This report is the fifth edition of a comprehensive report on youth victimization, offending by youth, and the juvenile justice system; it presents the most-requested information on youth and the juvenile justice system in the U.S., drawing on reliable data and relevant research to provide a comprehensive and insightful view of youth victims and offending by youth, and what happens to them when they enter the juvenile justice system.
This report is part of a series, previously titled “Juvenile Offenders and Victims,” that presents the most-requested information on youth and the juvenile justice system in the U.S. The report draws on reliable data and relevant research to provide a comprehensive and insightful view of youth victims and offending by youth, and what happens to them when they enter the juvenile justice system. The target audience of the report includes Congress, state legislators, other state and local policymakers, educators, juvenile justice professionals, and concerned citizens. It offers empirically based answers to frequently asked questions about the nature of youth victimization and offending, and the justice system’s response. Chapter topics are as follows: youth population characteristics; youth victims; offending by youth; juvenile justice system structure and process; law enforcement and youth; youth in juvenile court; and youth in corrections. The report is structured as a series of briefing papers on specific topics and includes information on youth and their involvement with the U.S. justice system through the 2019 data year; each chapter ends with a list of data sources.