Juvenile Court 2011 Community Report

In the Juvenile Court’s 2011 Report to the Community, the Court focused on six main areas including: Delinquency Referrals, Juvenile Crime, Law Abiding Behavior, Drug Testing, Restitution Paid and Community Service.

Delinquency Referrals

The report noted that delinquency referrals can be made different agencies such as the local police department or a school. Delinquency referrals can be made for felonies, misdemeanors, contempt of court, status, infraction and traffic offenses. Felony offenses would include burglary and robbery, to name two possibilities. Misdemeanors might include theft or shoplifting. Status offenses are only a problem because of the age of the violator, such as alcohol possession. One type of infraction is disorderly conduct. Traffic offenses committed by juveniles may be referred to juvenile court.

Juvenile Crime

The delinquency referral rate can be an indicator of juvenile crime. The rate is measured per 1,000 members of the Utah population who are juveniles ages 10 to 17. The report stated that delinquency referrals for all six types of crime were lower in 2010 than they were in 2009.

Law Abiding Behavior

A juvenile is likely showing progress if he does not re-offend after his first offense finds him referred to the juvenile justice system. The report details the re-offender rates from 2006 to 2008. Females tend to re-offend less often, and 2007 shows a slightly higher re-offender rate than the other two years.

Drug Testing

According to the report, a juvenile offender’s lack of drug use can help the court determine the progress the juvenile is making towards achieving law abiding behavior. That makes sense for anyone, since drug use can create numerous problems for people who become addicted. There was a small increase in positive drug test results for both males and females from 2009 to 2010.

Restitution Paid

An important goal of Juvenile Court is seeing that juvenile offenders pay restitution to victims of their crimes. In 2010, 90% of the restitution owed was paid by juvenile offenders.

Community Service

Community service hour fulfillment also holds youth responsible for their actions. Over 245,000 hours of community service were rendered in 2010. That represents more than $980,000 in taxpayer benefits.

If you have questions about your child’s juvenile court case, don’t wait to consult an attorney. Let him help you navigate the juvenile justice system on you and your child’s behalf.