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Juveniles in Court
Petitioned Status Offense Cases
Q: Do the trends in the petitioned status offense cases vary by offense?
A: The number of petitioned status cases declined for all offenses since 2005.

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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  • Overall, the petitioned status offense caseload decreased 70% since 2005, and declined 44% in the last 5 years.
  • Between 2016 and 2020, caseloads declined for all status offenses: curfew violation cases (53%), liquor law violation cases (50%), ungovernability cases (47%), truancy cases (43%), and runaway cases (35%).
Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/court/qa06602.asp?qaDate=2020. Released on January 10, 2023.

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

 

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