2004 Annual Report: Juvenile Caseload

North Dakota Courts Annual Report 2004

Juvenile Caseload

This year's data shows a decline in juvenile offenses. Overall referrals showed a decline of 1% between 2002 and 2003 and a decrease of 7% from 2003 to 2004.

As with the criminal caseload, the low violent crime rate in North Dakota is reflected in its juvenile court statistics. Offenses against persons made up 7% of the juvenile court caseload. Meanwhile, status offenses (offenses which only a child can commit) made up 19% of the caseload. Property offenses comprise 20%; traffic offenses,4%; deprivation, 11%; and other delinquency, 39% of the juvenile caseload.

The method by which cases were disposed shows a continued reliance on adjusted/diverted proceedings. Of the cases heard, 56% were disposed of through adjusted/diverted proceedings in 2004, compared to 57% in 2003 and 50% in 2002. The use of informal probation adjustments decreased again in 2004. The formal juvenile court caseload also reflects a decrease over previous years. Tables comparing the types of dispositions and reasons for referral to the juvenile court in 2003 and 2004 follow. As in previous years, the illegal possession or purchase of alcoholic beverages continues to be the most common single reason for referral to the juvenile court.

Types of Juvenile Court Dispositions

for 2003 and 2004

Judicial District	Formal 2003 2004		Informal/Probation 2003 2004		Adjusted/Diverted 2003 2004		Total Dispositions 2003 2004		Percent Diff.
East Central	845	600	550	275	1,042	851	2,437	1,726	-29.2
Northeast	283	433	81	68	974	778	1,338	1,279	-4.4
NE Central	466	269	300	261	522	428	1,288	958	-25.6
Northwest	379	573	208	234	1,033	746	1,620	1,553	-4.1
South Central	371	410	157	118	1,398	1,373	1,926	1,901	-1.3
Southeast	321	378	229	209	880	782	1,430	1,369	-4.3
Southwest	165	173	45	66	348	282	558	521	-6.6
TOTAL	2,830	2,836	1,570	1,231	6,197	5,240	10,597	9,307	-12.2

Reasons for Referral to Juvenile Court Services

in 2003 and 2004

		2003	2004	% Diff.
FAMILY		2,023	1,881	-7.0
	Runaway (instate resident) Runaway (out-of-state resident) Truancy Ungovernable Behavior Curfew Other Unruly	589 12 266 701 393 62	554 13 292 639 324 59	-5.9 8.3 9.8 -8.8 -17.6 -4.8
DELINQUENCY		7,403	6,738	-9.0
	Offenses Against Persons Assault Terrorizing-Stalking-Menacing Homicide (negligent) Kidnapping Other Offenses Against Persons Sex Offenses	626 406 120 4 N/A 20 76	646 438 138 0 0 14 58	3.2 7.4 15.0 -100.0 -30.0 -23.7
	Offenses Against Property Arson/Fire Related Burglary Criminal Mischief/Vandalism Criminal Trespass Forgery Other Property Offenses Possession of Stolen Property Robbery Shoplifting Theft	2,179 21 191 408 139 20 49 85 7 594 665	1,963 21 180 467 126 20 50 57 6 526 510	-9.9 0.0 -5.8 14.5 -9.4 0.0 2.0 -32.9 -14.3 -11.4 -23.3
	Traffic Offenses DUI/Physical Control Driving without License Other Traffic	487 87 313 87	410 112 242 56	-15.8 28.7 -22.7 -35.6
	Other Offenses Check Offenses City Ordinances Disorderly Conduct Weapons Game and Fish Obstruction Other Public Order Possession/Purchase Alcohol Controlled Substance - Possession Controlled Substance - Delivery Tobacco	4,111 27 50 748 20 77 0 280 2,342 506 21 40	3,719 19 25 698 55 68 2 200 2,086 483 35 48	-9.5 -29.6 -50.0 -6.7 175.0 -11.7 100.0 -28.6 -10.9 -4.5 66.7 20.0
DEPRIVATION		923	931	0.9
	Abandonment Abuse/Neglect Deprived	3 156 764	6 138 787	100.00 -11.5 3.0
SPEC. PROCEEDING		91	118	29.7
	Termination of Parental Rights (Involuntary) Termination of Parental Rights (Voluntary) Other Special Proceeding	35 45 11	93 21 4	165.7 -53.3 -63.6
TOTAL		10,440	9,668	-7.4