USING BAYESIAN NETWORKS TO UNDERSTAND REPRESENTATIVE BUREAUCRACY IN JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITIES

USING BAYESIAN NETWORKS TO UNDERSTAND REPRESENTATIVE BUREAUCRACY IN JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITIES

Ginger Silvera
Linda Smail
Zayed University

ABSTRACT

This study examines if racial identity and gender were related to juvenile officers’ perceptions of themselves as advocates for youth and to determine whether bureaucratic representation, such as minority staff, supports rehabilitation for youth. This study also investigates whether incarcerated youth perceive juvenile correctional officers as role models. Using data from the Performance Based Standards project, Bayesian Networks are used to find possible relationships among the different variables involved in this study. The created Bayesian Networks helps to learn more about the relationship between juvenile correctional officers and incarcerated youth.

Keywords: Representative bureaucracy, Bayesian Networks, officer’s perceptions, juvenile violence, juvenile justice