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Introduction to Juvenile Case Reporting The juvenile case reporting
matrices have been expanded to encourage states to gradually move toward more
specific and consistent reporting of juvenile caseloads. Considerable assistance concerning the new
terms and definitions was provided by the First, the two new juvenile reporting matrices include five subcategories under the Delinquency case type: Drug, Person, Property, Public Order, and Other Delinquency cases. The Dependency/Child Victim case type also has five subcategories: Abuse, Neglect, Dependent (no fault), Petition for Termination of Parental Rights, and Other Child Victim. The Dependent subcategory is included on the advice of the NCJJ staff to capture dependency cases in which a dependency condition is established without implied “fault” on the part of the parents (see the case type definitions that follow). A Status Offense/Petition category remains its own case type for classifying the total number of curfew violations, runaways, truancies, and other traditional juvenile status offenses. Second, the Caseload
Summary matrix has
been redesigned to capture more detailed information about case activity. In addition to reporting new filings and
dispositions, the prototype now allows for the reporting of Active and Inactive pending cases, Reopened and Reactivated cases, Entry of Judgment and Reopened
Dispositions, and
cases that are Placed on Inactive Status.
The reporting categories have been augmented to gain a better
understanding of court workload.
Examples have been included to assist in explaining how to record
different case management events.
Third, more descriptive and up-to-date Manner of Disposition types have been added to better
describe workload in the juvenile courts.
The disposition categories include Dismissed/Non-adjudicated, Adjudicated by Default, Adjudicated by Plea/Stipulation, Disposed by Alternative Dispute Resolution, Deferred or Stayed Adjudication or Findings, Adjudicated after Evidentiary Hearing, Waivered/Certified/Transferred
to Adult Court, Transferred to Another Court, and Other Juvenile Dispositions. All of these dispositions are
defined in the matrix; two of them are new:
Waivered/Certified/Transferred to
Adult Court and Adjudicated by Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Note that ADR dispositions in this category
refer to court-annexed ADR only. Examples of ADR programs are mediation
and arbitration proceedings, since these cases typically remain within the
jurisdiction of the court that made the referral and the court is able to track
adjudication of cases through these processes.
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