Operationalizing intake: Variations in juvenile court intake procedures and their implications.

Juvenile court intake – the process in which state or local authorities determine whether to prosecute, divert, or dismiss alleged juvenile delinquency cases – is essential to juvenile justice administration and to juvenile justice goals. Yet it is generally under-studied and the roles of prosecutors and intake officers poorly understood. This paper operationalizes juvenile court intake using data from one southeastern state, with a focus on professionals' roles and relative power. Results demonstrate within-state variation in intake structures and procedures with regard to whether prosecutors or intake officers exert the greatest control. Further, results show that there is a geographic relationship to this variation – counties with heavy prosecutorial control are represented disproportionately among urban areas. Additional qualitative data offers insight into prosecutors' and intake officers' perspectives on each other's roles in intake. Findings indicate a range of questions to be explored in future research examining whether and how different intake structures affect intake decisions. • The roles and power of prosecutors and intake officers varies significantly. • Significant variation exists within a state subject to a uniform legal structure. • Counties with heavy prosecutorial control are disproportionately urban. • Proportion of African-Americans is higher among intake officers than prosecutors. • Qualitative data suggest prosecutors and intake officers view intake differently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]