Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2020

• NCJ Number: 306202
• Author(s): Sarah Hockenberry
• Date Published: December 2023
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP National Report Series
• Grant Number(s): 15PNIJ-21-GG-03202-TITL
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored; OJJDP-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Factsheet
• Award: National Juvenile Court Data Archive

Annotation

This fact sheet published by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the National Institute of Justice presents statistics about and trends noted in delinquency cases in juvenile court in 2020.

Abstract

This fact sheet published by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the National Institute of Justice presents statistics about and trends noted in delinquency cases in juvenile court in 2020. In 2020, juvenile courts in the United States handled 508,400 delinquency cases that involved youth charged with criminal law violations, 28% less than the number of cases handled in 2019. From 2005 through 2020, the number of delinquency cases declined 69%, with decreases in all four offense categories: property offense cases and public order offense cases (down 73% each), drug law violation cases (down 69%), and person offense cases (down 59%). In 2020, person offense cases accounted for the largest proportion (35%) of the delinquency caseload, followed by property offense cases (32%), public order offense cases (23%), and drug offense cases (11%). The statistics are discussed in terms of gender, race, age, and procedural issues relating to detention, intake decision, waiver to criminal court, and adjudication and disposition are also discussed. A case flow chart is also provided.