Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1980

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Abstract

From the files of the Palm Beach county Florida juvenile court, a sample of 75 juveniles was drawn having the following characteristics: (1) First offender, with no prior petitions for delinquency or status offenses, (2) Charged on a petition of status offenses (truancy, running away, ungovernable) in 1976, 1977, 1978. (3) Under age 16 at date of initial petition for status offenses. A matched sample of status offenders was drawn from the Palm Beach County Youth Service Bureau, (YSB) a county government agency independent of the justice system and providing a variety of services to youths and their families on a noncoercive, voluntary basis, with referrals primarily from parents and the public schools. YSB clientele were predominantly status offenders but also represented a broad spectrum of problems including delinquency, school problems, emotional problems and dependency. Period of YSB service normally was under 3 months, averaging about 11 hours of service provided. A third sample of status offenders was drawn from Sabal Palm Youth Service Center, (YSC), a community-based, county government, residential institution, formerly a commitment home, but now primarily serving status offenders in a program averaging 4 to 6 months for completion. An attempt was made to match all 3 groups as closely as possible on the variables of race, sex, age and time at risk. Juvenile court records were checked on the 3 groups on the dependent variable of subsequent arrest or referral for delinquency, i.e. crime, after completion of "treatment" by one of the 3 methods. Overall, the YSB group had the least subsequent delinquency, (21%), the Sabal Palm YSC the most (47%); with the juvenile court group intermediate (37%). However, as had been suggested by reviewed research, the differences between the juvenile court and YSC groups were not statistically significant. Differences between the YSB and the other two groups were significant, and continued to be so when the data were adjusted to compensate for a longer mean time at risk period for the YSC sample. The findings were concluded to lend support to both labeling and deterrence perspectives, but alternative explanations were suggested as equally applicable. Considering such concepts as diversion, labeling and deterrence theories and decriminalization of status offenses, it was concluded that modes of treatment for status offenders can affect future delinquency rates. Need for more sophisticated research was cited. Recommendation for increased development of noncoercive, independent youth service bureaus was made as they were seen as more likely to reduce subsequent crime among status offenders than juvenile court or institutionalization.

Extent

79 p.

Comments

Thesis (Educat.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1980.|College of Education|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Thesis (Educat.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1980.

Identifier

FADT11748

Format

pdf

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