NCJ Number
196974
Date Published
August 2002
Length
73 pages
Annotation
This document discusses the outcome of juvenile offenders in the State of Arizona.
Abstract
On average, 24 percent of Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) releases returned to custody within 1 year of their release, 37 percent returned within 2 years, and 43 percent returned within 3 years. The averages were based on 5, 4, and 3 ADJC release cohorts, which together comprised as many as 5,175 juvenile offenders. In 2000, there was an increase in 1 year return to custody rate over the rate posted by the 1999 releases. In 1999, there was an increase in 2 year return to custody rate over the rate posted by the 1998 release. The 1998 release posted an increase in their three-year return to custody rate over the rate posted by the 1997 releases. All three of the increases were fueled by increases in parole revocations, which probably resulted from ADJC’s efforts to hold juveniles accountable and return them to secure custody whenever they violated their parole conditions or committed new offenses. Concurrent with these increases were decreases in the proportion of ADJC releases re-committed to ADJC for new offenses. Also, there were decreases in the proportion of ADJC releases sentenced to Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC). This demonstrates that the overall increase in return-to-custody rates resulted from ADJC-initiated – rather than juvenile or criminal court-initiated – actions. Institutional success rates for the 2000 release cohort decreased from 1999. Black Canyon School had the highest and Encanto had the lowest success rates for the second consecutive year. The ADJC Community Services Management Team and Parole Supervisors were consulted about the possible factors explaining observed variations in success rates by parole office. They identified family structure, poverty, teamwork/collaboration, treatment services, race/ethnicity, and court practices as key determinants of success. 21 figures, 21 tables, 14 endnotes, appendix