Juvenile Intakes
The rate of juvenile intakes in the Hampton Roads region is higher than the Virginia average, although rates have been dropping in recent years. Juvenile intakes, which represent incidents in which a juvenile is alleged to have broken the law, also reflect local differences in policies and types of behavior.
Why is This Important?
Juvenile intakes provide a measure of adolescent behavior problems occurring in a community, but intakes should not be interpreted as the amount or seriousness of juvenile crime.
Intake data includes all offenses for which a child is brought to a Court Service Unit. It also includes complaints that are brought by parents, neighbors or others who do not call the police for an arrest.
How is Hampton Roads Doing?
The
juvenile intake rate in
the Hampton Roads region
decreased in 2010 to 74.1
per 1,000 youth age 10 to
17 -- the lowest level in
nine years. Still, the rate
in the Hampton Roads region
was the second highest in
Virginia. The West Central
region had the highest rate
at 75.9 and the Northern
region had the lowest rate
at 53.8. The state average
was 64.4 intakes per 1,000
youth in 2010 and has been
trending downwards.
What Influences Juvenile Intakes?
A major influence on juvenile intakes is local justice system policy. Some police departments have very strong community policing programs. If an officer witnesses a juvenile committing a minor offense, the officer may counsel the youth involved, take the youth home and/or meet with the parents or guardians rather than formally arresting the youth. In other localities, the policy may be to take formal action on every alleged criminal activity. In localities where serious juvenile crime is prevalent, resources may not permit acting upon the most minor offenses.
Data Definitions and Sources
Intakes: Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, Research and Evaluation Unit, by special request from the Juvenile Tracking System in March 2011 (updated annually).
Population data for calculating rates are from: Puzzanchera, C., Finnegan, T. and Kang, W. (2006). "Easy Access to Juvenile Populations"See the Data Sources and Updates Calendar for a detailed list of the data resources used for indicator measures on Hampton Roads Performs.
