NCJ Number
193696
Date Published
June 2003
Length
115 pages
Annotation
This report profiles more than 1.7 million delinquency cases handled by the juvenile courts during 1998 and examines trends in case processing since 1989.
Abstract
The United States Juvenile Court plays a major role in the lives of many children by imposing appropriate sanctions on juvenile offenders and reforming youth by promoting accountability and responsibility. This report, prepared by the National Center for Juvenile Justice for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, profiles the 1.8 million delinquency cases handled by nearly 2,000 courts with jurisdictions over 71 percent of the juvenile population in 1998 and examines trends in case processing since 1989. In this 72nd report, delinquency and status offense cases handled between 1989 and 1998 by United States courts with juvenile jurisdiction are described. The report is structured into three main chapters: (1) national estimates of delinquency cases; (2) national estimates of delinquency case processing; and (3) profile of petitioned status offense cases. After the introduction, the report presents national estimates of delinquency cases handled by the juvenile courts in 1998 and analyzes caseload trends from 1989. It describes the volume and rate of delinquency cases, sources of referral, demographic characteristics of the juveniles involved, and offenses charged. It continues by tracing the flow of delinquency cases through the courts, examining each decision point and including data by demographic characteristics and offenses. The final chapter presents a sample-based profile of status offense cases formally handled by the juvenile courts between 1989 and 1998. Data include demographic characteristics, offenses charged, and case processing. Appendices include: description of the statistical procedure used to generate these estimates; definitions of key terms used; and a detail table showing the number of delinquency, status offense, and dependency cases handled by juvenile courts in 1998, by State and county. Tables, charts, and graphs
Date Published: June 1, 2003