Is violent crime by juveniles on the rise?

No. The juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate in 2002 was at its lowest level since 1980— 47% below the peak year of 1994.

Adapted from: Snyder, H. Juvenile Arrests 2002. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2004.

How are delinquency cases processed in juvenile court?

Of every 1,000 delinquency cases handled in 2000, 241 resulted in formal probation and 91 resulted in residential placement following adjudication.

Cases referred to juvenile court are first screened by an intake department (either within or outside the court). The intake department may decide to dismiss the case for lack of legal sufficiency or to resolve the matter formally (petitioned) or informally (nonpetitioned).

In 1999, 58% (576 of 1,000) of all delinquency cases disposed by juvenile courts were handled formally while 42% (424 of 1,000) were handled informally.

If the intake department decides that a case should be handled formally within the juvenile court, a petition is filed and the case is placed on the court calendar (or docket) for an adjudicatory hearing. On the other hand, the intake department may decide that a case should be removed from juvenile court and handled instead in criminal (adult) court. In these cases, a petition is usually filed in juvenile court requesting a waiver/transfer hearing, during which the juvenile court judge is asked to waive jurisdiction over the case.

In 2000, 66% (382 of 576) of all formally processed delinquency cases resulted in the youth being adjudicated delinquent. In 33% (190 of 576) of formally processed delinquency cases, the youth was not adjudicated. About 1% (3 of 576) of all formally processed delinquency cases were judicially waived to criminal court.

At the disposition hearing, the juvenile court judge determines the most appropriate sanction, generally after reviewing a predisposition report prepared by the probation department. The range of options available to a court typically includes commitment to an institution; placement in a group or foster home or other residential facility; probation (either regular or intensive supervision); referral to an outside agency, day treatment, or mental health program; or imposition of a fine, community service, or resititution.

Youth in 24% (91 of 382) of adjudicated delinquency cases were placed in a residential facility. In another 63% (241 of 382) of these ajudicated cases, youth were placed on formal probation.

Adapted from Puzzanchera, C., Stahl, A., Finnegan, T., Tierney, N., and Snyder H. Juvenile Court Statistics 2000. (Forthcoming). Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2004.

Of every 1,000 formally handled runaway cases, 271 were ordered to formal probation following adjudication.

Of a typical 1,000 formal truancy cases, 491 resulted in formal probation.

Juvenile courts were more likely to order youth to residential placement in formally processed ungovernability cases (172 of 1,000 cases) than in other types of status offense cases, but formal probation was the most likely outcome (408 of 1,000).

Among formally processed liquor law violation cases, the most likely outcome was formal probation (342 of 1,000) although the court often ordered formal sanctions (e.g., fines) other than residential placement for probation (204 of 1,000).

Adapted from Puzzanchera, C., Stahl, A., Finnegan, T., Tierney, N., and Snyder H. Juvenile Court Statistics 2000. (Forthcoming). Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2002.

Where do most murders by juveniles occur?

Based on data from the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports, nearly 1 in 4 homicides by juveniles occurred in eight counties. The major cities in these counties (beginning with the city in the county with the greatest number of identified juvenile homicide offenders) are Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, New York, Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Dallas. As these counties contain just 12% of the U.S. population, it is clear that homicide by juveniles is concentrated in a small portion of the U.S. geographic area.

Snyder, Howard N., and Sickmund, Melissa. (1999). Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Free through the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (1-800-638-8736). NCJ 178257.

How many arrests involve youth under age 18?

In 2002, law enforcement agencies made an estimated 2.3 million arrests of persons under the age of 18. Law enforcement agencies made 24,470 arrests of persons under the age of 18 for robbery in 2002.

Juveniles were involved in 15% of all Violent Crime Index arrests and 30% of all Property Crime Index arrests in 2002.

Adapted from: Snyder, H. Juvenile Arrests 2002. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2004.

How many juvenile offenders were in residential placment on a typical day in 2001?

Over 104,000 juvenile offenders were held in residential placement facilities on October 24, 2001. The Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (CJRP) provides a one-day count of all juvenile offenders in public or private and tribal residential facilities in the United States.

Sickmund, M., Sladky, T.J., and Kang, Wei. (2004). "Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement Databook." Online.

What proportion of juvenile offenders in residential placement in 2001 were held for violent offenses?

Nationally, 23% of the juveniles in residential placement facilities were charged with Violent Crime Index offenses. In comparison, 28% were being held for property offenses. The national proportion of juveniles held for drug offenses was 9%.

Sickmund, M., Sladky, T.J., and Kang, Wei. (2004). "Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement Databook." Online.

Are most juveniles in residential placement in secure facilities?

In 1999, the majority of juveniles in residential placement (72%) were confined during afterschool hours by at least one locked door or gate. Juvenile residential placement facilities vary in their degree of security. The use of fences, walls, and surveillance equipment is increasingly common in juvenile facilities, although security hardware in juvenile facilities is generally not as elaborate as that found in adult jails and prisons.

Sickmund, M. (2004). Juveniles in Corrections. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Has the trend for violent crime arrest rates for juveniles been different from the trend for adults?

Violent Crime Index arrest rates were higher in 2001 than in 1980 for all adult age groups — for juveniles ages 15-17, 2001 rates were nearly at or below the rates in 1980.

The peak year for juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rates was 1994. Between 1980 and 1994, arrest rates for youth ages 15-17 increased an average of 62%. In comparison, the rates increased more for adults in their thirties by an average of 72% for adults ages 30-34 and 68% for those ages 35-39.

Between 1994 and 2001, violent crime arrest rates declined for all age groups, but the declines were greater for juveniles than for adults.

Adapted from: Snyder, H. Juvenile Arrests 2002. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2004.