Juvenile Justice 2026 Annual Report

• Youth are being referred to Utah’s juvenile court at a rate of 3.39 per 100 youths in FY 2026. Overall, there were 14,273 referrals to the Juvenile Court in FY 2026 which represents a rate of 3.39 per 100 youths.
• Youths continue to be diverted from the system through the use of Nonjudicial Adjustments. The share of youths entering into a Nonjudicial Adjustment for FY 2026 was 66.33% with 93.51% of current Nonjudicials receiving a successful completion.
• Court supervision through Intake or Formal Probation is guided by a youth’s risk and needs. For FY 2026, the rate for Intake Probation was 2.39 per 1000 youths while the rate for Formal Probation was 1.28 per 1000 youths.
• Locked Detention provides short-term locked confinement for youths awaiting adjudication, placement, or serving a sentence as ordered by a Juvenile Court Judge . The rate for Locked Detention was 5.22 per 1,000 youths in FY 2026.
• The rate of Community Placement and Secure Care remains below 1 per 1,000 youths. The rate for Community placement was .35 per 1,000 youths, and Secure Care was .23 per 1,000 youths in FY 2026.
• Continued effort is placed in front end services such as the Juvenile Justice and Youth Services (JJYS), Youth Services Implementation program and School Based Outreach. Since the reinvestment of dollars into JJYS’ Youth Services program and School Based Outreach, recidivism outcomes continue to improve with 99.6% in FY 2025 of those cases avoiding a new avoid Court Ordered custody to the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) or JJYS, or Court Ordered Formal Probation within 90 days of release. Data for JJYS enrollments and Court Ordered custody to DCFS, JJYS, or Court Ordered Formal Probation, are collected through the JJYS case management information system.

Policy changes focused on preventing deeper involvement in the juvenile justice system for youths who are referred for lower-level offenses, protecting the community by focusing system resources on youths who pose the highest risk to public safety, and improving outcomes through reinvestment and increased system accountability.

House Bill 304 made several changes to the juvenile justice system including when class C misdemeanors, infraction, or status offenses can be referred to the Juvenile Court, when notifications are sent to schools, eligibility criteria for NJAs, and additional data reporting requirements.