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  • Youth Arrests
  • Juvenile Crime Rate
  • Youth Success Leaving Juvenile Justice

Why This is Important

Early intervention is an effective way to impact the number and rate of juvenile arrests. Effective programs assist families and children by providing educational information on how to raise children; some teach children about the effects of drugs, gangs, sex, and weapons. Educational programs have the underlying intent of encouraging hope and opening opportunities for young people. Recreational activities assist children by replacing unsupervised after school hours, when most youth crimes occur, with opportunities that allow youth to connect with adults and other children in organized groups whether through church, school or volunteer community organizations, helping to stop the disconnect some youths feel as they enter the teen years.



Where We Stand

After rising during the first half of the 1990’s, the number and rate of juvenile arrests dropped after 1996. In 2005, 7,740 juveniles were arrested in Maine, notably lower than 2004. The Maine Crime & Justice Data Book provides additional information on juvenile arrests through 2005. In that year, males accounted for 72% of all juvenile arrests, down from 77% in 1993. However, the proportion of females who were adjudicated for (found guilty of committing) offenses grew 14 percent from 2004-2005.  

 

 

Data Source and Context

The data source is the Department of Public Safety’s Crime in Maine 2006 (available on-line at:  http://www.state.me.us/dps/cim/crime_in_maine/cim.htm). Numbers in the Data Book include all arrests of children aged 10-17 for crimes including manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, forgery and counterfeiting, fraud, stolen property, vandalism, possession of a weapon, prostitution, sex offenses, drug and alcohol related offenses, violation of liquor laws, driving under the influence, drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and curfew and loitering law violations.

 

The annual arrest data counts all arrests of youth for offenses during the calendar year, including repeated offenses by the same individual. The Annual Recidivism Report, compiled by the Muskie School of Public Service contains data about crimes for which juveniles are adjudicated.  This data includes county comparisons, offense types, and trend data for the state. 

 


 

Why This is Important

Crime rates provide a level of context to juvenile crime data.  Instead of a raw number, rates provide information on how many juvenile arrests occur in the context of the entire juvenile population – In other words, how many juveniles are arrested, per 1,000 juveniles who live in Maine.

 

Where We Stand

After rising during the first half of the 1990’s, the number and rate of juvenile arrests dropped after 1996. In 2006, 27 juveniles were arrested per 1,000 juveniles in the state.  This is much lower than ten years earlier.  Another measure of juvenile contact is the rate of first time adjudications (juveniles going before a judge and being found guilty of committing a crime) The rates of first time adjudication are much lower than arrest rates.  For example, in 2005, the most recent year for which adjudication data is available, 6 juveniles per 1,000 were adjudicated – much lower than the rate of arrests.  This shows that most juveniles who are arrested are diverted from juvenile justice system. 


Data Source and Context

The data sources are the Department of Public Safety’s Crime in Maine 2006 (available on-line at:  http://www.state.me.us/dps/cim/crime_in_maine/cim.htm) and the Maine Department of Corrections Annual Recidivism Report (http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/justiceresearch/Publications/Juvenile/
Annual_Juvenile_Recidivism_Cohort2005.pdf).  The annual arrest data counts all arrests of youth for offenses during the calendar year, including repeated offenses by the same individual. The Annual Recidivism Report, compiled by the Muskie School of Public Service contains data about crimes for which juveniles are adjudicated.  This data includes county comparisons, offense types, and trend data for the state.  Population data can be found at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Easy Access to Juvenile Population Data (http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/ezapop/)





Maine 2005: 27% - this includes tracking juveniles into the adult system – the first time this has been done. When the juveniles tracked into the adult system are removed, the recidivism rate is 24%. Click long description link below for more data if you are using a text reader or have your images turned off.
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Why This is Important

It is important that youth who get out of the juvenile justice system, stay out.  The juvenile justice system works first to keep youth out of the system, and second, to help youth who are involved in the system get out and stay out.  High juvenile recidivism indicates that juveniles are not successfully leaving the juvenile justice system. 

 


Where We Stand

One reason for the dramatic increase from 2004 to 2005 is that for the 2005 cohort, youth were tracked into the adult criminal justice system.  Nonetheless, even excluding this group, the one year recidivism rate in 2005 was 24%, still substantially higher than previous years.  In 2005, the juvenile recidivism rate is higher than for any other year tracked.  While youth are arrested at lower rates than previous years, the percentage of youth who return to the juvenile justice system is higher than in previous years.


Data Source and Context

The main source for juvenile recidivism is Department of Corrections Annual Recidivism Report (http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/justiceresearch/Publications/Juvenile/
Annual_Juvenile_Recidivism_Cohort2005.pdf).  


 






Maine 2005: 27% - this includes tracking juveniles into the adult system – the first time this has been done. When the juveniles tracked into the adult system are removed, the recidivism rate is 24%.