While juvenile arrest rates have plummeted 72% since 1980, nearly 700,000 young people were still swept into a system in 2019 where deep racial disparities, high recidivism, and the challenges of mental health and rehabilitation reveal a justice system at a crossroads.
Key Takeaways
- In 2019, law enforcement made an estimated 696,620 arrests of juveniles under age 18 for criminal offenses in the United States
- Juveniles accounted for 24.3% of all arrests for simple assaults in 2019, totaling 112,300 arrests
- In 2019, juveniles comprised 8.4% of arrests for serious nonviolent crimes like burglary, with 15,200 arrests
- Juveniles under 18 were detained pre-court at a rate of 105 per 100,000 in 2019, down from 283 in 2000
- On a single day in 2019, 30,579 juveniles were held in residential placement facilities
- The juvenile detention admission rate fell 73% from 1997 to 2019, to 83 per 100,000
- 75% of delinquency petitions were formally processed in court in 2019
- Of petitioned delinquency cases in 2019, 59% resulted in adjudication of delinquency
- In 2019, 25% of adjudicated delinquency cases led to out-of-home placement
- 48% of youth in facilities reported daily structure in 2019 OJJDP survey
- 65% of confined youth had mental health disorders in 2019
- Average facility capacity utilization was 78% for secure facilities in 2019
- Recidivism rate for released juveniles was 55% within 12 months in 2019 studies
- Youth on probation had 28% re-arrest rate within 6 months in 2019
- Cognitive behavioral therapy reduced recidivism by 15% in 2019 meta-analysis
Juvenile arrests are decreasing yet concerning racial disparities remain in youth detention.
Adjudication and Sentencing
- 75% of delinquency petitions were formally processed in court in 2019
- Of petitioned delinquency cases in 2019, 59% resulted in adjudication of delinquency
- In 2019, 25% of adjudicated delinquency cases led to out-of-home placement
- Probation was the most common sanction, 56% of adjudicated cases in 2019
- Waiver to adult court occurred in 1% of delinquency cases in 2019, totaling 1,100 cases
- Person offense cases had 62% adjudication rate in 2019, highest among offense types
- From 1985 to 2019, delinquency petition rates fell 51%, to 3,300 per 100,000
- 84% of petitioned cases for females resulted in formal processing vs. 76% for males in 2019
- Black youth had 37% higher petition rates than white youth in 2019
- Drug offense cases saw 48% adjudication rate in 2019, lowest among categories
- Dismissals occurred in 23% of petitioned delinquency cases in 2019
- Average processing time from petition to adjudication was 41 days in 2019
- 62% of adjudicated person offense cases received probation in 2019
- Transfer rates to criminal court declined 54% from 1994 to 2019
- Hispanic youth petition rates were 1.3 times white rates in 2019
- In 2019, 7% of adjudicated cases received restitution orders
- Females had 64% adjudication rate vs. 58% for males in 2019
- Property crime petition rates dropped 65% from 1996 peak in 2019
- Judicial waivers were 62% of all transfers to adult court in 2019
Adjudication and Sentencing Interpretation
While the juvenile justice system has made strides in reducing overall case volume and resorting less frequently to adult court transfers, its journey towards equity remains a winding road marked by persistent racial disparities and a heavy reliance on probation as its favorite tool, even for serious offenses.
Arrest Rates and Offenses
- In 2019, law enforcement made an estimated 696,620 arrests of juveniles under age 18 for criminal offenses in the United States
- Juveniles accounted for 24.3% of all arrests for simple assaults in 2019, totaling 112,300 arrests
- In 2019, juveniles comprised 8.4% of arrests for serious nonviolent crimes like burglary, with 15,200 arrests
- Female juveniles represented 28.7% of all juvenile arrests in 2019, up from previous years, totaling approximately 200,000 arrests
- Black youth made up 34.7% of juvenile arrests for violent crime in 2019 despite being 15% of the youth population
- Property crime arrests of juveniles dropped 62% from 2005 to 2019, from 402,900 to 152,800 arrests
- In 2018, 47% of juvenile arrests occurred in cities, with suburban areas at 26%
- Juveniles aged 15-17 accounted for 63% of all juvenile arrests in 2019
- Drug abuse violation arrests for juveniles fell 71% from 2002 peak to 2019, to 39,200 arrests
- In 2019, 56,000 juveniles were arrested for vandalism, representing 8% of total juvenile arrests
- School incident arrests of juveniles increased 3% from 2018 to 2019, totaling 8,500 arrests
- Hispanic juveniles were 20% of juvenile arrests in 2019, despite 18% population share
- From 2010 to 2019, juvenile arrests for murder rose 19%, from 566 to 674 arrests
- White juveniles were 62.6% of all juvenile arrests in 2019
- Curfew offenses led to 4,200 juvenile arrests in 2019, down 70% since 2005
- In 2019, 88% of juvenile arrests were for offenses not classified as Person or Property crimes, mostly status offenses
- Juvenile arrests for larceny-theft totaled 77,600 in 2019, 11% of total arrests
- Male juveniles dominated robbery arrests at 85% in 2019, with 9,800 total arrests
- From 1980 to 2019, overall juvenile arrests declined 72%, from 2.3 million to 696,620
- In 2019, 2.5% of juvenile arrests were for forcible rape, totaling 1,800 arrests
Arrest Rates and Offenses Interpretation
While some progress is evident—such as the drastic 72% overall decline in juvenile arrests since 1980—the data paints a sobering portrait of persistent, systemically skewed contact, where young people are disproportionately arrested for minor offenses and racial disparities remain starkly unresolved.
Detention and Placement
- Juveniles under 18 were detained pre-court at a rate of 105 per 100,000 in 2019, down from 283 in 2000
- On a single day in 2019, 30,579 juveniles were held in residential placement facilities
- The juvenile detention admission rate fell 73% from 1997 to 2019, to 83 per 100,000
- Black youth were 36% of juveniles in placement on Census Day 2019, despite 15% population
- 85% of youth in juvenile facilities were male in 2019
- Commitment rates to long-term secure facilities dropped 71% from 2000 to 2019
- In 2019, 29% of confined youth were in commitment facilities, 28% in detention centers
- Average daily population in juvenile detention centers was 15,700 in 2019
- Youth aged 17 were 30% of the confined juvenile population in 2019
- Detention utilization rates averaged 65% capacity in 2019 across reporting facilities
- Hispanic youth comprised 22% of residential placement population in 2019
- From 1997 to 2019, one-day counts in juvenile facilities declined 65%, from 108,800 to 30,579
- 68% of confined youth were convicted of person offenses as most serious in 2019
- Average length of stay in detention was 15 days in 2019
- Female detention admissions were 19% of total in 2019
- 41 states reported declining detention populations from 2018 to 2019
- Youth in group homes made up 14% of placements in 2019
- Placement rate for adjudicated youth was 24% in 2019, down from 33% in 2000
- In 2019, 56% of delinquency cases resulted in detention pre-court
- Rural areas had higher detention rates at 124 per 100,000 vs. urban 92 in 2019
Detention and Placement Interpretation
While the overall tide of youth incarceration is encouragingly receding, the stubbornly disproportionate wave that continues to sweep up Black and male youth reveals that our justice system's current is still flowing from a biased source.
Facility Conditions and Incarceration
- 48% of youth in facilities reported daily structure in 2019 OJJDP survey
- 65% of confined youth had mental health disorders in 2019
- Average facility capacity utilization was 78% for secure facilities in 2019
- 27% of youth in custody experienced solitary confinement in past year per 2019 survey
- 89% of facilities provided high school equivalency programs in 2019
- Assault injury rate in juvenile facilities was 12 per 1,000 youth in 2019
- 42% of confined females reported sexual victimization vs. 12% males in 2019
- Average length of stay in commitment facilities was 20 months in 2019
- 73% of facilities met ACA standards for health care in 2019 audit
- Overcrowding affected 22% of juvenile facilities in 2019
- 56% of youth received substance abuse treatment in facilities in 2019
- Suicide rate in juvenile facilities was 3.2 per 100,000 in 2019
- 91% of facilities had violence prevention programs in 2019
- Educational achievement: 45% reading below grade level in facilities 2019
- Staff-to-youth ratio averaged 1:4.5 in secure facilities 2019
- 34% of youth reported family contact weekly in 2019 survey
- Medical care access was rated adequate by 78% of facilities in 2019
- 61% participation in vocational training among confined youth 2019
- Restraint use incidents totaled 15 per 100 youth annually in 2019
- 52% of facilities offered mental health screening on admission 2019
Facility Conditions and Incarceration Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim portrait of juvenile justice: a system that is disturbingly full, where over half the kids are mentally ill and sexually victimization is rampant, yet they still manage to provide daily structure and high school equivalency programs, proving that we are tragically efficient at both warehousing and educating our most troubled youth.
Recidivism and Rehabilitation Outcomes
- Recidivism rate for released juveniles was 55% within 12 months in 2019 studies
- Youth on probation had 28% re-arrest rate within 6 months in 2019
- Cognitive behavioral therapy reduced recidivism by 15% in 2019 meta-analysis
- 67% of released youth from secure facilities reoffended within 3 years 2019
- Multisystemic therapy showed 25% recidivism drop in randomized trials 2019
- Probation revocation rate was 12% nationally in 2019
- Functional Family Therapy recidivism reduction: 20% vs. control groups 2019
- 41% of youth re-entered facilities within 1 year post-release 2019
- Education-linked programs cut recidivism by 13% per 2019 DOE study
- Females had 10% lower recidivism than males post-release 2019
- Mentorship programs reduced re-arrests by 46% in 2019 evaluation
- Average time to recidivism was 9 months for probationers 2019
- Drug courts for juveniles lowered recidivism 18% in 2019 analysis
- 73% of recidivists committed similar offenses within 2 years 2019
- Wraparound services reduced placements by 30% and recidivism 22% 2019
- Black youth recidivism 15% higher than white in matched cohorts 2019
- Vocational training recidivism reduction: 14% in 2019 longitudinal study
- Aftercare programs cut re-incarceration by 26% per 2019 RCT
Recidivism and Rehabilitation Outcomes Interpretation
Despite the sobering reality that over half of justice-involved youth reoffend, we hold a clear, if shamefully underutilized, blueprint for change, proven by the consistent success of therapies like MST and FFT, the transformative power of mentorship and education, and the stark consequences of our failure to provide them equitably.