Juvenile Justice Standards

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the arrest rate for juvenile crime decreased by 5 percent between 2006 and 2010. While this statistic is encouraging, with about 75 million people under the age of 18 living in the United States, the juvenile justice system must continue striving to maintain a balance between prevention and correction of criminality.

Prevention

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention supports numerous programs that rehabilitate young people and study the causes of youth crime. Among these projects are the Girls Study Group, the SMART system, Helping America's Youth, and Project Safe Childhood. The SMART system refers to the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. The OJJDP also funds faith-based activities and anti-gang initiatives.

Correction

The OJJDP implements mentoring programs to rehabilitate offenders and prevent at-risk youth from committing crimes. There are four main mentoring programs sponsored by the OJJDP, including a mentoring program for Latino youth, one for tribal youth, national mentoring programs and various community programs like non-profits and faith-based programs.

National Legislation

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Act of 2004 provides states with formula grants for addressing juvenile crime issues as long as they follow certain guidelines. For example, states must separate juveniles from adults in correctional facilities and address the issue of the over-representation of minority groups in the juvenile justice system.

State Legislation

Depending on the state, there is a minimum age set for a juvenile to be tried in criminal court. In Vermont and Kansas, the minimum age is 10, but in most other states the age is 13 or 14.

States have different definitions of a juvenile. For example, the upper age of juvenile court jurisdiction in most states is 17, but in Connecticut, New York and North Carolina the upper age is 15.

Statistics

In 2008, the majority of juvenile arrests involved larceny-theft.

Most juveniles placed in correctional facilities are between the ages of 15 and 17.

In 2006, 61 percent of juvenile offenders were placed in public facilities, versus only 27 percent placed in private facilities.

In 2006, two out of three juveniles in residential placement facilities were of a minority group.

In 2006, females accounted for 14 percent of juveniles in residential placement.

References

• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention: 2008 Annual Report
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention: Juvenile Population Characteristics