U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

J. Robert Flores, Administrator September 2003 #03

Homicide was the most serious charge in 1,800 cases handled in

1999. This was less than 0.5% of all person offense cases handled

by juvenile courts in 1999. The majority of person offense cases

involved charges of simple assault (255,900) or aggravated assault

(55,800). Together, these two offenses accounted for 81% of all

person offense cases processed in 1999.

Characteristics of offenders

Compared with 1990, juveniles involved in person offense cases

in 1999 were slightly younger and more likely to be female. In

1999, 64% of person offense cases involved juveniles younger

than 16 years old, compared with 62% in 1990. Females were

involved in 27% of person offense cases in 1999, compared with

20% in 1990. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of person offense cases in

1999 involved white youth, 34% involved black youth, and 3%

involved youth of other races.1

Person Offenses in Juvenile Court,

1990–1999

by Charles M. Puzzanchera

Person offenses accounted for 23% of all 

delinquency cases in 1999

In 1999, U.S. juvenile courts handled an estimated 387,100 delinquency cases in which the most serious charge was an offense

against a person. Person offenses include assault, robbery, rape,

and homicide. The 1999 person offense caseload was 55% greater

than in 1990. Person offense cases accounted for 23% of all delinquency cases in 1999, compared with 19% in 1990.

In 1999, U.S. juvenile courts handled 13.2 person offense cases

for every 1,000 juveniles age 10 through the upper age of juvenile court jurisdiction. The person offense case rate increased

35% between 1990 and 1999. In contrast, the case rate for property offenses decreased 20% between 1990 and 1999, while the

drug offense case rate grew 135% and the rate for public order

offenses increased 52%.

Person offense cases handled by U.S. juvenile courts,

1990–1999

Percent change

Cases disposed 1990 1995 1999 1990–99 1995–99

Total person offenses* 249,500 387,000 387,100 55% 0%

Violent Crime Index 93,600 136,900 86,900 –7 –37

Criminal homicide 2,300 2,800 1,800 –21 –34

Forcible rape 5,100 6,800 4,200 –19 –38

Robbery 27,600 40,200 25,100 –9 –38

Aggravated assault 58,600 87,100 55,800 –5 –36

Simple assault 131,500 218,600 255,900 95 17

Case rate**

Total person offenses* 9.7 13.7 13.2 35% –4%

Violent Crime Index 3.7 4.8 3.0 –19 –39

Criminal homicide 0.1 0.1 0.1 –31 –37

Forcible rape 0.2 0.2 0.1 –29 –41

Robbery 1.1 1.4 0.9 –21 –40

Aggravated assault 2.3 3.1 1.9 –17 –38

Simple assault 5.1 7.7 8.7 70 13

Percent change figures are based on unrounded numbers.

* Total includes other person offense categories not listed.

** Per 1,000 youth age 10 through the upper age of juvenile court 

jurisdiction.

Delinquency cases involving FBI Violent Crime Index

offenses, 1990–1999

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

Forcible rape Criminal homicide

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

Robbery

Aggravated assault

Number of cases

1 Juveniles of Hispanic ethnicity can be of any race, but most are included in the

white racial category.
Case processing

Of the 387,100 person offense cases disposed by U.S. juvenile

courts in 1999, 60% (233,200) were handled formally (that is, a

petition was filed requesting an adjudicatory or transfer hearing).

Of these petitioned cases, slightly more than 1% (2,500) were

judicially waived to criminal court, more than half (63% or

147,800) were formally adjudicated delinquent in the juvenile

justice system, and 36% (82,800) were petitioned but not adjudicated delinquent.

In 26% (38,100) of the 147,800 person offense cases formally

adjudicated by juvenile courts in 1999, the most severe disposition imposed by the court was placement out of the home in a

residential facility. Probation was ordered in 63% (92,500) of the

cases, while 8% (11,400) resulted in other sanctions, including

referral to an outside agency, fines, community service, and restitution. Approximately 4% (5,900) of formally adjudicated person

offense cases were released (i.e., no sanctions were ordered at the

adjudicatory hearing).

In 1999, an estimated 82,800 person offense cases were formally

petitioned by the court but not adjudicated. Most (70% or 58,100)

of these cases were dismissed. In 13% (10,700) of these petitioned

cases, the youth agreed to informal probation; 15% (12,500) of

these cases resulted in other dispositions. About 2% of nonadjudicated person offense cases resulted in voluntary out-of-home

placement.

Forty-four percent (68,300) of the 153,900 person offense cases

handled informally (no petition was filed) by juvenile courts in

1999 were dismissed. The remainder resulted in voluntary probation (34% or 52,300) or other dispositions (21% or 33,100),

while a small number (less than 1% or about 200) resulted in

out-of-home placement.

For further information

This Fact Sheet is based on the forthcoming Report Juvenile

Court Statistics 1999, which will be available on the Office

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP’s)

Web site (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp). To learn more about 

juvenile court cases, visit OJJDP’s Statistical Briefing Book

(ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/index.html) and click on “Juveniles

in Court.” OJJDP also supports Easy Access to Juvenile Court

Statistics, a Web-based application that analyzes the data files

used for the Juvenile Court Statistics Report. This application

is available from the Statistical Briefing Book.

Charles M. Puzzanchera is a Research Assistant with the National

Juvenile Court Data Archive, which is supported by an OJJDP grant.

Fact Sheet FS–200303

Characteristics of person offense cases, 1990–1999

1990 1995 1999

Gender

Male 80% 76% 73%

Female 20 24 27

Age at referral

15 or younger 62% 64% 64%

16 or older 38 36 36

Race

White 57% 59% 63%

Black 40 38 34

Other 3 3 3

Predisposition detention

Detained 27% 22% 23%

Not detained 73 78 77

Manner of handling

Formal 55% 58% 60%

Informal 45 42 40

Outcome of formal handling

Adjudicated 55% 55% 63%

Not adjudicated 43 43 36

Waived 2 2 1

Disposition of adjudicated cases

Placed out of the home 35% 29% 26%

Probation or supervision 55 54 63

Other (fines, restitution, etc.) 7 10 8

Dismissed or released 4 7 4

Detail may not add to 100% because of rounding.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component

of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice

Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice,

and the Office for Victims of Crime.