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The Impact of Victim Demographics on Case Outcomes in Delinquency Proceedings: An Empirical Test
Author(s) -
McGuire M. Dyan,
Fearn Noelle E.,
White Norman,
Mayo Kenneth,
Ondr Megan
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
juvenile and family court journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.155
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1755-6988
pISSN - 0161-7109
DOI - 10.1111/jfcj.12026
Subject(s) - adjudication , juvenile delinquency , race (biology) , juvenile court , psychology , demographics , criminology , test (biology) , juvenile , sample (material) , social psychology , political science , law , demography , sociology , gender studies , paleontology , chemistry , genetics , chromatography , biology
Abstract While the impact of the defendant's sex and race on processing decisions is well researched, less is known about the impact of the victim's sex and race on juvenile court decision making. Using data from the juvenile court in St. Louis, Missouri, this study explores direct and interactive effects of the victim's sex and race on outcome decisions for juvenile offenders. Findings suggest that legal differences account for most of the observed differences in detention, commitment and adjudication among the sample studied.