Juvenile Arrests: Implications of Formal Arrests Compared to Notice to Appear

• In Event: Florida Juvenile Justice: Trending Topics, Advancements in Data and Research, and Statewide Systemic Responses

Abstract

Every year, thousands of juveniles are charged with acts of delinquency. In some situations, juveniles are formally arrested and brought to a screening or holding facility for charge processing. In other situations, juveniles are not arrested and their delinquency charges are remitted to the criminal justice system by what is commonly referred to as a “notice to appear”. All delinquency charges are received by the local court and should result in similar case processing by the entire juvenile justice system, but what appears to be comparable case process flow at the outset may yield significant differences in juveniles’ case outcomes. Using Florida as a case study, this study builds on prior research and explores the potential impact of the type of initial charge processing on initial risk assessment, case dispositions, and youth recidivism outcomes.

Authors

• Mark A. Greenwald, Florida State University

• Samuel Scaggs, Florida State University

• Kevin McMillan, Florida State University

• Mayra Picon, Florida State University

• Katherine C. Gomez, University of Central Florida / Florida Department of Juvenile Justice