TITLE: Juvenile Arrests for Driving Under the Influence, 1995. Series: OJJDP Fact Sheet Author: Howard N. Snyder, Ph.D. Subject: Juvenile Substance Abuse Published: October 1997 3 pages 4,546 bytes ------------------------------ Figures, charts, forms, and tables are not included in this ASCII plain-text file. To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file available from this Web site or order a print copy from NCJRS at 800-851-3420. ------------------------------ Juvenile Arrests for Driving Under the Influence, 1995 by Howard N. Snyder, Ph.D. ------------------------------ Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Shay Bilchik Administrator Fact Sheet #67 October 1997 ------------------------------ Law enforcement made nearly 15,000 juvenile (below age 18) arrests in 1995 for driving under the influence (DUI) These arrests represent 1% of all arrests for DUI offenses. In 66% of these estimated 14,900 juvenile arrests, the youth was 17 years old, and in 3% the youth was under age 15. Juveniles arrested for DUI were disproportionately male (84%) and white (91%). Between 1986 and 1995, DUI arrests nationwide declined 25%. The decline was greater for juveniles than adults (49% versus 24%). In 1995, there were 50 juvenile arrests for DUI for every 100,000 persons ages 10 through 17 in the U.S. population. The juvenile DUI arrest rates for 1993 through 1995 were the lowest in the past 20 years. Other alcohol-related juvenile arrests show smaller declines than DUI arrests in the past 10 years While juvenile DUI arrests were cut in half between 1986 and 1995, juvenile arrests for drunkenness declined 39%, and juvenile arrests for other liquor offenses dropped 18%. The large declines in alcohol-related arrests are in stark contrast to the substantial increases in juvenile arrests for drug law violations. Between 1986 and 1995, juvenile arrests for drug law violations increased 115%. In 1995, there were 13 juveniles arrested for a drug law violation for every 10 juveniles arrested for an alcohol-related offense. Of all juveniles arrested for an alcohol-related offense in 1995, 10% were nonwhite, compared with 36% of those arrested for a drug law violation. In nearly half of all DUI cases referred to juvenile courts, the youth is adjudicated delinquent After arrest, juvenile DUI cases are handled in different types of courts, depending on the legal structure of the specific jurisdiction. Some juvenile DUI cases are processed in specialized traffic courts or municipal courts. In some jurisdictions, these cases are handled in juvenile courts, that is, courts that routinely adjudicate delinquency matters. In 1994, an estimated 4,000 juvenile DUI cases were processed in courts with juvenile delinquency jurisdiction. When DUI cases are referred to a court with juvenile jurisdiction, an intake officer, prosecutor, or judge determines whether the case should be handled formally or informally. This decision is often based on the severity of the offense, the youth's law-violating history, and the ability of the parties involved to come to a mutually agreeable response. Informal case handling occurs without the filing of a petition, without the need for an adjudicatory or waiver hearing, and without a formal court order requiring the youth to comply with specified sanctions. In 1994, 28% of DUI cases referred to juvenile courts were handled informally. Nearly half of these cases were dismissed. In the other half of informally processed cases, the youth voluntarily agreed to comply with probation conditions, pay fines or restitution, or enter some form of drug or residential treatment. Most (72%) juvenile DUI cases referred to juvenile courts in 1994 were formally processed. A small percentage (2%) of these cases were transferred to the criminal courts, where the youth was prosecuted as an adult. In 66% of formally processed juvenile DUI cases, the youth was adjudicated delinquent and the court ordered sanctions. Most adjudicated youth were ordered to a term of probation (68%), 11% were placed in a residential facility, and most of the others were ordered to pay a fine or restitution. ------------------------------ Howard N. Snyder is Director of Systems Research at the National Center for Juvenile Justice, which is supported by an OJJDP grant.