Race

Intake Decision
Delinquency cases involving black juveniles were more likely to be handled formally in 1995 than were cases involving white youth or youth of other races. Formal handling was used in 60% of delinquency cases involving black juveniles, 52% of cases involving white juveniles, and 54% of cases involving juveniles of other races (figure 13). Racial differences in the likelihood of formal handling were greatest in drug law violation cases. In 1995, 53% of drug cases involving white juveniles and 50% of those involving juveniles of other races were handled by formal petition compared with 77% of drug cases involving black youth (table 43). Between 1986 and 1995, across offenses the likelihood of formal petitioning generally increased for all racial groups.