement in Phoenix, but are more likely to be placed on probation in Philadelphia. Race is unrelated to dispositional outcome, but, males are consistently more likely than females to be placed in secure confinement. Importantly, individual factors (e.g., developmental maturity) generally were not powerful independent predictors of disposition. Finally, an examination of the predictors of juvenile versus adult court transfer in Phoenix indicated that males, older juveniles, and those with a violent adjudicated charge were more likely to be transferred to adult court, while juveniles scoring high on responsibility as well as those juveniles with an alcohol dependence diagnosis were more likely to be retained in juvenile court. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 2 | 2% |
United States | 2 | 2% |
Korea, Republic of | 1 | 1% |
Poland | 1 | 1% |
Unknown | 80 | 93% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 20 | 23% |
Student > Bachelor | 13 | 15% |
Researcher | 10 | 12% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 6 | 7% |
Professor | 5 | 6% |
Other | 16 | 19% |
Unknown | 16 | 19% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 40 | 47% |
Social Sciences | 16 | 19% |
Linguistics | 2 | 2% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 2 | 2% |
Environmental Science | 1 | 1% |
Other | 6 | 7% |
Unknown | 19 | 22% |