NCJ Number
162016
Date Published
1996
Length
76 pages
Annotation
This report describes the West Virginia juvenile justice system, the children involved in the system between July 1994 and June 1995, the offenses with which they were charged, and the manner in which the court cases were disposed during the reporting period.
Abstract
Data are based on an analysis of case-specific reports completed and submitted to the State's Juvenile Justice Database each month by probation officers and others in each county. During the reporting period, the most common age of juveniles involved in delinquency proceedings was 15-16 years for females and 16-17 years for males. Sixty-six percent of the juveniles involved in delinquency proceedings were male, 82 percent were white, 13 percent were black, and 5 percent were of another race or unknown. Fifty-five percent of the juveniles involved in delinquency proceedings had no prior involvement in juvenile proceedings, 30 percent had prior involvement but had not been adjudicated delinquent, and 11 percent had previously been adjudicated delinquent. Ninety percent were living with parents or relatives at the time the delinquency was initiated. Among the cases in which family income was determined, 30 percent were from families receiving some type of public assistance. Sixty-one percent were mainstream students in a school setting, and 11 percent were special education students. Ninety-six percent were not involved in the use of any form of secure predisposition detention. Fifty-seven percent of delinquency cases were disposed of informally. Among the others, 33 percent were adjudicated delinquent, fewer than 1 percent were transferred to criminal court, 26 percent were dismissed, and 41 percent were granted an improvement period of up to 1 year. Figures and tables