| 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. |
Petitioned status cases by offense, 2005-2020
| Year |
Runaway |
Truancy |
Curfew |
Ungovernability |
Liquor law
violations |
| 2005 |
22,600 |
71,300 |
16,500 |
25,300 |
37,500 |
| 2006 |
22,300 |
78,400 |
19,000 |
24,800 |
40,400 |
| 2007 |
20,400 |
81,000 |
18,600 |
23,700 |
41,500 |
| 2008 |
19,200 |
77,000 |
17,800 |
22,100 |
39,300 |
| 2009 |
15,800 |
71,600 |
15,500 |
18,700 |
31,400 |
| 2010 |
14,000 |
62,500 |
15,000 |
18,400 |
27,700 |
| 2011 |
12,700 |
60,000 |
13,000 |
16,100 |
24,300 |
| 2012 |
12,700 |
62,500 |
13,400 |
15,400 |
23,000 |
| 2013 |
11,300 |
60,600 |
11,000 |
13,600 |
18,700 |
| 2014 |
10,600 |
57,000 |
9,100 |
10,800 |
15,700 |
| 2015 |
10,100 |
59,600 |
7,700 |
10,400 |
13,300 |
| 2016 |
10,000 |
58,700 |
5,900 |
9,200 |
12,000 |
| 2017 |
9,400 |
58,600 |
5,100 |
8,200 |
10,200 |
| 2018 |
9,200 |
52,800 |
4,200 |
8,500 |
8,600 |
| 2019 |
8,200 |
49,500 |
3,700 |
7,300 |
7,700 |
| 2020 |
6,500 |
33,400 |
2,800 |
4,800 |
6,000 |
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 ]
- 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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