NCJ Number
79913
Date Published
1981
Length
142 pages
Annotation
This is the third (fiscal 1970-1980) in a series of demographic presentations identifying juvenile offender activity by zip code in Maryland.
Abstract
The statistics presented are primarily concerned with cases in which the juvenile resides in the same political subdivision where the offense or referral occurred. Cases where the juvenile resides outside the political subdivision in which the offense or referral occurred are summarized. In addition to political subdivision and zip code area, cases are further identified by offender age, types of cases, and the manner in which cases were handled. Types of cases are delinquent, children in need of supervision, and nondelinquent, including neglect/dependency cases or special proceedings. Manner of case handling is either formal, informal, or disapproved/closed at intake. Findings indicate that juvenile crime in Maryland continues to be primarily in urban areas. A total of 459 zip code areas of a total of about 500 areas reported juvenile cases in 1980, compared with 372 in 1970. The increased mobility of today's youth has resulted in offenses being committed with increasing frequency outside the offender's political subdivision of residence. The majority of the cases referred to the juvenile courts involved juveniles between 15 and 17 years old. About 29 percent were between 11 and 15 years old. About 31 percent of the cases were handled formally, while 17.1 percent were handled as informal cases; cases closed at intake accounted for 45.3 percent, with 6.3 percent being disapproved. A majority (87.5 percent) of the 1980 cases involved delinquency complaints, while 9 percent dealt with children in need of supervision. Tabular and graphic data are provided. (Author summary modified)