Juvenile Detention Decisions in Maricopa County

Project Dates: 2007-2008

Analysis of the Impact of Individual and Community-Level Factors on Juvenile Detention Decisions in Maricopa County.

In March 2006, the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation contracted with the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety to conduct a comprehensive review of detention length of stay. The project was designed to assist the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department in identifying the relationship between reasons for detention (e.g., juvenile referrals, court holds, and warrants) and detention length of stay. This project is part of Maricopa County's larger efforts aimed at finding detention alternatives for juveniles in the juvenile justice system.

Data from the Arizona's Juvenile On-Line Tracking System (JOLTS) database were used to examine detention length of stay in the Durango and Southeast detention centers from 2000 - 2005. Findings on the following dimensions were provided: 1) description of detained population; 2) description of juveniles detained across different time periods (e.g., 24 hours, 48 hours); 3) analyses of mandatory and discretionary detentions; 4) description of violation of probation cases; 5) number of times juveniles were detained; 6) differences in detention cases across the Durango and Southeast facilities; 7) the significant predictors of detention length of stay ; 8) the relationship between drug use and detention; and 9) the number of detainees that recidivated post release from detention.

Rodriguez, Nancy (2008). A multilevel analysis of juvenile court processes: The importance of community characteristics.  Final Report Submitted to the National Justice of Justice.

Rodriguez, Nancy (2010). The cumulative effect of race and ethnicity in juvenile court outcomes and why preadjudication detention matters. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 47: 391-410.

 

Research Staff

Nancy Rodriguez, Ph.D.

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