Those who have committed delinquent acts and on whom intervention programs are focused to interrupt the progression of delinquent behaviors and prevent recidivism. The proceedings of the Task Force were focused on court-involved youth, those who have committed status offenses or delinquent acts. Status offenses may include behaviors such as running away from home, truancy, ungovernability, curfew violations, and underage drinking.
Important characteristics vary within the population of court-involved youth.
Number of offenses. Severity of offense. The number of previous offenses is typically considered, especially for youth whose offenses continue or worsen. More than 2.8 million arrests of persons under the age of 18 were made in 1997, representing about 9.3 percent of the U.S. population between the ages of 10 and 17. An estimated 2.6 million arrests of persons under the age of 18 were made in 1998.