Juvenile Court Statistics 2001-2002 - Report, December 2005

Chapter 3
National Estimates of Delinquency Case Processing (continued)

Case Processing Overview, 2002

In 2002, 58% (934,900) of the estimated 1,615,400 juvenile court cases were handled formally (with the filing of a petition).
In 2002, 1% (7,100) of all formally processed delinquency cases were judicially transferred to criminal court.
In 2002, 67% (624,500) of the cases that were handled formally (with the filing of a petition) resulted in a delinquency adjudication.
In 62% of cases adjudicated delinquent in 2002, formal probation was the most severe sanction ordered by the court.
Nearly one-quarter (23%) of cases adjudicated delinquent in 2002 resulted in placement outside the home in a residential facility.
In 14% of cases adjudicated delinquent in 2002, the juvenile was ordered to pay restitution or a fine, to participate in some form of community service, or to enter a treatment or counseling program—dispositions with minimal continuing supervision by probation staff.
In about 2% of the formally handled cases that were adjudicated delinquent in 2002, the juvenile was released with no further sanction or consequence.
In 32% (303,300) of all petitioned delinquency cases in 2002, the youth was not subsequently adjudicated delinquent. The court dismissed 71% of these cases, while 8% resulted in some form of informal probation and 22% in other voluntary dispositions.
In 2002, the court dismissed 39% of the informally handled delinquency cases, while 31% of the cases resulted in voluntary probation and 30% in other dispositions.

Flowchart showing an overview of the disposition of an estimated 1,615,400 juvenile delinquency cases in 2002.

Notes: Cases are categorized by their most severe or restrictive sanction. Detail may not add to totals because of rounding. Annual case processing flow diagrams for 1985 through 2002 are available online at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/court/faqs.asp.

For every 1,000 delinquency cases processed in 2002, 579 were petitioned for formal processing and 421 were handled informally.
Of the cases that were adjudicated delinquent, 62% (239 of 387) received a disposition of probation and 23% (89 of 387) were placed out of the home.
In a small number of cases (6 of 1,000), the juvenile was adjudicated delinquent but the court closed the case with a stayed or suspended sentence, warned and released the youth, or perhaps required the youth to write an essay. In such cases, the juvenile is not under any continuing court supervision.
In many petitioned delinquency cases that did not result in a delinquency adjudication, the youth agreed to informal services or sanctions (55 of 188), including informal probation and other dispositions such as restitution.
Although juvenile courts in 2002 handled more than 4 in 10 delinquency cases without the filing of a formal petition, more than half of these cases received some form of court sanction, including probation or other dispositions such as restitution, community service, or referral to another agency.

Flowchart showing an overview of the disposition of a typical 1,000 juvenile delinquency cases in 2002.

Notes: Cases are categorized by their most severe or restrictive sanction. Detail may not add to totals because of rounding.

Case Processing by Offense Category, 2002

Person Offense Cases

In 2002, 62% (145,800) of all formally processed person offense cases resulted in a delinquency adjudication.
Formal probation was the most severe sanction ordered by the court in 63% of the adjudicated person offense cases in 2002.
Once adjudicated, person offense cases were more likely to result in out-of-home placement (25%) than were public order (24%), property (23%), or drug (18%) offense cases.
In 2002, about one-third of person offense cases that were handled informally resulted in probation; 45% were dismissed.

Property Offense Cases

Juvenile courts handled the majority (55%) of all property offense cases formally in 2002. Of these formally handled cases, 233,600 (almost 7 in 10) were adjudicated delinquent.
In 2002, 147,300 (63%) of the adjudicated property offense cases resulted in probation as the most severe sanction; another 23% (52,700) resulted in out-of-home placement. Other sanctions, such as restitution, community service, or referral to another agency, were ordered in 13% of the petitioned property offense cases following adjudication, and about 3,200 (1%) were released.
Of the four general offense categories, property offense cases were least likely to be petitioned for formal processing. Once petitioned, however, property offense cases were more likely to result in the youth being adjudicated delinquent than were cases involving person offenses.

Drug Offense Cases

In 2002, 68% (79,100) of all petitioned drug offense cases resulted in the youth being adjudicated delinquent; 64% of these cases received probation as the most severe sanction and another 18% resulted in out-of-home placement.
Other sanctions, such as restitution, community service, or referral to another agency were ordered in 15% (12,000) of the petitioned drug offense cases following adjudication in 2002, and 2% were released.
Juvenile courts waived jurisdiction in 1% of all petitioned drug offense cases in 2002.
About 39% of drug offense cases were informally handled in 2002; 68% of the informally handled drug offense cases resulted in probation or some other sanction.

Public Order Offense Cases

In 2002, the majority (59%) of all public order offense cases were handled formally, with the filing of a petition for adjudication.
Once adjudicated delinquent, 57% of public order offense cases in 2002 resulted in probation as the most severe sanction, 24% were placed out of home, and 17% resulted in other sanctions.
In 2002, 41% of all public order offense cases were handled informally. More than 40% of these cases were dismissed, while the remaining cases resulted in some form of court sanction, including probation, restitution, community service, or referral to another agency.

Case Processing by Age, 2002

In 2002, 55% (514,900) of all delinquency cases involving youth age 15 or younger and 61% (420,000) of cases involving youth age 16 or older were handled formally with the filing of a petition.
Cases involving youth age 15 or younger were adjudicated delinquent in 67% of all formally processed cases in 2002; cases involving youth age 16 or older were adjudicated delinquent in 66% of all such cases.
The proportion of petitioned cases waived to criminal court in 2002 was less than half of 1% for youth age 15 or younger, compared with more than 1% for youth age 16 or older.
In 2002, 22% of cases adjudicated delinquent involving youth age 15 or younger and 25% of such cases involving youth age 16 or older resulted in out-of-home placement.
Probation was ordered as the most severe sanction in 2002 in 65% of the adjudicated cases involving youth age 15 or younger, compared with 58% of adjudicated cases involving youth 16 or older.
Among cases formally adjudicated in 2002 involving youth age 15 or younger, 12% resulted in other sanctions and 1% were released.
For cases involving youth age 16 or older in 2002, 16% of the formally adjudicated cases resulted in other sanctions and 2% were released.
Of the 45% of all delinquency cases involving youth age 15 or younger that were handled informally in 2002, 31% resulted in a disposition of probation and 38% were dismissed. Among older youth in 2002, 39% of all delinquency cases were handled without the filing of a petition for adjudication; 30% of these cases resulted in a disposition of probation and 39% were dismissed.

Flowchart showing the disposition of 930,400 delinquency cases for juveniles age 15 or younger and 685,100 delinquency cases for age 16 or older in 2002.

Case Processing by Gender, 2002

In 2002, 61% of delinquency cases involving males were handled with the filing of a petition for adjudication, compared with 50% of those involving females.
Once petitioned, cases involving males in 2002 were somewhat more likely to result in a delinquency adjudication than were cases involving females (67% vs. 64%).
Delinquency cases involving females in 2002 were less likely to be waived to criminal court than those involving males.
Once adjudicated delinquent, 25% of cases involving males in 2002 resulted in out-of-home placement, compared with 18% of those involving females.
About 61% of the adjudicated cases involving males received probation as the most severe sanction and 13% resulted in other sanctions such as restitution, or community service.
Among adjudicated cases involving females in 2002, 65% received probation as the most severe sanction and 16% resulted in other sanctions.
Informally handled delinquency cases involving males were equally as likely as those involving females to receive probation in 2002 (31%); male cases were more likely than female cases to be dismissed (40% vs. 36%).
In 2002, informally handled delinquency cases involving females were more likely to result in other sanctions than those involving males (33% vs. 29%).

Flowchart showing the disposition of 1,192,300 delinquency cases for male juveniles and 423,100 delinquency cases for female juveniles in 2002.

Case Processing by Race, 2002

In 2002, delinquency cases involving black youth were more likely to be handled formally (65%) than those involving white youth (55%) or youth of other races (58%).
Once petitioned, cases in 2002 involving black youth were less likely to be adjudicated delinquent (58%) than were cases involving white youth (71%) or youth of other races (75%).
For all racial groups in 2002, 1% of delinquency cases resulted in waiver to criminal court.
Among adjudicated delinquency cases involving black youth in 2002, 27% resulted in out-of-home placement, compared with 21% of such cases involving white youth and 25% of those involving youth of other races
In 63% of the adjudicated cases involving black youth in 2002, probation was the most severe sanction; 9% resulted in other sanctions such as restitution, or community service.
For adjudicated cases involving white youth in 2002, probation was the most severe sanction ordered in 62% of the cases and 15% resulted in other sanctions.
In 2002, 45% of delinquency cases involving white youth were handled informally, compared with 35% of cases involving black youth and 42% of cases involving youth of other races.

Flowchart showing the disposition of 1,086,700 delinquency cases for white juveniles and 473,100 delinquency cases for black juveniles in 2002.

For adjudicated cases involving youth of other races in 2002, probation was the most severe sanction ordered in 54% of the cases and 25% resulted in out-of-home placement.
In 2002, informally handled delinquency cases involving black youth were less likely (29%) than those involving white youth (32%) to result in probation as a sanction and more likely to result in probation than those involving youth of other races (24%).
Informally handled delinquency cases involving black youth in 2002 were a little more likely (43%) to be dismissed than those involving white youth (37%) and a little less likely to be dismissed than those involving youth of other races (46%).
For all three racial groups in 2002, informally handled delinquency cases were nearly equally likely to result in other sanctions such as restitution, community service, or referral to another agency: 31% for cases involving white youth, 29% for cases involving black youth, and 30% for cases involving youth of other races.

Flowchart showing the disposition of 55,600 delinquency cases for youth of other races in 2002.

Case Processing by FBI Offense Category, 2002

Violent Crime Index Cases

In 2002, juvenile courts waived 28 of every 1,000 Violent Crime Index offense cases to criminal court.
Juvenile courts ordered formal sanctions or waived jurisdiction in more than half (508 of 1,000) of Violent Crime Index offense cases handled in 2002.
Cases involving juveniles adjudicated delinquent for Violent Crime Index offenses in 2002 were more likely to result in out-of-home placement (166 of 1,000) than were Property Crime Index offense cases (92 of 1,000).
Cases that are not petitioned and cases in which juveniles are not adjudicated delinquent may result in informal sanctions. Thus, juvenile courts imposed some sort of sanction—formal or informal—in nearly 71% (710 of every 1,000) of the Violent Crime Index offense cases handled in 2002.

Property Crime Index Cases

Juveniles received informal sanctions in 36% (357 of every 1,000) of Property Crime Index offense cases processed in 2002.
Juvenile courts waived 5 of every 1,000 Property Crime Index offense cases to criminal court in 2002.
Cases involving juveniles adjudicated delinquent for Property Crime Index offenses were more likely to result in probation (246 out of 387) than were Violent Crime Index offense cases (277 out of 492).
More than 25% of all Property Crime Index offenses referred to juvenile courts in 2002 were ultimately dismissed/ released (257 of 1,000)—20% of the petitioned cases and 32% of those not petitioned.

Notes: The Violent Crime Index includes criminal homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The Property Crime Index includes burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Cases are categorized by their most severe or restrictive sanction. Detail may not add to totals because of rounding. Annual case processing flow diagrams for 1985 through 2002 are available online at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/court/faqs.asp.

Case Processing by Selected Individual Offense, 2002

Aggravated Assault Cases

Juvenile courts waived 12 of every 1,000 aggravated assault cases to criminal court in 2002, compared with 2 of every 1,000 simple assault cases.
About 46% of aggravated assault cases received some formal sanction or were waived to criminal court (461 of 1,000).
In 2002, 13% of aggravated assault cases received a formal sanction of out-of-home placement (128 of 1,000) and 28% were placed on formal probation (284 of 1,000).
Of all aggravated assault cases referred to juvenile courts in 2002, 29% were eventually released or dismissed (286 of 1,000)—22% of the petitioned cases and 42% of those that were informally handled.

Simple Assault Cases

Juveniles received informal sanctions in 31% of simple assault offense cases processed in 2002 (312 of 1,000).
Of every 1,000 simple assault cases handled in 2002, more than 300 received some formal sanction or were waived to criminal court.
In 2002, 7% of simple assault cases resulted in the juvenile receiving a formal sanction of out-of-home placement (74 of 1,000) and 22% were placed on formal probation (219 of 1,000).
Of all simple assault cases referred to juvenile courts in 2002, 36% were eventually dismissed (357 of 1,000)—29% of the petitioned cases and 44% of those that were informally handled.

Robbery Cases

Juvenile courts waived 46 of every 1,000 robbery cases to criminal court in 2002.
In 2002, juvenile courts ordered formal sanctions or waived jurisdiction in 59% of all robbery cases (587 of 1,000).
In 2002, 23% of robbery cases received a formal sanction of out-ofhome placement (234 of 1,000) and 28% resulted in formal probation (278 of 1,000).
Of all robbery cases referred to juvenile court in 2002, 14% were not petitioned; the majority (72%) of these cases were dismissed.

Burglary Cases

Juvenile courts waived 10 of every 1,000 burglary cases to criminal court in 2002.
In 2002, 75% (583 of 778) of all petitioned burglary cases resulted in the youth being adjudicated delinquent.
Juvenile courts ordered formal sanctions or waived jurisdiction in 75% of all formally handled burglary cases in 2002.
In 2002, 155 of 1,000 burglary cases received a formal sanction of out-ofhome placement and 374 of 1,000 resulted in formal probation.
Less than one-quarter (22%) of all burglary cases referred to juvenile courts in 2002 were handled informally and less than half of these cases (97 of 222) were dismissed.

Motor Vehicle Theft Cases

Juvenile courts waived less than 1% of motor vehicle theft cases to criminal court in 2002 (8 of every 1,000).
In 2002, 56% of motor vehicle theft cases referred to juvenile courts resulted in formal court sanctions or waiver to criminal court.
More than one-third of motor vehicle cases adjudicated delinquent in 2002 resulted in out-of-home placement (193 of 558).
About one-fifth of motor vehicle theft cases referred to juvenile courts in 2002 were handled without the filing of a petition (214 of 1,000).

Vandalism Cases

Juvenile courts waived 2 of every 1,000 vandalism cases to criminal court in 2002.
More than half of vandalism cases referred to juvenile courts in 2002 were handled formally (518 of 1,000). Of these cases, 65% were adjudicated delinquent.
In 2002, 65% of petitioned vandalism cases adjudicated delinquent resulted in a court sanction of probation, and 17% resulted in out-of-home placement.
Juvenile courts handled 482 of every 1,000 vandalism cases informally (without a petition) in 2002.Youth received informal sanctions in 58% of these nonpetitioned cases.

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Juvenile Court Statistics 2001–2002		December 2005