Arrests and Arraignments

There were 240 arrests for JO offenses, about ten percent fewer than in 2018 and 2019 but far fewer than in 2017 (378), primarily for robbery. 45% were charged with first-degree robbery and an additional 20% were charged with second-degree robbery.

● Three of every ten arrests for JO offenses were in Brooklyn, about a quarter (26%) were in Manhattan, 20% in the Bronx, 16% in Queens and 8% in Staten Island.

● More than nine of every ten youths (91%) arrested for JO offenses were male and two thirds (67%) were aged 15. Nearly seven of every ten (69%) were Black, more than a quarter (26%) were Latinx, 3% were white and less than 1% were Asian.

● 81% of JO arrests were arraigned in adult court (194 JO arraignments, down from 227 in 2019 and from 208 in 2018)*. The remaining cases were either referred to Probation for processing as juvenile delinquency cases or declined prosecution by the district attorney.

● The JO release recommendation reflects only two factors: school attendance and expecting someone to attend arraignment. The JO release recommendation may be overridden by a policy consideration that excludes the defendant from eligibility for any recommendation if charged with murder or attempted murder, if there is a current bench warrant, or if the interview is not complete. However, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, too few youths were screened in 2020 to permit reporting meaningful recommendation rates.

● More than half (56%) of JOs were released on recognizance in 2020, an additional 5% were released under supervision, and nearly 3% were released on bail. 37% were held on bail or remanded with no bail set in 2020 compared to 32% in 2019 and 38% in 2018.

* In 2019 and 2020, all JO cases were arraigned in Supreme Court. Prior to the implementation of Raise the Age in October 2018, all JO cases were arraigned in the Criminal Court.

Dispositions

● Citywide, 181 JO cases reached disposition in 2020, including JO cases that began in previous years, fewer than the 241 that reached disposition in 2019 and the 234 in 2018.

● 60% of JO cases disposed in 2020 were transferred to Family Court, up from about half in 2019 and little more than two of every ten (22%) in 2018. Nearly a quarter (23%) were convictions in Supreme Court, down from 27% in 2019 and 45% in 2018. 16% were dismissals, down from 22% the previous year. The remaining 1% were consolidated with or covered by the youth’s other cases.

In more than eight of every ten (85%) JO cases that were continued at arraignment and reached disposition in 2020, the juveniles were released on recognizance or under supervision at some time prior to disposition and 6% were released on bail. Only 9% did not secure pretrial release, down from 10% of JOs in cases disposed in 2019 and 15% in 2018.

Sentences

● The most frequent sentence in 2020, as in 2019, was a conditional or unconditional discharge (26 cases, 43%), and 17 (20%) were sentenced to probation. Three of every ten sentences (30%) for JO cases in 2020 were incarcerative, about the same as in 2019 (31%) and 2018 (29%).

● Fourteen of the 18 incarcerative sentences were for one year or less, none were for a minimum of one year to a maximum of three years, two were for a minimum of two year and two sentences were longer.