Juvenile Delinquency Data Collection and Trends

Study Notes

Official data on juvenile crime is collected from government agencies such as law enforcement agencies, juvenile courts, and correctional institutions.
Official data may not reflect the actual number of delinquencies in any given year, as not all juveniles who engage in delinquency end up in the juvenile justice system.
There are three major types of official data: National Incident Based Reporting System, Summary Reporting System, and Juvenile Court.
The Uniform Crime Report collects, reports, and archives national crime data, and participation in the program is voluntary.
The National Crime Victimization Survey collects individual victimization data on personal crimes and attempts to shed light on unreported crimes.
Self-report data allows juveniles to report their delinquency and provides information on the etiology of delinquency.
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System tracks health risk behaviors and consequences among young people.
There has been a decrease of 46% in delinquency cases and a decrease in delinquency adjudication since 1997.
The disproportionate involvement of minorities in the juvenile justice system remains an issue.
Female delinquents are disproportionately involved in some offenses, with Black girls being disproportionately involved in delinquency.

Law enforcement agencies refer 60% of status offense cases and females make up 43% of those cases.
Most delinquency adjudications result in formal probation supervision.
On any given day, 70,000 juvenile offenders are confined to detention centers, residential facilities, or state correctional facilities.
Placement of juvenile offenders has halved since 1999.
89% of confined offenders had prior convictions.
Juvenile detention rates have declined since 2001 and are utilized for safety reasons or pre/post-trial purposes.
Males and Black youth are more likely to be detained.
38,000 juveniles are confined in state correctional facilities on any given day.
Minority youth are more likely to be detained and stay in confinement for longer periods of time.
Females are now more likely than male offenders to be held in detention for certain offenses.

Description

Learn about official data collection methods for juvenile crimes, types of official data sources, and trends in delinquency cases. Explore the involvement of minorities, disparities based on gender and race, and the current state of juvenile detention facilities.