Court Processing Versus Diversion of Status Offenders: a Test of Deterrence and Labeling Theories

Abstract

Two theoretical perspectives, labeling and deterrence, lie at the heart of the current controversy regarding status offenders. These perspectives predict discrepant effects from juvenile court and community-based processing on subsequent behavior. Using data collected during an LEAA-funded evaluation of Connecticut's Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders Project, this paper compares the effects of diversion programs with those of juvenile court processing on subsequent delin quency. The results indicate that it makes no difference, with respect to official re cidivism, whether status offenders experience juvenile court processing or a diver sion program. Thus, there is no support for one program over the other on the basis of either deterrent or negative labeling effects.