NCJ Number
149469
Date Published
1993
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This booklet presents statistics on violent crimes committed by juvenile offenders in West Virginia during fiscal year 1991-1992, and compares them to figures from fiscal year 1990-1991.
Abstract
There were 235 violent or serious personal juvenile offenses, including murder, sexual assault, robbery, and narcotics trafficking, reported during 1991-1992, a slight increase over the 226 similar offenses reported the previous year. Complainants in delinquency cases involving serious personal offenses included law enforcement, parents, schools, probation officers, and victims. Juvenile drug traffickers were most likely to sell narcotics, including cocaine, and marijuana, than other types of drugs. The number of felony sexual assaults decreased between the two reporting periods. The typical juvenile offender was a white male, aged 16 or 17, who had never been involved in the juvenile justice system before. Almost all these juveniles were living with parents or relatives at the time their cases were initiated. Over 15 percent of serious personal juvenile offenses were resolved without formal court proceedings; in most cases, juvenile offenders were placed on informal probation. While most juveniles were found guilty, many cases were either dismissed by the court or were resolved when the juvenile was granted an improvement period. The most common disposition was to place the juvenile on probation.