Data Patterns in Juvenile Justice

This section presents highlights of data trends in juvenile arrests and detention. It is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of the data. For the interested reader, more comprehensive information is available from the sources listed below¹. However, several notable trends are described here.

• Although there has been a decrease in the last 3-4 years for some offenses, when the data are examined over longer time periods, increases are substantial. This pattern is apparent at major points in the system and for particular behaviors such as assaults and illegal drug activities.
  
  
• There are substantial increases over the past ten years in the number of juveniles held in secure detention facilities. Some of those juveniles are being held for relatively minor offenses and status offenses; those numbers have increased in recent years.
  
  
• Many juveniles in correctional centers perform at levels substantially below other children of their age in tests of intellectual and cognitive functioning. They come from homes where they have been sexually and physically abused and their mental health functioning is often marginal.

Long- and Short-Term Patterns of Delinquent Behavior

There are signs of long-term increases in delinquent behavior at major points in the juvenile justice system: in total arrests, and in numbers of juveniles confined in secure detention facilities and correctional centers.

The pattern of a recent relatively minor decrease but a long-term increase is exemplified in the total juvenile arrest rate. Over the short-term, 1996 to 1998, the juvenile arrest rate has decreased 7.5%. However, when the data are examined over the 10-year period 1989 to 1998, there is a 29% increase in the juvenile arrest rate from 5897 per 100,000 in 1989 to 7592 per 100,000 in 1998. In number terms, this translates to an increase from 37,755 juvenile arrests in 1989 to 55,293 in 1998².

Secure detention facilities provide secure confinement for juveniles who are awaiting adjudication and local confinement services for adjudicated youth. Sentencing may be for up to 30 days or up to 6 months depending on whether the juvenile has been found guilty of a delinquent act over the past 12 months.

If a juvenile is found guilty at an adjudicatory hearing, one of the possible sanctions is custodial commitment to State care. Failure to comply with court orders can also lead to commitment. State care includes an initial assessment at the Reception and Diagnostic Center from which the juvenile may go to a boot camp, a privately operated residential facility, or a Juvenile Correctional Center. Although the number of admissions to correctional centers has remained relatively constant over the past 7 years, the length of stay has been increasing, as reflected in the average daily population which has increased by 41% in the past 5 years. Like secure detention facilities, correctional centers are often overcrowded, with the numbers of youth incarcerated exceeding the capacity of the facilities.

Assaultive Behaviors
For assaultive types of behavior, there is a long-term increase in both arrest and detention.

• A 67% increase in the arrest rate for robbery over 10 years with a 37.5% decrease over the last 3 years;
  
  
• A 56% increase in the arrest rate for aggravated assault over 10 years with a 15% decrease over the last 4 years;
  
  
• A 74% increase in the arrest rate for non-aggravated assaults over 10 years;
  
  
• A 70% increase in admissions to secure detention facilities for assault over 5 years.
  
  
• A 54% increase in admissions to correctional centers for sex offenses over 6 years.

Changes in the Code of Virginia may play a role in these increases. During this period, reporting of assaults in schools was made mandatory. There were also changes in requirements for charges in investigations of domestic violence incidences.

Depicted in the figure below are the data for four of these crimes: the arrest rates for robbery and aggravated assault, the numbers of admissions to secure detention for assault (aggravated and non-aggravated), and the number of admissions to correctional centers for sex offenses.

The robbery arrest rate is shown in the upper left. In the crime of robbery, an element of personal confrontation is always present. The robbery rate increased by 67% from 42 per 100,000 in 1989 to 70 per 100,000 in 1998. The rate peaked at 112 in 1995 and has subsequently decreased by 37.5%. The numbers of robberies committed by juveniles in Virginia were 270 in 1989 and 518 in 1998.

Shown in the upper right is the aggravated assault arrest rate. Aggravated assault usually includes the use of a weapon or other means to produce death or great bodily harm.³ Aggravated assault increased by 56% from 79 to 123 per 100,000 over the 10 years. It shows a modest decrease of 14.6% from its 1994 peak of 144 per 100,000. The numbers of aggravated assaults were 505 in 1989 compared to 908 in 1998.

Although not depicted, the arrest rate for simple assaults has also increased. It has increased by 74% over the 10-year period, from 470 in 1989 to 817 per 100,000 in 1998.

Click here to view Figure 1 - Long-Term Patterns of Juvenile Assaultive Behaviors.

Consistent with increases in arrests for assault, admissions to secure detention for assault have increased by 70% in the 5-year period from 1868 in 1994 to 3182 in 1998, as shown in the lower left. The data include both aggravated and non-aggravated assault.

Between 17 and 20% of juveniles admitted to correctional centers annually are admitted for violent offenses other than sex offenses. That portion has changed little over the past six years. However, both the percentage and number of juveniles admitted for sex offenses have increased. The percentage has increased from 4.8 in 1993 to 6.9 in 1998. The number of admissions for sex offenses, depicted in the lower right graph, has increased by 54% from 63 to 97.

Sex offenders are required to undergo treatment before release. The sex offender population averages between 270 and 300 on a given day but there are only 89 beds in prescribed treatment units. Because the number of sex offenders exceeds the number of treatment placements, juveniles are sometimes kept in confinement in general population units for periods without treatment because treatment space is not available. In some cases, youth are released with no treatment while others have their length of stay calculated based on waiting lists for treatment. Both the treatment and the incarceration are costly.

Drugs and Alcohol
Narcotics and alcohol-related offenses also show large increases over the long-term when the rate of arrests and number of intake complaints are examined.

• A 214% increase in the marijuana possession arrest rate over 10 years with an 18% decrease over the last 3 years.
  
  
• A 65% increase in the arrest rate for violation of the liquor laws over 10 years.
  
  
• A 68% increase in intake complaints for narcotics offenses over 5 years.
  
  
• A 302% increase in intake complaints for alcohol-related offenses over 5 years.

Virginia’s narcotics arrest rate increased by 120% over the period 1989 to 1998. The increase in marijuana possession rates, which is depicted in the upper left, accounts for 87% of that increase. The increase from 95 to 298 per 100,000 over the 10 years represents a 214% increase. Although there is an 18% decrease from 1996 to 1998, from 1991 to 1996 the rate increased by more than 700%. The pattern shown in the Virginia arrest rate is similar to that seen in the national rate.

Click here to view Figure 2 - Long-Term Patterns of Juvenile Illegal Drug and Alcohol Behaviors.

The top right graph shows the arrest rate for violation of the liquor laws. Whether this pattern is representative of a real increase in underage drinking or of a change in enforcement practice is not known. The cause is likely some combination of a "get tough" policy and a real increase in alcohol violations. Because of the age of the population of juveniles reported here, these rates would not include underage drinking that occurs on college campuses. The rate for juveniles has increased from 257 in 1989 to 425 per 100,000 in 1998, a 65% increase. There has been a 42% increase just since 1995.

Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Service Units receive, review, and process complaints. Juveniles are brought to the attention of Intake Officers at Court Service Units by police and by parents, victims, and other agencies. As would be expected from the arrest data, complaints for both narcotics offenses and alcohol-related offenses have increased substantially, as shown in the lower graphs. The number of complaints for narcotics offenses, shown in the bottom left, has increased by 68% from 3186 in 1994 to 5342 in 1998. Alcohol-related complaints, shown in the bottom right, show a 302% increase from 531 in 1994 to 2137 in 1998. To depict the data patterns, the y axes for these two graphs vary; the y axis for narcotics offenses ranges from 0 to 6000, that for alcohol-related offenses from ranges from 0 to 3000.

Secure Detention

Admissions to secure detention facilities have almost doubled in ten years from 10,263 in 1989 to 19,643 in 1998, an increase of 91%. The average daily population of secure detention facilities has increased by 52% in just the last five years and has exceeded capacity consistently. As well, over the past 4 years, the number of admissions has increased for offenses that might be considered to be relatively minor or that are status offenses. Thus there was,

• A 91% overall increase in admissions to secure detention over 10 years;
• A 133% increase for violations of a court order over 4 years;
• A 48% increase for probation/parole violations over 4 years;

In the figure below, total admissions are shown.

Click here to view Figure 3 - Number of Juveniles Admitted to Secure Detention (1989 - 1998). 

Total admissions have increased by 91% from 10,263 in 1989 to 19,643 in 1998. For what offenses are so many more juveniles being locked up? Reliable data are available for individual offenses for the 4-year period 1995 to 1998. During that period, the total number of admissions increased from 15,224 to 19,643, a difference of 4419. Admissions for violations of parole account for nearly 40% of that increase, increasing by 1759 in the four-year period. Admissions for violations of a court order account for another 14% of that increase. And, as might be expected given the increases in arrests for assault, admissions to secure detentions for aggravated and non-aggravated assault account for 23% of the 4419 increase.

The following figure shows admissions to secure detention for violations of parole and violations of a court order. To permit display of the temporal pattern, the y axes on the individual graphs vary widely – that for parole violations ranges from 0 to 6000, for violations of a court order from 0 to 1200.

Admissions for parole violations, shown in the left, have increased by 48% in four years from 3684 in 1995 to 5441 in 1998. Admissions for violations of a court order have more than doubled over a 4-year period from 459 in 1995 to 1071 in 1998.

As might be expected given the data depicted in the figure above, arrests have also increased for minor offenses. For example, the arrest rate for curfew/loitering violations has almost tripled in 10 years from 224 per 100,000 in 1989 to 653 per 100,000 in 1998, an increase of 192%. The Virginia rate has been above the national rate since 1992.

Similarly, the number of complaints brought to Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Service Units for probation/parole violations has nearly doubled in five years from 4248 in 1994 to 8120 in 1998, a 91% increase.

Click here to view Figure 4 - Number of Admissions to Secure Detention for Parole Violations and Violations of Court Orders.

Impaired Cognitive Functioning of Juveniles in Correctional Centers

Youth who are committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice are assessed at the Reception and Diagnostic Center. The Department of Juvenile Justice collected and aggregated data on admissions over a 6-year period, 1993 to 1998, and released it recently in a report, Profiles of Incarcerated Adolescents in Virginia Correctional Facilities⁴, hereafter referred to as the Profiles Report. The data paint a disturbing picture of youth who are aggressive and illiterate, who come from homes where they have been sexually and physically abused, and whose mental health functioning is marginal. As noted above, about one-quarter of males admitted to correctional centers are admitted for sexual or other violent offenses.

Intellectual and Cognitive Functioning
Intellectual and cognitive functioning of juveniles in correctional centers is markedly impaired. Eighty-five percent of youth score below average on an IQ test. Their poor cognitive functioning is exemplified in their achievement scores on writing tests, which are depicted in the figure below.

As the figure shows, 50% of juveniles score more than 6 years below their chronological age in tests of writing. Although not as poor as writing scores, their achievement scores on tests of reading and mathematics are also poor: they will not stand them in good stead on the outside world. The situation is particularly critical for black males. On all tests, males score more poorly than females and juveniles classified as black score more poorly than juveniles classified as white. In 1998, 61% of juveniles classified as black, including males and females, scored more than 6 years below chronological age in tests of writing.

Click here to view Figure 5 - Chronological Age (CA) on Writing Achievement Scores for Juveniles in Correctional Centers (1993-1998).

History of Familial Abuse
About 30% of juveniles report a history of abuse in their homes directed toward themselves. This would include physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. About 22% report a history of abuse in their homes directed toward other family members. Both patterns have remained stable over the period 1994 to 1998.

The following figure shows the temporal patterns of physical and sexual abuse, by gender.

Click here to view Figure 6 - Abuse History of Juveniles in Correctional Centers (1994-1998).

As can be seen, females are more likely than males to report both physical and sexual abuse. About one-third of females report a history of sexual abuse and about 30% report a history of physical abuse. There is undoubtedly some overlap.

Mental Health History
The United States has the highest suicide rate among industrialized countries⁵. This disturbing national trend is evident in recorded suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts of juveniles in Virginia correctional facilities.

Information taken from the Profiles Report concerning suicide attempts and suicidal ideation is presented below.

Click here to view Figure 7 - History of Suicide Attempts and Ideation (1994-1998).

As can be seen, females have more suicide attempts and more suicidal thoughts than males. Moreover, these percentages are increasing. Female suicide attempts have increased from 17% in 1994 to 30% in 1998; reported suicidal ideation has increased from 32% in 1994 to 50% in 1998. Although females represent just 20% of juveniles in correctional centers, these increasing indications of despair are troublesome.

Summary

Three trends recur in the data – despite recent decreases, there are long term increases in delinquent offenses, particularly assaultive and drug-related behaviors; there are large increases in incarceration of juveniles, some for relatively minor offenses; and juveniles in correctional centers exhibit poor cognitive functioning and poor mental health. The data permit the display of these temporal patterns; however, their underlying causes are unclear. It is likely that they represent a combination of changes in legislation or enforcement policy and changes in delinquent behavior. Each has been identified as a problem in the Juvenile Services Section’s Three-Year Plan 2000-2002⁶. Strategies have been developed for addressing these problems in concert with the other State and community agencies.

Notes

¹ The Department of State Police, Uniform Crime Reporting Section, publishes Crime in Virginia annually. Recent volumes are available online at the web page of the Virginia State Police, http://www.vsp.state.va.us. The Department of Juvenile Justice publishes annual summary sheets containing information about intake, secure detention, and correctional center admissions. A recent report, Profiles of Incarcerated Adolescents in Virginia Correctional Facilities, is available from the Department of Juvenile Justice or the Department of Criminal Justice Services. Virginia's Three-Year Plan under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act contains a large data section. It is available online at http://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/juvenile/resources.cfm.

² The computation for the arrest rate takes into consideration the juvenile population, so it is a more accurate representation of changes occurring over time than is the depiction of only numbers of offenses. Rates are computed by the following formula: [number of offenses/(juvenile population/100,000)].

³ Uniform Crime Reporting Section, Department of State Police, "Crime in Virginia."

⁴ McGarvey, E. & Waite, D. (1999). Profiles of Incarcerated Adolescents in Virginia Correctional Facilities: 1993-1998.

⁵ The Centers for Disease Control reports that the United States suicide rate for children is 2 times higher than the combined rates of 25 other industrialized counties (Centers for Disease Control. (1997). Rates of Homicide, Suicide, and Firearm-Related Death Among Children -- 26 Industrialized Counties. Available online at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00046149.htm).

⁶ Three Year Plan 2000-2002 and Application for Funding Under Title II of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, Juvenile Services Section, Department of Criminal Justice Services. Available online at http://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/juvenile/resources.cfm.

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