NCJ Number
166087
Date Published
1991
Length
54 pages
Annotation
Data on juvenile arrest, juvenile detention, and juvenile incarceration trends are presented nationally and for each State from 1979 to 1989 to assist elected officials, juvenile justice professionals, and community groups in making interstate comparisons, understanding trends in their own jurisdictions, and promoting sound public policy.
Abstract
The data reveal that juvenile arrest rates for all reported offenses were lower in 1989 than in 1979. However, arrest rates for Part I violent offenses increased 16 percent between 1985 and 1989, and arrest rates for Part II offenses increased 11 percent between 1983 and 1989. Admission rates to detention centers and training schools have been increasing since 1982. Admissions increased by 30 percent in detention centers and by 20 percent in training schools between 1982 and 1989. On the day a census was taken in 1989, 50 percent of the juveniles in detention centers and 56 percent of the youths in training schools were in over-capacity facilities. Approximately 43 percent of the juveniles in detention centers were accused of a Part I crime. Fewer than 50 percent of the juveniles in training schools were committed because they were found guilty of a Part I offense. Approximately 62 percent of all incarcerated youths were minorities, primarily black males. Finally, the costs of operating detention centers and training schools are increasing faster than the rate of inflation. Figures; tables; footnotes; and appended glossary, list of ages of juvenile court jurisdiction in each State, and 14 references