SAC Publication Digest - May 2005 - Justice Research and Statistics ...

type and number of prior placements, being male, and area of residence. Surveyed judges and
juvenile justice agency staff believed that the lack of alternatives to secure detention was the
primary determinant of length of stay. Recommendations included: reduce the use of secure
detention when alternatives are available, increase the system’s ability to provide short-term
detention, and develop objective measures to determine when to use secure detention.
WEST VIRGINIA
WEST VIRGINIA JUVENILE ARREST REPORT 2000-2002
Erica Turley and Stephen M Haas
July 2004, 12 pp.
This report summarizes the arrest trends among juveniles in West Virginia from 2000 to 2002.
Juvenile arrests fell 27% during the past three years and remain substantially lower than the
national average. Between 2000 and 2002, youths were most often arrested for nonindex crimes;
65% of arrests were for nonindex crimes and 35% were for index crimes. While males were
arrested more frequently than females, females comprised a fairly large proportion of index
crime arrestees. Females were responsible for 15% of the violent crime index and 35% of the
property crime index. For nonindex crime arrests, minority males showed the steepest decline,
although all categories (minority females, nonminority females, and nonminority males)
showed drops in nonindex crime arrests. Almost 65% of the arrests were made in 9 of the 55
counties in the state; 13 counties reported fewer than 10 arrests during 2002.
WEST VIRGINIA JUVENILE COURT STATISTICS: 2001-2003
C. A. Hamilton, Stephen M. Haas, and Erica Turley
September 2004, 20 pp.
This report summarizes statewide statistics on juvenile court processes and outcomes for
delinquency and status offenses from 2001-2003. The typical juvenile to appear before the court
was male, disproportionately minority, and from a single parent home. Most cases brought to
the court were handled informally; minorities were more likely than whites to be charged with
a delinquency and whites were more likely than minorities to be charged with a status offense.
Assault was the most frequently handled delinquency charge, and truancy was the most
frequently handled status offense. Despite the lower rate of appearance in court for females,
they were more likely to be charged with person or property offenses than males were. For all
other offenses, males were more likely than females to be charged.
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