JUVENILE ARRESTS

This indicator tracks youth 10-17 years old who have been taken into custody in a manner authorized by law. An arrest may be made by a peace officer or by a private person. It may for be a felony, misdemeanor, status or infraction. Felonies generally include violent crimes (such as murder, assault and rape), some property and drug-related offenses, plus other serious offenses. Misdemeanor offenses include crimes such as assault and battery, petty theft, other drug and alcohol-related offenses and many less serious offenses. Status offenses are acts that are considered offenses only when committed by a juvenile, such as truancy or curfew violations.

An arrest is usually the first formal encounter a youth has with the juvenile justice system. It is particularly important that at this onset of criminal activity, a pattern of juvenile delinquency does not continue into adulthood. More importantly, the flow of youthful offenders into the justice system should be prevented. Research shows that early intervention in children’s lives can effectively reduce later crime.1 Prevention programs positively impact the general public because they stop crime from happening in the first place.2 Various cost-benefit analyses show that early prevention programs are a worthwhile investment of government resources compared with prison and other criminal justice responses.3

• In 2017, there were 3,770 juvenile arrests in Orange County.

• Between 2008 and 2017, there was a 74.7% decrease in the total number of juvenile arrests in Orange County, dropping from 14,914 arrests to 3,770 arrests.

• Orange County’s juvenile arrest rate in 2017 was 1,104 per 100,000 youth 10 to 17 years old, a decrease of 73.2% from 2008, compared to California at 1,335 per 100,000 youth, a similar decrease of 73.1% from 2008.

• In Orange County, misdemeanors accounted for 50.7% (1,910) of juvenile arrests in 2017, which is down 14.3% from 2008 when misdemeanors accounted for 59.1% of juvenile arrests.

• In contrast, felonies among youth accounted for 29.8% (1,125) of arrests in 2017, up 8.9% since 2008 when felonies accounted for 27.4% of juvenile arrests.

• Status offenses accounted for 19.5% (735) of arrests among youth ages 17 years and under in 2017, an increase of 44.3% in 10 years when status offenses accounted for 13.5% of juvenile arrests.

• Among 18 to 20 year olds, DUI convictions have increased by 4% since 2004 with a peak of 1,226 convictions in 2009. Among youth under 18 years, there was a 12% decrease since 2004, with a peak of 84 convictions in 2008.