In this data snapshot, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s National Juvenile Court Data Archive documents workloads of the nation’s juvenile courts. Caseloads for all delinquency offense categories in 2020 were at their lowest level since 2005. Person offense cases accounted for the greatest proportion (35%) of the delinquency caseload in 2020. In 2020, two-thirds of adjudicated delinquency cases received a disposition of probation. It is important to note that 2020 was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have impacted policies, procedures, and data collection activities regarding referrals to and processing of youth by juvenile courts. Additionally, stay-at-home orders and school closures likely impacted the volume and type of law-violating behavior by youth referred to juvenile court in 2020.
Objective Research for More Equitable Outcomes