About one of every eight young people born in 2000 from places participating in a federal study were referred to juvenile court at least once prior to aging out of juvenile court jurisdiction in their state, says the Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in a new report. Fewer than one in 13 youth in the group were referred to juvenile court for a violent crime and nearly one third were referred for a property offense.
Sixty-three percent of youths in the cohort Total did not return to juvenile court after their first referral. Of those that did return, Of those that did return, 71 percent were male, 38 percent were white, and 39 percent were between the ages of 13 and 14 at the time. The likelihood of rereferral varied by demographics: males, , Black youth, and those under 15 were most likely to return. Youth who received a formal sanction at their first referral were more likely to be referred to juvenile court for a subsequent offense, especially if the youth was ordered into residential placement.