All OJJDP publications may be viewed and downloaded on the publications section of the OJJDP Web site. Print publications also may be ordered online at the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Web site.
Effects of Federal Legislation on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (Bulletin)
Each year, as many as 300,000 children become victims of commercial sexual exploitation in the United States. Such victimization can have devastating effects on a child's physical and mental health and well-being. In an effort to stop the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), Congress enacted the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act in 2000. As the seminal legislation in America's efforts to end CSEC, the Act criminalizes human trafficking on a federal level. This bulletin describes the results of a study funded by OJJDP to examine the Act's impact on the prosecution of CSEC cases. The authors draw on CSEC cases processed in federal courts between 1998 and 2005 to examine how current laws addressing CSEC are enforced, identify key features of successful CSEC prosecutions, and describe how legislation has affected sentences imposed on CSEC perpetrators, as well as the legislation's effects on the provision of services to victims.
To order a printed copy, visit the NCJRS Web site.
OJJDP has released four fact sheets derived from the report Juvenile Court Statistics, 20062007, published by the National Center for Juvenile Justice:
Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2007 (Fact Sheet)
This fact sheet presents statistics on delinquency cases processed between 1985 and 2007 by U.S. courts with juvenile jurisdiction. The estimates are based on data from more than 2,200 courts with jurisdiction over 81 percent of the nation's juvenile population (youth age 10 through the upper age of original juvenile court jurisdiction in each state).
To order a printed copy of Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2007, visit the NCJRS Web site.
Delinquency Cases Waived to Criminal Court, 2007 (Fact Sheet)
This fact sheet presents estimates of the number of cases transferred from juvenile court to criminal court through the judicial waiver mechanism between 1985 and 2007. The number of delinquency cases judicially waived peaked in 1994 at 13,100 cases. This represented an 81-percent increase over the number of cases waived in 1985 (7,200). Since 1994 however, the number of cases judicially waived declined 35 percent (8,500 cases in 2007). This publication is available online only.
Juvenile Delinquency Probation Caseload, 2007 (Fact Sheet)
This fact sheet presents statistics on delinquency cases resulting in probation between 1985 and 2007. In 2007, courts with juvenile jurisdiction handled 1.7 million delinquency cases. Probation supervision was the most severe disposition in 34 percent of all delinquency cases. Between 1985 and 2007, the overall delinquency caseload increased 44 percent. This publication is available online only.
Person Offense Cases in Juvenile Court, 2007 (Fact Sheet)
This fact sheet presents statistics on person offenses handled by juvenile courts between 1985 and 2007. (Person offenses include assault, robbery, rape, homicide, and other crimes involving force or threat of force against persons.) In 2007, U.S. juvenile courts handled an estimated 429,200 delinquency cases in which the most serious charge was an offense against a person. The 2007 person offense caseload was 122 percent greater than in 1985. In 2007, person offenses accounted for 25 percent of the delinquency caseload, compared with 16 percent in 1985. This publication is available online only.
Now Available in Print
Juvenile Transfer Laws: An Effective Deterrent to Delinquency? (Bulletin)
Originally released online in August 2008, this bulletin provides an overview of research on the deterrent effects of transferring youth from juvenile to criminal courts, focusing on large-scale comprehensive OJJDP-funded studies on the effect of transfer laws on recidivism. The bulletin reviews all of the extant research on the general and specific deterrent effects of transferring juveniles to adult criminal court. Several studies have found higher recidivism rates for juveniles convicted in criminal court than for similar offenders adjudicated in juvenile courts. The research is less clear, however, in regard to whether transfer laws deter potential juvenile offenders.
To order a printed copy, visit the NCJRS Web site.
Findings From the Evaluation of OJJDP's Gang Reduction Program (Bulletin)
This bulletin draws on the findings from an independent evaluation, conducted by the Urban Institute, of the Gang Reduction Program's impact in Los Angeles, CA; Milwaukee, WI; North Miami Beach, FL; and Richmond, VA. The evaluation examined how youth move from delinquency to joining gangs and how gangs form. Successful outcomes related to crime reduction were seen in most of the sites, although results varied. In addition, progress at each site could be attributed in large part to the leadership of a site coordinator, close oversight by OJJDP during the strategic planning and implementation processes, and the availability of technical assistance.