Delinquency Case Rate Trends

For each racial group, delinquency case rates increased between 1985 and the mid 1990s and then declined.

Delinquency Case Rates for All Delinquency Offenses by Race, 1985-2010

Delinquency Case Rates for All Delinquency Offenses by Race

Note: Rates are cases per 1,000 youth ages 10-upper age of juvenile court jurisdiction.

The delinquency case rate for black juveniles peaked in 1995, 72% above the rate in 1985. By 2010, the rate had fallen 30% from its 1995 peak.
For white juveniles, the delinquency case rate grew steadily between 1985 and 1996, increasing 37% during this period. Since reaching its peak, the rate declined 34% between 1996 and 2010, resting at its lowest level since 1985.
For American Indian juveniles, the delinquency case rate generally increased between 1985 and 1992, increasing 25% during this period. By 2010, the rate fell 58% from the 1992 peak, reaching its lowest point during the 26-year period.
Unlike the trends for the other racial groups, the delinquency case rate for Asian/NHPI juveniles remained relatively stable between 1985 and 2010, ranging between 11.6 (2010) and 21.9 (1994).
The delinquency case rate for black juveniles in 2010 was more than twice the rate for American Indian juveniles and white juveniles and more than seven times the rate for Asian/NHPI juveniles.

Internet Citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available:
http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/court/JCSCR_Display.asp?ID=qa06250. April 17, 2013.

Adapted from Juvenile Court Statistics 2009. Forthcoming. Pittsburgh, PA: National Center for Juvenile Justice.