The National Center for Juvenile Justice has released "Juvenile Court Statistics 2021." This report describes delinquency and petitioned status offense cases handled in U.S. courts with jurisdiction over juvenile populations between 2005 and 2021.
Characteristics are presented on an estimated 437,300 delinquency cases and 51,500 petitioned status offense cases handled in 2021. The report also tracks caseload trends from 2005 to 2021. Data include case counts and rates, juvenile demographics, and offenses charged.
Key findings include:
- Person offenses accounted for the largest share of the delinquency caseload (37 percent) in 2021.
- Fifty-three percent of delinquency cases involved youth younger than 16. Twenty-seven percent involved females and 44 percent involved white youth.
This report draws on data from the National Juvenile Court Data Archive, funded by OJJDP and managed by the National Institute of Justice.
RESOURCES:
- See OJJDP's Statistical Briefing Book for additional information on juvenile court case processing.
- Follow OJJDP on X formerly known as Twitter and Facebook.
Date Published: February 14, 2024