The Comparative Advantage of Juvenile Versus Criminal Court Sanctions on Recidivism among Adolescent Felony Offenders*

This study addresses the longstanding and contentious debate on the merits of transferring cases from juvenile to adult court with the expectation of more certain, severe, or effective punishment. It compares the severity, certainty and celerity of sanctions for N=800 15‐ and 16‐year‐old adolescents charged with robbery and burglary in juvenile court in New Jersey with identical offenders in matched communities in New York State whose cases are adjudicated in criminal court, and determines the effectiveness of these sanctions in reducing recidivism and reincarceration. Results showed that incarceration rates were higher for adolescents sentenced in the criminal court, but sentence lengths were comparable. However, recidivism rates were significantly lower for adolescents sentenced in the juvenile court, regardless of sentence type or severity. The results suggest that efforts to criminalize adolescent offending may not produce the desired results and may in fact be counterproductive. There is no support for legislative efforts to eliminate the special jurisprudence for adolescent crimes or the separate jurisdiction for juvenile offenders.