U.S. Department of Justice, Office Of Justice Programs, Innovation - Partnerships - Safer Neighborhoods
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities
OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book logo jump over products navigation bar
OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book logoAbout SSBFrequently Asked QuestionsPublicationsData Analysis ToolsNational Data SetsOther ResourcesAsk a Question

Juvenile Population Characteristics
Juveniles as Victims
Juveniles as Offenders
Juvenile Justice System Structure & Process
Law Enforcement & Juvenile Crime
Juveniles in Court
Juveniles on Probation
Juveniles in Corrections
Juvenile Reentry & Aftercare
Special Topics
Data Snapshot
Statistical Briefing Book Home

OJJDP logo

Printer-priendlyPrinter-friendly
Racial and Ethnic Fairness
National data show disparities for racial/ethnic minority youth at the court referral, detention, placement, and waiver to criminal court stages.

Case processing characteristics of delinquency offenses by race, 2020

Counts Total White Black AIAN* ANHPI** Hispanic
Population (10 to upper age) 32,442,200 17,088,200 4,865,500 612,600 1,952,300 7,923,700
Cases referred to juvenile court 508,400 220,700 176,100 10,600 6,100 94,900
Cases diverted 133,200 71,000 33,600 2,400 1,700 24,500
Cases detained 127,700 42,600 50,900 2,800 1,800 29,600
Cases petitioned 276,300 109,600 107,200 6,500 3,200 49,800
Cases adjudicated 134,200 54,300 48,000 3,400 1,600 26,900
Adjudicated cases resulting in probation 88,700 37,500 29,900 2,300 1,200 17,900
Adjudicated cases resulting in placement 35,900 11,700 14,800 800 300 8,300
Cases judicially waived 3,000 900 1,600 100 <50 400
Rates
Cases referred per 1,000 population 15.7 12.9 36.2 17.2 3.1 12.0
Cases diverted per 100 cases referred 26.2 32.2 19.1 22.5 28.4 25.8
Cases detained per 100 cases referred 25.1 19.3 28.9 26.7 28.7 31.1
Cases petitioned per 100 cases referred 54.3 49.7 60.9 61.6 51.8 52.4
Cases adjudicated per 100 cases petitioned 48.6 49.5 44.8 52.1 51.7 54.0
Probation cases per 100 adjudicated cases 66.1 69.1 62.2 67.8 71.2 66.5
Placement cases per 100 adjudicated cases 26.8 21.5 30.9 23.8 21.1 30.7
Cases judicially waived per 100 cases petitioned 1.1 0.8 1.5 0.9 0.8 0.8
Ratio of Rates1
Referral rate 2.8 1.3 0.2 0.9
Diversion rate 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.8
Detention rate 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.6
Petitioned rate 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.1
Adjudicated rate 0.9 1.1 1.0 1.1
Probation rate 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.0
Placement rate 1.4 1.1 1.0 1.4
Waiver rate 1.8 1.0 1.0 1.0

1 The ratio of rates is created by dividing the rates for each racial or ethnic minority group by the white rate. A ratio of 1.0 indicates parity, i.e., the rates for the comparison group are equal. For example, if white youth and Black youth were referred at the same rate, the ratio would be 1.0, indicating the rates for these groups are equal. A ratio greater than 1.0 means that the rate for the racial or ethnic minority group is greater than the rate for white youth. A ratio less than 1.0 means that the rate for the racial and ethnic minority group is less than the rate for white youth.

*AIAN: American Indian/Alaskan Native; **ANHPI: Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.

It is important to note that 2020 was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have impacted policies, procedures, and data collection activities regarding referrals to and processing of youth by juvenile courts. Additionally, stay-at-home orders and school closures likely impacted the volume and type of law-violating behavior by youth referred to juvenile court in 2020.

[ CSV file ]

  • In 2020, cases involving Black youth were nearly 3 times more likely to be referred to juvenile court for a delinquency offense than cases involving white youth.
  • The diversion rate for cases involving white youth was higher than the diversion rate for all other racial/ethnic groups.
  • Regardless of race/ethnicity, delinquency cases involving racial/ethnic minority youth were more likely to involve detention than cases involving white youth.
  • Cases involving Black youth were more likely to be petitioned than cases involving white youth, but were less likely to result in a delinquency adjudication.
  • Cases involving Hispanic youth were 60% more likely to involve detention than cases involving white youth, and 40% more likely to receive a placement disposition.
Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/special_topics/qa11601.asp?qaDate=2020. Released on January 10, 2023.

Data Source: Adapted from Easy Access to Juvenile Populations [https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezapop/] and Easy Access to Juvenile Court Statistics [https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezajcs/].

 

USA.gov | Privacy | Policies & Disclaimers | FOIA | Site Map | Ask a Question | OJJDP Home
A component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice