Alvin W. Cohn, D.Crim.
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.  Please contact George Drake at gbdrake@comcast.net [mailto: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.

Child Pornography and Molesting

A recent study of convicted Internet offenders suggests that the link between viewing child pornography and molesting may be as high as 85 percent. The study focused on 155 male inmates voluntarily being treated in a federal prison. The offenders, convicted of viewing child pornography, reported committing acts of sexual abuse against children, including inappropriate touching and rape. Debate over how the findings should be presented is occurring among psychologists, law enforcement officers and prison officials. See New York Times, Debate on Child Pornography’s Link to Molesting by Julian Sher and Benedict Carey, Published July 19, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/us/19sex.html?ex=1188446400&en=35605d51e17d3b76&ei=5070

Mentoring Awards

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools has announced its FY 2007 Mentoring Program Grant Awards to local educational agencies, nonprofit community-based organizations, and partnerships between the two, to promote school-based mentoring programs. The programs will serve children with the greatest need in grades 4 through 8 who reside in rural or high crime areas or troubled environments, or who attend schools with violence problems. Among their goals are reducing levels of juvenile delinquency and involvement in gangs. See http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpm entoring/184b07awards.pdf.

Disproportionate Minority Contact

W ith 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/annua lreports/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 2-page fact sheets that draw on data from the OJJDP report "Juvenile Court Statistics 2003–2004."

• "Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Courts, 2004" provides statistics on delinquency cases in U.S. juvenile courts between 1995 and 2004.
• "Petitioned Status Offense Cases in Juvenile Courts, 2004" reports on status offense cases processed in juvenile courts between 1995 and 2004.
• " Drug Offense Cases in Juvenile Courts, 1985–2004" offers data on drug offense cases handled in juvenile courts between 1985 and 2004. See "Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Courts, 2004" is available at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=243259.
• "Petitioned Status Offense Cases in Juvenile Courts, 2004" is available at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=243260.
• "Drug Offense Cases in Juvenile Courts, 1985–2004" is available at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=243261.
• The OJJDP report "Juvenile Court Statistics 2003–2004" is available at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=240291.

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 are aimed at reducing gun crime, and over $30 million have 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 violent-crime-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 2-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 Prevention’s 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

O JJDP 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 to $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/Pr ogSummary.asp?pi=44. For more information about the Reclaiming Futures model, visit http://www.reclaimingfutures.org.

Bullies

As a growing number of states pass laws against bullying, new research finds that bullies and their victims are more likely than other children to be victims of crime outside of school. "They're often victimized in the community," says Melissa Holt, research professor at the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center, co-author of a new study on bullying. The kids in the study at greatest risk are those who are both bullies and victims of bullies, Holt says. Of those, 84 percent had been victims of a crime, including burglary and assault, and 32 percent had been sexually abused. The study was based on interviews with 689 fifth-graders in 2005 in an unidentified urban, low-income school district in Massachusetts. Holt says the area's overall crime rate is higher than average, but she believes that the pattern of victimization would hold in most places. The study found that 70 percent of bullies and 66 percent of bullying victims were crime victims, compared with 43 percent of kids who were neither bullies nor victims.

Holt says bullies may be less apt to walk away from fights, and therefore more likely to be assaulted, and more likely to associate with aggressive kids who would commit crimes against them. A shy or insecure child is vulnerable in and out of school, she says. The research comes as more states adopt laws that prohibit bullying and set up prevention programs. At least nine states this year have passed such a law or expanded an existing one to address the problem of Internet bullying, says Lamar Bailey, research analyst at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Thirty-two states have passed anti-bullying laws, almost all since the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School. The two shooters, who killed 12 other students and a teacher before committing suicide, reportedly had been harassed at school. "A lot of school shootings have a tie back to bullying," says Julie Hertzog, bullying prevention coordinator at PACER Center, an advocacy group for children with disabilities. Her group, with support from the National PTA and other education groups, designated next week as National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week.

"Bullying and suicide are connected," says Brenda High, founder of Bully Police USA, a group pushing anti-bullying laws. Her son Jared, who she says was beaten at school, committed suicide in 1998 at age 13. In Holt's study, nearly half of those who said they were victims of bullying were referred to school counselors because of thoughts about suicide.

About 20 percent of students are bullied at some time, whether it's teasing, name-calling or hitting, Hertzog says. She says the most vulnerable are those who react by crying, getting mad or fighting back or who are socially isolated.

"Simply having even one good friend can really help prevent bullying," says Susan Limber, professor at the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life at Clemson University. "There's safety in numbers." Bullying has long been a problem in schools, but what has changed is the culture, says Matthew Masiello, a pediatrician who is vice president of Conemaugh Health System in Jonestown, Pa. "We live in a society that exposes kids to more and more violence," he says. Masiello says children who are bullied do worse in school, have lower self-esteem and are more likely to be absent and to drop out.

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 in the past year. 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

This Short Report, 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 non-medically 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. See also

Reports on youth

Reports on drugs

Other topics

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 90 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.

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. According to the CCD definition, a dropout is an individual who

1. was enrolled in school at some time during the previous school year;
2. was not enrolled at the beginning of the current school year;
3. has not graduated from high school or completed a state- or district-approved education program; and
4. does not meet any of the following exclusionary conditions: transfer to another public school district, private school, or state- or district-approved education program; temporary absence due to suspension or school-approved illness; or death.

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.

High School Dropout Data

T he U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics has released the report " Numbers and Rates of Public High School Dropouts: School Year 2004–05." The report draws on diverse sources to provide data on the numbers and rates of public school students who dropped out of high school in school years 2002–03, 2003–04, and 2004–05, and includes dropout rates by state, region, school district size, and several student characteristics. See http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/hsdropouts/.

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 a 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. See "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. See "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 six percent. In 2005, 24 percent of students reported 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 www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs07.htm. See also 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 policymakers. 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

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

It is estimated that 10 to15 percent of children living on the streets in the United States are trafficked for sexual purposes. Little reliable data exists regarding commercial sexual exploitation of children. The limited data we have shows that it occurs in several ways: At least half occurs at a local level exploitation of one child by one or several adults; 25 percent occurs through citywide or small regional networks; 15 percent occurs through well-financed, large regional or national networks with adults recruiting, indoctrinating, and moving children; and, 10 percent is international trafficking children for the pornography or sex tourism industries.

This report looks at the current state of the research regarding the roles of people who are engaged in commercial sexual exploitation of children. It also discusses prevention, interdiction, and prosecution programs aimed at this crime.

The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform

Located at Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute, theCenter for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) has introduced a website (http://cjjr.georgetown.edu) that will serve as a resource for practitioners and advocates from juvenile justice and related fields as well as providing educational materials to the public. The Center staff will compile comprehensive lists of research sources relating to critical areas in the juvenile justice field, as well as provide links to related professional and academic organizations at http://cjjr.georgetown.edu/links.html.

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 and 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 experienced 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.

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References | Endnotes