| Show Computer Unlocks Needed Information On District 5 Juvenile Court Cases By Paul C. C Keller Fifth District Juvenile Court Judge Since 1967 1007 the State Slate Juvenile Ju Court has been utilizing a computer system I to store o analyse and report data dMa on cases handled This has made it possible pos pos' possible sible t to put In a great many more facts and obtain details and analysis on a ai ascale i scale that would be by manual man- man 1 ual methods All of the Indexes and juvenile juvenile ju ju- venile offense records are arc also stored in the computer I f 4 SOME OF the now available avail able through this new program Is both surprising and reassuring to the counties counties coun coun- ties Irs of Carbon Daggett Duchesne Em Em- cry Grand San Juan and Uintah that comprise the Courts Court's Fifth District This large geographic area contains only 56 per cent of the children age 12 to 18 in the state Th The traffic non cases referred to the court in this dis district district in 1969 1909 constituted 5 29 per cent of all such cases In the state However refined analysis by the computer com com- puter shows that District V has only 4 48 8 per cent of all delinquency offenses offenses offenses offen offen- ses In the state This means that fewer few- few cr er I cases in this rural area Involve multiple multiple multiple mul mul- tiple offenses s than In the metropolitan areas District II IT which Includes Salt Lake has per cent of the delinquency delin- delin quency Cases eases but per cent of the offenses THE RATE of delinquency cases per 1000 teen age children referred to the court varies considerably among the counties of the state from a low of 11 in Morgan County to a a high of in Grand County However the high rate ratel l i in rural Grand County is primarily attributable attributable at at- to a large number of runaway runaway run run- away teen-agers teen from other states apprehended apprehended ap- ap on the main arterial highways highways highways high- high ways that intersect in Grand County If this type of or case is disregarded there were such cases in Grand County in 1189 1969 the rate for that county would be 97 which is comparable to other counties in the area Rates for all counties in this district were Carbon Daggett Duchesne Duchesne Du Du- chesne 49 Emery 97 Grand 97 San Juan and Uintah 57 In comI comparison comparison com com- I parison rates for some of the more populous counties of the state were Salt Lake 30 Weber Utah and Davis 76 78 It was possible with the computer to anal analyze tc the cases referred for delinquency delinquency delin delin- quency in terms of or the previous records of those referred and thus thui obtain an index in dex den of or recidivism This gives a very reassuring picture for the rural counties In Yn the Fifth Firth District 71 Tl per cent of all children referred to the court for delinquency delinquency delinquency delin delin- quency in 1969 were there for the first time and had no prior court record This means that only 29 per cent of the juveniles juveniles ju referred in District V had previous previous pre pre- records and could thus thus' be classed as recidivists 52 51 PER CENT of the juveniles referred referred refer refer- red to court in the Salt Lake District in 1969 1909 had a prior court record This same pattern held true when hen the number number num num- ber bel of ot prior court referrals of juveniles were analyzed In Yn District V only four per cent of the juveniles referred had five or more previous referrals to court In the Salt Lake District 15 per percent percent percent cent had five or more prior referrals to court bad in the Ogden District nine per cent Thus even though some of the rural counties have nearly as many juveniles referred to court in proportion to population population population lation as the metropolitan areas a much smaller proportion have prior records In the rural areas and the number with small compared to the large city areas SEVERITY OR seriousness of the kinds of cases referred is another important quality in evaluating the delinquency problem Again the computer has made analysis Of severity practical for the first fint time For this purpose all delin delinquency quency offenses were sorted into nine groupings ranging from curfew and tobacco tobacco tobacco to to- bacco offenses in group 1 to arson drug sale and robbery in group 7 assault assault as as- sault with deadly weapon and rape in group 8 and murder in group 9 Here again a pattern emerges favorable favorable favor favor- able to the rural areas In District V with 4 48 8 per cent of all offenses there were only 21 per cent of the state statewide statewide statewide wide serious offenses severity groups 7 8 and 9 IN COMPARISON the Salt Lake District District District Dis Dis- with per cent of all i offenses had per cent of all such serious offenses per cent of all offenses in District V were In the lowest three severity groups and only y of one percent per percent percent cent In the most serious three groups In Districts I Ogden 11 per cent of the offenses and in District II Salt Lake 16 per cent are in the most serious severity groups The way cases are handled in the different different dif dlf ferent districts Is also analyzed by computer computer com com- puter with Interesting results Three percent per percent percent cent of all cases in District V were committed committed com com- to an institution State Industrial School in 1969 This compares with two per cent for all other districts except District IV with one per cent THE AMOUNT of fines and work assignment hours in lieu of fines were considerably higher In the rural Districts IV and V in proportion to the number of cases eases For example District V with only per cent of the cases assessed 19 per cent of all work hours and 83 per cent of all fines in the state The court is authorized authorised to require juveniles to pay or make restitution for damage or loss resulting from their delinquent delinquent de de- acts For 1969 in District V was ordered paid for restitution This amounted to 9 96 6 per cent of all restitution res ress ordered in the state THE COMPUTER also makes poss possible possible ble current state wide state wide data on caseloads case casee loads and trends for the current year For example as of the end of September Septem Septem- ber and for the first nine months of 1970 a 4 45 5 per cent increase in delinquency delinQuency delinquency delin quency cases has occurred in the state There has been a a sharp jump in District V of 20 per percent cent The number of traffic traffic fic fie cases referred to the Juvenile Court has Jumped 33 5 per cent for the first nine months of 1970 compared to the same ume period a year year ago A great deal of additional information is also being stored in the computer concerning juveniles referred to court courtin in Utah This makes possible determinations determinations determinations of delinquency referral rates in relation to age sex living arrangement parental marital status employment Income income income In in- come religious affiliation ethnic groupIng group group- ing and other items of social data that will eventually provide significant significant cant clues in our efforts to understand and deal more effectively with delinquency delin delin- quency |
