understanding delinquency

Question 1

quantitative vs. qualitative

Answer 1

quantitative
- numbers & deductive
qualitative
- descriptive & inductive

Question 2

data sources used

Answer 2

• official police data
• victimization surveys
• self-reports

Question 3

juvenile cases

Answer 3

• 2/3 go to juvenile court, 7% adult
• remaining cases are handled informally so knowledge about data is limited

Question 4

most reliable data for juveniles

Answer 4

• self-report surveys used since ’70s
  – delinquency, deviance, drug use, etc. all reported
  – typically show higher rates than police datac

Question 5

correlates of delinquency

Answer 5

age - strongest
gender
race/ethnicity - most controversial
class/SES - most complicated

Question 6

victimization trends (NCVS)

Answer 6

• ‘94-‘99, serious violence & simple assault ages 12-17 declined by 83%
• most perpetrators are known
• weapons in nonfatal serious violence has declined
• injury rates among for victims of serious violence has declined
• 2019, ~1,366 murdered juveniles

Question 7

offending trends (NCVS)

Answer 7

• proportions of serious violent crimes peaked in ‘93, decreased in 2011, increased in 2013
  – 9% in 2019 (lowest)
• homicide was at historic low in 2013, rose 27% through 2019
• juveniles were involved in offenders in 1 in 14 homicides in 2019
• almost 90% of homicides by juveniles are done with firearms

Question 8

Maryland trends

Answer 8

• increase in juvenile delinquency in 2021 & 2022
• share of crime committed by juveniles is decreasing
• murder & attempted murder for juveniles in Baltimore City increasing
• juvenile victims of violent crimes increasing

Question 9

MD Dept. of Juvenile Services 2024-2028 Strategic Plan (4 goals)

Answer 9

• improve public safety
• improve youth outcomes
• build partnerships to improve all outcomes
• achieve organizational excellence