WHAT IS THE RATE OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN FLORIDA
AND WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUTH INVOLVED WITH THE
JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM?
Over 1.6 Million Youth in the US were Referred to Juvenile Courts in 2008.
Black Juveniles are Very Much Overrepresented Among Them.
In 2008, there were over 1.6 million youth whose cases were disposed in juvenile courts across
the country. Black youth were highly overrepresented in the country's juvenile courts when
considering that Black youth comprised 34% of those cases disposed and yet, they only
constituted 16% of the population at risk or all youth aged 10 to 17. i
The following chart captures the relative rates of cases processed in the US juvenile justice
system in 2008 among the different racial/ethnic groups.ii Definitions used for the racial groups
in the national juvenile court statistics are as follows:




White - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or
the Middle East. (In both the population and court data, nearly all Hispanics were
included in the white racial category.)
Black - A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
American Indian - A person having origins in any of the indigenous peoples of North
America, including Alaskan Natives.
Asian/NHPI - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East,
Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Hawaii, or any of the other Pacific Islands.
It is easy to see from the pattern illustrated in the chart and the numbers reported therein that
for the most part, juvenile courts released a large number of youth referred, and also placed
many on probation or required some kind of community service or restitution (i.e. "other"
category). The graph also shows the comparatively high proportion of Black youth represented
among each disposition where with the exception of probation, they were over twice their
distribution in the total population of 10 to 17 year olds (i.e. 16%), reaching a high of 42% of
those waived to adult court and 39% of those placed in residential facilities.
Types of Dispositions Received by Youth Referred to Juvenile Courts in the US
2008, Percent Black Indicatediii
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
38%
200,000
29%
33%
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
White
Black
39%
American Indian
42%
Asian/NHPI
Waived
Placed
Probation
Released
Other
White
4,854
91,012
376,040
316,375
255,301
Black
3,730
61,509
162,963
206,789
128,504
American Indian
245
3,150
8,528
6,720
4,869
Asian/NHPI
68
2,023
8,773
6,915
4,969
In 2008, Black Youth Were at Least Two Times More Likely than Whites to
be Arrested, Referred to Court, Adjudicated, Placed on Probation or in a
Residential Facility, and Waived to Adult Courts in the US.
The previous graph showed that Black youth were handled by the nation's juvenile court at rates
much greater than their representation in the population of youth aged 10 to 17 years. The
data in the following chart more clearly demonstrates the remarkable differences in the
involvement of Black youth in our country's juvenile justice system compared to their
counterparts in other racial/ethnic groups in 2008.
Calculations are made to determine the relative rates of involvement of the various racial/ethnic
groups in the juvenile justice system. For instance the table shows that a Black juvenile was
twice as likely to be arrested as a White youth or a youth in the total population (i.e. 105.67 per
1,000 Blacks were arrested as compared to rates of 48.86 and 56.69 per 1,000 among Whites
and the total youth population). Similarly, the rate of referral of Black youth to juvenile court,
adjudication, probation, residential placement and waiver to adult courts was at least twice as
high as all other racial/ethnic groups. Black youth were also diverted from the juvenile justice
system at a rate almost twice as high as other youth. These differences do not necessarily
indicate that Black youth were treated more unfairly in the juvenile justice system than others,
nor does it imply that Black youth were more prone to delinquent behavior. Many other factors
must be examined to discern why there were such disparities.
Relative Rates of Involvement with the US Juvenile Justice System by Race/Ethnicity
2008iv
Total
Population 10 - 17
Percent
Juvenile Arrest
Rate/1,000
Juvenile Court
Referral Rate/1,000
Rate of
Diversion/1,000
Rate of
Adjudication/1,000
Rate of
Probation/1,000
Rate of Residential
Placement/1,000
Waiver to Adult
Court Rate/10,000
White
American
Indian or
Alaska
Native
Black
Asian,
Hawaiian or
Pacific
Islander
25,521,300
5,437,700
455,700
1,549,000
0.77
0.16
0.01
0.05
56.69
48.86
105.67
48.06
16.27
50.16
40.89
103.63
51.57
14.65
12.84
11.63
21.31
10.97
3.68
17.11
13.75
35.84
22.16
5.16
9.80
8.19
18.96
12.51
3.36
4.78
3.57
11.31
7.02
1.29
2.70
1.92
6.80
4.39
0.65
32,963,700
The Arrest Rate of Juveniles Has Declined in Florida
The rate of juveniles arrested in Florida for both Index or serious crime (i.e. Murder, Forcible Sex
Offenses, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny and Motor Vehicle Theft) and Part II
crimes (i.e. Manslaughter, Kidnap/Abduction, Arson, Simple Assault, Drug Arrests, Bribery,
Embezzlement, Fraud, Counterfeit/Forgery, Extortion/Blackmail, Intimidation,
prostitution/Commercialized Sex, Non-Forcible Sex Offenses, Stolen Property
Buy/Receive/Possess, Driving Under the Influence, Destruction/Damage/Vandalism, Gambling,
Weapons Violations, and Miscellaneous) has declined substantially between 2006 and 2010 as
illustrated in the following graph, particularly Part II crimes. There has been a 14.4% and 22.8%
reduction in Index crimes and Part II crimes respectively between 2006 and 2010. The graph
also shows that Part II arrests of juveniles have steadily declined over the five year period.
However, arrests for Index crimes climbed to a high point in 2008 and then dropped by almost
22% by 2010.
Arrest Rate of Juveniles in Florida - Five Year Trendv
45.00
42.09
40.21
40.00
38.67
35.31
35.00
32.71
Rate per 1,000
30.00
25.00
21.59
22.49
23.64
21.30
Index Crimes
18.48
20.00
Part II Crimes
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
The following graph illustrates the trend in juvenile court dispositions in Florida over the past
five years. Mirroring the downward trend in the arrest rate of juveniles, the numbers of
juvenile cases disposed by juvenile courts in Florida also has declined substantially. The number
of youth who were given dispositions in juvenile courts declined by 44.2% between 2006 and
2011. It is important to note that the proportion of youth who were diverted among all
juveniles disposed by juvenile courts in Florida actually increased, whereas the utilization of the
other dispositional outcomes remained fairly static. An examination of the patterns in
dispositions between 2006 and 2011 reveals the following:




diversion - 38% to 46% of all dispositions
probation - 29.7% to 24.1% of all dispositions
residential commitments - 7.5% to 7.8% of all dispositions
waived to adult courts - 3.9% to 3.5% of all dispositions
The Number of Juvenile Court Dispositions in Florida by Type
2006 - 2011vi
100,000
90,000
80,000
Total Dispositions
70,000
60,252
60,000
Judicially Handled
Diverted
50,000
Probation
40,000
Residential Commitments
30,000
27,775
25,134
Waived
20,000
14,561
4,722
2,110
10,000
0
2006 - 07
2007 - 08
2008 - 09
2009 - 10
2010 - 11
Similar to Findings About the Relative Rates of Involvement in the
Juvenile Justice System Among Racial/Ethnic Groups Nationally, Black
Youth Had Significantly Higher Rates than All Other Youth in Florida
During 2010 - 11
An analysis of the types of juvenile court dispositions
given to Florida's youth relative to their race and
ethnicity is important to consider, particularly in light of
the disparities noted nationally in 2008, as well as
indicated in work undertaken on disproportionate
minority contacts by the Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice.vii Similar to the analysis of the relative rates of
involvement in the US justice system, the following
Black youth were a little more
than two times as likely as to be
referred to the Department of
Juvenile Justice in 2010 - 11 than
youth in all the other categories.
table shows very similar patterns existed in Florida during 2010 - 2011. Black youth were a little
more than two times as likely as to be referred to the Department of Juvenile Justice in 2010 11 than youth in all the other categories. The rate of serious crime committed by Black youth
was higher than other youth as indicated by the fact that 33 out of every 1,000 Black youth
committed Index crimes as compared to an overall rate that was half as high (16 per 1,000) and
almost three times higher than the rates among White youth (12.11 per 1,000) and Hispanic
youth (10.42 per 1,000).
Black youth in Florida were also
twice as likely to be placed on
probation and over four times
more likely to be waived to adult
court than their White and
Hispanic counterparts. This
pattern is apparent even when the
rates for both White and Hispanic
youth are combined.
The table also shows that Black youth in
Florida were also twice as likely to be placed
on probation and over four times more likely
to be waived to adult court than their White
and Hispanic counterparts. This pattern is
apparent even when the rates for both White
and Hispanic youth are combined.
Finally, as was the case with national data in
2008, Black youth are more likely than other
youth to be diverted from the juvenile justice
system. Again, as mentioned with the national
findings, caution should be used when
interpreting these results without further study as they do not necessarily imply that Black
youth are more delinquent or that they are treated unfairly by law enforcement or juvenile
court judges.
Relative Rates of Involvement in Florida's Juvenile Justice System by Race/Ethnicity
2010 - 11viii
population 10 - 17
percent
Rate of DJJ Referrals/1,000
Rate of Index Crimes/1,000
Rate of Diversion/1,000
Rate of Probation/1,000
Rate of Residential
Commitment/1000
Rate of Waiver to Adult
Court/10,000
35.70
16.41
14.81
7.77
White
Youth
974,931
52%
28.60
12.11
12.79
6.20
Black
Youth`
393,722
21%
65.68
33.28
23.72
15.25
Hispanic
Youth
449,968
24%
24.11
10.42
11.08
4.50
Other
56,246
3%
41.62
20.80
17.33
8.66
White +
Hispanic
1,424,899
76%
27.18
11.58
12.25
5.66
2.52
1.75
5.99
1.12
2.67
1.55
11.25
6.13
28.90
6.38
15.47
6.21
Total
1,874,867
The following two graphs include data on the racial/ethnic distribution of youth referred to the
Department of Juvenile Justice and focus upon the pattern of offenses, specifically index crime
and the crimes included in that category, committed by these youth.
Youth Referred to Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice
by Race/Ethnicity and Type of Crime in 2010 - 11ix
27,885
30,000
25,861
25,000
20,000
Black
15,000
13,104
10,847
White
11,808
Hispanic
10,000
Other
4,690
5,000
2,341
1,170
0
Total DJJ Referrals
Index Crimes (i.e. serious crime)
Racial/Ethnic Distribution By Type of Index Crime Among Youth Referred to the Florida
Department of Juvenile Justice in 2010 - 11x
70
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
60
50
40
Black
30
White
20
Hispanic
Other
10
0
The number of youth committed to residential facilities in Florida has declined significantly over
the past five years with an overall reduction of 33% (i.e. 7,078 to 4,722). The graph also shows
that in each of the five years, the proportion of residential commitments who were Black was
very high compared to the proportion of Black youth in the population of juveniles aged 10 to
17, hovering around 50% of the total. In contrast, the proportion of residential commitments
who were White or Hispanic were lower and remained about the same each year as well, with
White and Hispanic youth making up about 35% and 10% respectively.
Residential Commitments to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
Five Year Trend by Race and Ethnicity
(% Black is Indicated)xi
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
50.7%
51.6%
50.7%
50%
3,000
Black
49.5%
2,000
White
1,000
Other
-
2006 - 07
2007 - 08
2008 - 09
2009 - 10
2010 - 11
Black
3,589
3,386
3,226
2,723
2,360
White
2,556
2,311
2,253
1,927
1,709
Other
179
197
193
203
150
Hispanic
754
674
685
589
503
7,078
6,568
6,357
5,442
4,722
Total
Hispanic
Total
One very serious potential consequence for youth referred to juvenile court is the decision to
transfer or waive the juvenile to stand trial in an adult court. Such transfers are not common
and the trend over the past several years in Florida
and nationally reflects a reduction in occurrence.
Over the five year period of 2006
Over the five year period of 2006 through 2011, the
through 2011, the number of
number of juveniles waived to adult courts dropped
juveniles waived to adult courts
41% (i.e.3,579 to 2,110) as shown in the following
dropped 41% (i.e.3,579 to 2,110).
graph. Similar to the findings regarding residential
commitments, Black youth are again very overrepresented among the juveniles who are waived to adult court as illustrated in the following
graph. Again, proportion of juveniles waived to adult court who were Black held fairly constant
over the five year period at about 54%. The proportion of youth waived to adult court who
were White or Hispanic stayed about the same as well, but with much lower rates of around
27% and 14% for Whites and Hispanics respectively.
Juveniles Transferred (Waived) to Adult Courts in Florida
Five Year Trend by Race and Ethnicity
(Percent Black Indicated)xii
4000
3,690
3,579
3,302
3500
3000
2,758
African American
2500
56%
2,110
53%
2000
54.5%
White
Hispanic
54.6%
1500
Other
53.9%
Total
1000
500
0
2006 - 07
2007 - 08
2008 - 09
2009 - 10
2010 - 11
Finally, it can be seen in the following graph that 17 year olds are the most likely to be waived to
adult court, and sixteen year olds are the next most likely. In each year, there were some who
were 14 years old ranging from a high of 80 back in 2006 to 25 in 2011.
Trend of Juveniles Transferred (Waived) to Adult Courts
Five Year Trend by Agexiii
# Juveniles waived to Adult Courts
2500
2000
9 - 13 yrs.
14 yrs.
1500
15 yrs.
16 yrs.
1000
17 yrs.
18 yrs.
500
0
2006 - 07
2007 - 08
2008 - 09
2009 - 10
2010 - 11
i
Easy Access to Juvenile Court Statistics: 1985 - 2008, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention, US Department of Justice.
ii
National Disproportionate Minority Contact Data Book, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention, 2010.
iii
Easy Access to Juvenile Court Statistics: 1985 - 2008, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention, US Department of Justice.
iv
National Disproportionate Minority Contact Data Book, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention, 2010.
v
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. (2010). Crime in Florida, 2009 Florida uniform crime report,
and 2010 - 11 Delinquency Profile, Bureau of Research and Planning, Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice.
vi
2010 - 2011 Delinquency Profile, Bureau of Research and Planning, Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice.
vii
"Disproportionate Minority Contact Benchmark Report," Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Bureau
of Research and Planning.
viii
2010 - 2011 Delinquency Profile, Bureau of Research and Planning, Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice.
ix
2010 - 2011 Delinquency Profile, Bureau of Research and Planning, Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice.
x
2010 - 2011 Delinquency Profile, Bureau of Research and Planning, Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice.
xi
2010 - 2011 Delinquency Profile, Bureau of Research and Planning, Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice.
xii
2010 - 2011 Delinquency Profile, Bureau of Research and Planning, Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice.
xiii
2010 - 2011 Delinquency Profile, Bureau of Research and Planning, Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice.