Scenario
You are a juvenile justice professional who has been tasked with creating a presentation on problems inherent in the function of juvenile courts. You have been asked to share this presentation with the key personnel of the local police department, school district, social welfare agents, and other community organizations to build awareness about juvenile crime, including its prevalence and trends, problem-solving strategies, and its impact on local juvenile court processing and dispositions. Your audience supports the need to use adult measures to address juveniles 14–17 years old who commit violent crimes.
Assessment Preparation
Read the “Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2020” fact sheet from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Pay close attention to the graph and table on p. 1 showing total delinquency and trends.
Visit the Easy Access to State and County Juvenile Court Case Counts (EZACO) page from OJJDP for data on case counts in each state for juvenile delinquency, status offenses, and dependency cases. Use the drop-down menus at the top of the page to change the year and jurisdiction displayed in the table. You should view the table for your state for the years 2005 and 2020, and save each year’s table to include in your presentation.
Assessment Deliverable
Create a 10- to 12-slide presentation to explain the data you’ve reviewed. Address the following in your presentation:
Explain your view of juvenile crime and public safety in both the U.S. and in your state. Include the following in your explanation:
The role media had in shaping your views
The media mechanisms that influenced your views
Explain the data shown in the “Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2020” fact sheet and what the trends reflect.
Explain the Easy Access to State and County Juvenile Court Case Counts (EZACO) data from your state regarding arrest trends for the years 2005 and 2020 and what the trends reflect. Note: When reviewing the data, your determination of total delinquency needs to include the sum of petitioned + non-petitioned cases for the years 2005 and 2020.
Explain what may be behind the decrease in total delinquency at the national and state level.
Identify the strengths and problems related to official statistics like the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) when determining how much juvenile crime exists. Refer to Figure 3.6, “Strengths and Weaknesses of the Three Measures of Juvenile Crime,” in Ch. 3 of your textbook, Juvenile Justice: Policies, Programs, and Practices.
Identify the impact of juvenile justice system discretion and confidentiality on the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR).
Explain how your view of juvenile crime and public safety has been affected by these statistics.
Full Answer Section
Slide Breakdown:
Slide 1: Title Slide
- Title of Presentation
- My Name (Juvenile Justice Professional)
- Date (April 4, 2025)
- My Affiliation (if applicable)
Slide 2: Introduction - The Importance of Understanding Juvenile Crime in Kenya
- Briefly introduce myself and the purpose of the presentation: to build awareness about juvenile crime and the challenges within juvenile courts.
- Highlight the shared goal of promoting public safety and addressing juvenile offending in Kenya.
- Acknowledge the audience's support for using adult measures for juveniles (14-17) committing violent crimes, and frame the presentation to provide context for these discussions.
Slide 3: My View of Juvenile Crime and Public Safety (U.S. and Kenya)
- Explain my perspective on juvenile crime and public safety, considering both the U.S. (as context from the OJJDP data) and specifically in Kenya.
- Discuss the role media has played in shaping my views on juvenile crime.
- Identify the specific media mechanisms that have influenced my views (e.g., news reports, documentaries, social media, fictional portrayals - be specific and provide examples if possible, even if general). Given my current location in Kenya, I will consider media sources accessible here and their potential influence on perceptions of juvenile crime.
Slide 4: Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2020 (OJJDP Fact Sheet)
- Display the graph from page 1 of the "Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2020" fact sheet.
- Explain the data presented in the graph, focusing on the total delinquency case rate and the trends shown (e.g., overall decrease).
- Clearly state what these trends reflect about juvenile court involvement in the U.S. in 2020.
Slide 5: EZACO Data - Kenya (Year 2005)
- Present the table of EZACO data for Kenya for the year 2005 (Total Delinquency = Petitioned Cases + Non-Petitioned Cases).
- Explain the key figures, including the total number of delinquency cases.
- Describe any notable patterns or high-level observations from the 2005 data. Note: As EZACO primarily provides US data, I will need to acknowledge this limitation in my presentation. I will explain that while direct Kenyan data from this specific tool isn't available, I will use the US trends as a comparative point and discuss general factors that might influence similar trends in Kenya based on available research and understanding of the Kenyan juvenile justice system.
Slide 6: EZACO Data - Kenya (Year 2020)
- Present the (simulated, based on the limitation noted above) table of EZACO data for Kenya for the year 2020 (Total Delinquency = Petitioned Cases + Non-Petitioned Cases).
- Explain the key figures and compare them to the 2005 data.
- Describe the arrest trends observed between 2005 and 2020 (increase or decrease in total delinquency).
Slide 7: Trends in Juvenile Delinquency - National (U.S.) and Kenya (Discussion)
- Based on the OJJDP fact sheet (U.S.) and the (simulated) EZACO data and general knowledge (Kenya), explain the observed trends in total delinquency at both the national (U.S.) and (as best as can be inferred) state (Kenya) levels.
- Highlight any similarities or differences in the direction of the trends.
Slide 8: Potential Factors Behind the Decrease in Total Delinquency
- Explain potential reasons that may be behind the decrease (if observed) in total delinquency at the national (U.S.) level (drawing from potential interpretations of the OJJDP data and general knowledge).
- Discuss potential factors that might contribute to similar trends (or different trends, if that's the case based on available information about Kenya) at the state (Kenya) level. This could include changes in policing practices, school-based interventions, community programs, economic factors, or shifts in societal norms.
Slide 9: Strengths and Problems of Official Statistics (UCR)
- Refer to Figure 3.6 in the textbook "Juvenile Justice: Policies, Programs, and Practices."
- Identify and explain at least two key strengths of official statistics like the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) in determining the extent of juvenile crime.
- Identify and explain at least two key problems or weaknesses of official statistics like the UCR in accurately reflecting the true amount of juvenile crime.
Slide 10: Impact of Juvenile Justice System Discretion and Confidentiality on UCR
- Explain how the discretion exercised by various actors within the juvenile justice system (e.g., police officers deciding whether to arrest, prosecutors deciding whether to file charges, judges making disposition decisions) can influence the data reported in the UCR.
- Explain how the emphasis on confidentiality in juvenile court proceedings (aimed at protecting the juvenile) can limit the information available for inclusion in official crime statistics like the UCR.
Slide 11: Impact of Statistics on My View of Juvenile Crime and Public Safety
- Reflect on how the data and information presented (from OJJDP and the discussion of UCR limitations) have affected my initial views on juvenile crime and public safety in both the U.S. and Kenya.
- Discuss any nuances or complexities that the statistics have highlighted or any assumptions that have been challenged.
- Connect this back to the audience's support for adult measures for violent juvenile offenders, perhaps discussing how these statistics inform the broader conversation about appropriate responses to juvenile crime.
Slide 12: Conclusion and Discussion
- Summarize the key takeaways from the presentation regarding juvenile crime trends and the challenges in understanding the full picture through official statistics.
- Reiterate the importance of a collaborative approach involving police, schools, social welfare, and community organizations in addressing juvenile crime in Kenya.
- Open the floor for questions and discussion.
Important Considerations for Kenyan Context:
- Data Limitations: I will explicitly acknowledge the limitation of using U.S.-based OJJDP data for direct analysis of Kenya. I will use it primarily as a point of reference for discussing trends and the nature of juvenile justice statistics. For Kenya-specific points, I will rely on general knowledge and understanding of the Kenyan context, acknowledging that specific national-level juvenile court data from EZACO is unavailable.
- Cultural Relevance: When discussing media influence and potential factors behind trends, I will try to relate these to the Kenyan social and cultural context as much as possible.
- Local Focus: While the prompt uses U.S. data, the ultimate goal is to inform stakeholders in the local Kenyan context. I will ensure the discussion is framed to be relevant to their work and understanding of juvenile crime in their community.
By following this detailed plan, I will create a 10- to 12-slide presentation that addresses all aspects of the prompt, utilizes the provided resources, and considers the specific context of presenting to key personnel in Kenya.
Sample Answer
I need to use the provided OJJDP resources ("Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2020" fact sheet and the EZACO data tool) as well as information from the textbook "Juvenile Justice: Policies, Programs, and Practices" (specifically Figure 3.6).
Here's a plan for my 10- to 12-slide presentation:
Presentation Title: Understanding Juvenile Crime and the Function of Juvenile Courts
Target Audience: Key Personnel (Local Police Department, School District, Social Welfare Agents, Community Organizations) - Kenya