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Juveniles in Court
Delinquency Cases
Q: Has the juvenile courts' use of detention in delinquency cases changed?
A: The number of delinquency cases involving detention fell considerably between 2005 and 2020.

Detained delinquency cases, 2005-2020

Year Detained cases
2005 402,000
2006 392,300
2007 388,600
2008 366,900
2009 332,600
2010 308,000
2011 283,800
2012 267,700
2013 247,100
2014 223,400
2015 214,000
2016 202,200
2017 196,800
2018 190,700
2019 179,800
2020 127,700

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.

[ Graph version ]  [ CSV file ]

  • Juvenile courts sometimes hold youth in secure detention facilities during processing of their case. Depending on the State's detention laws, the court may decide detention is necessary to ensure the youth's appearance at subsequent court hearings, to protect the community from the youth, or to secure the juvenile's own safety. Detention may also be ordered for the purpose of evaluating the youth.
  • The number of delinquency cases involving detention declined 68% between 2005 and 2020.
  • Youth were held in detention facilities at some point between referral to court and case disposition in 25% of all delinquency cases handled in 2020.
Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/court/qa06301.asp?qaDate=2020. Released on January 10, 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.

 

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