NCJ Number
99810
Date Published
Unknown
Length
97 pages
Annotation
This study examines the effect of status offender deinstitutionalization under California's 1977 Juvenile Justice Reform Law on police response to parents' requests for intervention in status offenses as well as parents' and juveniles' attitudes toward police response.
Abstract
Eleven police stations representative of Los Angeles County were selected, and information was obtained on every call received by these stations between April and June 1979 from a family member requesting assistance in handling a status offense by a juvenile family member. From the 777 calls, a sample of 200 families was chosen for interviews. Juveniles and parents were interviewed to determine their views of the police response to the call. Police records indicate that response to the calls minimized officers' direct involvement in the situation. The most frequent police response was to refer callers to juvenile justice agencies. Callers were infrequently referred to community agencies. Parents tended to view their child as the one needing change, and juveniles tended to view the problem as precipitated by others' behavior. Parents viewed current police policies as appropriate; juveniles did not. Any direct police contact was viewed negatively by both parents and juveniles. Families who contacted community agencies were pleased with the results (both parents and juveniles). Findings suggest police should make more referrals to community agencies. Tabular data and 7 references. (Author abstract modified)