ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Once a police offi cer takes a youth into custody, it is likely that the police will refer that youth to juvenile court. In 2009, approximately two-thirds of youths (67.4%) taken into custody were referred to juvenile court, and approximately 9 percent of juveniles taken into custody were sent directly to adult criminal court. The other arrests were either handled within the police department and released (approximately 22%) or referred to a social welfare agency or another police agency (about 2%) (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010, Table 6.).
