JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM-RELATED
TERMS
AGE OF JUVENILE JURISDICTION: The ages at which a youth is included in the
juvenile justice system. Currently,
children under the age of 16 are under jurisdiction of the juvenile court. As
of January 1, 2010, 16 and 17 year-olds will be transferred from adult to
juvenile jurisdiction.
COMMITMENT: Placement of a child in the custody (for
delinquent* and FWSN* children) or guardianship (for neglected, dependent, or
uncared for children) of the DCF* by an order of the court.
DELINQUENCY REFERRAL: A complaint
received in Juvenile Court alleging that a child has violated any federal or
state law, or municipal or local ordinance, other than an ordinance regulating
behavior of a child related to FWSN*, or any order of the Superior Court or
condition of probation ordered by the court.
ERASURE: A procedure in both
FWSN* and delinquency referrals*, whereby a juvenile can get the complaint
removed from his record if the court fails to get an admission of
responsibility from the juvenile, or fails to get an adjudication or
conviction.
DISPOSITION:
The juvenile justice system’s version of a court sentence (a judge decides
the disposition at a special hearing).
DIVERSION:
An action that keeps a child or youth from entering the court system. Police officers may decide not to arrest a
juvenile for an offense, and instead the youth is referred to JRBs*, YSBs* or
JPOs* in order to assess the youth’s needs and provide appropriate services. Diverted
cases are usually handled informally (non-judicially), though a JPO* may
recommend judicial handling based on his/her assessment of the offense and
youth’s past history.
FWSN: Families with Service Needs
– families with a child under the age of 16 who has committed a “status
offense*,” e.g., behaviors that are only “illegal” due to the age of the youth
(e.g., running away from home without just cause, being beyond the control of
parents or guardians, engaging in “immoral or indecent conduct”, truancy* from
school or continuously defiant of school regulations, or 13-15 years old and engaging
in sexual intercourse with a person within 2 years of his/her age).
JAG: Juvenile Assessment Generic
– A risk/needs assessment instrument that identifies and addresses an
offender's "criminogenic needs," measures an offender's
"protective factors," and arrives at an overall score that assesses
the offender's likelihood of recidivating*.
JLWOP: Juvenile Life Without
Parole – the sentencing of juveniles to a term of their life with no chance of
parole. In 42 states in the
JPO: Juvenile Probation Officer –
a professional CSSD employee whose duties include preparing studies for the
court and supervising juveniles under the court's jurisdiction.
MEDIATION: A process in
which people in a conflict situation meet with a trained impartial person – a
mediator. The mediator helps both sides listen to each other and, without
deciding who is right or wrong, assists the participants in reaching their own
agreement.
NON-JUDICIAL SUPERVISION: A disposition that, with the agreement
of all parties, allows the assigned JPO* (rather than a judge) to supervise the
juvenile (outside of the court process) for a period up to 180 days.
PROBATION:
The disposition in a delinquency* case where a juvenile is convicted and
placed under the supervision of a JPO* for a specific period of time and
subject to specific conditions, as determined by the assigned JPO*.