Question 1

In 2010, approximately what percentage of juveniles placed in residential facilities committed status offenses?

Accepted Answer

In 2010, less than 5% of juveniles placed in residential facilities were there for status offenses, which are non-criminal acts that are considered violations because of the youth's status as a minor, such as truancy or running away from home.

Question 2

In 2010, for which of the following types of offenses was the largest percentage of juveniles placed in residential facilities?

Accepted Answer

In 2010, the largest percentage of juveniles placed in residential facilities was for violent offenses. This reflects trends in juvenile justice focusing on more serious offenses.

Question 3

Of the juveniles who were placed for delinquency offenses in 2010, approximately what percentage were placed in public facilities as opposed to private facilities?

Accepted Answer

In 2010, about two-thirds (66%) of juveniles placed for delinquency offenses were in public facilities, with the remaining one-third (34%) in private facilities.

Question 4

Of the juveniles who were placed for status offenses in 2010, approximately what percentage were placed in public facilities as opposed to private facilities?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Of the juveniles who were placed for...

Question 5

In 2010, approximately what percentage of all juveniles committed to institutions were racial or ethnic minorities?

Accepted Answer

In 2010, about 66% of all juveniles committed to institutions were racial or ethnic minorities, highlighting significant disparities in the juvenile justice system.

Question 6

A recent review of 29 experiments conducted over a 35-year period with 7,304 juveniles found that formal juvenile system processing did not have an effect on crime control. Rather, formal processing appeared to increase delinquency.

Accepted Answer

The review suggests that formal juvenile system processing, rather than deterring future delinquency, may actually contribute to an increase in delinquent behavior among juveniles. This indicates that the traditional approach of processing juveniles through the formal justice system might not be effective in reducing crime rates among this demographic.

Question 7

In studies that have compared formal processing with diversion programs, the negative effects of formal processing were even greater than when formal processing was compared to "doing nothing."

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that formal processing in the juvenile justice system can have more negative effects on youth than diversion programs or even doing nothing, indicating that formal processing can exacerbate delinquent behavior rather than mitigate it.

Question 8

Radical nonintervention is based on the idea that youths should be left alone if at all possible instead of being formally processed.

Accepted Answer

Radical nonintervention is a criminological theory suggesting that the best way to handle most juvenile delinquency is by not intervening in a way that involves the youth in the criminal justice system, under the belief that formal processing can often do more harm than good.

Question 9

More than 90% of teen courts determine guilt or innocence.

Accepted Answer

Teen courts typically do not determine guilt or innocence; they are diversion programs where the youth has already admitted guilt and agrees to participate in the program as an alternative to formal judicial proceedings.

Question 10

A new diversion program for juvenile offenders is the issuance of a civil citation in lieu of arrest. A civil citation, or an "appearance ticket,"
is a police-issued order to appear before a judge or other legal authority on a given date to defend against a stated charge.

Accepted Answer

Civil citations serve as an alternative to arrest for juvenile offenders, aiming to divert them from the criminal justice system by requiring them to appear before a legal authority to address the charge, often accompanied by interventions such as community service or educational programs.

Question 11

In civil-citation programs, police officers are given the discretion, usually with a victim's consent, to issue a civil citation to a first-time offender under 18 years of age.

Accepted Answer

Civil-citation programs are designed to offer an alternative to formal arrest and prosecution for first-time juvenile offenders, allowing police officers to issue a civil citation with the aim of diverting the youth from the criminal justice system, often requiring the consent of the victim for certain offenses.

Question 12

Receiving a civil citation allows a juvenile offender to avoid an arrest record and the problems associated with having such a record.

Accepted Answer

Civil citations serve as an alternative to arrest for juvenile offenders, allowing them to avoid an arrest record by completing certain requirements, which helps prevent the long-term consequences associated with having a criminal record.

Question 13

Between 1985 and 2010, the percentage of petition cases transferred to criminal court remained around 10%.

Accepted Answer

The percentage of petition cases transferred to criminal court has generally been much lower than 10%, often fluctuating around 1% to 2% in various years within that timeframe.

Question 14

If youths are adjudicated, they will have an official court record.

Accepted Answer

When youths are adjudicated, it means a court has made a formal judgment or decision regarding their involvement in a case, which results in an official court record of the proceedings and the judgment.

Question 15

The majority of cases that are not adjudicated are dismissed.

Accepted Answer

In many legal systems, a significant number of cases that do not go to trial are dismissed due to various reasons such as lack of evidence, procedural issues, or settlements outside of court.

Question 16

In 2010, in Graham v. Florida, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishments does not permit a juvenile offender to be sentenced to life imprisonment without opportunity of parole.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In 2010, in Graham v. Florida, the...

Question 17

In 2012, in Miller v. Alabama, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Eighth Amendment forbids a sentencing scheme that mandates life imprisonment without opportunity of parole for juvenile homicide offenders.

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Supreme Court in Miller v. Alabama ruled that mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles convicted of homicide offenses violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments, requiring instead that sentencing authorities consider the characteristics of juvenile offenders.

Question 18

In 2012, in Miller v. Alabama, the U.S. Supreme Court held that judges and juries can impose an LWOP sentence as long as mitigating factors such as the juvenile's upbringing are taken into account.

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Supreme Court in Miller v. Alabama ruled that mandatory life without parole (LWOP) sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional, but judges and juries can still impose LWOP if they consider mitigating factors like the juvenile's background.

Question 19

In 2009, two Pennsylvania judges pleaded guilty in federal court to fraud for taking $2.6 million in payments to send juvenile offenders to privately run juvenile detention centers.

Accepted Answer

This case is known as the "Kids for Cash" scandal, where Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan were found guilty of accepting money in return for incarcerating juveniles in private detention centers, often for minor offenses.

Question 20

Probation is the most frequently used correctional response for youths who are adjudicated delinquent in juvenile courts.

Accepted Answer

Probation allows juveniles to remain in their communities while under supervision, making it the most common correctional strategy for managing youth adjudicated delinquent by juvenile courts.

Quiz 13: Juvenile Justice