Juvenile Offenders and Probation, January - June 1998

C J S A CCRIMINAL JUSTICE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS CENTERDivision of Criminal Justice ServicesDepartment of Military Affairs and Public SafetyState of West ViriginiaJuvenile Offenders & Probation January - June 1998Two out of every 100 juveniles age 12 to17 were involved in West Virginia’sjuvenile probation system betweenJanuary and June of 1998. Thesejuveniles were charged with committingnearly 9,000 offenses.This report describes these juveniles,summarizes the offenses that werecharged, and reviews case dispositions.The source of this information is thejuvenile justice database (JJDB), createdto provide systematic statisticalinformation on juvenile offenders topolicymakers and practitionersthroughout West Virginia. The JJDB, andsubsequently this report, are a result ofthe cooperative partnership betweenJuvenile Probation and the Division ofCriminal Justice Services. One limitationof the JJDB and this report is that neitherincludes juveniles who are referred directlyto the Department of Health and HumanServices.Juvenile OffendersAbout 4,000 juveniles were involvedin the juvenile probation system eitherthrough a written and signed complaintor petition, or through the disposition of acase. These juveniles, who were chargedwith either status offenses* or criminaloffenses, will be referred to as juvenileoffenders.Highlightsl Approximately 2 out of every 100 juveniles age 12 to 17 in West Virginiawere involved in the juvenile probation system between January and June1998.l Males were twice as likely to be a juvenile offender than females. Whitefemales were the only group less frequent than expected based on the WestVirginia population.l Over 5,000 juvenile cases were reported, most often charging only oneoffense. Fifty-seven percent of these cases were brought to juvenile probationby law enforcement officers.l Over 50% of the offenses charged can be categorized as status offenses*(27%) or property crimes (26%).l Cases were disposed most frequently by assigning the juvenile to an improvementperiod, counseling the juvenile, dismissing the case, assigning thejuvenile to probation without custody, or informal supervision by probation.general population of West Virginiajuveniles. Using 1997 census estimatesas a guide, white females were the onlygroup underrepresented. They comprised46% of the general population, but only29% of the juvenile offenders. There were3 times more black males than expectedTable 1: Gender and RaceJuvenile PopulationOtherFemales.3%OtherMales.3%BlackFemales2%BlackMales2%based on the population. They increasedfrom 2% of the population to 6% of theoffenders. These differences between thepopulation and the offenders arepresented in Table 1.*See page 5 for a definition of status offender.MalesFemalesJuvenile OffendersOtherFemales.6%OtherMales1%BlackFemales3%BlackMales6%Gender & RaceMales were twice as likely to be anoffender than females in each racial group.Additionally, the racial distribution wasidentical for both males and females.Eighty-nine percent of the juveniles werewhite, 9% were black, and almost 2%were multi-racial, Asian, or AmericanIndian.WhiteMales49%WhiteFemales46%WhiteMales60%WhiteFemales29%The distribution of race and genderof juvenile offenders was different from theBased upon July 1997 census estimatesfor juveniles 6 to 21 years old.Other includes multi-racial, Asian,and American Indian.

2 Juvenile Offenders & ProbationAgeThe age of offenders ranged from 5to 21 years old. Those 18 to 21 yearsold within the juvenile probation systemwere charged with an offense prior toturning 18. State law on juvenilejurisdiction allows for these individuals tobe handled by the juvenile system untiltheir 21 st birthdate.As with national trends, illegalactivity by males peaked at a later agethan females. Seventeen year-old malesand sixteen year-old females were themost common ages at offense.EducationThe majority, 71%, were categorizedas mainstream students. Eleven percentwere in special education, 8% were in analternative program, and 2% had obtainedtheir GED. The 8% drop-out rate wasgreater than the state-wide rate of 3% forall enrolled 7 th to 12 th grade students. Theeducational status for many of the juvenileoffenders was not available. Table 2 doesnot include these juveniles.Home CountyThirteen percent of the juveniles werefrom Kanawha County. Only 2% werefrom other states. Table 5 displaysoffense rates for each county.Table 2: Educational Status71%20%40%Mainstream60%80%Table 3: Complainants57%LawEnforcementCasesA little more than 5,000 cases werereported for this six month period. A caseis defined as a written and signedcomplaint or petition charging the juvenilewith one or more crime or status offense*committed within a 24-hour period in onecounty.In 76% of the cases the juvenile wascharged with only one offense. Fourteenpercent were charged with two offensesand the remaining 10% of the cases contained3 or more offenses.Juvenile’s HistoryIn 57% of the cases the juvenile didnot have a history of complaints. Thejuvenile was reported to have prior complaintsin 43% of the cases. These arerepresented in Table 4. The juvenile’s historyin 779 cases was not available andwas not included in this table.14%School11%10%3%3%ProbationOtherParentVictimComplainantsThe person signing the complaint orpetition charging the juvenile with committingan offense is the complainant.Fifty-seven percent of the cases werebrought to probation by law enforcementofficers. Schools brought in 14%, parentssigned petitions on 11% of thecases, victims reported about 10% of thecases, and probation filed complaints on3% of the cases. This distribution is presentedin Table 3.Predispositional DetentionIn 230, or 5%, of the cases, thejuvenile was detained in a detention centerprior to the disposition of their case.Three percent were confined in nonsecurefacilities, 1% in the home, and1% in staff secure facilities. In 3,754, or88%, of the cases the juvenile was notdetained prior to the disposition.Unreported information was not includedin these figures.11%Special EducationTable 4: Juvenile’s History8%6%2%Drop-OutAlternativeGEDNo priorcomplaints.57%18%Prior complaints forcriminal activity, noadjudication12%Prior status offender*complaints, noadjudication.2%Other10%Prior adjudication forcriminal activity.1%Graduated*See page 5 for a definition of status offender.3%Prior adjudication forstatus offenses*.

Juvenile Offenders & Probation 3Table 5: Offender Rates by CountyJuvenile JuvenileCounty Population Offenders RateWest Virginia ... 164,061 ....... 3,216 1.96%Brooke .................. 2,479 .......... 108 4.36%Lincoln .................. 2,221 ............ 86 3.87%Wood .................... 7,605 .......... 272 3.58%Mercer .................. 6,183 .......... 212 3.43%Nicholas ................ 2,984 .......... 102 3.42%Cabell .................... 7,648 .......... 261 3.41%Tyler ......................... 947 ............ 32 3.38%Ohio ...................... 3,734 ........... 117 3.13%Marshall ................ 3,279 .......... 102 3.11%Harrison ................ 6,304 .......... 175 2.78%Kanawha ............ 17,158 .......... 445 2.59%Greenbrier ............ 3,046 ............ 74 2.43%Hancock ................ 3,092 ............ 74 2.39%Morgan ..................... 996 ............ 23 2.31%Summers ............... 1,201 ............ 27 2.25%Lewis .................... 1,571 ............ 33 2.10%Pendleton ................. 545 ............. 11 2.02%Taylor .................... 1,265 ............ 24 1.90%Wirt........................... 430 .............. 8 1.86%Upshur .................. 2,099 ............ 38 1.81%Monongalia ............ 5,032 ............ 91 1.81%Monroe .................. 1,052 ............ 19 1.81%Raleigh .................. 8,178 .......... 144 1.76%Preston ................. 3,092 ............ 54 1.75%Mingo .................... 3,838 ............ 66 1.72%Randolph ............... 2,677 ............ 43 1.61%Pocahontas .............. 731 ............ 10 1.37%Mineral .................. 2,267 ............ 31 1.37%Marion ................... 4,865 ............ 61 1.25%Putnam .................. 4,040 ............ 49 1.21%Wetzel ................... 1,750 ............ 21 1.20%Boone ................... 2,899 ............ 32 1.10%Jefferson .............. 3,000 ............ 33 1.10%Wayne .................. 4,171 ............ 44 1.05%Roane ................... 1,627 ............ 17 1.04%Clay ....................... 1,170 ............ 12 1.03%Calhoun .................... 686 .............. 7 1.02%Logan .................... 4,969 ............ 49 0.99%Fayette .................. 4,991 ............ 47 0.94%Berkeley ................ 5,055 ............ 46 0.91%Hardy ....................... 924 .............. 8 0.87%Mason ................... 2,311 ............ 19 0.82%Wyoming ............... 3,462 ............ 27 0.78%Doddridge ................ 678 .............. 5 0.74%Hampshire ............. 1,633 ............ 12 0.73%Grant ..................... 1,088 .............. 7 0.64%Tucker ...................... 713 .............. 4 0.56%Webster ................ 1,068 .............. 5 0.47%McDowell .............. 4,129 ............ 18 0.44%Braxton ................. 1,094 .............. 4 0.37%Jackson ................ 2,513 .............. 4 0.16%Barbour ................. 1,381 .............. 2 0.14%Ritchie ...................... 845 .............. 1 0.12%Gilmer ....................... 579 .............. 0 0.00%Pleasants ................. 766 .............. 0 0.00%Offender rates were calculated by dividingthe number of juvenile offenders by thejuvenile population for the county. 1990Census figures were used to determine thejuvenile population. Both sets of numbersinclude juveniles age 12 to 17 years old only.Juveniles were reported by their homecounty which may be different than thecounty where the offense or offensesoccurred.In the map below the number of juvenileoffenders are reported under the countyname and the complaint rates are indicatedby the degree of shading within the county.Wayne44Offender RatesCabell261Mason19Putnam49Lincoln864 - 4.99%3 - 3.99%2 - 2.99%1 - 1.99%0 - 0.99%JacksonBoone32Mingo Logan66 49Kanawha445Fayette47Raleigh144Wyoming27McDowell18Pleasants0Wood272Wirt84 Roane17Ritchie1Calhoun7Clay12Mercer212Wetzel21Tyler32Doddridge5Gilmer0Braxton4Nicholas102Summers27Lewis33Hancock74Brooke108Ohio117Marshall102Monongalia91Marion61Harrison175Webster5Greenbrier74Monroe19Taylor24Barbour2Upshur38Pocahontas10Preston54Randolph43Tucker4Grant7Pendleton11Mineral31Hardy8Hamphire12Morgan23 Berkeley47Jefferson33

4 Juvenile Offenders & ProbationTable 6: Offenses ChargedStatus Offenses*44%(1,042)IncorrigibilityTruancy18%(430)1% (34)CurfewViolationRunaway17%(409)11%(253)6%(140)Possessionof Alcoholby a MinorProbation Violation,Status Offense2% (53)Possession ofTobacco Productsby a Minor*See page 5 for a definition of statusoffender and status offenses.Person CrimesBattery .................................................. 682Simple Assault ...................................... 170Telephone Harassment .......................... 39Malicious Assault ................................... 27Malicious Wounding ................................ 25Aggravated Robbery .............................. 21Wanton Endangerment ........................... 13Attempted Murder ................................... 10Stalking ..................................................... 8Kidnapping ................................................ 7Unlawful Wounding .................................. 7Murder (1st degree) ................................. 5Nonaggravated Robbery .......................... 3Intimidation of a Witness .......................... 3Involuntary Manslaughter ......................... 1Murder (2nd degree) ................................ 1Injurious Child Neglect .............................. 1Auto-RelatedTraffic Violations .................................. 112Grand Larceny (auto) ............................ 89Breaking & Entering (auto) ..................... 88Joy Riding ............................................... 74DUI (other offenses) .............................. 47Possession of Stolen Vehicle ................ 35Reckless Driving (1st offense) .............. 28Hit & Run Property Damage .................... 13DUI (personal injury) ................................. 4DUI (2nd offense) ..................................... 3Hit & Run Personal Injury .......................... 3Leaving the Scene of an Accident .......... 3Auto Tampering ........................................ 1This table lists all offenses charged to juvenilesand reported by juvenile probation officers.These do not necessarily reporesent all offensescharged to juveniles in West Virginia. The categoriesand offenses are ordered by frequency.Many of these offenses are resolved informallyor dismissed by the court.Other OffensesObstucting an Officer .......................... 104Conspiracy to Commit aMisdemeanor .................................... 101Probation Violation (misdemeanor) ........ 90Fleeing from a Police Officer(misdemeanor) ................................... 41Probation Violation (felony) .................... 38Conspiracy to Commit a Felony ............. 14Cruelty of Animals .................................... 8Escape ...................................................... 7Natural Resources Violations .................. 7Shooting Across the Road ....................... 2Contributing to the Delinquencyof a Minor ............................................. 1Aiding Escape .......................................... 1Drug CrimesPossession of a Controlled Substance .....(any form of marijuana) ................... 162Possession of a Controlled Substance(1st offense, conditional discharge) . 46Manufacture or Delivery of Non-NarcoticControlled Substance (marijuana) ..... 33Possession of a Controlled Substance -narcotics (heroin, crack, ice, etc.) .... 31Manufacture or Delivery of Narcotics(1st offense) ...................................... 21Possession of a Controlled Substance(other pharmaceuticals) ......................... 12Manufacture or Delivery of Non-NarcoticControlled Substance (hallucinogens) 6Possession of Drug Paraphernalia .......... 5Manufacture or Delivery Narcotics(2nd offense or subsequent) .............. 4Manufacture or Delivery of Non-NarcoticControlled Substance(other pharmaceuticals) ....................... 3Possession of a Controlled Substance(hallucinogens) ..................................... 3Property CrimesShoplifting (1st offense) 27% (636)Destruction of Property 18% (417)Petit Larceny 16% (364)Breaking and Entering 15% (360)Public DisorderPublic Intoxication ................................... 77Disturbance of Schools ......................... 55Disorderly Conduct ................................. 37Reporting False Emergencies .................. 7Loitering on School Property .................... 2Money - RelatedReceiving or Tranferring Stolen Goods(misdemeanor) ................................... 63Forgery ................................................... 40Uttering ................................................... 35Obtaining by Fraud ................................. 18Worthless Checks .................................... 4Interstate Transporting Stolen Property ... 2Manufacture of Counterfiet Bills .............. 1Fraudulent Schemes ................................ 1Weapons - RelatedBrandishing a Deadly Weapon ............... 55Carrying a Concealed Weapon .............. 44Possession of Explosives ...................... 12Bomb Threat (misdemeanor) .................... 8Possession/Placing Explosives ............... 6Bomb Threat (felony) ............................... 2Negligent Shooting .................................... 1Unlawful Shooting .................................... 1Sex OffensesSexual Assault (2nd degree) ................. 14Sexual Abuse (1st degree) ................... 11Sexual Assault (1st degree) .................. 10Indecent Exposure ................................... 7Sexual Abuse (3rd degree) ..................... 6Sexual Assault (3rd degree) ................... 4Prostitution ................................................ 4Child Sexual Abuse .................................. 1Incest ........................................................ 1Sexual Abuse (2nd degree) .................... 1Grand Larceny 7% (153)Daytime Burglary 5% (119)Trespassing 4% (105)Nighttime Burglary 3% (71)Arson 2% (43)Entering without Breaking 2% (42)Burning Property and Vandalism .5% (11)Shoplifting (2nd and subsequent) .4% (9)Malicious Killing of Animals .2% (4)

Juvenile Offenders & Probation 5Offenses ChargedAlmost 9,000 offenses were charged.Status offenses* and property crimescombined represented over 50% of theoffenses. Sexual and weapons-relatedoffenses were infrequent, 59 and 129charges respectively. A listing of theindividual offenses are presented in Table6 and the frequency of offense categoriesare displayed in Table 7.Table 7: Frequency of Offenses by Categories50%40%30%20%10%27% 26%12%Status Offenses*Using the JJDP Act to define statusoffenses, they include truancy,incorrigibility, runaway, possession ofalcohol by a minor, possession oftobacco products by a minor, and curfewviolations. In addition, probation violationsthat are status offenses are included inthis category. These are acts that cannotbe charged against adults.They represented 27% of all offenses.Truancy was the most frequent of allindividual offenses, representing 12%.Incorrigibility was the second mostfrequent status offense representing 18%of the status offenses, followed closelyby charges of runaway which totaled 17%of status offenses. Possession of alcoholby a minor was charged 253 times (11%of status offenses).Property CrimesFirst offense shoplifting totaled 7%of all offenses and destruction of propertytotaled 5%. Petit larceny, breaking andentering, grand larceny, daytime burglary,and trespassing were charged to juvenilesover 100 times each.Person CrimesBattery was the second mostfrequent of all individual offenses and byfar the most frequent person-related crimewith 682 charges. The remaining crimeswere infrequent, yet some extremelyserious. Ten counts of attempted murder,7 counts of kidnapping, 5 counts of firstdegree murder, and 1 count of involuntarymanslaughter were charged.Sex OffensesWeapons-RelatedMoney-RelatedPublic DisorderDrug-RelatedOtherAuto-RelatedPerson CrimesProperty CrimesStatus Offenses*Auto-Related OffensesAlthough traffic violations werecommon with 112 charges, auto larceny,breaking and entering an auto, and otherserious offenses were reported. Therewere no DUI deaths or negligent vehicularhomicides reported.Drug-Related OffensesFifty percent of all drug-relatedoffenses and 2% of all offenses involvedthe possession of any form of marijuana.Possession of a controlled substance,first offense, conditional discharge, wascharged 46 times.Public DisorderSeventy-seven counts of publicintoxication, 55 counts of disturbance of*Definition of a Status OffenderFor the purposes of this report, the federaldefinition of a status offender was used.According to Section 223(12)(A) of the JJDPAct, juveniles who are charged with or whohave committed offenses that would not becriminal if committed by an adult are statusoffenders.At the state level, the WV Code is not asbroad. According to WV Code (49-1-4) a statusoffender means a juvenile who has beenadjudicated as one:“(A) Who habitually and continually refusesto respond to the lawful supervision byhis or her parents, guardian or legal custodiansuch that the child’s behavior substantially6% 5% 4% 2% 2% 1% 1%schools, and 37 counts of disorderlyconduct were reported.Money - Related OffensesThe misdemeanor offense, receivingor transferring stolen goods, was charged63 times.Weapons - Related OffensesFifty-five counts of brandishing adeadly weapon were reported. Fourtyfourcounts of carrying a concealedweapon were reported. Offenses involvingexplosives or bombs totaled 28 counts.Sex OffensesSex offenses, in general, wereinfrequent, totaling less than 1% of alloffenses.endangers the health, safety, or welfare ofthe juvenile or any other person;(B) Who has left the care of his or herparents, guardian or custodian without theconsent of such person or without good cause;(C) Who is habitually absent from schoolwithout good cause; or(D) Who violates any West Virginia municipal,county, or state law regarding use ofalcoholic beverages by minors;“The WV Code includes incorrigibility, runningaway, truancy, and possessing alcoholby a minor. Possessing tobacco by a minorand violating curfew were categorized as statusoffenses in this report but are not includedin WV Code.

6 Juvenile Offenders & ProbationDispositionsThere were a variety of casedispositions. The most common involvedassigning the juvenile to an improvementTable 8: Disposition of CasesFormal (F)Informal (I) Disposition Number of CasesF Improvement Period ...................................................................... 730I Counseled, Case Closed .............................................................. 717F Dismissed ...................................................................................... 525F Probation, Noncustodial ................................................................ 497I Informal Supervision by Probation ................................................ 458I Complaint Resolved ...................................................................... 350I Held Open without Further Action ................................................ 229I Referred to Community Agency ................................................... 222F DHHR Custody, Probation ............................................................. 160I Other Informal Disposition ............................................................ 105F DHHR Custody ................................................................................ 96F Adjudicated Delinquent ................................................................... 85F Adjudicated Status Offender*, No DHHR Custody ........................ 83F Division of Juvenile Services Custody ........................................... 64F Other Formal Disposition ................................................................. 51F Adjudicated Status Offender*, DHHR Custody .............................. 37F Adjudicated, Not Delinquent ............................................................. 7F Transferred to Adult Court ............................................................... 6F Adjudicated, Not Status Offender* ................................................... 1F No Status Offender* Adjudication .................................................... 1F No Delinquent Adjudication ............................................................... 1F Mental Health Proceeding Initiated .................................................... 1Disposition Information Not Yet Available ..................................... 631period, counseling and closing the case,dismissing the case, or assigning thejuvenile to noncustodial probation or toinformal supervision. Six cases weretransferred to adult court during this sixmonthperiod. See Table 8 for thecomplete list of dispositions, both formaland informal.Commitment SettingOnly 365 or 7% of the juvenile casesinvolved commitment to non-secure, staffsecure, or hardware secure facilities bythe courts. Juveniles were not committedto any facility in at least 73% of the cases.AcknowledgementsThis report was written by Laura Hutzel,Research Analyst for the Criminal JusticeStatistical Analysis Center, and other staff ofthe Division of Criminal Justice Services(DCJS). DCJS gratefully acknowledgesJuvenile Probation Officers, Probation Services,and the JJDB Planning and EvaluationCommittee for contributing to the JJDB; DelphineCoffey of the Development Office for providingWest Virginia census data; and Doris White ofthe Department of Education for providing thestate drop-out rate. This project is funded bythe U. S. Department of Justice, Office ofJuvenile Justice and Delinquency PreventionProgram. The 1998 annual JJDB summary isexpected March of 1999. If you have questionsabout this report or suggestions for futuresummaries, please contact Laura Hutzel.James M. Albert, DCJS DirectorHarry N. Boone, Jr., Ph.D., CJSAC DirectorSteve Thompson, JJDB Data Entry7755-24Division of Criminal Justice Services1204 Kanawha Boulevard, EastCharleston, West Virginia 25301Juvenile Probation