Missouri: An Examination of the Relationship Between the Source of Referral to Juvenile Court and Severity of Sentencing Outcomes

Abstract

Aaron Cicourel conducted research in the 1960s on youths processed by the juvenile justice system, including the referral stage. His work described complex relationships and influences that affected juvenile justice decision making. Juvenile court data from the state of Missouri are used to conduct a partial replication of Cicourel’s work, focusing on the referral stage. The present study also extends the literature by examining the influence of legal and extralegal factors on disposition decisions for five referral sources (i.e., Social Service, School, Family, Juvenile Court, and Law Enforcement). The results suggest that the referral source is related to sentence outcome. The findings are supportive of contemporary theory and highlight the importance of studying context, role responsibilities, and stereotypes that may develop out of human experiences and affect decision making at the referral and disposition stages.