NCJ Number
171478
Date Published
1998
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This fiscal year 1997 report of Missouri's Division of Youth Services provides pertinent statistics regarding the number and characteristics of the juveniles served.
Abstract
During fiscal year 1997 the division received 1,301 court- committed juveniles, which is a slight increase from 1,291 the previous year. A dramatic increase in juvenile court diversion funding resulted in juvenile courts statewide serving 6,606 additional youth and diverting approximately 2,581 more youths. The division also served many noncommitted youth in the day treatment and interstate compact programs. Of the youths committed to the division, 85 percent were boys, and the average age of all youth committed was 15 years. The average youth under division supervision had attained 8.8 years of schooling. The percentage of youths committed for the most serious felonies remained the same from 1996 to 1997, and commitments for less serious felonies increased by 14 percent. The number of youths committed for status offenses decreased from 152 in 1996 to 149 in 1997, a decline of 2 percent. Fifty-six percent of all commitments were from a single-parent home, and 90 percent of all discharges from custody were satisfactory.