Juvenile justice decision making in a rural hispanic community

✍ Scribed by LisaJ Bond-Maupin; JamesR Maupin

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 58 KB
• Volume: 26
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0047-2352
• DOI: 10.1016/s0047-2352(98)00017-8

✦ Synopsis

The processing of juveniles through the juvenile justice system of a jurisdiction encompassing two rural counties in New Mexico where the numerical majority of the population is Hispanic/Mexican American was examined. The official records of 591 juveniles referred to the Juvenile Probation and Parole Office were analyzed and interviews with all Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers (JPPOs) assigned to this jurisdiction were conducted. The results suggest that (1) juveniles are subject to considerable police surveillance; (2) this rural community relies extensively on formal social control; and (3) the diversity, rather than homogeneity, of this rural community affects the decision making of its juvenile justice professionals.