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Foreword For more than a century, the juvenile court has played a leading role in the fight against juvenile crime and violence, protecting society and reforming young offenders by holding them accountable for their delinquent acts. Its influence on a child's development can last a lifetime. To ensure informed decisionmaking, the juvenile court must stay abreast of evolving social trends. The court must understand the types of offenders who come before it and the nature of the resources required to help them. As its predecessors, Juvenile Court Statistics 2000 addresses these and other significant issues, profiling the more than 1.6 million delinquency cases handled by courts with juvenile jurisdiction in 2000 and reviewing judicial trends since 1985. By tracking juvenile court caseloads and providing a broad array of data about the court's work, this Report offers a detailed portrait of the juvenile court and a reference guide to policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and others who share concern for the future of our youth. J. Robert Flores
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