Juvenile Court Dispositions

Abstract

This article discusses the decision-making process of juvenile court judges and, more specifically, the factors associated with judicial decisions. Data were gathered over a three-year period on 1,210 adjudicated delinquents and included social background and delinquency history information, as well as scores on a stand ard personality inventory. The correctional facilities to which boys were assigned represent a rough continuum ranging from the minimal supervision of probation to the full confinement of a state reformatory. The general pattern of distribution is one in which the proportions of boys who are likely to be more disad vantaged, more delinquent, and more psychologically atypical increase from probation to the reformatory. To the extent that the programs are organized progressively to treat youths increas ingly more delinquent or possessing characteristics usually associ ated with delinquency risk, the court appears to be making effec tive dispositions.