Missouri Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1995 A Comparison of Case Outcomes

This study evaluates the intended and unintended consequences of the Missouri Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1995. Factors related to sentence outcomes are examined prior to the Act’s passage and then several years after the Act was implemented. The elimination of sex and race biases were intended goals of the Act. Although the analyses reveal mixed findings, the results clearly indicate that sex and race equity was not achieved. Some evidence suggests that judges may be taking a more retributive approach since the passage of the Reform Act, for example, not placing as much emphasis on drug/alcohol use when making sentencing decisions. Alternative explanations are offered