ON SEPTEMBER 1, 1978, JUVENILES BETWEEN 13-AND 15-YEARS OLD WHO COMMITTED VIOLENT FELONIES SUCH AS ROBBERY, BURGLARY, SEXUAL OFFENSES, OR MURDER BECAME SUBJECT TO PROSECUTION IN NEW YORK'S ADULT CRIMINAL COURT SYSTEM. THESE PROCEEDINGS STILL DIFFER FROM THE REGULAR ADULT SYSTEM IN THAT JUVENILES CAN BE REMOVED TO FAMILY COURT AT ANY POINT IN THE PROSECUTION PROCESS, ARE SUBJECT TO MANDATORY SENTENCES DESIGNED FOR JUVENILES, AND MAY RECEIVE YOUTHFUL OFFENDER TREATMENT IN SPECIAL CASES. IN NEW YORK CITY, MOST OF THE JUVENILE OFFENDER ARRESTS WERE MADE FOR ROBBERY, FOLLOWED BY RAPE AND SODOMY. DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF PROSECUTION OF THESE CASES, 1,455 ARRESTS WERE MADE AND 1,268 CASES HAD BEEN PROCESSED IN CRIMINAL COURT. OF THESE, 37 PERCENT WERE REMOVED TO FAMILY COURT, 20 RESULTED IN INDICTMENTS, AND MOST OF THE REMAINDER WERE DISMISSED OR NOT PROSECUTED BY THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY. THE MAJORITY OF CONVICTED JUVENILE OFFENDERS HAVE RECEIVED MINIMUM SENTENCES OF 1 TO 3 YEARS. PEERS WERE THE MOST FREQUENT VICTIMS WERE ELDERLY AND CHILDREN UNDER 12 YEARS. NEW YORK CITY ACCOUNTS FOR 86 PERCENT OF THE STATE'S JUVENILE OFFENDER ARRESTS WITH THE REST EVENLY SPLIT BETWEEN SUBURBAN AND UPSTATE COUNTIES. THE ARREST PATTERN DIFFERS OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK CITY FROM THE PATTERN WITHIN THE CITY, WITH BURGLARY, ARSON, AND RAPE COMPRISING THE LARGEST PORTION OF ARRESTS. AS OF AUGUST 1979, 8 OF THE 20 INDICTED CASES HAD RESULTED IN CONVICTIONS. EXTENSIVE TABLES DETAIL ARRESTS BY CRIME, COUNTY, AND MONTH, COURT ACTION BY COUNTY, DISPOSITIONS OF INDICTED CASES, SENTENCES BY COUNTY, LENGTH OF DETENTION, DATA ON VICTIMS, AND STATEWIDE FIGURES ON ARRESTS, INDICTMENTS, AND DISPOSITIONS. (MJM)