KANSAS LAW DEFINES JUVENILE DELINQUENTS AS CHILDREN OR YOUTH UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE WHO COMMIT AN ACT THAT WOULD, IF THEY WERE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER, MAKE THEM LIABLE TO BE ARRESTED AND PROSECUTED FOR A FELONY OR PERSONS WHO HAVE BEEN ADJUDGED MISCREANT CHILDREN UNDER LAW THREE OR MORE TIMES. DURING 1975, KANSAS JUVENILE COURTS RECORDED 19,278 DELINQUENCY DISPOSITIONS AND 2,479 TRAFFIC DISPOSITIONS. THE NUMBER OF DELINQUENCY AND TRAFFIC REFERRALS IN RELATION TO THE CHILD POPULATION INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM 1971 TO 1975 IN ALL BUT ONE METROPOLITAN COUNTY. THE MAJORITY OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY REFERRALS INCLUDING TRAFFIC REFERRALS (56 PERCENT) WERE FOR OFFENSES APPLICABLE TO BOTH ADULTS AND JUVENILES. A MAJOR VARIABLE AMONG COURTS WAS WHETHER A CASE WAS HANDLED OFFICIALLY OR UNOFFICIALLY. SOME JUDGES PREFERRED OFFICIAL HANDLING OF CASES, SOME COURTS DID NOT RECORD UNOFFICIAL CASES, AND THE TYPE OF CRIME HAD SOME IMPACT ON THE MANNER OF HANDLING. REFERRAL DATA INDICATED THAT JUDGES PREFERRED UNOFFICIAL DISPOSITION FOR YOUNGER OFFENDERS. STATEWIDE, 61.9 PERCENT OF ALL DELINQUENTS HANDLED DURING 1975 RECEIVED NO OVERNIGHT DETENTION. OF ALL COMPLAINTS, 80 PERCENT WERE SUBSTANTIATED BUT NO TRANSFER OF LEGAL CUSTODY WAS MADE. THERE WERE 6,113 REPORTS OF ALLEGED OR SUSPECTED ABUSE OR NEGLECT IN 1976, AN INCREASE OF 26.3 PERCENT OVER 1975. ABOUT 64 PERCENT OF DEPENDENCY REFERRALS WERE HANDLED OFFICIALLY. COMPLAINTS WERE SUBSTANTIATED IN 88.5 PERCENT OF DEPENDENCY AND NEGLECT REFERRALS. THE MAJORITY OF CHILDREN FOR WHOM ADOPTIVE PETITIONS WERE RECEIVED WERE WHITE INFANTS BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK AND UNDER 1 MONTH OLD AT THE TIME OF PLACEMENT. PLACEMENT OF 50.4 PERCENT OF CHILDREN WAS MADE BY A CHILD WELFARE AGENCY, WHILE 48.9 PERCENT OF CHILDREN WERE PLACED BY PARENTS, OTHER RELATIVES, GUARDIANS, THE COURT PHYSICIANS, LAWYERS, OR OTHER NONAGENCY PERSONS. SUPPORTING DATA ARE TABULATED THROUGHOUT THE TEXT OF THE REPORT, AND SUPPLEMENTAL STATISTICAL DATA ARE APPENDED. (DEP)