Title: Burglary Cases in Juvenile Court, 1989-1998 Series: Fact Sheet Author: Carl McCurley Published: May 2002 Subject: Juvenile courts 3 pages 4,703 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 (877-712-9279 for TTY users). ------------------------ Burglary Cases in Juvenile Court, 1989-1998 by Carl McCurley The number of burglary cases handled by juvenile courts declined 7% between 1989 and 1998 Between 1989 and 1992, the burglary caseload increased 19% to a peak of 159,900 cases.[1] The burglary caseload then declined 21% to 125,800 cases in 1998. As a result, juvenile courts processed 7% fewer burglary cases in 1998 than in 1989. Trends in the number of burglary cases differ for males and females. Among males, the number of burglary cases handled by juvenile courts peaked in 1992, then declined. By 1998, the number of burglary cases involving males was 9% less than the 1989 level. Among females, the number of burglary cases increased 17% between 1989 and 1998. As a result, the proportion of burglary cases involving females increased from 8% in 1989 to 10% in 1998. Most adjudicated burglary cases resulted in probation in 1998 When a case is referred to juvenile court, a decision is made to handle the case either formally or informally. When a case is handled informally, without the filing of a petition for an adjudicatory or waiver hearing, the youth may voluntarily agree to comply with certain specified sanctions without a formal court order. In 1998, 23% of the burglary cases referred to juvenile courts were handled informally. Almost half (46%) of these cases were dismissed. In 27% of the informally handled cases, youth agreed to comply with probation conditions; in another 27%, youth agreed to other sanctions, such as restitution, community service, or fines, without a term of probation. In 1998, 77% of the juvenile burglary cases referred to juvenile court were handled formally (with the filing of a petition). About 1% of all formally processed burglary cases were judicially waived to criminal court in 1998. Another 71% of formally processed burglary cases resulted in the youth being adjudicated delinquent. Probation was the most serious disposition ordered in 59% of adjudicated cases. In 29% of adjudicated cases, youth were placed in a residential facility; in another 8%, youth were ordered to comply with specified sanctions such as restitution, community service, or fines. Court processing of juvenile burglary cases varied for males and females In 1998, 78% of juvenile burglary cases involving males were formally processed, compared with 68% of cases involving females. Once petitioned, males were more likely to be adjudicated delinquent than females (72% versus 66%). Once adjudicated, males were more likely to be placed out of the home in a residential facility (29% versus 20%), whereas females were more likely to receive probation as the most restrictive disposition (65% versus 58%). -------------------------- For further information This Fact Sheet is based on the forthcoming Report Juvenile Court Statistics 1998, which will be available on the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) Web site (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." OJJDP also supports Easy Access to Juvenile Court Statistics, a Web-based application that analyzes the data files used for the Juvenile Court Statistics Report. This application is available from the Statistical Briefing Book. ------------------------- Carl McCurley, Ph.D., is a Research Associate with the National Juvenile Court Data Archive, which is supported by an OJJDP grant. -------------------------- 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. -------------------------- FS 200208 -------------------------- 1. A case represents one youth processed on a new referral, regardless of the number of offenses contained in that referral. An individual youth can be involved in more than one case during the year.