The Knowledge of Detained Juveniles About the Juvenile Justice System

Rajack-Talley, Theresa Ann; Talley, Clarence R.; Tewksbury, Richard

doi:10.1111/j.1755-6988.2005.tb00107.x

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Barnes and Wilson (2008) found that youthful offenders who had been incarcerated did not possess greater knowledge of the justice system compared to youthful offenders who had not been incarcerated, nor a control group of nonarrested youth. These results were echoed in a qualitative study of detained juveniles, which found that juvenile justice system experience resulted in a limited understanding of the system and its actors (Rajack-Talley, Talley, & Tewksbury, 2005).…”

Section: Parents’ Legal Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

What they don’t know can hurt them: Mothers’ legal knowledge and youth re-offending.

Cavanagh

Cauffman

2017

Psychology, Public Policy, and Law

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Juvenile offenders may be too young to manage the terms of their probation independently; a parent's participation in the probationary process is critical for youths' successful transition to crime desistence. However, a parent's capacity for support during his or her child's legal process may depend on the parent's knowledge of how the justice system operates. The present study is the first to quantify mothers' knowledge of the juvenile justice system. The authors examine the association between mothers' legal knowledge, legal participation, and youth re-offending using a longitudinal sample of 324 dyads (total N ϭ 648) of mothers and their sons, all first-time juvenile offenders. Results indicate that mothers averaged a 66% out of 100% on a test of legal knowledge. Importantly, those mothers who knew the least about the system also participated the least in their son's legal process, and mothers who participated the least had sons who self-reported re-offending more within the first year after his arrest. Practitioners are encouraged to educate parents of juvenile offenders about their rights and responsibilities in the courtroom and on probation, to create meaningful avenues for parental involvement, and to set youth up for success after a first arrest.

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Section: Parents’ Legal Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

What they don’t know can hurt them: Mothers’ legal knowledge and youth re-offending.

Cavanagh

Cauffman

2017

Psychology, Public Policy, and Law

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“…For example, in a small study of juveniles who were transferred to criminal court, less than one third of juveniles were aware that juveniles could be tried as adults (Redding & Fuller, 2004). Another qualitative study of detained juveniles found that juveniles were confused about the roles and responsibilities of key players in the juvenile justice system (e.g., public defender, county attorney) and the different stages in the juvenile justice process (Rajack-Talley, Talley, & Tewksbury, 2005). In sum, both quantitative and qualitative research is clear that juveniles who are navigating the juvenile justice system are in need of aid.…”

Section: Youth Lack Juvenile Justice System Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Lesson learned? Mothers’ legal knowledge and juvenile rearrests.

Cavanagh¹,

Paruk²,

Cauffman³

2020

Law and Human Behavior

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Objective: The present study examined how mothers' personal characteristics, experience with, and attitudes toward the juvenile justice system are associated with their knowledge of the juvenile justice system over time. Hypotheses: We hypothesized that additional exposure to the system (via sons' rearrests) would be associated with greater legal knowledge. We predicted that White women, women with higher educational attainment, and women who had been arrested would experience greater gains in legal knowledge over time, relative to non-White women, women with lower educational attainment, and women who had not been arrested. Finally, we predicted that mothers' attitudes toward the legitimacy of the justice system would not be associated with their change in legal knowledge. Method: Mothers (N ϭ 234) of male youth (majority non-White) completed a questionnaire of their knowledge about the juvenile justice system after their sons' 1st arrest (T1) and again 2.5 years later (T2). Results: Knowledge did not improve over time, regardless of whether the youth was rearrested. Black mothers displayed less knowledge of the juvenile justice system when their sons were rearrested multiple times. Attitudes toward the justice system were not associated with legal knowledge. Conclusions: These results illustrate the importance of a family educational component to juvenile probation, especially as a vehicle to reduce disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system. Public Significance StatementEducating families about their rights and responsibilities in the juvenile justice system could reduce racial and ethnic disparities in juvenile justice system contact. Black women whose sons were rearrested several times displayed less legal knowledge over time. These results suggest that continued exposure to the juvenile justice system is not associated with greater knowledge of the system and may be associated with existing racial and ethnic disparities within the court. Education in areas of persistent deficits in legal knowledge (the roles of probation officers and attorneys, youth plea decisions) may be particularly useful.

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“…Current juvenile justice reform efforts that seek to prevent youth from entering the system and aim to promote positive outcomes for youth in the system emphasize the importance of informing young people and their parents and guardians about the collateral consequences of juvenile justice involvement (Costello, ; Kleiser, ; Pennsylvania Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network, ; Rajack‐Talley, Talley, & Tewksbury, ). The American Bar Association, as well as some states (e.g., Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Colorado, South Carolina), produced comprehensive resource guides to raise awareness among defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges, legislators, and youth of the collateral consequences of juvenile arrest and adjudication (Pennsylvania Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network, ; Gowen, Thurau, & Wood, ; Watson‐Marsh, ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Collateral Consequences for Juveniles in the Justice System: Change in Perceptions after an Educational Intervention

Janssen

Wagage

Cole

et al. 2019

Anal Soc Iss & Public Policy

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There is a dearth of empirical research investigating public awareness or perceptions of the impact of collateral consequences of juvenile justice system involvement on youths' lives. The current study recruited 555 Pennsylvania residents through Amazon Mechanical Turk to participate in a brief, educational intervention on collateral consequences of system involvement. Participants read a short vignette about a hypothetical youth who was adjudicated delinquent in Pennsylvania, answered 20 knowledge-based questions, and provided pre-and postintervention ratings of the impact the delinquency finding would have on the youth's life in the short term and in the long term. Results of linear mixed model analysis revealed significant fixed effects of both phase b = .62, p < .001, 95% CI [.47, .78] and timing (before the youth turns age 18 and after the youth turns age 18), b = -.98, p < .001, 95% CI [-1.18, -.78], on impact ratings (i.e., how big an impact a juvenile adjudication will have on the youth's life). Participants provided incorrect responses to approximately half of collateral consequences, indicating a gap in knowledge. Findings from the

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The Knowledge of Detained Juveniles About the Juvenile Justice System

Cited by 4 publications

References 20 publications

What they don’t know can hurt them: Mothers’ legal knowledge and youth re-offending.

What they don’t know can hurt them: Mothers’ legal knowledge and youth re-offending.

Lesson learned? Mothers’ legal knowledge and juvenile rearrests.

Collateral Consequences for Juveniles in the Justice System: Change in Perceptions after an Educational Intervention

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