This eighth annual report provides an update on juvenile justice reform policies that were passed in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 and subsequent years.
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Referrals to Utah’s juvenile court system decreased in FY 2024. Overall, there were 13,376 referrals to the Juvenile Court in FY 2024 which represents a rate of 3.0 per 100 youths. This represents a 6% decrease from FY 2023 and an overall decline of 35% when compared to FY 2017.
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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 2024 was 63% with 94% of current Nonjudicals receiving a successful completion. The share of minority youths entering into a Nonjudicial Adjustment has also increased to 41% from 39% when compared to FY 2023.
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Court supervision through Intake or Formal Probation is guided by a youth’s risk and needs. For FY 2024, the rate for Intake Probation increased while the rate for Formal Probation decreased.1 The share of Formal and Intake Probation orders increased for youths identified as minority. However, additional data points would need to be evaluated to meaningfully understand the significance of this, as it does not factor in the level of referred offenses.
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Admissions to Locked Detention have decreased, while Community Placements have remained stable and admissions to Secure Care have slightly increased. For FY 2024, the rate of youths admitted to Locked Detention was 4.65 per 1,000 youths, a decrease from 4.85 per 1,000 youths in FY 2023. The rate of Community Placement orders remained at .35 per 1,000 youths and the rate of admissions to Secure Care was .21 per 1,000 youths (previously .19 per 1,000 youths).
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Continued effort is placed in front end services such as the JJYS’ Youth Services Model and School Based Outreach. For FY 2024 there were 1,724 youths who completed JJYS’ Youth Services statewide. An estimated 98.7% of those cases did not result in a new disposition for Probation or JJYS Custody within 90 days after the program was completed, or adjudication and disposition of a child welfare petition involving the child’s parents or guardians.
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.
House Bill 362 reduced two previous occasions down to one previous occasion before being able to refer class C misdemeanors, infractions, or status offenses to Juvenile Court; expanded reintegration plans to include serious offenses which would include a violent felony (76-3-203.5), theft of a firearm offense (76-6-4), or a weapons offense (76-10-5); added handgun possession by a minor to the list of 3rd degree felonies; and clarifies habitual truancy and probation notices.
See the report