What does this measure?

A juvenile delinquent is a child 7 to 16 years old who has committed an act that, if committed by an adult, would constitute a crime. The number of petitions represents the number of cases brought to Family Court. The indicator measures the number of delinquency petitions per 10,000 county residents ages 7 to 16 years old.

Why is this important?

Individuals who commit crimes in their youth are more likely to commit other offenses later in life.

How are Cayuga and Seneca counties performing?

The rate of juvenile delinquency petitions per 10,000 children was 105 in Cayuga and 163 in Seneca, compared to 71 in the state (excluding NYC) in 2010. The rate in Cayuga has declined 24% since 2000, similar to the 25% decline statewide. The rate for Seneca had been declining from a peak in 2004, but then more than tripled from 2009 to 2010, with a total of 70 juvenile delinquency petitions in 2010. The rates of comparison counties declined over the decade, and were between 58 and 74 in 2010, below those of Cayuga and Seneca.

Notes about the data

The data should not be interpreted as the number of juveniles entering the system, as the same child may have multiple petitions. Comparable national data were not available. Rates in Seneca County based upon small numbers, which makes it difficult to distinguish random fluctuation from true changes.