Perceptions of the Juvenile Justice System Among Adult Prison Inmates

Abstract

Although some studies have investigated the perceptions of various groups concerning the juvenile justice system, little research has examined the views of prison inmates regarding this system. Because many adult offenders had contact with the juvenile justice system, or personally know those who did, their experiences should influence their perceptions. Consequently, their views could shed some light on the direction that the juvenile justice system might take in the future. In order to investigate the perceptions of adult offenders, 116 inmates currently incarcerated in a state prison system completed a 20-item questionnaire addressing the following areas: (1) how helpful the juvenile justice system was to them personally; (2) the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system in deterring other juveniles; (3) what the juvenile justice system could have done to prevent them from committing further crimes; and (4) how the juvenile justice system could be improved to become more effective. The results indicated that the majority of the offenders reported that the juvenile justice system was not particularly helpful to them personally, and few felt that the juvenile justice system was very effective in deterring other juveniles. Their suggestions concerning improving the juvenile justice system were discussed in terms of their policy implications.

Key Words:

• Juvenile justice system
• delinquency prevention
• deterrence of crime