NCJ Number
188376
Date Published
January 2001
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This report provides data on juvenile delinquency trends in Arizona impacting the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) secure juvenile population.
Abstract
The Arizona juvenile justice system is seen as a complex system. The system is affected by trends in overall State demographics, crime, unemployment, arrests, juvenile court and correctional actions. This report provided background information on State juvenile delinquency trends to enhance an understanding of current and future factors which affect the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) secure populations. The report consists of data on State at-risk populations, crime in Arizona, juvenile justice system intake and consequences, secure population trends, new commitments, new commitments by offense type and needs, releases, secure population admissions and releases, pending suspension or revocation, and parole revocations. Highlights of key findings revealed: (1) the Arizona Department of Economic Security projected a steady increase in the number of juveniles between the ages of 8 and 17 years old between 2001 and 2010; (2) the number of juvenile arrests declined each of the last 3 years with a 20 percent decrease in juvenile arrests between 1996 and 1999; (3) there was a 63 percent increase in the number of juveniles sent to adult court between 1996 and 1998, but there was more than an 18 percent decrease in this cohort between 1998 and 1999; (4) the ADJC secure population steadily increased from 1996 to 1998, and after a moderate decline, it had remained stable with a slight upward trend; (5) substance abuse was the most pressing need among ADJC new commitments with 97 percent of the FY 2000 new commitments having substance abuse problems; (6) the number of releases from ADJC secure custody decreased each of the last 2 years (1999 and 2000) and the average length of stay served by releases in secure custody increased each of the last 3 years to 249.5 days; and (7) the number of juvenile that had their parole revoked more than doubled (2.3 times) between 1997/1998 and 1999/2000, and the average time spent by juveniles in a secure facility after parole revocation in 2000 was 161 days. Despite apparent increases in the Arizona at-risk juvenile population, there have been recent declines in reported crime, juvenile arrests, juvenile probation assignments, and ADJC new commitments. Tables and graphs