All age groups contributed to delinquency caseload increases between 1989 and 1998

Delinquency case rates rose between 1989 and 1998 for most ages

In 1998, juvenile courts handled 60.4 delinquency cases for every 1,000 juveniles (youth subject to original juvenile court jurisdiction) in the U.S. population. The 1998 delinquency case rate was 25% greater than the 1989 rate. For all but the youngest age groups, age-specific case rates showed similar increases. The greatest increase was among 17-year-olds.

Most delinquency cases involved older teens

Juveniles age 15 and older made up 64% of the delinquency caseload in 1998. Juveniles ages 13 and 14 were involved in 26% of delinquency cases, while juveniles age 12 and younger accounted for 10%. There was some variation in age profiles across offenses. Juveniles age 12 and younger accounted for greater proportions of person (14%) and property (13%) cases than of drug (2%) or public order (6%) cases. These proportions were not substantially different from those in 1989.

Why do juvenile courts handle more 16- than 17-year-olds?

Although comparable numbers of 17-year-olds and 16-year-olds were arrested in 1998, the number of juvenile court cases involving 17-year-olds (286,700) was lower than the number involving 16-year-olds (411,600). The explanation lies primarily in the fact that, in 13 states, 17-year-olds are excluded from the original jurisdiction of the juvenile court. In these states, all 17-year-olds are legally adults and are referred to criminal court rather than to juvenile court. Thus, far fewer 17-year-olds than 16-year-olds are subject to original juvenile court jurisdiction in the U.S.

Even after controlling for their differential representation in the juvenile population, the case rates for 16-year-olds are often slightly greater than the rates for 17-year-olds. One reason may be state legislation that targets certain older juveniles for processing directly in criminal courts (via either statutory exclusion or concurrent jurisdiction provisions). In these situations, when a youth of juvenile age is arrested, the matter goes before a criminal court rather than before a juvenile court.

In 1998, the offense profiles of younger and older youth differed

In 1998, the caseload of juveniles age 12 and younger had larger proportions of person and property offenses and smaller proportions of drug and public order offenses, compared with caseloads of older juveniles. In 1989, the proportions of person offense cases were similar for younger and older youth.

Offense profile of delinquency cases:

Offense	Age 12 and younger	Ages 13–14	Age 15 and older
1998
Delinquency	100%	100%	100%
Person	31	26	21
Property	54	49	42
Drugs	2	7	14
Public order	13	19	23
1989
Delinquency	100%	100%	100%
Person	19	19	17
Property	71	62	55
Drugs	1	4	8
Public order	9	15	20
Note: Detail may not total 100% because of rounding.

Delinquency case rates generally increase with age

• The delinquency case rate for 16-year-olds was 1.5 times the rate for 14-year-olds, the rate for 14-year-olds was 3 times the rate for 12-year-olds, and the rate for 17-year-olds was slightly greater than the rate for 16-year-olds.

• Case rates increased through age 17 for drug and public order offenses, but for person and property offenses, rates peaked for 16-year-olds and then declined for 17-year-olds.

Source: Author's adaptation of Puzzanchera et al.'s Juvenile Court Statistics 1998.

Between 1989 and 1998, the pattern of change in case rates was generally similar across age groups

• Person case rates rose from 1989 through 1995; the rates then leveled off for older youth but not for youth ages 10–12.

• Across all age groups, property case rates were higher in the early 1990s than in the years since.

• Drug case rates rose sharply from 1991 through 1996, particularly for older youth.

• Public order case rates generally rose steadily for all age groups from 1989 to 1998.

Source: Author’s adaptation of Puzzanchera et al.’s Juvenile Court Statistics 1998.

In 1998, overall delinquency case rates increased with age through age 16 for both males and females

Delinquency case rates for males and females, by offense category, 1998

• Although delinquency case rates for females were much lower than those for males, the age-related increase in rates was greater for females than for males. For males, the rate for 16-year-olds was 18 times the rate for 10-year-olds. For females, the rate for 16-year-olds was 28 times the rate for 10-year-olds.

• Similar patterns were seen in each of the four general offense categories.

• The most striking age-related increase in rates was in drug cases. Drug case rates were highest for 17-year-olds of both sexes. The drug case rate for male 17-year-olds was more than 300 times the rate for male 10-year-olds. Among females, the magnitude of difference was 500-fold.

Source: Author’s adaptation of Puzzanchera et al.’s Juvenile Court Statistics 1998.