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OFFENDERS IN JUVENILE COURT, 1990

NCJ Number
145128
Author(s)
J A Butts; E Poe
Date Published
1993
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the findings of Juvenile Court Statistics, 1990, an analysis of the handling of juvenile delinquents and status offenders by United States courts.
Abstract
Data for the report are collected, analyzed and stored by the National Juvenile Court Data Archive operated by the National Center for Juvenile Justice. Statistical profiles are provided for both delinquency cases and petitioned status offense cases and many comparisons are made with 1986 figures. Information about sources of referral, detention of the juvenile and case processing are included. Some of the findings are included here. Offenses against persons accounted for about 19 percent of the delinquency cases; 58 percent involved a property offense; 5 percent involved drug law violations and the remaining 18 percent were public order offenses. Half of the delinquency cases disposed of in 1990 resulted in the filing of a petition. Juveniles were adjudicated delinquent in 57 percent of those cases compared to 63 percent in 1986. Almost 3 percent were transferred to adult criminal court, which was a 65-percent increase over 1986. Juveniles were detained between referral and disposition in 23 percent of the delinquency cases and 9 percent of the status offense cases. Sixty percent of petitioned status offense cases resulted in adjudication. Most of the adjudicated cases involved truancy and ungovernability. Probation was the most common disposition in all juvenile cases. In 33 percent of delinquency cases, offenders were placed in residential facilities while only 17 percent of status offenders were placed outside the home. 18 tables, 3 figures