This sixth annual report provides an update on juvenile justice reform policies that were passed in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 and subsequent years. Policy changes focused on preventing deeper involvement in the juvenile justice system for lower level youths, 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.
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Referrals to Utah’s juvenile court system slightly increased in FY 2022. Overall, there were 12,745 referrals to the Juvenile Court in FY 2022. This represents an increase of 9% from FY 2021 but an overall decline of 51% when compared to FY 2015.
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Youths continue to be diverted from the system through the use of Nonjudicial Adjustments. Despite the increase in court referrals, the share of youths entering into an Nonjudicial Adjustment increased to 61% and the share of success rates increased to 83% in FY 2022 (from 59% and 80% respectively in FY 2021). The share of minority youths entering into an Nonjudicial Adjustment has also increased.
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Court supervision through Intake or Formal Probation are guided by a youth’s risk and needs. For FY 2022, the rate for Intake and Formal Probation were fairly similar, with both Intake and Formal Probation orders increasing from FY 2021. The share of Formal Probation and Intake orders increased for youths identified as nonminority.
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The use of Locked Detention remained stable in FY 2022. Youths admitted to Locked Detention remained at a rate of 2.2 in FY 2022. The share of Locked Detention placements remained similar for youths who identified as nonminority and minority when comparing to FY 2021.
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Community Placements have reduced the share of youths being ordered to out of home placements. Youths admitted to Community Placement continued its declining trend in FY 2022, with a 73% decrease when compared to FY 2015. This decline was similar for youths who identified as nonminority and minority.
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The rate of admissions to Secure Care have declined in FY 2022. Secure Care admissions remained stable at a rate of .4 per 1,000 youths in FY 2022 with a 33% decrease when compared to FY 2015.
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Recidivism rates are down for youths in Juvenile Justice and Youth Services (JJYS) custody. Although there has been an increase in the risk and complexity of youth entering JJYS, the one and two year follow up recidivism rate for youth leaving JJYS custody is decreasing overall.
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.