Operationalizing intake: Variations in juvenile court intake procedures and their implications

Amanda J. Fairchild, Josh Gupta-Kagan and Tia Stevens Andersen

Children and Youth Services Review, 2019, vol. 102, issue C, 91-101

Abstract: Juvenile court intake – the process in which state or local authorities determine whether to prosecute, divert, or dismiss alleged juvenile delinquency cases – is essential to juvenile justice administration and to juvenile justice goals. Yet it is generally under-studied and the roles of prosecutors and intake officers poorly understood. This paper operationalizes juvenile court intake using data from one southeastern state, with a focus on professionals' roles and relative power. Results demonstrate within-state variation in intake structures and procedures with regard to whether prosecutors or intake officers exert the greatest control. Further, results show that there is a geographic relationship to this variation – counties with heavy prosecutorial control are represented disproportionately among urban areas. Additional qualitative data offers insight into prosecutors' and intake officers' perspectives on each other's roles in intake. Findings indicate a range of questions to be explored in future research examining whether and how different intake structures affect intake decisions.

Keywords: Intake; Juvenile justice; Diversion; Juvenile and family courts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:102:y:2019:i:c:p:91-101

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.05.003

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