Juvenile Court Statistics 2021

In January 2024, the National Center for Juvenile Justice released their annual report detailing data trends in juvenile courts across the country from 2005 to 2021. This report provides a national snapshot of various trends in delinquency cases, including key demographic patterns across age, gender, and race at various stages of case processing. Notably, in 2021, youth with the following characteristics were more likely to be detained: older than 16, arrested for person offenses, male, and in a racial group other than white. This report provides youth defense advocates with several data points to demonstrate the reach and impact of delinquency cases on youth, especially across racial lines.