Female Delinquency Cases, 1997

• NCJ Number: 184992
• Author(s): Meghan C. Scahill
• Date Published: November 2000
• Length: 2 pages
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Statistics

Annotation

Data on female delinquency cases in 1997 cover counts and trends, offender characteristics, offenses, detention, intake decisions, waiver to criminal court, and adjudication and disposition.

Abstract

Juvenile courts in the United States processed an estimated 1,755,100 delinquency cases in 1997. Twenty-three percent of the delinquency cases processed involved a female offender, compared with 19 percent in 1988. Sixty-two percent of females charged with delinquent acts in 1997 were under age 16. White females accounted for 67 percent of all juvenile delinquency cases; black females accounted for 30 percent; and females of other races accounted for 4 percent. The most serious offenses referred in 49 percent of the delinquency cases involving females were property offenses; 25 percent were person offenses; 20 percent were public order offenses; and 7 percent were drug offenses. Female juvenile offenders were securely detained in 15 percent of the delinquency cases processed in 1997. Thirteen percent of the delinquency cases that involved females in 1997 were dismissed at intake, and another 40 percent were diverted from formal processing. The remainder of the cases (47 percent) were referred for formal court action. A total of 400 delinquency cases that involved female offenders were waived to adult criminal court, 37 percent more than in 1988 but 19 percent less than in 1994. Female offenders who were adjudicated delinquent received probation in 60 percent of cases; 22 percent of the female offenders were placed out of the home in a residential facility.