Age at Referral

Judicial Decision and Disposition
The dispositional profile of status offenders age 15 or younger was slightly different from the dispositional profile for those age 16 or older, possibly reflecting the substantial involvement of older juveniles in status liquor law offenses (figure 18). Overall, in 1995, the probability of adjudication was greater for the younger group (52% versus 47%). The likelihood of adjudication varied across age groups for each of the four major status offenses (table 67).

Between 1986 and 1995, the likelihood of adjudication declined for status offense cases involving younger youth (from 69% to 52%) as well as older youth (from 64% to 47%). For both age groups in all offense categories, a smaller proportion of cases were adjudicated in 1995 than in 1986.

In 1995, adjudicated status offense cases involving juveniles younger than 16 were more likely to result in out-of-home placement than cases involving older youth (19% versus 12%) (table 68). For both younger and older juveniles, the proportion of adjudicated status offense cases resulting in out-of-home placement declined between 1986 and 1995.

Compared with cases involving older juveniles, a larger proportion of the 1995 cases of younger juveniles involved foral probation after adjudication (60% versus 52%) (table 69). A larger proportion of the older group was ordered to pay fines or to enter a treatment or counseling program after adjudication (33% versus 17%), possibly reflecting the greater involvement of older juveniles in status liquor law violation cases. The proportion of adjudicated cases that resulted in formal probation remained the same between 1986 and 1995 for older youth but decreased slightly for younger juveniles.