Publication
Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology
Volume
82
Page
156
Year
1991
Abstract
Despite statutes and rules of statewide applicability, juvenile justice administration varies consistently with urban, suburban, and rural social structure and context. In urban counties, which are more heterogenous and diverse, juvenile justice intervention is more formal, bureaucratized, and due process-oriented. Formality is associated with greater severity in pre-trial detention and sentencing practices. By contrast, in more homogeneous and stable rural counties, juvenile courts are procedurally less formal and sentence youths more leniently. The Article explores the implications of "justice by geography" for juvenile justice policy.
Recommended Citation
Barry C. Feld, Justice by Geography: Urban, Suburban, and Rural Variations in Juvenile Justice Administration, 82 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 156 (1991), available at https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/faculty_articles/343.
