What does this measure?

A juvenile delinquent is a child 7 to 16 years old who has committed an act that, if committed by an adult, would constitute a crime. County probation departments are the point of entry for a juvenile delinquency case, and each case brought to probation by police or another source is called an “intake.” This indicator measures the number of intakes per 1,000 children ages 7-16.

Why is this important?

Individuals who commit crimes in their youth are more likely to commit other offenses later in life.

How is the Greater Capital Region performing?

There were 14 juvenile delinquency intakes in the Greater Capital Region for every 1,000 juveniles in 2007, higher than the state rate (excluding New York City) of 9. Regional rates have consistently been much higher than state rates between 2000 and 2007. Since 2000, rates in all counties in the region have declined, except for Schenectady which experienced a 61% increase. Since 2002, Albany and Schenectady counties report the highest rates per 1,000 youth of juvenile delinquency intakes in the region.

Notes about the data

These data do not reflect the ultimate disposition of the case, as all intakes do not turn into juvenile delinquency cases; some are diverted into programs and never reach court. The data should not be interpreted as the number of juveniles entering the system, as the same child may have multiple intakes. Rates were calculated using population estimates from US Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for children ages 7-16. Numbers for New York City and for the nation were not readily available.