NCJ Number
177647
Date Published
1998
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This report presents the summary statistics of Missouri's juvenile court system for calendar year 1997.
Abstract
The data presented in this report do not represent individual children, but rather separately disposed court referrals. A referral is defined as "any action involving a juvenile which results in a determination, finding, or outcome and a written record maintained in the juvenile's name." A disposed referral is one that has resulted in a "finding" or "outcome." In calendar year 1997, 86,118 referrals were disposed of by the 45 juvenile court circuits in Missouri. This is a 18.4- percent increase over the 5-year period since 1993 and a 2- percent increase over 1996. The data show total referrals by race and gender as well as by types of referrals. Data also address referral trends and sources, most common major allegations, referral dispositions, certifications to adult court, and pre- hearing placements. A section on law-violation referrals focuses on outcomes, prior violations, and the age distribution of law violators. Another section covers status offense referrals, with attention to outcomes and placements. The concluding section presents data on abuse, neglect, and custody referrals, including outcomes and the age distribution of referrals. Nine appendixes present various data by circuit and county. 11 tables and 15 charts