U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

John J. Wilson, Acting Administrator

Homicide was the most serious charge in 2,000 cases handled in

1997. This was less than 0.5% of all person offense cases handled

by juvenile courts in 1997. The majority of person offense cases

involved charges of simple assault (248,800) or aggravated assault

(67,900). Together, these two offenses accounted for 81% of all

person offense cases processed in 1997.

Characteristics of offenders

Compared with 1988, juveniles involved in person offense cases in

1997 were younger and more likely to be female. In 1997, 64%

(248,700) of person offense cases involved juveniles under age 16,

compared with 60% (119,200) in 1988. Females were involved in

26% (102,800) of person offense cases in 1997, compared with

20% (40,400) in 1988. Sixty percent (235,900) of person offense

cases in 1997 involved white youth, 37% (144,400) involved black

youth, and 3% (10,500) involved youth of other races.

May 2000 #06

Person Offense Cases in Juvenile Court,

1988–1997

Person offenses accounted for 22% of all

delinquency cases in 1997

In 1997, U.S. juvenile courts handled an estimated 390,800

delinquency cases in which the most serious charge was an

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

rape, and homicide. The 1997 person offense caseload was 97%

greater than in 1988. Person offense cases accounted for 22% of

all delinquency cases in 1997, compared with 17% in 1988.

In 1997, juvenile courts handled 13.6 person offense cases for

every 1,000 juveniles in the United States age 10 through the

upper age of juvenile court jurisdiction. The person offense case

rate increased 74% between 1988 and 1997. In contrast, the case

rate for property offenses increased 5% between 1988 and 1997,

while the drug offense case rate grew 99% and the rate for public

order offenses increased 48%.

by Meghan C. Scahill

Person Offense Cases Handled by U.S. Juvenile Courts,

1988–97

 Percent Change

Cases Disposed 1988 1993 1997 1988–97 1993–97

Total Person Offenses* 198,700 319,500 390,800 97% 22%

Violent Crime Index 68,400 116,500 109,800 61 –6

Criminal homicide 1,500 2,700 2,000 31 –27

Forcible rape 4,400 7,000 6,500 48 –7

Robbery 21,500 34,400 33,400 55 –3

Aggravated assault 41,000 72,400 67,900 66 –6

Simple assault 111,100 172,100 248,800 124 45

Case Rate**

Total Person Offenses* 7.8 11.7 13.6 74% 16%

Violent Crime Index 2.7 4.3 3.8 42 –11

Criminal homicide 0.1 0.1 0.1 16 –31

Forcible rape 0.2 0.3 0.2 31 –12

Robbery 0.9 1.3 1.2 38 –8

Aggravated assault 1.6 2.7 2.4 47 –11

Simple assault 4.4 6.3 8.7 98 37

Note: Percentages are calculated using 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, 1988–97

Cases disposed

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

Aggravated assault

Robbery

Rape Homicide
PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/OJJDP

PERMIT NO. G–91

FS–200006 Fact Sheet

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

Case processing

Of the 390,800 person offense cases disposed by U.S. juvenile

courts in 1997, 58% (228,200) were handled formally (that is, a

petition was filed requesting an adjudicatory or transfer hearing).

Of the individuals involved in petitioned cases, slightly more than

1% (3,300) were waived to the criminal court system, more than

half (55% or 125,500) were formally adjudicated as delinquents

in the juvenile court, and 44% (99,400) were petitioned but not

adjudicated delinquent.

In 30% of the 125,500 person offense cases that were formally

adjudicated by juvenile courts in 1997, the most severe disposition imposed by the court was placement out of the home in a

residential facility. Probation was ordered in 56% (70,800) of the

cases, while 9% (11,700) resulted in other sanctions, including

referral to an outside agency, fines, community service, and

restitution. Approximately 4% (5,600) of formally adjudicated

person offense cases were released, i.e., no sanctions were

ordered by the court at the adjudicatory hearing.

In 1997, an estimated 99,400 person offense cases were formally

petitioned by the court but not adjudicated. Most (61% or 64,400)

of these cases were dismissed; in 22% (21,400) the youth agreed to

informal probation and in 15% (15,300) to other dispositions.

About 2% (2,300) of nonadjudicated person offense cases resulted

in voluntary out-of-home placement.

Half (50%) of the 162,500 person offense cases handled informally

(no petition was filed) by juvenile courts in 1997 were dismissed.

The remainder resulted in voluntary probation (31% or 50,900) or

other dispositions (18% or 29,200), while a small number (less

than 1% or fewer than 900) resulted in out-of-home placement.

For further information

This Fact Sheet is based on the forthcoming Report Juvenile Court

Statistics 1997. Copies will be available from the Office of Juvenile

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

Clearinghouse, 800–638–8736. OJJDP also supports distribution of

a PC-compatible software version of the data analyzed in Juvenile

Court Statistics. For a free copy of the software, Easy Access to

Juvenile Court Statistics, call the National Juvenile Court Data

Archive at the National Center for Juvenile Justice, 412–227–6950.

This software can also be downloaded from OJJDP’s home page:

www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org.

Meghan C. Scahill is a Research Assistant with the National Juvenile

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

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.

Characteristics of Person Offense Cases, 1988–97

1988 1993 1997

Gender

Male 80% 78% 74%

Female 20 22 26

Age at Time of Referral

Under 16 years 60% 63% 64%

16 or older 40 37 36

Race/Ethnicity

White 56% 57% 60%

Black 41 40 37

Other 3 3 3

Predisposition Detention

Detained 24% 24% 22%

Not detained 76 76 78

Manner of Handling

Formal 53% 57% 58%

Informal 47 43 42

Outcome of Formal Handling

Adjudicated 54% 54% 55%

Not adjudicated 44 44 44

Waived 2 3 1

Disposition of Adjudicated Cases

Placed out of the home 33% 32% 30%

Probation or supervision 55 53 56

Other (fines, restitution, etc.) 7 10 9

Dismissed or released 5 4 4

Note: Detail may not add to 100% because of rounding. FS–200006