Sentencing guidelines and recidivism rates of juvenile offenders

The major findings of the study are that the shift to sentencing guidelines and a “just deserts” philosophy for juvenile offenders in the state of Washington did not have a discernable impact on the recidivism rates of juvenile offenders. There are, however, theoretical and methodological complications which prevent conclusions from being drawn about the impact of sentencing per se on reoffending. The patterns of change in sentencing that, from a deterrence perspective, one would expect to be necessary if an impact on recidivism is to occur, were not observed in Washington. Instead, many of the delinquents experienced a simultaneous increase in the certainty of a minor sanction and a decrease in the certainty of a severe sanction. Others experienced an increase in the likelihood of not being referred to court by the police but, if they were referred, they almost certainly faced incarceration. Further complicating the study was the fact that gradual increases in recidivism rates were observed in one jurisdiction and gradual decreases in the other. Either of these could have been produced indirectly by the legislation's impact on juvenile behavior or by changes in law enforcement policies regarding the contact and arrest of juveniles.