Adjudicated delinquency cases by disposition, 1985-2020

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.

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.

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In dispositional hearings, juvenile court judges must determine the most appropriate sanction for delinquent youth. 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 80% through 2020. In 2020, an estimated 35,900 adjudicated delinquency cases were ordered to residential placement — 27% of all adjudicated delinquency cases.
The number of adjudicated delinquency cases resulting in formal probation nearly doubled between 1985 and 1997, then decreased 77% through 2020. In 2020, formal probation was the most restrictive disposition ordered in 88,700 delinquency cases — 66% 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 84% by 2020. In 2020, other sanctions, such as community service and restitution, were imposed in 9,500 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=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.