This report provides an overview of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), highlighting fiscal year (FY) 2018 data and trends in all program and service areas, including court service units (CSUs), Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act (VJCCCA) programs, juvenile detention centers (JDCs), and direct care programs. A summary of DJJ’s juvenile population forecast, a recidivism analysis, and a breakdown of DJJ’s expenditures and staffing levels also are included. DJJ is hopeful that this report will be useful to both state and local policymakers and juvenile justice stakeholders. The following data highlights are presented in the report:
Trends, FY 2017-2018
• Intake complaints decreased 5.4% from 193,522 to 183,046.
› Domestic relations and child welfare (DR/CW) intake complaints decreased 5.0% from 138,980 to 132,097.
› Juvenile intake complaints decreased 6.6% from 54,542 to 50,949.
• VJCCCA placements decreased 5.2% from 11,710 to 11,098.
• JDC detainments decreased 5.0% from 7,677 to 7,293.
• JDC average daily population (ADP) decreased 3.5% from 644 to 622.
• Direct care admissions decreased 2.1% from 332 to 325.
• Direct care ADP decreased 0.9% from 338 to 335.
• Juvenile correctional center (JCC) ADP decreased 12.6% from 247 to 216.
Juvenile Characteristics, FY 2018
• The average ages of juveniles were as follows:
› Juvenile intake cases – 15.8
› New probation cases – 15.7
› Detainments – 16.3
› Direct care admissions – 17.0
› Direct care releases – 17.9
• 80.9% of juvenile intake complaints were diversion-eligible. The initial intake decision was resolved, unfounded, or diverted for 26.7% of juvenile intake complaints.
› Of the 7,891 juvenile intake complaints with a diversion plan, 77.8% had successful outcomes.
• 16.8% of all juvenile intake cases, 39.7% of all new probation cases, and 86.7% of all commitments were for felony offenses.
› 58.5% of all juveniles admitted to direct care had a felony against person as their most serious offense (MSO).
• The majority of direct care admissions had a mental health or treatment need:
› 87.7% appeared to have significant symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Substance Abuse Disorder, or Substance Dependence Disorder; 64.3% appeared to have significant symptoms of other mental health disorders.
› 94.5% had an aggression management treatment need.
› 82.8% had a substance abuse treatment need.
› 9.2% had a sex offender treatment need.
Length of Stay (LOS) Averages, FY 2018
Average LOSs were as follows:
• JDC releases
› Pre-dispositional – 24.6 days
› Post-dispositional without programs – 15.1 days
› Post-dispositional with programs – 146.4 days
• Probation releases – 12.2 months
• Parole releases – 9.6 months
• Direct care releases – 12.7 months
Forecast, FY 2019-2024
• The JDC forecast projects that the ADP will decline by an average of 2.2% annually over the next six FYs, reaching an ADP of 545 in FY 2024.
• The direct care forecast projects that the ADP will decrease through FY 2020 to 327 and then increase to 355 in FY 2024.
Reconviction Rates for FY 2013-2016, Tracked through FY 2018
The 12-month reconviction rates fluctuated within the following ranges:
• Probation placements: 23.3-24.2%.
• Direct care releases: 39.3-45.6%.
• Parole placements: 44.2-53.1%.
Expenditures, FY 2018
• DJJ expended a total of $215,548,190.
• DJJ’s total direct care per capita cost was $187,473.
› The per capita cost for community placement programs (CPPs) was $76,274.
› The per capita cost for detention reentry programs was $67,065.
› The per capita cost for contracted alternative placements was $125,746.
