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Juveniles in Court
Petitioned Status Offense Cases
Q: Has the number of petitioned status offense cases involving detention changed?
A: The number of petitioned status offense cases involving detention declined steadily since 2006.
Year Detained cases
2005 20,100
2006 21,000
2007 20,600
2008 18,400
2009 16,300
2010 13,700
2011 12,000
2012 11,400
2013 9,800
2014 7,900
2015 7,000
2016 5,800
2017 4,800
2018 4,400
2019 4,500
2020 2,500

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 petitioned status offense cases involving detention increased between 2005 and 2006, then declined 88% through 2020.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/court/qa06701.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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