Adjudicated delinquency cases by disposition, 1985-2021

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities

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Delinquency Cases

Q:	Has there been an increase in the number of delinquency cases ordered to formal probation or residential placement?
A:	Nearly all the growth in the number of adjudicated delinquency cases in which the youth was placed on formal probation or ordered to a residential facility took place between 1985 and 1997.

Note: Cases are categorized according to their most severe disposition.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in March 2020, may have impacted the policies, procedures, and data collection activities regarding referrals to and processing of youth by juvenile courts for an indeterminate period of time. Additionally, stay-at-home orders and school closures likely impacted the volume and type of law-violating behavior by youth referred to juvenile court.

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In dispositional hearings, juvenile court judges must determine the most appropriate sanction for youth adjudicated for a delinquency offense. Disposition options include commitment to an institution or another residential facility; probation; or a variety of other dispositions, such as referral to an outside agency or treatment program, community service, fines, or restitution. Very often the court imposes some combination of these sanctions.
The number of adjudicated delinquency cases resulting in residential placement increased 65% between 1985 and 1997 and then fell 82% through 2021. In 2021, an estimated 32,800 adjudicated delinquency cases were ordered to residential placement — 28% of all adjudicated delinquency cases.
The number of adjudicated delinquency cases resulting in formal probation nearly doubled between 1985 and 1997, then decreased 80% through 2021. In 2021, formal probation was the most restrictive disposition ordered in 77,200 delinquency cases — 65% of all adjudicated delinquency cases.
The number of adjudicated delinquency cases receiving other court ordered sanctions nearly doubled between 1985 and 1997, and then decreased 86% by 2021. In 2021, other sanctions, such as community service and restitution, were imposed in 8,200 adjudicated delinquency cases — 7% of all adjudicated delinquency cases.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/court/qa06501.asp?qaDate=2021. Released on December 22, 2023.

Adapted from Easy Access to Juvenile Court Statistics. Available on-line at: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezajcs/.

Data Source: National Juvenile Court Data Archive. National Center for Juvenile Justice. Pittsburgh, PA.