Title: Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Courts, 1998



Series: Fact Sheet



Author: Anne L. Stahl



Published: August 2001



Subject: Juvenile courts; Adjudication juvenile

cases; Case processing



5 pages



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Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Courts, 1998



by Anne L. Stahl



Counts and trends 



In 1998, U.S. juvenile courts processed an estimated

1,757,400 delinquency cases. These cases involve

juveniles charged with criminal law violations. The

number of delinquency cases handled by juvenile

courts increased 44% between 1989 and 1998. During

this time, the number of drug law violation cases

increased 148%, person offense cases increased 88%,

public order offense cases increased 73%, and

property offense cases increased 11%.



These estimates are based on data from almost 2,100

courts with jurisdiction over nearly 70% of the U.S.

juvenile population. In this Fact Sheet, each case

represents one youth processed by a juvenile court on

a new referral, regardless of the number of

individual offenses contained in that referral. A

youth can be involved in more than one case during

the calendar year.



Gender



More than three of every four (76%) delinquency cases

in 1998 involved a male, which was less than the 81%

in 1989. In 1998, males accounted for 86% (161,900)

of drug law violation cases, 79% (605,400) of

property offense cases, 78% (273,400) of public order

offense cases, and 72% (292,500) of person offense

cases. However, between 1989 and 1998, the number of

delinquency cases involving females increased 83%

(from 231,700 to 424,100), compared with a 35%

increase (from 989,600 to 1,333,300) for males. The

growth in cases involving females outpaced the growth

in cases involving males in all offense categories.

For both males and females, simple assault cases

increased more than any other person offense (108%

for males and 188% for females). In the public order

offense category, the greatest increase for females

was in the number of disorderly conduct cases (179%),

whereas for males, the greatest increase was in the

obstruction of justice caseload (98%).



Age



Fifty-eight percent of the juvenile delinquency cases

processed in 1998 involved a juvenile younger than 16

years old at the time of referral, compared with 59%

in 1989. In 1998, juveniles younger than 16 years old

were responsible for 64% (258,000) of person offense

cases, 62% (491,600) of property offense cases, 52%

(190,300) of public order offense cases, and 40%

(77,100) of drug law violation cases.



Race



In 1998, approximately 79% of the juvenile population

in the United States was white and 15% was black.

However, black juveniles were involved in 29%

(508,200) of the delinquency cases handled by

juvenile courts, and white juveniles were involved in

67% (1,185,400). Black juveniles were involved in 35%

(141,600) of person offense cases, 29% (105,200) of

public order offense cases, 29% (56,000) of drug law

violation cases, and 26% (205,400) of property

offense cases. White juveniles were involved in 70%

(558,100) of property offense cases, 68% (131,500) of

drug law violation cases, 68% (245,600) of public

order cases, and 62% (250,200) of person offense

cases.



Detention



One of the first decisions made in processing a

delinquency case is whether the juvenile should be

detained in a secure facility prior to adjudication.

Juveniles are detained to protect the community, to

protect the juveniles themselves, or to ensure their

appearance at court hearings. Juveniles were securely

detained in 19% (327,700) of the delinquency cases

processed in 1998. Detention was used in 23% (43,700)

of drug law violations, 22% (88,700) of person

offense cases, 22% (78,400) of public order cases,

and 15% (116,800) of property offense cases.



Intake decision



After reviewing the case, justice system authorities

decide whether to dismiss, informally handle, or

formally process the case by taking the matter before

a judge. About 19% (327,800) of all delinquency cases

in 1998 were dismissed at intake, often for lack of

legal sufficiency. Another 24% (429,300 cases) were

processed informally, with the juvenile voluntarily

agreeing to the recommended disposition (for example,

probation). More than half (57% or 1,000,300) of

delinquency cases in 1998 were processed formally and

involved either an adjudicatory hearing or a hearing

to consider waiving jurisdiction to the criminal

(adult) court.



Waiver to criminal court



During a waiver hearing, a juvenile court judge is

asked to waive jurisdiction over a matter and

transfer the case to criminal court so the juvenile

can be tried as though he or she were an adult.

Waiver decisions are often based on a number of

factors, including the seriousness of the offense,

the juvenile's prior record, and the youth's

amenability to treatment. In 1998, juvenile court

judges waived 8,100 delinquency cases. The number of

cases waived in 1998 was 1% more than in 1989, 9%

less than in 1997, and 33% less than in 1994, the

peak year. Of the cases waived in 1998, 36% (2,900)

involved a person offense, 40% (3,200) involved a

property offense, 16% (1,300) involved a drug law

violation, and 8% (700) involved a public order

offense as the most serious charge.



Adjudication and disposition



Adjudicatory hearings establish responsibility for an

alleged delinquent act. Disposition hearings are held

to decide if a juvenile adjudicated as delinquent

should be placed under court supervision and what

disposition should be imposed. In 1998, juveniles

were adjudicated delinquent in 63% of the 1,000,300

cases brought before a judge. Once adjudicated,

juveniles in 58% (365,100) of the cases were placed

on formal probation; in 26% (163,800) of the cases,

juveniles were placed in a residential facility.

Eleven percent of adjudicated cases resulted in other

dispositions, such as referral to an outside agency,

community service, or restitution. Between 1989 and

1998, the number of cases in which the court ordered

an adjudicated delinquent to be placed in a

residential facility increased 37%, while the number

of formal probation cases increased 73%.



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For further information



This Fact Sheet is based on the forthcoming Report

Juvenile Court Statistics 1998, which will be

available on OJJDP's Web site at ojjdp.ncjrs.org. To

learn more about juvenile court cases, visit OJJDP's

Statistical Briefing Book (ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/

index.html) and click on "Juveniles in court."



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Anne L. Stahl is the Manager of Data Collection with

the National Juvenile Court Data Archive, which is

supported by an OJJDP grant.



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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice

Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice

Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the

National Institute of Justice, and the Office for

Victims of Crime.



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