Delivering on the Promise of the Juvenile Court
The juvenile court's 100th anniversary offers an opportunity to centralize the new insights and advances in the field, thereby helping to revitalize the court and restore the public's confidence in the juvenile justice system. Through OJJDP funding, a consortium comprising Bright Future Ventures, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, the Children and Family Justice Center, Communication Works, and the Youth Law Center developed the Juvenile Court Centennial Education Initiative to focus attention on these issues.
The initiative's objectives are to:
 Sharpen and stimulate debate among juvenile justice practitioners and policymakers.
Expand the juvenile justice network and improve collaboration among local and national organizations.
Amplify existing and developing revitalization efforts by local and national organizations.
Conduct communications and training activities on successful juvenile justice strategies.
Use the media to focus public attention on juvenile justice issues.
A national juvenile justice summit will be held soon in Washington, DC, to reaffirm the role of the juvenile justice system in addressing the needs of troubled and neglected youth. Stay tuned to OJJDP's Web site, www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org, for more details on the initiative, or send an e-mail to askncjrs@ncjrs.org.
Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report
The problems of juvenile crime, violence, and victimization together constitute one of the most crucial challenges of the new millennium. To meet that challenge, Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report answers questions frequently asked by juvenile justice professionals, policymakers, the media, and concerned citizens.
This OJJDP Report brings together the latest available statistics from a variety of sources and includes numerous tables, graphs, and maps, accompanied by analyses in clear, nontechnical language. Readers will find baseline information on juvenile population growth trends; patterns of juvenile victimization, including homicide, suicide, and maltreatment; the nature and extent of juvenile offending, including data on arrest rates, antisocial behavior, and juveniles in custody; and the structure, procedures, and activities of the juvenile justice system, including law enforcement agencies, courts, and corrections.
The 1999 National Report includes the most recent updates of information originally presented in Juvenile Offenders and Victims: A National Report (the benchmark publication issued in 1995) and also includes findings from important new sources, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's new national Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement. As new data become available, updates will be made available online through the OJJDP Web site's Statistical Briefing Book.
Questions Answered by the Report
How much crime are juveniles involved in, and what kinds of crimes do they commit?
How often are juveniles the victims of crime, and what is the nature of their victimization?
What are the recent trends in juvenile violence, and can future trends be predicted?
How common is school crime, and how many juveniles carry guns and other weapons to school?
What are the characteristics of juveniles in custody?
New Facts
After peaking in 1993, the rate of serious violent crime committed by juveniles declined dramatically through 1997 to its lowest level since 1986.
In one-third of all sexual assaults reported to police, the victim was under age 12.
The juvenile violent crime arrest rate for females nearly doubled between 1981 and 1997, while the rate for males increased 20 percent.
One in every three delinquents with a history of violent offenses has a juvenile court record before turning 14.
Preventing one youth from leaving school and turning to a life of crime and drugs saves society approximately $2 million.
How To Obtain Your Copy
Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report is available online from the OJJDP Web site (www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org) through the JJ Facts & Figures section and the Publications section or can be ordered from OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (see the order form).
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This is a clear overview of the facts about juvenile crime and victimization—an essential resource for juvenile justice professionals and all citizens concerned with out Nation's youth.
—Attorney General
Janet Reno
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1999 National Report Bulletin Series
To give readers quick, focused access to some of most critical data contained in the 222-page 1999 National Report, OJJDP has developed a series of Bulletins derived from the Report. Each of these Bulletins highlights selected themes at the forefront of juvenile justice policymaking and
extracts relevant sections from the Report (including
selected graphs and tables). See the order form for the first installment of the series.
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