Is The Juvenile Justice Population Declining? OPEN MINDS Takes A Closer Look In New Series Of Market Intelligence Reports
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (December 28, 2015) — According to Juvenile Court Statistics, in 2013, there were 1,167,500 cases referred to juvenile justice courts. Of these cases, a total of 387,100 were dismissed and did not result in court-ordered treatment or sanctions. As a result, it can be estimated that there were about 780,400 juveniles receiving juvenile justice services in 2013. This equates to about 2.3% of the U.S. population between the ages of 10 and 17. However, this estimate does not account for the number of youth who may be in contact with the juvenile justice system due to adjudication in a prior year. This means that the actual number of youth involved with the juvenile justice system is slightly higher than the Juvenile Court Statistics number of cases.
Defining the juvenile justice population, the services for this population, and the payment for those services can be difficult. In addition, juveniles can sometimes be “processed” as an adult, further complicating those definitions. To help clarify this population, OPEN MINDS released two new Market Intelligence Reports focused on the juvenile justice population.
The reports provide an in-depth review of the juvenile justice system, and breaks down the differences between the adult criminal system and the juvenile justice system. The series also reviews the characteristics of justice-involved youth, the process of moving through the juvenile justice system, and the policies and practices regarding prosecuting juveniles in the adult criminal justice system.
A short summary of each report follows.
How Is the Juvenile Justice Population Defined?
In this report, the OPEN MINDS team provides a thorough review of the juvenile justice system. The report explores the number of youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system, the options for moving through the juvenile justice system, and the most common courses of actions for youth that come into contact with the system. Additionally, the report estimates spending for the juvenile justice system at the national level including how much is spent on detention and community-based treatment.
When Are Juveniles Tried In The Criminal Justice System Instead Of The Juvenile Justice System?
The two U.S. court systems (the adult criminal justice system and the juvenile justice system) exist because of the inherent belief that children and youth are different than adults and therefore should be handled differently. Despite this belief, there are instances when juveniles are tried in the adult criminal court system. This report explains the differences between the adult criminal system and the juvenile justice system and the policies and practices regarding prosecuting juveniles in the adult criminal justice system. It also explains the age at which juveniles “age out” of the juvenile justice system and how many juveniles are tried in the adult criminal court system.
Published weekly by OPEN MINDS’ team of experts, the Market Intelligence Reports are provided as a free resource to Premium members of the OPEN MINDS Circle. Click here for details on how to become a premium member. The reports are also available for purchase in the OPEN MINDS store by clicking here.
OPEN MINDS is a national market intelligence firm specializing in the sectors of the health and human service industry serving individuals with complex support needs: mental health; addiction treatment; children & family services; intellectual & developmental disabilities; chronic disease management; long term care; social services; correctional health care, reentry & diversion; and juvenile justice.
Founded in 1987 and based in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the 75+ associates believe by providing the latest market intelligence and management best practices to organizations serving the health and social support needs of the most vulnerable consumers, those organizations will be better able to provide efficient and effective services. Learn more at www.openminds.com.
For additional questions and inquiries, please contact Tim Snyder, Vice President, Marketing, OPEN MINDS at 717-334-1329 or openminds@openminds.com.