Judicial Decision-Making in a Northeastern Juvenile Court

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

This is the first of a three-phase project examining the correlates of key decisions at various points in the juvenile justice process. The purpose of the first phase is to examine the various factors associated with detention of youth at arraignment in a northeastern juvenile court. These factors include race/ethnicity, gender, age, previous record and offense for which youth have been arraigned. Fifty- five juvenile court arraignments from September through December 2015 were analyzed to determine which factors predicted detention of youth at arraignment. Preliminary analyses suggest that legal factors were the most significant predictor of detention outcomes at arraignment. These include presence of a previous violent record, and arraignment for a violent crime. The outcomes of this project will provide insight into the factors that impact detention, probation and commitment decisions. These factors can impact what, if any changes need to be made to the current judicial process in juvenile court.

Authors

• Ron Corbett, Robina Institute

• Allison E. Butterfield, University of Massachusetts Lowell