Chapter 3
National Estimates of Delinquency Case Processing

This chapter quantifies the flow of delinquency cases through each of the following stages of the juvenile court system.

Detention: Juvenile courts sometimes hold youth in secure detention facilities during court processing to protect the community, to ensure a juvenile's appearance at subsequent court hearings, to secure the juvenile's own safety, or for the purpose of evaluating the juvenile. This Report describes the use of detention between court referral and case disposition only, although juveniles can be detained by police prior to referral and also by the courts after disposition while awaiting placement elsewhere.

Intake: Formal processing of a case involves the filing of a petition that requests an adjudicatory or waiver hearing. Informally processed cases, on the other hand, are handled without a petition and without an adjudicatory or waiver hearing.

Waiver: One of the first decisions made at intake is whether a case should be processed in the criminal (adult) justice system rather than in the juvenile court. Most states have more than one mechanism for transferring cases to criminal court: prosecutors may have the authority to file certain juvenile cases directly in criminal court; state statute may order cases meeting certain age and offense criteria be excluded from juvenile court jurisdiction and filed directly in criminal court; and a juvenile court judge may waive juvenile court jurisdiction in certain juvenile cases, thus authorizing a transfer to criminal court. This Report describes those cases that were transferred to criminal court by judicial waiver only.

Adjudication: At an adjudicatory hearing, a youth may be adjudicated (judged) a delinquent if the juvenile court determines that the youth did commit the offense(s) charged in the petition. If the youth is adjudicated, the case proceeds to a disposition hearing. Alternatively, a case can be dismissed or continued in contemplation of dismissal. In these cases where the youth is not adjudicated delinquent, the court can recommend that the youth take some actions prior to the final adjudication decision, such as paying restitution or voluntarily attending drug counseling.

Disposition: Disposition options include commitment to an institution or other residential facility, probation supervision, or a variety of other sanctions, such as community service, restitution or fines, or referral to an outside agency or treatment program. This Report characterizes case disposition by the most severe or restrictive sanction. For example, although most youth in out-of-home placements are also technically on probation, in this Report cases resulting in placement are not included in the probation group.

This chapter describes case processing by offense and by demographics (age, gender, and race) of the juveniles involved, focusing on cases disposed in 2002 and examining trends from 1985 through 2002.

Detention
  • The number of delinquency cases involving detention increased 42% between 1985 and 2002, from 231,400 to 329,800. The largest relative increase was for drug offense cases (140%), followed by person cases (122%) and public order cases (72%). In contrast, the number of detained property offense cases declined 12% during this period.

  • Despite the growth in the volume of delinquency cases involving detention, the proportion of cases detained was the same in 2002 as in 1985 (20%).

  • Although property offense cases were the least likely to involve detention, they still accounted for the largest volume of cases involving detention.

  • For person and property offense cases, the proportion of cases involving detention changed very little between 1985 and 2002.

  • The use of detention for public order offense cases decreased between 1985 and 2002.

Offense profile of detained delinquency cases:

Most serious offense

1985

2002


Person

    19%

   29%

Property

52

32

Drugs

  7

11

Public order

22

27

Total

100%

100%

Number of cases

231,400

329,800


Note: Detail may not total 100% because of rounding.
  • Compared with 1985, the offense characteristics of the 2002 detention caseload changed, involving greater proportions of person, drug, and public order offense cases and a smaller proportion of property offense cases.

The number of cases involving detention increased substantially between 1985 and 2002 for person, drug, and public order offenses but decreased for property offense cases.

Figure shows number of juvenile cases detained from 1985 through 2002 by offense: person, property, drug, and public order.


The proportion of drug offense cases involving detention reached a peak of 37% in 1990 and declined to 20% in 2002

Figure shows percent of juvenile person, property, drug, and public order offense cases that were detained between referral and disposition between 1985 and 2002.

While black youth represented 29% of the overall delinquency caseload in 2002, they made up 36% of the detention caseload

Five figures showing percent of all delinquency cases and detained cases involving black juveniles, by offense category, 1985-2002.

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the proportion of all delinquency cases that involved black youth averaged 29%, while that average was 37% of all detained cases.

  • Historically, overrepresentation of black youth was greatest for drug offense cases. On average, between 1985 and 2002, black youth accounted for 33% of all cases involving drug offense violations but represented 50% of such cases detained.

  • Between 1985 and 1991, the proportion of detained drug offense cases involving black youth increased substantially (from 30% to 65%). Since that time, the proportion of detained drug offense cases involving black youth has steadily decreased but remains above the 1985 level.

  • Between 1988 and 1992, the proportion of detained drug offense cases involving black youth was more than 60%.

  • In 2002, black youth accounted for 21% of all drug offense cases processed but were involved in 36% of the drug offenses that involved detention.

  • Black youth accounted for 37% of the person offense cases processed in 2002 and 41% of those detained.

  • The proportion of property offense cases involving black youth in 2002 was 28%, while the proportion of detained property offense cases involving black youth was 36%.

  • Black juveniles made up 29% of public order offense cases processed in 2002 and 31% of those detained.

  • Youth of other races made up 5% or less of the overall 2002 caseload for each offense category as well as the corresponding caseloads involving detention.

Age

  • In each year from 1985 through 2002, delinquency cases involving youth age 16 or older were more likely to be detained than were cases involving youth age 15 or younger.

  • For both age groups, drug offense cases were more likely to involve detention than were other offense cases between 1987 and the mid 1990s. After that time, however, person offense and public order offense cases were more likely to involve detention than were drug offense cases.

  • In 2002, 16-year-olds accounted for 25% of the cases that involved detention cases, a larger proportion of cases than any other single age group.

Gender

  • Male juveniles charged with delinquency offenses were more likely than females to be held in secure facilities while awaiting court disposition. Overall in 2002, 22% of male delinquency cases involved detention, compared with 17% of female cases.

  • In 2002, both males and females were least likely to be detained in cases involving property offenses (19% and 12%, respectively).

For all years between 1985 and 2002, detention was more likely for cases involving older youth than younger youth, males than females, and black youth than white youth

Percentage of delinquency cases detained by age group:

 

15 or younger

16 or older

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   19%

   22%

      16%

  20%

   28%

 

  22%

   27%

   20%

   22%

   26%

1986

19

23

16 

24

27

 

22

26

19

26

24

1987

18

21

14

30

26

 

21

25

18

29

23

1988

19

22

15

34

26

 

22

25

18

31

23

1989

20

23

16

36

26

 

23

27

19

35

25

1990

21

25

18

39

29

 

24

29

21

36

26

1991

19

23

16

38

25

 

22

27

18

34

23

1992

19

22

16

35

24

 

22

27

18

32

22

1993

18

21

14

28

22

 

21

26

17

27

22

1994

17

21

14

25

21

 

20

26

17

24

21

1995

16

20

12

21

18

 

18

24

15

21

19

1996

16

21

12

20

19

 

18

25

15

20

19

1997

17

22

13

19

21

 

21

27

16

21

23

1998

18

23

14

22

21

 

22

28

18

24

23

1999

20

23

16

23

24

 

24

29

19

25

25

2000

19

23

15

19

22

 

22

28

18

22

24

2001

19

24

15

18

20

 

21

27

17

21

22

2002

20

24

16

18

21

 

22

27

18

21

22

Percentage of delinquency cases detained by gender:

 

Male

 

Female

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   21%

   26%

   18%

   22%

   26%

 

   17%

   17%

   13%

   19%

   28%

1986

21

26

18

26

25

 

17

18

13

21

27

1987

20

24

17

30

24

 

15

16

11

23

25

1988

21

24

17

33

25

 

16

18

12

26

25

1989

22

26

18

37

26

 

16

18

12

27

24

1990

24

28

20

39

28

 

17

19

13

28

26

1991

22

26

18

36

24

 

15

18

12

26

21

1992

21

26

18

34

23

 

15

17

12

26

22

1993

20

25

17

28

23

 

14

16

11

21

18

1994

20

24

17

25

22

 

14

17

10

19

17

1995

18

23

15

22

20

 

12

16

8

15

15

1996

18

24

15

21

20

 

12

18

8

13

17

1997

20

26

16

21

23

 

14

19

9

16

19

1998

21

26

17

24

23

 

16

20

11

19

20

1999

23

26

19

25

26

 

18

22

12

21

22

2000

22

27

18

21

24

 

17

21

11

18

20

2001

21

26

17

20

22

 

16

21

11

17

18

2002

22

26

19

20

23

 

17

22

12

18

18

Percentage of delinquency cases detained by race:

 
White

 
Black

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   18%

   21%

   16%

   18%

   25%

 

   25%

   28%

   22%

   33%

   31%

1986

18

21

15

20

24

 

26

28

23

42

32

1987

17

19

14

20

23

 

26

27

21

47

30

1988

17

19

14

20

22

 

27

28

22

50

30

1989

18

21

15

22

24

 

28

28

22

53

30

1990

20

23

17

26

26

 

29

30

24

50

31

1991

17

21

15

24

22

 

26

28

22

46

27

1992

18

22

15

24

22

 

25

27

21

43

24

1993

16

20

14

19

20

 

23

26

19

39

23

1994

17

21

14

17

20

 

22

25

18

36

21

1995

14

19

12

14

18

 

21

24

17

35

20

1996

14

21

11

13

17

 

22

25

18

34

22

1997

16

22

13

14

21

 

24

27

19

35

23

1998

18

23

14

18

22

 

25

27

21

36

23

1999

19

23

15

18

23

 

27

28

21

41

28

2000

18

23

14

17

21

 

25

28

20

33

26

2001

17

23

14

16

20

 

25

28

21

34

24

2002

18

23

15

16

21

 

25

28

22

33

23


 

Other race

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   25%

   31%

   20%

   26%

   37%

1986

25

34

21

20

32

1987

24

31

21

28

29

1988

26

31

24

32

29

1989

27

30

25

34

31

1990

30

38

26

37

33

1991

25

30

22

32

27

1992

22

28

20

22

22

1993

22

29

18

22

25

1994

21

29

17

23

26

1995

20

27

16

15

27

1996

19

28

14

18

26

1997

21

31

15

17

28

1998

21

29

16

20

28

1999

23

32

18

23

29

2000

23

31

17

21

28

2001

20

26

16

16

24

2002

21

27

17

17

24

Race

  • Cases involving black youth were more likely to be detained than cases involving white youth in each year between 1985 and 2002 across offense categories.

  • In 2002, person offense cases involving black youth and youth of other races were more likely to involve detention than those involving white youth (28%, 27%, and 23%, respectively).

  • The likelihood of detention for property offenses in 2002 was higher for black youth than for white youth and youth of other races (22%, 15%, and 17%, respectively).

  • In 2002, black youth were twice as likely as white youth and youth of other races to be detained for cases involving drug offenses (33%, 16%, and 17%, respectively).

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the likelihood of detention for cases involving public order offenses decreased for youth of all races: from 25% to 21% for white youth, from 31% to 23% for black youth, and from 37% to 24% for youth of other races.

  • Overall, between 1985 and 2002, the detention caseload increased from 151,600 to 199,700 for white youth (32%), from 72,500 to 118,600 for black youth (64%), and from 7,300 to 11,500 for youth of other races (57%).

  • Among white youth and youth of other races, the largest increase between 1985 and 2002 in the number of cases involving detention was seen in juveniles charged with person offense violations (144% and 141%, respectively); among black youth, the largest increase in the number of cases detained involved drug offense violations (194%).

Intake Decision

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the likelihood that a delinquency case would be handled informally (without filing a petition for adjudication) decreased. While the overall delinquency caseload increased 41% between 1985 and 2002, the number of nonpetitioned cases increased 9% and the number of petitioned cases increased 80%.

  • Between 1992 and 2002, the number of cases handled with the filing of a petition requesting an adjudicatory hearing increased 27%, while the number of nonpetitioned cases declined 9%.

  • The largest increase in the number of petitioned cases between 1985 and 2002 was seen in drug offense cases (265%), followed by public order offense cases (178%) and person offense cases (137%).

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the number of formally handled property offense cases increased 13%. Unlike the trends for the other three offense categories, the number of formally handled property offense cases peaked in 1996 and then declined through 2002.

Offense profile of delinquency cases, 2002:

Most serious offense

Nonpetitioned

Petitioned


Person

   23%

   25%

Property

41

37

Drugs

11

13

Public order

25

26

Total

 100%

  100%

Number of cases

680,500

934,900


Note: Detail may not total 100% because of rounding.

  • In 2002, the offense profiles of nonpetitioned and petitioned delinquency cases were very similar.

Between 1985 and 1992, delinquency cases were more likely to be handled without the filing of a petition; beginning in 1993, the reverse was true

Figure showing the number of petitioned and nonpetitioned delinquency cases between 1985 and 2002.


In contrast to the other general offense categories, the number of property offense cases decreased 25% between 1996 and 2002

Figure showing the number of petitioned delinquency cases for person, property, drug, and public order offenses for each year between 1985 and 2002.

In 2002, juvenile courts petitioned nearly 6 of 10 delinquency cases

Most serious offense

Number of petitioned cases

Petitioned cases as a percent of all cases


Total delinquency

934,900

   58%

Total person

233,300

60

  Criminal homicide

    1,400

82

  Forcible rape

    3,700

78

  Robbery

  18,600

86

  Aggravated assault

  32,700

69

  Simple assault

147,900

55

  Other violent sex offenses

  13,300

81

  Other person offenses

  15,800

63

Total property

343,500

55

  Burglary

  77,800

78

  Larceny-theft

124,100

44

  Motor vehicle theft

  30,300

79

  Arson

    5,400

67

  Vandalism

  49,100

52

  Trespassing

  23,900

47

  Stolen property offenses

  16,500

75

  Other property offenses

  16,500

63

Drug law violations

117,100

61

Public order offenses

240,900

59

  Obstruction of justice

129,500

71

  Disorderly conduct

  47,900

44

  Weapons offenses

  21,400

60

  Liquor law violations

    9,800

35

  Nonviolent sex offenses

    8,500

55

  Other public order offenses

  23,800

61

Violent Crime Index*

  56,400

75

Property Crime Index**

237,600

55


* Includes criminal homicide, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
** Includes burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Note: Detail may not add to totals because of rounding.


Between 1985 and 2002, the use of formal processing increased in all general offense categories

Figure showing the percent of delinquency cases in which formal processing was used for person, property, drug, and public order offenses between 1985 and 2002.

  • The overall likelihood of formal handling was greater for more serious offenses within the same general offense category. In 2002, for example, 69% of aggravated assault cases were handled formally, compared with 55% of simple assault cases. Similarly, 78% of burglary cases and 79% of motor vehicle theft cases were handled formally by juvenile courts, compared with 44% of larceny-theft and 52% of vandalism cases.

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the likelihood of formal processing increased: from 43% to 61% for drug offense cases, from 54% to 60% for person offense cases, from 45% to 59% for public order cases, and from 44% to 55% for property offense cases.

  • Between 1987 and 1996, drug offense cases were more likely than other cases to be handled formally.

  • Since 1996, person offense cases have been as likely to be handled formally as cases involving drug offenses.

Age

  • In each year between 1985 and 2002, delinquency cases involving juveniles age 16 or older were more likely to be petitioned than were cases involving younger juveniles.

  • In 2002, 55% of delinquency cases involving youth age 15 or younger were petitioned, compared with 61% of cases involving older youth.

  • Since 1991, the proportion of drug offense cases petitioned has declined for both age groups, while the proportion of petitioned cases for each of the other general offense categories has grown.

  • Among youth age 15 or younger, drug offense cases were more likely to be handled formally than any other offense category between 1987 and 1998. Since 1999, person offense cases have been as likely as or more likely than drug offense cases to be petitioned for adjudication.

  • Among youth age 16 or older, person offense cases were more likely to be handled formally than any other offense category between 1995 and 2002.

Gender

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the proportion of delinquency cases petitioned increased for males from 48% to 61% and for females from 35% to 50%.

  • Regardless of offense, for each year between 1985 and 2002, juvenile courts were more likely to petition cases involving males than females.

Between 1985 and 2002, the likelihood of formal handling increased more for younger than older youth and for females than males

Percentage of delinquency cases petitioned by age group:

 
15 or younger

 
16 or older

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

  42%

   51%

   40%

   38%

   44%

 

   50%

   59%

   50%

   47%

   46%

1986

44

52

42

47

45

 

50

58

49

51

45

1987

44

51

41

53

45

 

51

58

50

56

47

1988

45

52

42

58

47

 

52

58

51

59

48

1989

47

53

44

62

49

 

54

59

52

62

49

1990

46

52

43

66

49

 

53

58

51

65

50

1991

47

52

43

68

49

 

54

59

51

68

50

1992

47

52

44

66

49

 

54

58

51

65

52

1993

49

54

46

62

51

 

56

61

54

64

55

1994

50

54

46

59

52

 

57

62

55

62

56

1995

51

56

47

59

54

 

58

63

55

62

58

1996

53

58

50

58

54

 

59

64

56

62

59

1997

54

57

50

58

56

 

59

63

56

61

60

1998

55

58

52

60

57

 

60

64

58

63

61

1999

55

59

52

59

56

 

60

64

57

63

60

2000

55

59

52

59

57

 

61

65

58

62

61

2001

55

58

51

56

56

 

60

64

58

62

61

2002

55

58

52

58

57

 

61

65

59

63

61

Percentage of delinquency cases petitioned by gender:

 
Male

 
Female

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

  48%

   57%

   46%

   45%

   45%

 

   35%

   41%

   31%

   33%

   44%

1986

49

58

48

52

46

 

36

43

31

39

43

1987

50

57

48

57

47

 

36

42

31

43

43

1988

51

57

48

61

49

 

37

43

32

46

44

1989

52

58

50

64

50

 

38

43

34

47

46

1990

52

57

49

68

51

 

37

42

32

51

45

1991

52

57

49

70

51

 

38

44

33

52

46

1992

53

57

50

68

52

 

38

43

33

49

46

1993

55

60

52

65

55

 

40

46

35

48

48

1994

56

60

53

63

55

 

42

47

37

46

49

1995

57

61

53

63

57

 

43

49

37

48

50

1996

58

63

56

62

58

 

45

51

40

49

52

1997

59

62

56

62

59

 

47

51

41

50

54

1998

60

63

58

64

60

 

48

53

42

52

54

1999

60

63

58

63

60

 

49

54

42

52

53

2000

60

64

58

63

60

 

49

54

42

52

54

2001

60

62

58

61

60

 

48

53

41

51

53

2002

61

63

59

62

61

 

50

54

43

53

54

Percentage of delinquency cases petitioned by race:

 
White

 
Black

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   42%

   47%

   41%

   39%

   42%

 

 56%

   64%

   52%

   61%

   55%

1986

43

49

42

42

42

 

57

63

53

70

56

1987

42

47

41

45

42

 

59

63

54

75

60

1988

44

48

43

48

44

 

59

63

53

77

58

1989

45

49

44

49

46

 

61

63

56

80

59

1990

45

49

43

53

45

 

59

62

54

82

60

1991

45

49

44

53

45

 

59

62

53

83

59

1992

46

49

44

52

47

 

58

61

53

81

58

1993

48

52

47

51

50

 

61

64

56

80

60

1994

49

52

47

50

52

 

61

65

56

78

60

1995

51

54

48

52

54

 

61

64

55

77

61

1996

53

57

50

52

54

 

63

65

58

78

61

1997

53

56

51

53

56

 

62

64

58

77

61

1998

54

57

52

55

56

 

65

66

60

80

65

1999

54

57

52

54

56

 

65

68

60

80

64

2000

55

58

52

56

56

 

65

67

60

78

64

2001

54

56

52

55

56

 

64

66

60

77

63

2002

55

57

52

56

57

 

65

66

61

78

63


 
Other race

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   44%

   60%

   42%

   34%

   45%

1986

46

61

44

41

44

1987

46

59

45

38

45

1988

49

62

47

44

45

1989

48

58

46

44

47

1990

50

59

47

44

52

1991

51

60

48

46

51

1992

49

56

47

46

50

1993

48

58

46

49

46

1994

49

59

47

50

48

1995

50

58

47

46

50

1996

50

58

46

52

54

1997

51

58

47

51

54

1998

52

57

48

54

57

1999

52

58

48

55

56

2000

56

60

52

58

60

2001

55

58

52

55

60

2002

58

59

54

56

63

Race

  • The proportion of delinquency cases petitioned increased for all three racial groups between 1985 and 2002: from 42% to 55% for cases involving white youth, from 56% to 65% for cases involving black youth, and from 44% to 58% for youth of other races.

  • Across all offense categories between 1985 and 2002, delinquency cases involving black juveniles were more likely to be petitioned than were cases involving white youth or youth of other races.

  • In 2002, racial differences in the likelihood of petitioning were greatest for drug offense cases: 78% of drug cases involving black juveniles were petitioned, compared with 56% for both white juveniles and juveniles of other races.

  • The likelihood that a delinquency case would be handled formally varied far less among offense categories for white youth than for black youth.

  • For black juveniles, drug offense cases were more likely to be handled formally than any other offense category between 1986 and 2002.

  • For all three racial groups, the proportion of pubic order cases petitioned for adjudication increased between 1993 and 2002: from 50% to 57% for cases involving white youth, from 60% to 63% for cases involving black youth, and from 46% to 63% for youth of other races.

  • Between 1996 and 2002, property offense cases were least likely to be handled formally among all racial groups.

Waiver

  • The number of delinquency cases judicially waived to criminal court in 1994, the peak year, was 83% greater than the number waived in 1985. This increase was followed by a 46% decline between 1994 and 2002. As a result, the number of cases waived in 2002 was 1% below the number waived in 1985.

  • The number of judicially waived person offense cases increased 130% between 1985 and 1994 and then declined 47% through 2002. The number of person offense cases judicially waived in 2002 was 23% more than the number waived in 1985.

  • The number of drug offense cases judicially waived increased 435% between 1985 and 1991 (the peak for drug offenses), then decreased 45% between 1991 and 2002. As a result, the number of cases waived in 2002 was 194% greater than the number waived in 1985.

  • The number of judicially waived property offense cases increased 29% between 1985 and 1994 and then declined 48% between 1994 and 2002. The number of property offense cases judicially waived in 2002 was 33% less than the number waived in 1985.

  • For public order offenses, the number of waived cases increased 79% between 1985 and 1994 and then declined 45% between 1994 and 2002. As a result, the number of judicially waived public order cases was 2% less than the number waived in 1985.

  • The decline in the number of judicial waivers after 1994 may be attributable to the large increase in the number of states that passed legislation excluding certain serious offenses from juvenile court jurisdiction and legislation permitting the prosecutor to file certain cases directly in criminal court.

There were slightly fewer cases judicially waived to criminal court in 2002 than in 1985

Figure showing the number of juvenile delinquency cases judicially waived to criminal court between 1985 and 2002.


In 1985, more property offense cases were judicially waived than cases in any other offense category; by 2002, the largest proportion (by a small amount) was person offense cases

Figure showing the number of juvenile cases judicially waived to criminal court between 1985 and 2002 for person, property, drug, and public order offenses.

Between 1989 and 1991, cases involving drug offenses were most likely to be judicially waived; for all other years between 1985 and 2002, person offense cases were most likely to be waived

Figure showing the percent of petitioned delinquency cases that were waived to criminal court for person, property, drug, and public order offenses between 1985 and 2002.


Between 1985 and 2002, the offense profile of the judicially waived caseload changed substantially—the share of property offense cases decreased and the share of person offense cases increased

Bar chart showing the proportion of waived delinquency cases between 1985 and 2002 by offense: person, property, drugs, and public order.

  • Between 1988 and 1991, the proportion of judicially waived drug offense cases increased sharply from 1.4% to 3.9%. After peaking in 1991, the proportion of waived drug offense cases decreased each year, with 0.8% of drug cases being waived in 2002.

  • The proportion of judicially waived person offense cases decreased between 1985 and 1988 and then increased steadily through 1994, when 2.7% of such cases were waived. Since then, the proportion has decreased steadily; 1.3% of the petitioned person offense caseload were waived in 2002.

  • The proportion of property offense cases that were judicially waived decreased fairly steadily between 1985 and 2002; public order offenses followed a similar pattern.

  • The proportion of the waived caseload involving person offenses increased from 33% in 1985 to a peak of 44% in 1995. In 2002, person offense cases made up 41% of the judicially waived caseload.

  • The proportion of all waived delinquency cases that involved a property offense as the most serious charge declined from 53% in 1985 to 36% in 2002.

  • Drug offense cases represented 5% of the judicially waived cases in 1985; by 1991, they comprised 17% of the waived caseload. Drug offense cases made up 14% of the 2002 judicially waived caseload.

  • On average, public order offense cases accounted for 8% of the waived caseload between 1985 and 2002.

Age

  • In 2002, 1.5% of all petitioned delinquency cases involving juveniles age 16 or older were waived to criminal court, compared with 0.2% of cases involving younger juveniles.

  • For older juveniles, the probability of waiver peaked in 1991 at 3.2%, hovered around that level through 1994, and then declined.

  • This pattern was most marked in waivers for older juveniles charged with drug offenses, which peaked at 6.2% in 1991 and then steadily declined to 1.4% in 2002.

  • Regardless of offense, less than 1% of all petitioned delinquency cases involving juveniles age 15 or younger were waived to criminal court between 1985 and 2002.

Gender

  • Regardless of offense, cases involving males were more likely to be judicially waived than cases involving females.

  • Among males, the proportion of petitioned drug offense cases judicially waived increased substantially between 1985 and 1991 (from 1.2% to 4.1%) and then declined dramatically. In 2002, the proportion of male drug offense cases that were judicially waived was less than 1%.

  • Judicially waived drug offense cases involving females followed the same pattern, increasing sharply between 1985 and 1991 (from 0.4% to 2.3%) and then declining sharply. In 2002, the proportion of female drug offense cases that were judicially waived was 0.5%.

  • Compared with 1985, the 2002 waived caseload contained a slightly larger proportion of females (7% vs. 5%). This pattern was similar for all four general offense categories.

Cases involving juveniles age 16 or older were much more likely to be judicially waived to criminal court than those involving younger juveniles

Percentage of petitioned delinquency cases judicially waived by age group:

 

15 or younger

 
16 or older

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   0.2%

   0.4%

    0.1%

  0.0%

   0.1%

 

   2.9%

   5.2%

   2.9%

   1.7%

   1.4%

1986

0.2

0.4

0.1

0.2

0.1

 

2.7

4.5

2.7

1.8

1.2

1987

0.2

0.4

0.1

0.1

0.1

 

2.4

3.7

2.5

2.1

0.9

1988

0.2

0.4

0.1

0.2

0.1

 

2.3

3.7

2.4

2.2

1.0

1989

0.3

0.5

0.2

0.4

0.1

 

2.6

3.9

2.4

3.8

1.0

1990

0.2

0.5

0.1

0.5

0.1

 

2.6

4.0

2.4

3.7

1.1

1991

0.3

0.6

0.1

0.5

0.2

 

3.2

4.8

2.7

6.2

1.2

1992

0.3

0.6

0.2

0.4

0.2

 

2.9

5.0

2.4

3.8

1.3

1993

0.3

0.6

0.2

0.4

0.2

 

3.1

5.7

2.5

3.5

1.3

1994

0.3

0.7

0.2

0.3

0.1

 

3.1

5.6

2.6

3.2

1.3

1995

0.3

0.8

0.2

0.3

0.2

 

2.3

4.6

2.0

2.4

0.8

1996

0.3

0.7

0.2

0.2

0.1

 

2.2

4.3

2.0

2.2

0.6

1997

0.3

0.5

0.2

0.2

0.1

 

2.0

3.7

1.9

2.0

0.7

1998

0.2

0.5

0.2

0.3

0.1

 

1.9

3.2

2.0

2.1

0.7

1999

0.2

0.5

0.2

0.2

0.1

 

1.7

3.1

1.7

1.9

0.6

2000

0.2

0.5

0.2

0.1

0.1

 

1.6

2.7

1.7

1.7

0.6

2001

0.2

0.4

0.1

0.1

0.1

 

1.3

2.5

1.3

1.2

0.4

2002

0.2

0.4

0.1

0.0

0.1

 

1.5

2.7

1.6

1.4

0.5

Percentage of petitioned delinquency cases judicially waived by gender:

 

Male

 

Female

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

  1.6%

   2.7%

   1.4%

   1.2

   0.9%

 

  0.4%

   0.7%

   0.5%

   0.4%

   0.2%

1986

1.5

2.4

1.4

1.3

0.8

 

0.5

0.8

0.6

0.5

0.2

1987

1.3

2.1

1.3

1.5

0.6

 

0.4

0.5

0.4

0.6

0.3

1988

1.3

2.0

1.2

1.5

0.6

 

0.4

0.5

0.3

1.0

0.1

1989

1.4

2.2

1.2

2.6

0.6

 

0.4

0.4

0.5

1.1

0.2

1990

1.4

2.2

1.1

2.6

0.7

 

0.4

0.3

0.4

1.3

0.1

1991

1.7

2.6

1.3

4.1

0.8

 

0.4

0.6

0.3

2.3

0.0

1992

1.6

2.8

1.2

2.5

0.8

 

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.8

0.2

1993

1.7

3.1

1.2

2.4

0.8

 

0.4

0.6

0.4

0.5

0.2

1994

1.7

3.2

1.3

2.1

0.8

 

0.5

0.6

0.5

0.8

0.3

1995

1.4

2.7

1.0

1.6

0.5

 

0.3

0.4

0.3

0.6

0.2

1996

1.4

2.6

1.1

1.5

0.4

 

0.3

0.5

0.3

0.6

0.1

1997

1.2

2.2

1.0

1.4

0.4

 

0.3

0.4

0.3

0.4

0.1

1998

1.1

1.9

1.0

1.4

0.4

 

0.4

0.5

0.5

0.9

0.1

1999

1.1

1.8

0.9

1.3

0.4

 

0.3

0.4

0.3

0.7

0.1

2000

1.0

1.6

0.9

1.1

0.4

 

0.3

0.4

0.2

0.7

0.1

2001

0.8

1.5

0.7

0.8

0.3

 

0.2

0.3

0.2

0.4

0.1

2002

0.9

1.6

0.9

0.9

0.3

 

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.5

0.1

Percentage of petitioned delinquency cases judicially waived by race:

 

White

 

Black

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   1.2%

   2.2%

   1.2%

   0.7%

   0.6%

 

   1.8%

   2.8%

   1.5%

   2.0%

   1.1%

1986

1.2

1.7

1.2

0.9

0.6

 

1.7

2.7

1.4

1.7

0.9

1987

1.1

1.6

1.2

1.0

0.4

 

1.4

2.1

1.3

1.9

0.7

1988

1.0

1.4

1.1

1.1

0.5

 

1.4

2.1

1.2

1.8

0.6

1989

1.0

1.5

1.1

1.3

0.4

 

1.8

2.3

1.3

3.5

0.8

1990

1.0

1.3

1.0

1.0

0.4

 

1.8

2.6

1.2

3.6

0.9

1991

1.2

1.9

1.1

1.6

0.5

 

2.1

2.8

1.4

5.4

0.9

1992

1.1

2.0

1.0

1.0

0.5

 

1.9

2.9

1.3

3.3

1.0

1993

1.2

2.0

1.0

1.4

0.6

 

2.0

3.3

1.3

3.0

1.0

1994

1.3

2.2

1.2

1.4

0.6

 

1.8

3.1

1.2

2.7

0.7

1995

1.0

1.8

0.9

1.0

0.4

 

1.6

2.7

1.0

2.2

0.6

1996

1.0

1.9

0.9

1.0

0.3

 

1.4

2.4

1.0

2.0

0.5

1997

0.9

1.6

0.8

0.9

0.3

 

1.3

2.0

0.9

1.8

0.5

1998

0.9

1.5

0.9

1.0

0.3

 

1.1

1.6

0.9

2.0

0.4

1999

0.8

1.4

0.8

0.9

0.3

 

1.1

1.5

0.9

1.8

0.5

2000

0.8

1.3

0.8

0.8

0.3

 

0.9

1.3

0.8

1.7

0.3

2001

0.6

1.1

0.7

0.6

0.2

 

0.7

1.2

0.5

1.1

0.2

2002

0.7

1.2

0.8

0.7

0.3

 

0.8

1.3

0.6

1.2

0.3


 

Other race

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

0.9%

   1.6%

   0.7%

   0.9%

   0.5%

1986

0.7

2.5

0.3

1.8

0.0

1987

0.9

2.4

0.6

0.2

0.9

1988

0.9

1.8

0.8

0.1

0.2

1989

0.6

1.1

0.6

0.0

0.2

1990

0.9

2.5

0.6

0.2

0.3

1991

0.8

2.2

0.4

0.9

0.0

1992

1.2

3.2

0.7

2.6

0.4

1993

1.4

3.3

0.9

1.4

0.8

1994

1.7

3.8

1.0

1.3

1.4

1995

1.3

3.6

0.7

0.8

0.5

1996

1.5

2.9

1.2

1.7

0.6

1997

1.8

3.5

1.5

1.9

0.7

1998

1.3

2.7

1.0

1.2

0.5

1999

1.1

2.4

0.7

1.3

0.7

2000

1.1

2.0

0.9

1.7

0.5

2001

0.9

2.1

0.7

1.2

0.4

2002

0.7

1.5

0.6

0.7

0.3

Race

  • Among all racial groups, delinquency cases were less likely to be judicially waived in 2002 than in 1985.

  • In 1985, the likelihood of judicial waiver among cases involving white youth was 1.2%, and for cases involving black youth it was 1.8%.

  • Between 1989 and 1993, delinquency cases involving black juveniles were nearly twice as likely as those involving white juveniles to be judicially waived.

  • In 2002, the overall likelihood of a youth being judicially waived to criminal court for a delinquent offense was similar for whites (0.7%), blacks (0.8%), and other races (0.7%).

  • In 2002, cases involving person offenses were most likely to be waived for youth of all races: 1.2% among white juveniles, 1.3% among black juveniles, and 1.5% among youth of other races.

  • Among black juveniles, the use of waiver to criminal court for cases involving drug offenses peaked in 1991, when it was more than 3 times that of white youth (5.4% vs. 1.6%) and 6 times that of youth of other races (0.9%).

  • For black youth in 2002, drug offense cases were nearly as likely as person offense cases to be judicially waived (1.2% and 1.3%, respectively).

  • The number of judicially waived cases involving white juveniles increased 67% between 1985 and 1994, from 4,200 to 6,900, and then declined 36% to the 2002 level of 4,400.

  • For black juveniles, the number of judicially waived cases nearly doubled between 1985 and 1994, from 2,900 to 5,700, then declined 57% through 2002 to 2,500.

  • The number of judicially waived person offense cases involving white youth increased 130% between 1985 and 1996, from 1,100 to 2,500, then declined 36% to 1,600 cases in 2002.

  • Similarly, among black juveniles, the number of person offense cases waived increased 123% between 1985 and 1994, from 1,300 to 2,800, then decreased 57% to 1,200 cases in 2002.

Offense profile of waived cases:

Most serious offense

1985

2002


White

 

 

Person

   26%

    37%

Property

61

41

Drugs

  4

13

Public order

  9

  9

Total

  100%

  100%

Black

 

 

Person

    43%

    49%

Property

43

27

Drugs

   6

16

Public order

   9

   8

Total

   100%

   100%


Note:
Detail may not total 100% because of rounding.

  • In 2002, person offense cases accounted for nearly half (49%) of the waived cases involving black juveniles.

  • For white youth, property offense cases accounted for the largest share of the waived caseload each year from 1985 to 2002.

Between 1985 and 2002, the number of cases judicially waived to criminal court increased 6% for cases involving white youth and decreased 16% for cases involving black youth

Five figures showing delingquency cases judicially waived to criminal court, by offense category, 1985-2002.

Between 1996 and 2002, the proportion of formally processed delinquency cases steadily increased; as did the proportion that resulted in a delinquency adjudication or waiver

Bar chart showing the proportion of delinquency cases that were petitioned and adjudicated delinquent or judicially waived, petitioned but not adjudicated delinquent, or nonpetitioned between 1985 and 2002.

In 2002, youth were adjudicated delinquent in two-thirds of all petitioned delinquency cases

Most serious offense

Number of
cases adjudicated delinquent

Percentage of petitioned cases adjudicated delinquent


Total delinquency

624,500

   67%

Person

145,800

62

 Criminal homicide

       800

57

 Forcible rape

    2,500

68

 Robbery

 11,900

64

 Aggravated assault

 21,900

67

 Simple assault

 90,500

61

 Other violent sex offenses

   9,100

68

 Other person offenses

   9,200

58

Property

233,600

68

 Burglary

  58,300

75

 Larceny-theft

 83,600

67

 Motor vehicle theft

 21,500

71

 Arson

   3,400

63

 Vandalism

 31,800

65

 Trespassing

 13,600

57

 Stolen property offenses

 10,200

62

 Other property offenses

 11,300

68

Drug law violations

 79,100

68

Public order offenses

 166,000

69

 Obstruction of justice

 92,800

72

 Disorderly conduct

 29,900

62

 Weapons offenses

 14,700

69

 Liquor law violations

   6,000

61

 Nonviolent sex offenses

   6,100

72

 Other public order offenses

 16,500

69

Violent Crime Index

 37,000

66

Property Crime Index

 166,700

70

Note: Detail may not add to totals because of runding.

Adjudication

  • In 1985, 30% of all delinquency cases resulted in either adjudication of delinquency or waiver to criminal court. By 2002, this proportion had increased to 39%.

  • Between 1995 and 2002, the number of delinquency cases that resulted in a delinquency adjudication or were judicially waived to criminal court increased 16%, while the number of formally handled cases that were not adjudicated delinquent decreased 24%.

  • The likelihood of being adjudicated delinquent was greater for more serious offenses within the same general offense category.

  • Within the 2002 person offense category, 67% of petitioned aggravated assault cases were adjudicated delinquent, compared with 61% of simple assault cases.

  • In the property offense category in 2002, 75% of petitioned burglary cases were adjudicated delinquent, compared with 71% of motor vehicle theft cases and 67% of larceny-theft cases.

  • Among public order offenses in 2002, 69% of the weapons violations cases were adjudicated delinquent, compared with 62% of disorderly conduct cases and 61% of liquor law violation cases.

  • Beginning in 1997 and continuing through 2002, the annual number of delinquency cases in which the youth was adjudicated delinquent remained rather constant. In 2002, 624,500 cases were adjudicated delinquent, compared with 337,900 cases in 1985.

  • Among person offense cases, the number of adjudicated cases increased 162% between 1985 and 2002 (55,600 vs. 145,800).

  • The number of adjudicated cases involving property offenses increased 16% between 1985 and 2002 (201,000 vs. 233,600).

  • Between 1985 and 2002, drug offense cases had the greatest percent increase in the number of cases adjudicated delinquent. In 1985, approximately 22,100 cases involving drug offense violations were adjudicated delinquent. By 2002, the number of adjudicated drug offense cases had increased 257% to 79,100 cases.

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the number of public order offense cases adjudicated delinquent increased 180%, from 59,200 cases to 166,000 cases.

Offense profile of cases adjudicated delinquent:

Most serious offense

1985

2002


Person

   16%

    23%

Property

59

37

Drugs

   7

13

Public order

18

27

Total

  100%

  100%


Note:
Detail may not total 100% because of rounding.

  • Compared with 1985, the 2002 adjudicated delinquent caseload included greater proportions of person, public order, and drug offense cases and a substantially smaller proportion of property offense cases.

Between 1985 and 2002, the number of cases in which the youth was adjudicated delinquent increased 85% (from 337,900 to 624,500)

Figure showing the total number of cases adjudicated delinquent for each year between 1985 and 2002.


Between 1998 and 2002, the number of cases adjudicated delinquent increased for cases involving person, drug, and public order offenses but decreased for cases involving property offenses

Figure showing cases adjudicated delinquent for person, property, drug, and public order offenses between 1985 and 2002.

Between 1995 and 2002, the likelihood of petitioned cases resulting in a delinquency adjudication steadily increased from 57% to 67%

Five figures showing percent of juvenile court cases adjudicated delinquent, by offense category, 1985-2002.

  • The likelihood of delinquency adjudication decreased from 65% to 57% between 1985 and 1996 and then increased to 67% in 2002.

  • In 2002, the likelihood of a delinquency adjudication for cases involving property, drug, and public order offenses was about the same as in 1985. However, for cases involving a person offense, the likelihood of a delinquency adjudication was somewhat greater in 2002 than in 1985 (62% vs. 57%).

  • Among the four general offense categories, person offense cases were least likely to result in delinquency adjudication for all years between 1985 and 2002.

  • The likelihood of adjudication among cases involving a property offense decreased from 66% to 58% between 1985 and 1995 then steadily increased to 68% in 2002.

  • The likelihood of adjudication among drug offense cases decreased from 69% to 57% between 1985 and 1991 and then steadily increased to 68% in 2002.

  • Among public order cases, the likelihood of adjudication decreased steadily from 68% to 58% between 1985 and 1996 and then increased to 69% in 2002.

Age

  • In each year from 1985 through 2002, juveniles age 15 or younger were more likely than older juveniles to be adjudicated delinquent, regardless of offense.

  • Regardless of age, person offense cases were less likely than other offense categories to be adjudicated delinquent for each year between 1985 and 2002.

  • Between 1985 and 1995, the likelihood of adjudication for drug offense cases involving juveniles 15 or younger decreased steadily from 71% to 59%. After that time, the proportion increased. In 2002, 69% of drug offense cases involving juveniles under age 16 resulted in a delinquency adjudication.

  • For drug offense cases involving juveniles age 16 and older, the likelihood of adjudication decreased from 68% to 56% between 1985 and 1996. In a trend similar to their younger counterparts, the proportion of drug offense cases involving older juveniles that resulted in adjudication increased to 66% in 2002.

Gender

  • Between 1985 and 2002, male cases generally were more likely to be adjudicated delinquent than were female cases.

  • In each year from 1999 through 2002, however, petitioned drug offense cases involving females were as likely or more likely to result in a delinquency adjudication compared with cases involving males.

  • Between 1985 and 2002, for both male and female juveniles, the likelihood of a delinquency adjudication increased more for person offense cases than for other offenses; however, the increase was greater for females (from 51% to 60%) than for males (58% to 63%).

Between 1997 and 2002, drug offense cases involving younger juveniles were more likely to be adjudicated delinquent than those involving older juveniles

Percentage of petitioned cases adjudicated delinquent by age group:

 

15 or younger

 
16 or older

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   66%

   58%

   67%

   71%

   71%

 

  64%

   55%

   66%

   68%

   66%

1986

65

58

66

69

67

 

62

56

64

65

63

1987

64

58

65

66

67

 

62

57

63

62

63

1988

62

55

63

62

65

 

59

54

61

57

61

1989

62

57

63

66

66

 

61

56

62

62

62

1990

61

56

62

62

64

 

59

53

61

56

60

1991

59

54

61

60

61

 

57

53

59

54

58

1992

59

55

60

59

62

 

57

53

59

56

57

1993

60

55

61

59

63

 

57

51

58

56

58

1994

59

55

60

59

62

 

56

51

57

56

57

1995

58

55

58

59

61

 

55

51

57

56

56

1996

58

55

59

60

61

 

56

52

57

56

56

1997

60

57

61

63

62

 

58

54

59

59

59

1998

63

60

65

65

62

 

60

57

62

61

59

1999

66

63

67

68

67

 

62

59

64

64

63

2000

69

64

70

71

71

 

66

61

67

67

68

2001

67

62

68

70

68

 

65

60

66

66

68

2002

67

63

69

69

69

 

66

61

67

66

68

Percentage of petitioned cases adjudicated delinquent by gender:

 
Male

 
Female

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   66%

   58%

   67%

   70%

   69%

 

   62%

   51%

   62%

   66%

   68%

1986

64

58

66

67

66

 

60

51

60

66

64

1987

63

58

64

64

65

 

59

53

59

59

64

1988

61

56

63

59

63

 

57

51

56

56

63

1989

63

57

64

64

64

 

57

51

57

60

62

1990

61

55

63

59

62

 

57

52

57

55

61

1991

59

55

61

57

60

 

53

49

54

53

58

1992

59

55

60

58

60

 

54

50

54

52

58

1993

59

54

61

58

61

 

54

50

53

54

59

1994

58

54

60

58

61

 

53

51

53

54

57

1995

58

54

59

58

59

 

52

50

52

54

57

1996

58

55

59

58

59

 

53

50

52

55

57

1997

60

57

61

61

61

 

55

52

55

58

59

1998

62

60

64

63

61

 

59

56

59

60

60

1999

65

62

66

65

65

 

62

59

62

66

64

2000

68

63

70

69

70

 

65

60

65

69

70

2001

66

62

68

67

69

 

64

59

64

69

67

2002

67

63

69

67

70

 

64

60

65

69

67

Percentage of petitioned cases adjudicated delinquent by race:

 

White

 
Black

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   67%

   59%

   68%

   70%

   70%

 

   59%

   53%

   61%

   65%

   64%

1986

65

59

66

69

66

 

59

54

61

63

62

1987

65

59

65

66

66

 

59

56

60

60

61

1988

62

56

63

62

65

 

57

53

59

56

59

1989

63

58

64

64

65

 

59

54

59

63

61

1990

62

57

63

61

64

 

56

51

59

57

57

1991

60

55

61

59

60

 

55

51

56

55

58

1992

60

56

61

60

60

 

54

51

55

55

58

1993

60

56

61

59

62

 

54

50

55

56

58

1994

60

56

61

60

62

 

53

49

53

54

56

1995

58

55

59

59

59

 

53

50

54

55

56

1996

59

55

59

60

60

 

54

51

54

55

56

1997

61

57

61

62

61

 

56

53

56

57

59

1998

63

60

65

65

62

 

59

57

60

58

59

1999

66

64

67

68

65

 

61

58

63

60

64

2000

70

65

70

71

71

 

63

59

65

63

66

2001

69

64

70

71

71

 

59

56

60

58

61

2002

71

67

71

72

72

 

58

56

60

57

61


 

Other race

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   72%

   68%

   73%

   77%

   72%

1986

72

66

73

74

74

1987

70

65

72

69

72

1988

67

63

68

64

71

1989

69

66

70

67

70

1990

70

64

71

67

72

1991

67

64

68

60

69

1992

67

64

69

64

66

1993

63

63

63

66

61

1994

63

64

62

68

62

1995

64

62

64

64

63

1996

62

61

63

61

63

1997

65

66

64

68

64

1998

65

64

65

70

63

1999

66

66

66

67

65

2000

70

66

71

71

71

2001

73

71

73

72

74

2002

75

76

76

72

75

Race

  • In each year between 1985 and 2002, cases involving black youth were less likely to result in a delinquency adjudication than were cases involving white youth or youth of other races.

  • For black juveniles, the likelihood of a delinquency adjudication was slightly lower in 2002 than in 1985 (58% vs. 59%), while for white youth and youth of other races it was higher (71% vs. 67% and 75% vs. 72%, respectively).

  • Regardless of race, the likelihood of a delinquency adjudication for person offense cases was greater in 2002 than in 1985. For both white youth and youth of other races, the proportion of person offense cases resulting in adjudication was 8 percentage points higher in 2002 than in 1985 (67% vs. 59% and 76% vs. 68%, respectively), compared with only 3 percentage points for black youth (56% vs. 53%).

  • For each year between 1985 and 2002, drug offense cases involving black juveniles were less likely to result in adjudication than were drug cases involving white juveniles or youth of other races.

  • For youth of other races, the likelihood of a delinquency adjudication was higher in 2002 than in 1985 for cases involving person, property, and public order offenses but lower for cases involving drug offenses.

  • The likelihood of a delinquency adjudication for public order offense cases was lower in 2002 than in 1985 for cases involving black youth, but higher for white youth and youth of other races.

Dispositions: Out-of-Home Placement

  • The number of cases adjudicated delinquent that resulted in out-of-home placement increased 44% between 1985 and 2002. During this period, the number of cases involving the use of out-of-home placement increased 179% for drug offense cases, 109% for person offense cases, and 83% for public order offense cases.

  • The number of cases involving out-of-home placement peaked in 2000 at 161,700 cases. Between 2000 and 2002, the number of cases resulting in out-of-home placement decreased 6% for cases involving person offenses, 12% for property offense cases, and 13% for both drug offense cases and cases involving public order offenses.

  • Public order offense cases include escapes from institutions, weapons offenses, and probation and parole violations. This may help to explain the relatively high number of public order offense cases involving out-of-home placement.

Offense profile of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in out-of-home placement:

Most serious offense

1985

2002


Person

   18%

  26%

Property

56

37

Drugs

 5

10

Public order

22

28

Total

 100%

  100%

Cases resulting in out-of-home placement

100,400

144,000


Note: Detail may not total 100% because of rounding.

  • Property offense cases are the largest share of cases adjudicated delinquent that result in out-of-home placement, although the proportion declined substantially between 1985 and 2002.

The number of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in out-of-home placement increased 59% between 1985 and 1998 and then decreased 10% through 2002

Figure showing the number of cases adjudicated delinquent and resulting in out-of-home placement between 1985 and 2002.


The number of property offense cases adjudicated delinquent that resulted in out-of-home placement decreased 5% between 1985 and 2002

Figure showing the number of cases adjudicated delinquent and resulting in out-of-home placement between 1985 and 2002 for person, property, drug, and public order offenses.

The court ordered out-of-home placement in 23% of all cases adjudicated delinquent in 2002, down from 30% in 1985

Five figures showing percent of adjudicated delinquent cases resulting in out-of-home placement, by offense category,  1985-2002.

  • Although the likelihood that an adjudicated case would result in out-of-home placement decreased between 1985 and 2002 for each of the four major offense categories, the number of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in out-of-home placement increased 44%.

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the largest decline in the proportion of adjudicated cases resulting in out-of-home placement was seen in cases involving public order offenses (from 37% to 24%). The proportion decreased for person offense cases from 32% to 25%, for drug offense cases from 23% to 18%, and for property offense cases from 28% to 23%.

Age

  • In each year from 1985 through 2002, person and property offense cases involving juveniles age 16 or older adjudicated delinquent were more likely to result in out-of-home placement than were cases involving youth age 15 or younger.

  • For youth age 15 or younger, the use of out-of-home placement declined 17 percentage points for public order offense cases between 1985 and 2002, 7 percentage points for person offense cases and drug offense cases, and 6 percentage points for property offense cases. All of these declines were greater than those for older youth

Gender

  • For each year between 1985 and 2002, person, property, and drug offense cases involving males adjudicated delinquent were more likely to result in out-of-home placement than were cases involving females.

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the use of out-of-home placement declined more for public order offense cases than for any other offense category for both males (11 percentage points) and females (17 percentage points).

  • For males in 2002, person offense cases adjudicated delinquent were most likely to result in out-of-home placement (27%), followed by public order offense cases (25%), property cases (24%), and cases involving drug offenses (19%).

  • For females in 2002, adjudicated public order offense cases were most likely to result in out-of-home placement (20%), followed by person cases (19%), property cases (16%), and drug offense cases (14%).

Between 1985 and 2002, the likelihood of out-of-home placement declined more for for younger than older youth and more for females than males

Percentage of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in out-of-home placement by age group:

 

15 or younger

 

16 or older

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   30%

   31%

   27%

   24%

   39%

 

   30%

   33%

   29%

   23%

   33%

1986

30

32

27

32

40

 

31

34

29

30

34

1987

30

31

27

34

40

 

30

32

28

30

35

1988

30

31

27

36

39

 

30

32

28

32

35

1989

31

33

27

39

40

 

31

35

28

35

36

1990

32

34

28

39

40

 

32

36

29

34

35

1991

30

34

26

39

38

 

30

35

27

35

32

1992

29

32

26

37

35

 

30

35

27

33

33

1993

28

30

25

33

33

 

29

34

27

30

31

1994

28

30

26

30

32

 

29

33

27

28

30

1995

27

29

25

26

32

 

28

32

26

23

30

1996

26

28

24

24

29

 

27

32

26

23

29

1997

26

27

24

23

30

 

27

31

26

22

31

1998

25

26

23

23

28

 

27

30

26

22

30

1999

25

26

23

22

28

 

27

30

26

23

29

2000

25

26

23

20

27

 

27

31

26

21

30

2001

22

24

21

17

24

 

26

29

25

20

28

2002

22

24

21

17

22

 

25

29

24

19

26


Percentage of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in out-of-home placement by gender:

 

Male

 

Female

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   30%

   33%

   29%

   24%

   36%

 

   26%

   26%

   21%

   21%

   37%

1986

31

34

29

31

37

 

26

25

21

27

38

1987

31

33

28

32

37

 

25

22

21

26

37

1988

31

33

28

34

37

 

24

22

20

30

35

1989

32

35

29

37

39

 

25

24

20

31

36

1990

33

36

29

37

38

 

25

23

21

31

36

1991

31

36

27

38

35

 

24

24

19

28

34

1992

31

35

28

35

35

 

23

24

19

28

31

1993

30

33

27

31

33

 

22

24

18

25

28

1994

30

33

27

29

32

 

22

22

19

23

27

1995

29

32

27

25

32

 

21

22

18

17

27

1996

28

32

26

24

30

 

20

21

18

17

25

1997

28

31

26

23

32

 

20

20

17

15

26

1998

27

30

26

23

30

 

19

20

17

16

24

1999

27

30

26

24

30

 

20

21

17

16

25

2000

27

30

26

22

29

 

20

22

17

14

24

2001

25

28

24

20

27

 

19

20

16

13

21

2002

25

27

24

19

25

 

18

19

16

14

20

Percentage of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in out-of-home placement by race:

 

White

 
Black

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   29%

   31%

   27%

   21%

   37%

 

   31%

   33%

   29%

   29%

   36%

1986

29

30

27

26

37

 

34

36

31

39

37

1987

29

30

26

27

37

 

33

34

31

36

38

1988

29

30

26

29

37

 

33

33

30

38

37

1989

30

32

26

31

38

 

34

35

30

42

39

1990

29

32

26

30

37

 

36

37

32

41

38

1991

27

31

24

30

34

 

35

37

32

41

36

1992

27

31

24

29

34

 

34

36

32

39

35

1993

26

29

23

25

31

 

33

35

31

36

33

1994

25

28

24

23

29

 

33

35

32

36

34

1995

25

28

23

19

30

 

31

32

30

31

34

1996

24

28

23

17

27

 

31

32

29

32

34

1997

24

27

23

17

29

 

31

31

29

32

34

1998

24

26

22

17

27

 

30

29

28

33

33

1999

24

26

23

17

27

 

30

29

28

34

31

2000

24

27

23

16

27

 

29

29

27

32

31

2001

22

25

22

15

25

 

27

27

26

31

28

2002

21

24

21

15

23

 

27

27

25

30

27


 

Other race

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   32%

   36%

   28%

   32%

   40%

1986

31

35

28

31

37

1987

29

34

27

31

36

1988

29

30

28

26

35

1989

31

33

29

30

39

1990

32

33

30

38

37

1991

32

39

29

41

32

1992

36

41

33

33

40

1993

33

40

31

21

36

1994

32

37

31

25

34

1995

29

33

28

22

31

1996

31

38

30

24

31

1997

28

31

28

19

31

1998

28

32

29

20

28

1999

29

32

29

19

28

2000

28

33

28

21

25

2001

28

34

28

18

27

2002

25

30

26

17

24

Race

  • After adjudication, the likelihood of out-of-home placement in 2002 was greater for black juveniles (27%) than for white juveniles (21%) and youth of other races (25%).

  • With the exception of drug offense cases involving black youth, the proportion of cases adjudicated delinquent that resulted in out-of-home placement was smaller in 2002 than in 1985 for all races and across all offenses.

  • For adjudicated person offense cases involving white youth, the likelihood of out-of-home placement decreased 5 percentage points from 29% in 1993 to 24% in 2002, while the decrease was somewhat larger for black youth (from 35% to 27%), and for youth of other races (from 40% to 30%).

  • In each year between 1986 and 2002, drug offense cases involving black juveniles adjudicated delinquent were more likely to result in out-of-home placement than were drug cases involving white juveniles or youth of other races.

  • For adjudicated public order cases, the use of out-of home placement decreased considerably between 1985 and 2002 for white youth (from 37% to 23%) and for youth of other races (from 40% to 24%), while for black youth the decrease was somewhat smaller (from 36% to 27%).

Dispositions: Probation

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the number of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in an order of probation increased 103%, compared with a 44% increase in the number of cases resulting in out-of-home placement

  • Since 1985, the largest percent increase in the number of cases adjudicated delinquent receiving probation has been for drug offense cases (267%), followed by public order offenses (218%), person offenses (198%), and property offenses (28%).

  • Between 1998 and 2002, the number of adjudicated cases resulting in an order of probation increased 19% for public order offense cases (from 79,700 to 95,200), 8% for drug offense cases (from 47,200 to 50,900), and 6% for person offense cases (from 86,700 to 92,000).

  • In contrast to the other general offense categories, between 1998 and 2002, the number of adjudicated property offense cases resulting in probation decreased 14% (from 172,000 to 147,300).

Between 1998 and 2002, the number of cases adjudicated delinquent that resulted in probation remained relatively unchanged

Figure showing number of cases adjudicated delinquent and resulting in probation between 1985 and 2002.


Between 1998 and 2002, the number of adjudicated cases resulting in probation increased for person, drug, and public order offense cases but decreased for property offense cases

Figure showing number of cases adjudicated delinquent and resulting in probation between 1985 and 2002 by person, property, drug, and public order offenses.

Probation remains the most likely sanction imposed by juvenile courts

Five figures showing percent of adjudicated delinquent cases resulting in probation, by offense, 1985-2002.

  • Probation was the most restrictive disposition used in 62% (385,400) of the cases adjudicated delinquent in 2002, compared with 56% (189,600) of the adjudicated caseload in 1985.

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the likelihood of probation for cases adjudicated delinquent increased more for person (from 56% to 63%), property (from 57% to 63%), and public order (from 51% to 57%) offense categories than for cases involving drug offenses (from 63% to 64%).

Offense profile of cases adjudicated delinquent that resulted in probation:

Most serious offense

1985

2002


Person

  16%

   24%

Property

61

38

Drugs

  7

13

Public order

16

25

Total

   100%

   100%

Cases resulting in formal probation

189,600

385,400


Note : Detail may not total 100% because of rounding.

  • In 2002, 38% of cases adjudicated delinquent that resulted in probation involved property offenses, while person cases and public order cases each accounted for about one quarter (24% and 25%, respectively).

  • The offense characteristics of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in probation changed between 1985 and 2002, with an increase in the proportion of cases involving person, drug, and public order offenses and a large decrease in the proportion involving property offenses.

Age

  • Among juveniles age 15 or younger, the overall likelihood of being placed on formal probation increased from 58% in 1985 to 65% in 2002; similar increases were seen across offense categories.

  • Among youth age 16 or older, the overall likelihood of being placed on formal probation increased between 1985 and 2002 from 54% to 58%; similar increases were seen across offense categories.

  • For both age groups in 2002, adjudicated cases involving drug offenses were more likely to result in probation than cases in other offense categories.

Gender

  • Between 1985 and 2002, the overall likelihood of being placed on formal probation increased more for adjudicated cases involving females (from 58% to 65%) than those involving males (from 56% to 61%).

  • For females in 2002, person offense cases adjudicated delinquent were most likely to be placed on probation (69%), followed by drug offense cases (67%) and property offense cases (66%). Public order offense cases were least likely to result in formal probation (60%).

  • Among males, drug offense cases adjudicated delinquent were most likely to be placed on probation (64%) in 2002, followed by property offense cases (62%) and person offense cases (61%). Public order offense cases were least likely to result in formal probation (56%).

Between 1985 and 2000, the likelihood of probation being ordered following an adjudication of delinquency increased for all demographic groups

Percentage of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in probation by age group:

 

15 or younger

 
16 or older

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

   58%

   58%

    59%

   64%

    51%

 

   54%

   53%

   55%

   62%

   50%

1986

58

58

59

60

50

 

53

53

54

58

49

1987

58

57

60

59

50

 

53

51

54

59

48

1988

57

56

59

57

51

 

53

51

54

56

49

1989

57

56

59

55

51

 

54

51

56

55

50

1990

58

57

60

54

52

 

55

52

56

55

52

1991

58

55

60

52

53

 

54

51

56

50

52

1992

58

57

60

54

54

 

53

51

55

52

50

1993

58

58

60

55

56

 

53

51

55

53

51

1994

58

58

59

56

55

 

52

51

54

52

49

1995

59

58

60

59

54

 

53

51

55

54

50

1996

62

60

63

62

59

 

55

53

57

57

52

1997

63

64

65

65

59

 

57

56

59

61

53

1998

65

64

67

67

62

 

59

57

61

61

54

1999

67

66

68

68

64

 

60

59

61

63

56

2000

65

65

66

67

63

 

58

57

60

61

54

2001

65

65

66

67

62

 

57

57

59

62

52

2002

65

66

66

67

62

 

58

58

59

63

52

Percentage of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in probation by gender:

 

Male

 

Female

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

  56%

   55%

    57%

   62%

   50%

 

  58%

  60%

  60%

   64%

   51%

1986

55

55

57

58

50

 

58

61

60

62

49

1987

55

53

57

59

49

 

57

61

59

64

50

1988

55

53

56

56

49

 

58

59

60

59

52

1989

55

53

57

54

50

 

60

61

62

61

53

1990

56

53

58

54

52

 

61

64

62

60

54

1991

55

52

58

50

52

 

61

62

63

58

56

1992

55

53

57

52

51

 

61

62

62

60

56

1993

55

54

57

54

52

 

62

63

63

59

59

1994

54

53

56

53

51

 

61

63

62

61

58

1995

55

54

57

56

51

 

62

63

64

63

57

1996

58

56

60

58

55

 

64

65

65

64

61

1997

59

59

61

61

55

 

66

69

68

68

60

1998

61

60

63

63

57

 

67

69

69

70

63

1999

62

62

64

64

59

 

69

71

71

71

64

2000

61

60

62

63

57

 

66

68

68

67

62

2001

60

60

62

63

56

 

65

67

66

68

62

2002

61

61

62

64

56

 

65

69

66

67

60

Percentage of cases adjudicated delinquent resulting in probation by race:

 

Male

 

Female

Year

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order

 

All

Person

Property

Drugs

Public order


1985

  55%

    56%

  56%

   62%

   49%

 

 59%

  56%

  61%

  63%

  54%

1986

55

56

56

60

48

 

57

55

59

56

54

1987

56

56

57

60

48

 

56

52

58

58

52

1988

55

55

57

58

48

 

55

52

58

55

53

1989

56

56

58

58

49

 

56

53

59

52

53

1990

57

56

59

59

51

 

56

53

59

51

53

1991

57

55

59

54

51

 

55

52

59

48

55

1992

56

56

58

56

51

 

56

54

59

50

55