| Abstract: | Parole as applied to juveniles is something about which we have generated little systematic knowledge and few theories. The purpose of the present study is to present and assess various perspectives that are potentially fruitful in exploring parole decision-making with juveniles. Material drawn from parole decision research with adults is juxtaposed to that derived from more theoretical sociological perspectives, and both are evaluated in view of the philosophy of the juvenile justice system. Results are presented which suggest that the social service orientation of the juvenile justice system is not very helpful in understanding parole decision-making. Rather, it would appear that an analysis of “normal cases” forms the basis of decisions and that race constitutes a basic sorting variable. Furthermore, it is suggested that different sets of factors are used in decision-making for offenders of different races. |
