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Since 2002, there have been fewer than 40,000 juvenile arrests annually statewide. Over the past five years, the number of juvenile arrests statewide has ranged from the 2008 record low of 33,736 arrests, to 36,667 in 2004. Washington state’s juvenile arrests have declined by approximately eight percent from 2004 to 2008, and show a decrease of approximately 32 percent from the number of arrests in 1999 (49,357 arrests in 1999).
Kari Grytdal, current GJJAC Chair and Director of Operations at Partners with Families & Children in Spokane states: "The sustained decline in juvenile arrest rates is indicative of the quality, evidence-based practices and programs local communities are implementing in dealing with court-involved youth. To continue the decline in arrest rates, communities must be supported in their efforts to implement and develop evidence-based practices and programs."
The following table shows juvenile arrest data by category for the past five years. The 2008 arrest rates (per 1,000 youth age 10-17) for major offense categories (violent, drug/alcohol and property crimes) have all decreased from 2007 to 2008.
|
|
Violent Offenses rate |
Property Offenses rate |
Drug/Alcohol Offenses Rate |
Rate of Total Arrests (per 1,000) |
Total Number of Juvenile Arrests |
|
2008 |
2.1 |
19.0 |
10.4 |
47.0 |
33,736 |
|
2007 |
2.3 |
19.9 |
11.4 |
49.8 |
35,865 |
|
2006 |
2.0 |
18.8 |
10.9 |
48.0 |
34,432 |
|
2005 |
2.0 |
19.9 |
9.9 |
49.1 |
35,046 |
|
2004 |
2.0 |
21.1 |
10.5 |
51.6 |
36,667 |
|
Highest rate since 1982 |
5.5 (1991 & 1993) |
52.2 (1992) |
17.2 (1982) |
94.9 (1994) |
57,773 (1994) |
[1] Compiled from data provided by WASPC, WUCR Program, July 2009; runaways taken into protective custody and curfew violators reported to UCR are not included in the juvenile arrest totals.
Although juvenile arrests show a decline, minority youth continue to be disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system--this is also true at the arrest stage. The GJJAC continues to collaborate with local juvenile justice systems and other youth-serving agencies to address disproportionate minority contact, including the Center for Children & Youth Justice, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Department of Social and Health Services’ Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration and Models for Change (an initiative funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation).
The GJJAC also recognizes that although juvenile arrests are down, girls represent a growing percentage of the youth arrested and detained -- from 2002 through 2008 girls have represented approximately 29 to 30 percent of the total juvenile arrests. The GJJAC has convened a workgroup to specifically examine gender-specific issues and best practices.
The GJJAC was established in 1982 to carry out the provisions of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) in Washington. GJJAC provides analysis and expertise to state and local policymakers, as well as solicits proposals and awards grants to projects in order to improve the juvenile justice system and reduce juvenile delinquency (federal, state and private grant foundation dollars are awarded). GJJAC is also responsible for monitoring the state’s compliance with the JJDPA, including provisions prohibiting the states from holding juveniles in adult jails and lockups; preventing or eliminating the placement of non-offending youth and status offenders in secure facilities; and requiring states to address the over-representation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system.
For additional information about the GJJAC, funded projects and juvenile justice data visit the GJJAC website at: http://www.dshs.wa.gov/gjjac/.