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The criminalization of school discipline and its resulting consequences for students, particularly students of color, has been widely studied. While results from previous research have shown racial and gender differences in punitive school experiences like suspension, school-based arrest, and school-based referrals to juvenile justice systems, existing literature has primarily focused on the experience of Black boys or used aggregate data to examine school-level correlates of referral-rates and has been limited in its examination of referrals for more subjective offenses like disorderly conduct. Informed by Critical Race Feminism, this study sought to examine whether Black girls experience increased odds of referral to the juvenile justice system for disorderly conduct involving school-based offenses in Florida. Our findings suggest that Black girls experience a higher risk of referral for school-based disorderly conduct as compared to other youth referred to the juvenile justice system, suggesting they are more likely to experience this form of school-based criminalization as compared to other youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children increasingly interact with police on school grounds. Most research on police in schools focuses on school safety. However, police also question children at school as witnesses, suspects, and victims during a criminal investigation. The current study explores police policies about interviewing and interrogating children at school. We explored how many of the police departments of the largest 100 U.S. cities had policies related to questioning children at school and analyzed the content of these policies. We found that 40% of police departments had a policy of school-based questioning. These policies rarely covered issues related to students' legal rights and largely focused on adult-related issues like notification of the child's parent and permission of school officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thousands of children are arrested annually in the United States, and little is known about law enforcement policies regarding the arrest of children. The goal of this study was to examine the association between law enforcement policies pertaining to the arrest of children and arrests involving children in the state of Florida, the largest state in the U.S. that lacks a minimum age for juvenile court jurisdiction. Policies pertaining to the arrest of children were obtained from 215 law enforcement agencies, serving 95% of Florida's population. Results indicated policies were not associated with arrests involving children, suggesting less-discretionary policies may be needed to reduce arrests for children in states lacking minimum ages for juvenile court jurisdiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the implementation of mandatory arrest policies for domestic violence in the 1990s, the number of youth – particularly girls – referred to juvenile justice systems for domestic violence (DV) increased. Though adolescent DV perpetration and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) share many of the same outcomes, and youth DV perpetration is thought to occur more frequently in abusive home environments, the link between ACEs and DV referral for juveniles is under-examined. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ACEs and DV referral using data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, as well as identify gender and race/ethnicity differences in referral risk by ACEs. According to results, ACEs were associated with DV referral and this relationship was stronger for girls. Latino/a youth also experienced the greatest risk of referral relative to ACEs exposure. Implications for policy makers and practitioners are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What accounts for the steady decline in misdemeanour arrest rates in the United States following their peak in the mid-1990s? This article links the fluctuation in low-level law enforcement to changes in the budget and staffing resources cities devoted to policing. This materialist explanation contrasts with accounts that emphasize policy changes like the adoption of community policing. Dynamic panel regression analyses of 940 municipalities indicate low-level arrest rates declined most in places that reduced their police expenditure and personnel, net of crime and other controls. The adoption of community policing was unrelated to misdemeanour arrests. Findings suggest lawmakers should consider how increasing police budgets or police force sizes will likely be accompanied by increases in misdemeanour arrests and their attendant harms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study assessed the relationship between case processing time and rearrest among a sample of first-time juvenile offenders referred to the Florida juvenile justice system and examined the extent to which this association varied by youth and case characteristics. Propensity score analyses suggested youth with longer case processing times had higher odds of being rearrested within 1 year compared to youth with shorter case processing times. Subgroup analyses suggested differences in the effects of case processing time by youth and case-level characteristics. According to results, policymakers should prioritize implementing and enforcing case processing time restrictions in their jurisdictions, particularly for detained youth and remain aware of the potential ensnaring implications of longer case processing times to reduce rearrest rates for first-time juvenile offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thousands of children ages 12 and under are referred to juvenile justice systems each year, and little is known about how their experiences may differ from those of older youth. The purpose of this study was to compare risk factors associated with juvenile justice referral between children and adolescents and examine differences in adjudication and disposition of referred children and adolescents. The moderating role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) was also examined. Using data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, results suggest children referred to the juvenile justice system are more likely to have experienced greater numbers of ACEs, have family and school problems, and be referred by schools. Results also indicate children and adolescents differ in their experiences within the juvenile justice system, and that experiences vary according to exposure to ACEs. Results suggest juvenile justice system officials should consider the unique needs of children referred to the system and be cognizant of the influence of non-legal factors in decision-making for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited research has examined the associations between different forms of school exclusion and offending, and variation in these associations according to age of first exclusionary event, among justice-involved youth. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, the current study examined the associations between suspension, expulsion, and recidivism and the association between age at first suspension/expulsion and recidivism. According to Cox proportional hazard models, both expulsion and frequency of suspension increased risk of recidivism; age at first suspension was not associated with recidivism, and youth who were first expelled in childhood were significantly less likely to recidivate than youth first expelled in adolescence. Results suggest juvenile justice and educational systems should provide collaborative services to better support justice-involved youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]