Trends in juvenile criminal case processing and education

Using administrative data from Connecticut, the purpose of this research is to estimate the effect of juvenile versus criminal jurisdiction on recidivism and educational outcomes, and to describe the relationships among education and juvenile justice outcomes from early to late adolescence. Juvenile case and educational records will be examined for all court-referred juveniles in the State of Connecticut from 2006 through 2012. Data will include juvenile delinquency referral history, detention, program services, adult criminal history, and risk assessments. Educational data include demographic information, student enrollment, attendance, graduation, dropout, discipline records, special education, and performance on statewide academic achievement tests. Analyses will focus on the effects of changes in policy raising the age of jurisdiction and whether treating 16-year-olds in juvenile rather than criminal courts is related to recidivism and education outcomes. ca/nfc