Volume 72 Number 3
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Juvenile Focus
 

By Alvin W. Cohn, D.Crim.
President, Administration of Justice Services, Inc.

Technical Assistance

Free technical assistance is available to state and local agencies on issues related to evaluating, selecting and procuring electronic monitoring technology as well as implementing, operating, and evaluating an electronic monitoring program. Contact George Drake at gbdrake@comcast.net for further information.

Trafficking of Children

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools has published Human Trafficking of Children in the United States. The fact sheet describes the nature and extent of such trafficking and how it affects our schools. Information and resources related to identifying victims of human trafficking are also provided. See http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/factsheet.html.

Youth Court

A record 1,255 youth courts across the United States annually involve more than 115,000 youth volunteers in the sentencing and disposition of more than 120,000 youth offenders. With funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, the National Association of Youth Courts, Inc. has published the National Youth Court Month 2007 Planning and Action Guide. The Guide is designed to assist communities in observing the annual National Youth Court Month. See http://www.youthcourt.net.

Disproportionate Minority Contact

With funding from OJJDP, the Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency has issued the report Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Justice System: A Study of Differential Minority Arrest/Referral to Court in Three Cities. The report draws on information from delinquency studies in Pittsburgh, PA, Rochester, NY, and Seattle, WA, to examine disproportionate minority contact and factors that might affect it at the police contact/court referral level. See http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/219743.pdf.

Adolescents, Neighborhoods, and Violence

This report describes four scientific studies that analyzed data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, which for almost a decade has been contributing valuable knowledge about the interplay between crime, violence, children, and neighborhoods. The researchers’ innovative, multilevel design produced a longitudinal study that is helping social scientists understand factors that contribute to adolescent violence. Some findings include:

  • Youth were less violent if they lived in neighborhoods where residents held shared values, had parents who were married, and were immigrants.
  • Children who were exposed to gun violence were more likely to commit violence.
  • Race and ethnicity are not factors that contribute to violent behavior.

FACJJ Annual Report

The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice (FACJJ) has issued its 2007 Annual Report. Established under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act, the role of FACJJ is to advise the President and Congress on matters related to juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, to advise the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention on the work of OJJDP, and to evaluate the progress and accomplishments of juvenile justice activities and projects. The report outlines concerns and issues identified by FACJJ members and their State Advisory Groups. It contains 15 recommendations that illustrate why juvenile justice should remain a national priority and highlights the importance of reauthorizing the JJDP Act. See http://www.facjj.org/annualreports/ccFACJJ%20Report%20508.pdf.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

The Department of Justice highlighted the significant accomplishments of federal, state, and local officials in combating gang violence and reducing gun crime through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) before more than 1,000 members of PSN task forces from across the nation recently. The Department of Justice announced the release of over $50 million in grants to support PSN and anti-gang efforts and unveiled a new public service campaign aimed at educating youth about the impact of gun crime and gang violence. The PSN task forces are a cooperative effort between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, along with research and media outreach partners, and community leaders. Since 2001, the Administration has committed approximately $2 billion to hire more than 200 federal prosecutors to prosecute gun crime, make grants available to hire more than 550 new state and local gun crime prosecutors, train nearly 33,000 individuals in training events across the nation, and promote other strategies to reduce gun violence in our communities. The rate of violent crime remains at a historic low.

Fact Sheets Describe Delinquency

OJJDP has published the following two-page fact sheets that draw on data from the OJJDP report Juvenile Court Statistics 2003–2004.

Anti-Crime Funding

Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance announced that the Department of Justice has provided over $50 million in anti-crime funding this year through PSN. Over $20 million of the awards is aimed at reducing gun crime, and over $30 million has been awarded to combat gang violence and increase gang prevention efforts. The grants, administered by the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, support a comprehensive approach to fight gang violence and gun crime in America.

The U.S. Attorneys for the 94 federal judicial districts across the country, working with local law enforcement and other officials, tailor their PSN strategy to fit the districts’ unique violent crime problems. Violent gang members and criminals who use guns are prosecuted under federal, state, or local laws, depending on which jurisdiction can provide the most appropriate punishment. Each district engages in deterrence and prevention efforts through community outreach and media campaigns, and ensures that law enforcement and prosecutors have the training necessary to make the program work.

A reference for the PSN grant awards is located on http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA. Additional information about PSN and its local programs is available on the PSN Web site at http://www.psn.gov. The Department’s FY 2008 budget request includes $200 million for Violent Crime Reduction Partnership grants and over $13 million for other violentcrime- related enhancements that will support the Project Safe Neighborhoods program and increase the prosecution of gangs and violent criminals.

Ad Council

The Department of Justice has prepared new PSN public service announcements, created in partnership with the Ad Council. The 30- and 60-second television spots, titled “Babies,” are intended to educate youth about the perils of gun crime and its devastating family impact. The radio spots provide a glimpse into the reality of gun crime and its consequences through interviews with individuals convicted of gun crimes and their family members. The public service announcements will be distributed to English and Spanish language television and radio stations nationwide and begin airing in late September. See DOJ’s fact sheet “Project Safe Neighborhoods: America’s Network Against Gun Violence” at http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/September/07_ag_723.html.

For more information about DOJ’s Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative, visit http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/programs/antigang/.

Safe Schools/Healthy Students

The National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention has published Developing Safe Schools Partnerships: Spotlight on Juvenile Justice. The information provided in this two-page fact sheet draws on the experience of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, a collaborative effort of the U.S. Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services. Among the resources cited for developing effective juvenile justice-school relations is the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Preventions’ Model Programs Guide, an online portal to scientifically tested and proven programs that address a range of issues across the juvenile justice spectrum. See “Developing Safe School Partnerships: Spotlight on Juvenile Justice” and related juvenile justice resources are available at http://www.promoteprevent.org/Resources/briefs/juvenile%20justice%20resources.html.

Juvenile Drug Court Awards

OJJDP has announced awards under its Juvenile Drug Courts/Reclaiming Futures Program, a partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. OJJDP will provide $1.275 million to Greene County, MO, Hocking County, OH, and the New York State Unified Court System to implement a juvenile drug court program applying the Reclaiming Futures model. The successful applicants addressed the guidelines described in the Bureau of Justice Assistance monograph Juvenile Drug Courts: Strategies in Practice. Each grantee will receive between $420,000 and $425,000 for a 4-year period, beginning October 1, 2007. CSAT will deliver $200,000 in technical assistance in the first year of the project, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will provide up to $1 million in technical assistance throughout the 4 years. The program will be evaluated. The Reclaiming Futures model embodies three essential elements: designing a system of care that coordinates services, involving the community in creating new opportunities, and improving treatment services for drug and alcohol use. See http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/programs/ProgSummary.asp?pi=44. For more information about the Reclaiming Futures model, visit http://www.reclaimingfutures.org.

OAS Report Presents A Day in the Life of American Adolescents

According to a recent report published by the Office of Applied Studies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2006, one third of U.S. youth aged 12 to 17 drank alcohol and one fifth used an illicit drug.

A recent issue of The OAS Report draws on the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and other data to describe A Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Abuse Facts. See http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k7/youthFacts/youth.cfm.

ICAC Task Forces

The Department of Justice announced that 13 new state and local law enforcement agencies will receive more than $3 million to form Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces in their regions. The funding marks the presence of ICAC task forces in all 50 states, and will support a seamless network making communities and children safer nationwide. New ICAC grantees include law enforcement agencies in Alaska, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia. The grants were awarded by the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs under the ICAC Task Force program. With the new grants, there will be a total of 59 ICAC task forces nationwide. “As long as our children use the Internet, there will unfortunately be predators who seek to exploit them,” said Acting Attorney General Peter Keisler. “While it is significant that our Internet Crimes Against Children task forces have made over 10,000 arrests since their inception nine years ago, it is even more important that we continue to give these task forces the funds they need, and increase the pressure on child predators from law enforcement.”

In fiscal year 2007, OJJDP awarded approximately $17 million to fund ICAC task forces, including the new task forces announced today. The task forces have played a critical role in stopping Internet criminal activity targeting children. In fiscal year 2006 alone, ICAC investigations led to more than 2,040 arrests and more than 9,600 forensic examinations. Between October 1, 2006, and August 31, 2007, ICAC task forces have received more than 18,000 complaints of technology- facilitated child sexual exploitation; which includes the possession, distribution, and creation of child pornography, as well as attempts by individuals to lure and travel to meet children for sexual encounters. Investigations initiated from complaints have led to more than 2,062 arrests, forensics examinations of more than 9,100 computers, more than 4,700 case referrals to non-ICAC law enforcement agencies, and provision of training for more than 25,000 law enforcement officers and prosecutors.

The ICAC Task Force Program is the foundation of the Department’s Project Safe Childhood initiative. Project Safe Childhood’s goal is to investigate and prosecute crimes against children facilitated though the Internet or other electronic media and communication devices. Project Safe Childhood is implemented through a partnership of U.S. Attorneys; ICAC Task Forces; federal partners, including the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service; advocacy organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; and other state and local law enforcement officials in each U.S. Attorney’s district. Other aspects of the program include increased federal involvement in child pornography and enticement cases; training of federal, state, and local law enforcement on investigating and prosecuting computer-facilitated crimes against children; and community awareness and educational programs. See http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/October/07_ojp_061. html. See http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/programs/ProgSummary.asp?pi=3.

Juvenile Court Cases

OJJDP has published Juvenile Court Statistics 2003–2004. Prepared by the National Center for Juvenile Justice, this 160-page report draws on data from more than 2,000 courts with jurisdiction over 75 percent of the juvenile population in 2004 to describe more than 1.6 million delinquency cases. The report reviews trends since 1985 and provides county and state data for 2003 and 2004. See http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=240291.

Drug Use

The OAS Report: A Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Use Facts, is based on SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The NSDUH is conducted by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA’s survey (NSDUH) is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of drug and alcohol use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, age 12 and older. SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use & Health also provides estimates for drug use by State.

  • Facts about substance use among youth aged 12 to 17 are based on data from SAMHSA’s 2006 National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH) and SAMHSA’s 2005 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), and for clients under the age of 18 from SAMHSA’s 2005 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS). Data are presented on first substance use, past year substance use, receipt of substance use treatment, and source of substance use treatment referrals “on an average day.”
  • On an average day in 2006, youth used the following substances for the first time: 7,970 drank alcohol for the first time, 4,348 used an illicit drug for the first time, 4,082 smoked cigarettes for the first time, 3,577 used marijuana for the first time, and 2,517 used pain relievers nonmedically for the first time.
  • Youth who used alcohol in the past month drank an average of 4.7 drinks per day on the days they drank and those who smoked cigarettes in the past month smoked an average of 4.6 cigarettes per day on the days they smoked.
  • On an average day in 2005, the number of youth admissions to substance abuse treatment were referred by the following sources: 189 by the criminal justice system; 66 by self-referral or referral from other individuals; 43 by schools; 37 by community organizations; 22 by alcohol or drug treatment providers; and 18 by other health providers.
  • On an average day in 2005, active substance abuse treatment clients under the age of 18 received the following types of substance abuse treatment: 76,240 were clients in outpatient treatment; 10,313 were clients in non-hospital residential treatment; and 1,058 were clients in hospital inpatient treatment.

SAMHSA has developed a new Web page to assist the public in identifying evidence-based programs and practices that can prevent and/ or treat mental and substance use disorders. A Guide to Evidence-Based Practices on the Web features 37 web sites that contain information about specific evidence-based interventions or provide comprehensive reviews of research findings.

AMBER Alert

All 50 states now have statewide AMBER Alert plans, creating a network of systems nationwide to aid in the recovery of abducted children.

  • A secondary distribution effort undertaken in partnership with wireless companies, online service providers, and other private and public entities enables AMBER Alerts to be sent directly to the public.
  • Tribal nations are working to develop their own plans tailored to their specific needs so that children in Indian country may benefit from AMBER Alert.
  • More than ninety percent of the 370 AMBER Alert recoveries have occurred since AMBER Alert became a nationally coordinated effort in 2002.
  • Anecdotal evidence demonstrates that perpetrators are well aware of the power of AMBER Alert, and in many cases have released an abducted child upon hearing the alert.

Educational Data

The Common Core of Data (CCD) is an annual universe collection of public elementary and secondary education data that is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and its data collection agent, the U.S. Census Bureau. Data for the CCD surveys are provided by state education agencies (SEAs). This report presents findings on the numbers and rates of public school students who dropped out of school in school years 2002–03, 2003–04, and 2004–05, using data from the CCD State- Level Public-Use Data File on Public School Dropouts for these years. The report also used the Local Education Agency-Level Public-Use Data File on Public School Dropouts: School Year 2004–05, and the NCES Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Universe Survey Dropout and Completion Restricted-Use Data File: School Year 2004–05.

1. The CCD provides an event dropout number and rate. An event dropout number represents the number of students dropping out in a single year, while the event dropout rate represents the percentage that drop out in a single year.

See Appendix A: Methodology and Technical Notes in this report for a detailed discussion of the definition of a dropout. While tables include data for all of the CCD respondents, the discussion in the text is limited to the 46 states that reported data for 80 percent or more of their students. The CCD collects data from the universe of local education agencies. Because the CCD is not based on a sample of agencies, no statistical tests of the data are required. More information about the survey content and methodology can be found in Appendix A. Appendix B is a glossary of key CCD terms used in this report. More information about CCD surveys and products is available at http://nces.ed.gov/ccd.

Commercial Exploitation of Children

The Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has released Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It? The summary reviews research into the organization of the commercial sexual exploitation of children, its effects on victims, and measures to prevent its occurrence. Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It? is available online at http://ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/215733.htm. Print copies may be ordered online at http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/shoppingcart/ShopCart.aspx?item=NCJ%20215733.

Abducted Children

Written by siblings of abducted children, OJJDP’s What About Me? Coping With the Abduction of a Brother or Sister provides information to help children of all ages when their brother or sister has been kidnapped. In child-friendly language, the guide offers such children insights into what they might expect to feel following the abduction, related events that may ensue, and steps that they may take to cope with their feelings. “What About Me? Coping With the Abduction of a Brother or Sister” (NCJ 217714) may be ordered at http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/AlphaList.aspx. For quick access, search by document number. The print copy is accompanied by a DVD that features informative interviews with several of the guide’s authors. The guide is also available online at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=239397.

Crime in Schools and Colleges

The FBI has released a study: Crime in Schools and Colleges: A Study of Offenders and Arrestees Reported via National Incident-Based Reporting System Data. Data on crime in schools and colleges and the characteristics of those who commit these offenses can help inform the development of theories and applications to combat such crimes. This study examines characteristics of participants in criminal incidents at schools and colleges from 2000 through 2004 as reported to the FBI by law enforcement agencies. Crime in Schools and Colleges is available online at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/schoolviolence/2007/index.html.

Crime Rates Stable

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports that violent and property crime rates at the nation’s schools during 2005 (57 with such crimes per 1,000 students age 12 or older) were statistically unchanged from the 2004 rate of 55 victimizations per 1,000 students, according to a new report by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. The crimes measured are rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault and theft.

During 2005, older students (ages 15 to 18) were less likely than younger students (ages 12 to 14) to be victims of crime at school, but older students were more likely than younger students to be victims of crime away from school. From July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, there were 14 school-associated homicides involving school-aged children. Other BJS data show that youths are over 50 times more likely to be murdered away from school than at school. The rates for other serious violent victimizations were lower at school than away from school for every survey year from 1992 through 2005. Serious violent victimizations include rape, sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault.

In 2005 nearly all (99 percent) students ages 12 to 18 observed at least one of selected security measures at their school. The percentage of students who observed the use of security cameras at their school increased from 39 percent in 2001 to 58 percent in 2005. During 2005 an estimated 90 percent of students reported observing school staff or other adult supervision in the hallway, and 68 percent of students reported the presence of security guards and/or assigned police officers at their school.

Fewer students are avoiding places in school because of fear for their safety. Between 1995 and 2005 the percentage of students who reported avoiding one or more places in school declined from 9 percent to four percent. Among students in grades 9 through 12 an estimated 43 percent reported drinking alcohol anywhere and four percent reported drinking at school during the 30 days prior to the 2005 survey. There were no detectable differences in percentages across grade levels in the likelihood of drinking on school property, but students in higher grades were more likely than students in lower grades to report drinking alcohol anywhere. In 2005, 25 percent of students reported that someone had offered, sold, or given them illegal drugs on school property in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Between 1993 and 2005, the percentage of students in grades 9 through 12 who reported carrying a weapon to school in the preceding 30 days declined from 12 percent to 6 percent. In 2005, 24 percent of students reported that there were gangs at their schools compared to 21 percent of students in 2003. Twenty-eight percent of students ages 12 to 18 reported being bullied at school during the last 6 months. Of those students who reported being bullied, 24 percent reported that they had sustained an injury as a result of the incident.

The report, Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 (NCJ-219553), was written by BJS statistician Wendy Lin-Kelly; Rachel Dinkes, of the Education Statistics Services Institute in the American Institutes for Research; Emily Forrest Cataldi, of MPR Associates, Inc.; and Thomas D. Snyder, Project Officer of the National Center of Education Statistics. The report can be found at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs07.htm. See also http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs.

Drug Abuse Research

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has launched a Web site to serve researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers. The NIDA Networking Project site facilitates information sharing and research collaboration among those concerned with drug abuse through access to locations, people, expertise, and resources from NIDA’s research networks. See http://nnp.drugabuse.gov/.

Juvenile Court Case Counts (EZACO) gives users quick access to State and county juvenile court case counts for delinquency, status offense, and dependency cases. Data are from 1997 to 2004. Click on the Access Case Counts tab to get state and county data. The Data & Methods section summarizes the data collection effort conducted by the National Juvenile Court Data Archive that makes this application possible.

Other Easy Access Applications Are Available

Easy Access is a family of web-based data analysis tools developed for OJJDP by the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) to provide access to recent, detailed information on juvenile crime and the juvenile justice system. Together, the Easy Access applications provide information on national, state, and county population counts, as well as information on homicide victims and offenders, juvenile court case processing, and juvenile offenders in residential placement facilities. Visit the Data Analysis Tools section of OJJDP’s Statistical Briefing Book for a complete list of these applications.

Maintained by: National Center for Juvenile Justice, the research division of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

School Crime and Safety: 2007

This report presents data on crime and safety at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population. A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It also provides the most current detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools, school environments, and responses to violence and crime at school.

Information was gathered from an array of sources including:

  • National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) (1992–2005)
  • School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (1995, 1991, 2001, 2003, and 2005)
  • Youth Risk Behavior Survey (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2005)
  • School Survey on Crime and Safety (1999– 2000, 2003-04, and 2005-06)
  • School and Staffing Survey (1993–94, 1999–2000, and 2003–04)

Highlights include the following:

  • From July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, there were 35 school-associated violent deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the United States.
  • In 2005–06, 78 percent of schools expe- rienced one or more violent incidents of crime, 17 percent experienced one or more serious violent incidents, 46 percent experienced one or more thefts, and 68 percent experienced another type of crime.
  • In 2005, approximately 6 percent of students ages 12–18 reported that they avoided school activities or one or more places in school because they thought someone might attack or harm them.
  • School Crime and Safety: 2007 is available on BJS website at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs07.htm.

Capital Punishment, 2006

This report presents characteristics of persons under sentence of death on December 31, 2006, and of persons executed in 2006 from the NPS-8 data collection. Tables present state-by-state information on the movement of prisoners into and out of death sentence status during 2006, status of capital statutes, and methods of execution. Numerical tables also summarize data on offenders’ gender, race, Hispanic origin, age at time of arrest for capital offense, legal status at time of capital offense, and time between imposition of death sentence and execution.

The tables are based on those presented in Capital Punishment, 2005 with the following change: table 3, which reported information on minimum age authorized for capital punishment, has been discontinued and replaced with a table summarizing federal laws providing for the death penalty (formerly Appendix Table 1). See http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/html/cp/2006/cp06st.htm.

NCJRS

Free registration with the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) keeps you informed about new publications, grant and funding opportunities, and other news and announcements. To register, visit: http://www.ncjrs.gov/subreg.html.

Abductions

The OJJDP publication You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment, featured in a recent television appearance by Elizabeth Smart, one of its co-authors, may be ordered via this portal page, as well as related publications such as “What About Me? Coping With the Abduction of a Brother or Sister.” See OJJDP’s Child Abduction Resources page at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/childabduction.html.

NISMART Bulletins

OJJDP has published two additional bulletins in its National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART) series.

  • Sexually Assaulted Children: National Estimates and Characteristics (NCJ 214383), the seventh bulletin in the series, provides information on the estimated number and characteristics of children who were sexually assaulted in the United States in 1999.
  • Caretaker Satisfaction With Law Enforcement Response to Missing Children (NCJ 217909), the eighth and final bulletin in the series, examines the perceptions of primary caretakers who contacted police when their children were abducted, ran away, were thrown away, or missing.
  • Sexually Assaulted Children: National Estimates and Characteristics is available online at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=235922.
  • Caretaker Satisfaction With Law Enforcement Response to Missing Childrenis available online at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=239596.

Print copies of these bulletins, and others in the NISMART series, may be ordered at http://www.ncjrs.gov/app/publications/alphaList.aspx. For quick access, search by document number.

Drug-Endangered Children

The Office of Justice Programs’ Office for Victims of Crime and Bureau of Justice Assistance are pleased to announce the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (NADEC) has re-launched their website to include a new Resource Center. We invite you to visit NationalDEC.org (http://www.nationaldec.org/) and explore all of the new possibilities available to you. The goal of NADEC is to raise awareness about the problem of drug-endangered children and to support state, local and tribal organizations that are helping to break the cycle of abuse and neglect. See http://www.nationaldec.org/contactus.html.

Forum on Child and Family Statistics

Each year since 1997, the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has published a report on the well-being of children and families. The Forum alternates publishing a detailed report, America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, with a summary version that highlights selected indicators. This year, the Forum is publishing America’s Children in Brief ’; it will publish the more detailed report in 2009. The Forum updates all indicators and background data on its website (http://childstats.gov) every year.

The Forum fosters coordination and integration among 22 Federal agencies that produce or use statistical data on children and families. The America’s Children series provides an accessible compendium of indicators drawn from the most reliable official statistics across topics; it is designed to complement other more specialized, technical, or comprehensive reports produced by various Forum agencies.

The indicators and background measures presented in America’s Children in Brief all have been used in previous reports by the Forum. Indicators are chosen because they are easy to understand; are based on substantial research connecting them to child well-being; vary across important areas of children’s lives; are measured regularly so that they can be updated and show trends over time; and represent large segments of the population, rather than one particular group. The indicators are organized into seven sections, each focusing on a domain relevant to children’s lives: Family and Social Environment, Economic Circumstances, Health Care, Physical Environment and Safety, Behavior, Education, and Health.

Reclaiming Futures

Communities piloting the Reclaiming Futures anti-drug approach have made good improvements in coordinating juvenilejustice and addiction-treatment programs, according to research from the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded, $21-million Reclaiming Futures project seeks to combat addiction among teens in the criminal-justice system through systems reforms, treatment improvements, and community engagement. Screening teens for drug problems and hooking them up with mentors in the community are major components of the project.

“Early findings indicate that the 10 pilot communities have significantly improved their coordination of juvenile-justice and substance-abuse treatment services,” said researcher Jeffrey A. Butts, Ph.D., of the University of Chicago. He said that 12 of 13 indices being measured through the project have improved since 2003, including drug assessments, treatment outcomes, and service accessibility. Reclaiming Futures project participants include Anchorage, Alaska; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; three counties in eastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; Rosebud, S.D.; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash. The project runs through 2007.

A Growing Problem

Approximately 100,000 youth leave secure residential facilities and return home to their communities each year, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). For many of these young offenders, freedom is short-lived. According to OJJDP, 63 percent of them will commit an offense again before they’ve even passed the 1-year mark. Substance abuse plays a big role in that recidivism. “There’s a real strong correlation between drugs and crime, one that has been established in study after study for about 40 years now,” said Kenneth W. Robertson, Team Leader of the Criminal Justice Grant Programs in CSAT’s Division of Services Improvement. “About 60 to 70 percent of youth who are involved in criminal activity are also involved in substance abuse.”

Yet only 1 in 10 young offenders have access to substance abuse treatment, he noted. Even if young people can get treatment while incarcerated, it doesn’t do much good if that treatment stops the moment they walk out their door. “Research shows that no matter how effective substance treatment is in the correctional system, the effects are very quickly lost if it’s not followed up with treatment in the community,” said Public Health Adviser George Samayoa, M.D., C.A.S., Dr.D.F.C., of CSAT’s Division of Services Improvement.

Underage Drinkers

Survey reveals that 650,000 underage drinkers in the past month were given alcohol by their parents or guardians. More than 40 percent of the nation’s estimated 10.8 million underage current drinkers (persons aged 12 to 20 who drank in the past 30 days) were provided free alcohol by adults 21 or older, according to a nationwide report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The study also indicates that one in 16 underage drinkers (6.4 percent or 650,000) was given alcoholic beverages by their parents in the past month. “In far too many instances parents directly enable their children’s underage drinking—in essence encouraging them to risk their health and well-being,” said Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H, a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. “Proper parental guidance alone may not be the complete solution to this devastating public health problem—but it is a critical part.”

The report is based on a nationwide study which for the first time asked detailed questions about the behavior and social situations involved in underage drinking—a problem responsible for the deaths of more than 5,000 people under the age of 21 every year in the United States. The survey asked persons aged 12 to 20 about the nature and scope of their drinking behavior as well as the social conditions under which they drank.

Among the report’s more notable findings:

  • More than half (53.9) of all people aged 12 to 20 engaged in underage drinking in their lifetime, ranging from 11.0 percent of 12 year olds to 85.5 percent of 20 year olds.
  • An average of 3.5 million people aged 12 to 20 each year (9.4 percent) meet the diagnostic criteria for having an alcohol use disorder (dependence or abuse).
  • About one in five people in this age group (7.2 million people) have engaged in binge drinking—consuming five or more drinks on at least one occasion in the past month.
  • The vast majority of current underage drinkers (80.9 percent) reported being with two or more people the last time they drank. Those who were with two or more people consumed an average of 4.9 drinks on that occasion, compared with 3.1 drinks for those who were with one other person and 2.9 drinks for those who were alone.
  • Among youths aged 12 to 14, the rate of current drinking was higher for females (7.7 percent) than males (6.3 percent), about equal for females and males among those aged 15 to 17 (27.6 and 27.3 percent, respectively), and lower for females than males among those aged 18 to 20 (47.9 vs. 54.4 percent).
  • Over half (53.4 percent) of underage current alcohol users were at someone else’s home when they had their last drink, and 30.3 percent were in their own home; 9.4 percent were at a restaurant, bar or club. Rates of binge drinking are significantly higher among young people living with a parent who engaged in binge drinking within the past year. See www.stopalcoholabuse.gov. The full report is available on the Web at http://oas.samhsa.gov/underage2k8/toc.htm. Copies may be obtained free of charge by calling SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727). Request inventory number SMA 08-4333. For related publications and information, visit http://www.samhsa.gov/.

Minimum Drinking Age

One of the most comprehensive studies on the minimum drinking age shows that laws aimed at preventing consumption of alcohol by those under 21 have significantly reduced drinking-related fatal car crashes. Specifically, the study published in the July 2008 issue of the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention found that laws making it illegal to possess or purchase alcohol by anyone under the age of 21 had led to an 11 percent drop in alcohol-related traffic deaths among youth; secondly, they found that states with strong laws against fake IDs reported 7 percent fewer alcohol-related fatalities among drivers under the age of 21. The study was funded by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The study, led by James C. Fell, M.S., of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), accounted for a variety of factors, such as improved safety features in cars, better roadways and tougher adult drunk driving laws, that are supposed to have contributed to a reduction in fatalities involving underage drivers who have consumed alcohol. Fell’s research controlled for more variables than any other previous study on the topic, accounting for regional and economic differences, improvements in roadways and vehicles, and changes that lowered the illegal blood alcohol content (BAC) for driving to .08. Yet, according to Fell, the 11 percent drop in youth fatalities is a “conservative” figure.

The researchers looked at data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, or FARS (a database of all police-reported motor vehicle crashes resulting in at least one fatality) between 1982 and 1990 and then assessed the strength of each state’s legislation (using a scoring system) aimed at preventing underage drinking. Based on the FARS data for each state, the authors were able to determine the impact of the state’s individual laws on underage drinking and driving fatalities.

Considerable evidence exists that such laws can influence underage alcohol-related traffic fatalities. From 1988 to 1995, alcoholrelated traffic fatalities for youth aged 15–20 declined from 4,187 to 2,212, a 47 percent decrease, with wide variability in these declines between states. But until now, Fell said, it had been difficult for researchers to pinpoint the precise effect of the change in the drinking age because of other confounding group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems.

NLECTC

NLETC Rocky Mountain announces the release of Field Search v.3.0 also known as FS-Win. Field Search was created to allow non-technical officers to quickly and easily scan an offender’s computer and capture evidence of inappropriate material. This update offers a number of improvements over previous versions including the ability to retrieve all MRUs (most recently used; retrieve all Link files from the system; search logical files for text or phrases in both ANSI and Unicode; scan single folders and open and search for images and text in Office 2007 files). An updated manual is also included. To request a copy of the software and manual, visit: https://www.justnet.org/fieldsearch/request.asp. Community corrections agencies are increasingly monitoring their offender’s computers and it is becoming more likely that probation and parole officers will be the first to identify evidence of cyber-crime activity. This recently released publication from the U.S. Department of Justice provides assistance to officers on how to handle digital evidence. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/219941.pdf to view Electronic Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for First Responders, Second Edition.

Parental Awareness

  • SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health includes a sample of parents and their children who live in the same household. These parent-child pairs are composed of a child aged 12 to 17 and his or her biological, step, adoptive, or foster parent.
  • Based on SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, mothers were more likely than fathers to be aware of their child’s substance use in the past year regardless of the household having only the mother or both parents.
  • Fathers in two-parent households were more likely than fathers in father-only households to be aware of their child’s substance use in the past year.
  • The older the child, the more likely that parents were aware of their child’s alcohol and cigarette use in the past year.
  • Past year substance use by youth was higher in one-parent households than in those with both parents.
  • Within one-parent households, substance use by youth was generally higher among youth in father-child pairs than in motherchild pairs.

The NSDUH Report: Parent Awareness of Youth Use of Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Marijuana, is based on SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of drug and alcohol use and abuse and for selected mental health measures in the general U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population, age 12 and older. SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use & Health also provides estimates for drug use and for selected mental health measures by State.

Youth Gang Survey

OJJDP announces the availability of Highlights of the 2006 National Youth Gang Survey. This 2-page fact sheet was prepared by OJJDP’s National Youth Gang Center. The fact sheet summarizes findings from the National Youth Gang Survey for 2006 and reports data on the number of gangs, gang members, and gang-related crimes. Based on survey results, it is estimated that approximately 26,500 gangs and 785,000 gang members were active in the United States in 2006. Highlights of the 2006 National Youth Gang Survey (FS 200805) is available online at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=245263.

Print copies can be ordered online at http://www.ncjrs.gov/app/publications/alphaList.aspx.

Sexual Violence

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has published the report Sexual Violence Reported by Juvenile Correctional Authorities 2005–06. The report presents data from the 2005 and 2006 Survey on Sexual Violence, an administrative records collection of incidents of youth-on-youth and staff-on-youth sexual violence reported to juvenile correctional authorities. This annual report is mandated by the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. See http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/svrjca0506.htm.

Transfer of Juveniles

OJJDP has published Juvenile Transfer Laws: An Effective Deterrent to Delinquency? In an effort to strengthen sanctions for serious juvenile crimes, most states enacted laws expanding the types of offenders and offenses eligible for transfer from juvenile courts to adult criminal courts. This bulletin provides an overview of research on the deterrent effects of such transfers, focusing on OJJDPfunded studies on the effect of transfer laws on recidivism. The information it provides should help inform public discussion and policy decisions. See http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=242419.

Children’s Advocacy Centers

Evaluating Children’s Advocacy Centers’ Response to Child Sexual Abuse (NCJ 218530, 12 pp.) describes the findings of a study by researchers at the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes Against Children Research Center that evaluated the effectiveness of the centers’ response to child sexual abuse. (OJJDP)

Sexually Assaulted Children

Sexually Assaulted Children: National Estimates and Characteristics (NCJ 214383, 12 pp.) provides information on the estimated number and characteristics of children who were sexually assaulted in the United States in 1999. The bulletin is the seventh in OJJDP’s National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART) series. (OJJDP)

Recent Publications

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