Measuring Juvenile Criminal Behavior Presented by: Zak Morton 1

Measuring Juvenile Criminal Behavior

Presented by: Zak Morton

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Clarify what to count as a Juvenile Arrest

Review the process of compiling the monthly Juvenile ASR report

Clarify the difference between Race and Ethnic Origin

Review Police Dispositions of Juveniles Under 16 Years of Age

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“For UCR purposes a juvenile arrest iscounted when the circumstances are suchthat if the individual was an adult, an arrestwould have been made.”

- Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Handbook

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Statistics are being gathered to measurecriminal activity, not court activity or formalarrests

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Total number of persons “arrested”, cited, or summoned for all Part I and Part II crimes during a specified month

Demographic characteristics of persons arrested (age, sex, race, ethnic origin)

The number of persons arrested, not the number of charges lodged

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probable cause

“taken into custody”, or issued an appearance ticket

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“Taken into custody” means that the juvenile isno longer free to leave regardless of whether heor she is

1. handcuffed2. placed in a police vehicle3. brought to a police station4. taken directly to Family Court or secure

detention5. given an appearance ticket

OR6. warned and released without further

action

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Juvenile male is taken into police custodyafter he is observed shoplifting

After questioning, the juvenile is warned by the police and released to his parents

No formal charges are brought against the juvenile

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Juvenile is pulled over for speeding

Vehicle search uncovers drug paraphernalia and a small quantity of marijuana

Juvenile is detained by police until her legalguardian arrives at the scene

Juvenile is released to legal guardian with no formal charges are lodged

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If there is no probable cause, an arrestshould NOT be counted on the ASR report.

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Teenagers in the town park after closing are instructed by police to leave.

A juvenile taken into custody for his or her own protection, e.g., neglect cases.

Follow-up contact with young offenders by officers for the purpose of determining the offender’s progress.

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In New York State, “juvenile arrest” data from

the ASR Report is the ONLY indicator ofjuvenile crime.

Used to inform policy and funding decisions.

Measure Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC)

Part of national data set

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Arrests of Juveniles Under 18 years of age

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The ASR Report counts the number of people

arrested, not the number of charges lodged.

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“If a person is arrested for multiple offensesthat were committed simultaneously, only

theoffense highest in the hierarchy of UCRCrimes is counted.”

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Two women are arrested for breaking into a car

dealership after closing hours (Burglary).

They stole cash from the dealership’s officesafe (Larceny-theft) and two new automobilesfrom the garage (Motor Vehicle Theft).

What offense should be reported?

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A person may be arrested multiple timesduring a month for similar or differentviolations within a jurisdiction.

When there is a separation of time betweenarrests, the agency must score each arrestseparately.

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Man and woman parked in secluded location

Gunman shoots and kills man, abducts woman, drives her across town and rapes her

Two separate crimes – Homicide and Rape

Hierarchy rule is not used due to separation of time and place

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Races: Black, White, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander

Ethnic Origin: Hispanic, Non-Hispanic

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White: having origins in any of the originalpeople of Europe, North Africa, or the MiddleEast.

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Black: having origins in any of the black racial

groups of Africa.

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American Indian or Alaskan Native: Having

origins in any of the original peoples of NorthAmerica and who maintains culturalidentification through tribal affiliation orcommunity recognition.

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Asian or Pacific Islander: Having origins in any

of the original peoples of the Far East,Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, orPacific Islands.

This includes, China, India, Japan, Korea, thePhilippine Islands, and Samoa.

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Hispanic: A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican,

Cuban, South or Central American, or otherSpanish speaking culture, regardlessof race.

Non-Hispanic: All other people.

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Use “best judgment” to determine the race AND ethnic origin of the person arrested.

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A 15 year old male is arrested after leaving a

gas station without paying for the gas hepumped into his car. When police arresthim, he identifies himself as Puerto Rican.

How should the arrestee be classified withregard to Race AND Ethnic Origin?

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ALWAYS indicate the race and ethnic origin of

the person arrested!

Please do NOT leave either race and ethnicorigin blank!

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Persons Under 16 Years of Age

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New York State Definition – Under 16 Years of Age

National Definition - Under 18 Years of Age

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Only report the disposition of juveniles under 16 that were reported on the ASR

Do NOT include juveniles that did not commit a UCR offense

Total dispositions = total # of reported arrests of persons under 16 on the ASR

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1. Handled Within Department and Released2. Referred to Juvenile Court or Probation3. Referred to Welfare Agency4. Referred to Other Police Agency5. Referred to Criminal or Adult Court

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Juvenile Under 16 years of age

Arrested, but not referred to family court

No formal charge filed against the juvenile

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Include all Under-16 Juveniles referred to

probation department

person, agency, or group within jurisdiction of Family Court

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Include juveniles referred to welfare agenciesrather than family court or probation.

Welfare agencies can be public or private.

Examples: Local Boys and Girls Club, PoliceAthletic League, or local Dept. of Social Services.

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Include Juveniles who

1. Are arrested at request of another law enforcement agency

2. Committed crime in one jurisdiction but reside in another and turned over to home jurisdiction for handling

These arrests should NOT be counted on the ASR

report.

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Include any Under-16 Juveniles referred toadult court for the juvenile offender process

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DCJS has discontinued collecting data on Runaways.

Unnecessary to report data for juveniles taken into custody as runaways, truants, or curfew and loitering law violators.

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DCJS will call your agency to verify the accuracy

of data that deviates from reported norms.

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NYS Division of Criminal Justice ServicesCrime Reporting Unit

1-800-262-3257

Email: crimereporting@dcjs.ny.gov

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