Person Offenses in Juvenile Court, 1986-1995

• NCJ Number: 247940
• Author(s): Anne L. Stahl
• Date Published: April 1998
• Length: 2 pages
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Statistics; Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

After reviewing trends in juvenile person offenses for 1986-1995, this Fact Sheet provides data for this period on the characteristics of juvenile offenders who committed person offenses, the use of detention for these offenders, and the features of their case processing.

Abstract

In 1995, U.S. juvenile courts processed an estimated 377,300 cases in which the most serious charge was for a person offense. This number was 98-percent higher than in 1986. Person offenses accounted for 22 percent of all delinquency cases in 1995, compared with 16 percent in 1986. In 1995, homicide was the most serious charge in 2,800 cases. This was less than 1 percent of all person-offense cases processed by juvenile courts. The vast majority of person offense cases involved charges of simple or aggravated assault. Compared with 1986, juveniles processed for person offenses in 1995 were younger and slightly more likely to be female. In 1995, 23 percent of the juvenile person-offense cases processed involved the use of detention at some point between referral and disposition. Of the 377,000 person-offense cases disposed by juvenile courts in 1995, 58 percent were processed formally (a petition was filed requesting a hearing). Of the individuals involved in petitioned cases, 2 percent were waived to the criminal court. Of the cases formally adjudicated by juvenile courts in 1995, the most severe disposition imposed was placement out of the home in a residential facility. Probation was ordered in 53 percent of the cases.