Young Offenders -- National and Local Perspective

• NCJ Number: 185960
• Author(s): Howard Snyder; Kristi Lahti-Johnson
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 4 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Regents of the University of Minnesota
• Sale Source: Regents of the University of Minnesota
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Proceedings from the workshop, "Delinquents Under 10 --Targeting the Young Offender," September 30-October 2, 1999; for other workshop documents, see NCJ-185959.

Annotation

Two panelists at the workshop entitled, "Delinquents Under 10 -- Targeting the Young Offender" (September 30-October 2, 1999), present 1997 national statistics and trend data for young juveniles' arrest rates, juvenile court caseloads, and residential placements; information is also provided on the Hennepin County (Minnesota) "Delinquents Under 10" project.

Abstract

The national data presented were compiled by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. They indicate that in 1997, 9 percent of all juveniles arrested in the United states for an offense were under the age of 13. Of these, 17 percent were under the age of 10. Although larceny-theft, assault, and vandalism crimes constituted almost half of the crimes allegedly committed by juveniles under age 13, juvenile offenders under age 10 were disproportionately represented in the arson, vandalism, and sex-crime arrest statistics. Although the arrest rate for juveniles under age 13 has increased over the past 20 years, so has the arrest rate for juveniles of all ages. Nevertheless, because the total number of arrests of very young offenders has increased, the demand for services for this population has increased. Juvenile court caseloads that involve juveniles under age 13 have been increasing across the country since 1988. The number of cases that have involved their secure detention has risen substantially. In 1997 juveniles under age 13 accounted for 18,500 cases that involved detention, a 49-percent increase since 1988. Between 1988 and 1997, court-ordered residential placements of juveniles under age 13 increased 54 percent. In order to provide a local perspective on the national statistics, one panelist presented information on offenders under the age of 10 who were studied as part of the development of Hennepin County's "Delinquents Under 10" project in 1996 and 1997. The project's purpose was to determine the risk characteristics and needs of very young offenders in the county in order to target them for early intervention. Information is provided on offenses, case referrals, offender characteristics, background information, individual and family factors predictive of early delinquency, and factors predictive of future delinquency. Questions and discussion following the presentation are summarized.