United States of Disparities

United States

One-day count

Data in this section show how many youth are detained, committed, or otherwise sleeping somewhere other than their homes per orders of the court on "any given day" in select years. Data is available for the nation and on a state-by-state basis, and are based upon one-day counts of youth in residential placement facilities conducted in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2015. Learn more »

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Year White Black Latino Native American Asian Other All youth of color All youth

Annual decision points

This section includes data at nine key juvenile justice annual decision points. Data are available at the county and state-level, but only for counties that report. This section allows you to view the data from many different angles and all of the data is broken down by race and ethnicity. Learn more »

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Measurement

Number of youth
Rates
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How are measurements calculated?

Race/ethnicity Select all

Year

Data not available for every year. (Why?)

Available years are those for which states have submitted data to OJJDP. States do not submit data on an annual basis.

Case flow diagram

Click on a decision-making point to see the data for that point. Click additional decision-making points to the graph to compare.

  1. Youth population
  2. Youth arrests
  3. Referred to court2
    1. Diverted
    2. Petition filed
    3. Detained
    1. Found delinquent
    2. Adult court
    1. Probation
    2. Incarceration

  • 1Comparison of arrest to population is rate per 1,000 youth. All other annual decision points are rate per 100 youth at the prior decision-making point.
  • 2Due to differences in how states define arrests and referrals to court, some states may have more referrals to court than arrests.
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Decision White Black Latino American Indian or Alaskan Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Asian Other All youth of color All youth

13 of 55 counties (Why?)

Originally, states were only required to examine three counties: those with the greatest proportions of minority youth within their juvenile population, as well as those that contained the greatest numbers of minority youth. Only recently has OJJDP required that states track DMC data for all potential DMC reduction sites on a regular basis (at least every 3 years). If a county is not a DMC reduction site, data may not be available.

Detention statute

Juvenile courts may hold delinquents in a secure detention facility if the court believes it is in the best interest of the community or the child. After arrest a youth is often brought to the local juvenile detention facility by law enforcement. Juvenile probation officers or detention workers review the case and decide if the juvenile should be held pending a hearing by a judge.

Jurisdiction ages

  • 0–17
  • Extended Age of Delinquency Jurisdiction: 20

Age of detention

10–17

Standard for detention

(c) Upon taking a juvenile into custody, with or without a court order, the official shall:

(1) Immediately notify the juvenile's parent, guardian, custodian or, if the parent, guardian or custodian cannot be located, a close relative;

(2) Release the juvenile into the custody of his or her parent, guardian or custodian unless:

(A) Circumstances present an immediate threat of serious bodily harm to the juvenile if released;

(B) No responsible adult can be found into whose custody the juvenile can be delivered: Provided, That each day the juvenile is detained, a written record must be made of all attempts to locate such a responsible adult; or

(C) The juvenile has been taken into custody for an alleged act of delinquency for which secure detention is permissible.

Detention hearing timeline

West Virginia Code

Without delay, and no later than the next day after custody.

Contact

Please email Anna Wong with any updates to contact information for your DMC coordinator, JJS coordinator, or DMC subcommittee chair.

DMC coordinator

A. Lee Leftwich
Work: 304-207-8825
Cell: 304-573-7810
mustproject@peoplepc.com

There is no DMC website

JJS coordinator

Tanisha C. Travis, M.S.
Juvenile Justice Program Specialist
WV Division of Justice and Community Services
1204 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, West Virginia 25301
Phone: (304) 558-8814, Extension 53331
Fax: (304) 558-0391
Tanisha.C.Travis@wv.gov

DMC subcommittee chair

There is currently no DMC subcommittee chair

Reform efforts

States that wish to post their most recent three-year plans or share other relevant publications about their reform work should contact Anna Wong. We would be happy to link to relevant documents and information.

DMC reform efforts

  • Sensitivity training completed with police officers with the help of the state of Connecticut.
  • Working to inform people in the state of disproportionality with key system leaders.
  • Assessment has been completed and now beginning to establish several more reform efforts, focusing on 5 counties with the highest disproportionality.

State plan

There is no link available to the current State Plan

State Advisory Group (SAG)

The Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) under the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety is the state of West Virginia's criminal justice planning agency.

DCJS staffs the Governor's Committee on Crime Delinquency and Correction that was created by executive order in August of 1968 to develop a comprehensive, statewide planning capacity for the improvement of the criminal justice system in West Virginia. Our mission is to foster the public safety in West Virginia through providing planning, system coordination, grant administration, training and technical assistance, monitoring, research and statistical services.

The mission of the Division of Criminal Justice Services is to assist the criminal justice and juvenile justice agencies and the local government with research and performance data, planning, funding and management of programs supported with grant funds, and to provide oversight of law enforcement training.

Juvenile Justice Subcommittee of the Governor's Committee on Crime, Delinquency and Corrections This Subcommittee, as West Virginia's State Advisory Group (SAG), allocates and disburses federal funding and insures compliance with the core requirements of the JJDP Act of 1974.

SAG chair

Vickie James,
ACSW, LCSW
Title IV E Training Coordinator
Concord University Research & Development Corporation
Bureau for Children and Families
Division of Training
350 Capitol Street, B-18 LL
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304.356.4641
Fax: 304.558.2059
Vickie.L.James@wv.gov
Website

Organizational structure

The State Advisory Group shall consist of not less than fifteen (15) and not more than thirty three (33) persons who have training, experience, or special knowledge concerning the prevention and treatment of juvenile delinquency or the administration of juvenile justice.

The members of the SAG, as provided in said Act, shall be appointed by the Governor of West Virginia for terms of four (4) years each. A member may be appointed for additional terms based upon their contribution, leadership and attendance during their initial appointment.

Committees

  • Three Year Plan Development and Review
  • Grant Review Improvement
  • Public Affairs
  • Compliance Improvement
  • DMC

Membership

  • Steve Mason, Chair
  • Michael Baylous
  • Vickie James
  • Sue Hage
  • Phyllis Stewart
  • Dale Humphreys
  • Stephanie Bond
  • The Hon. Darrell Pratt
  • Lee Leftwich
  • Susan Fry
  • Captain Ron Smith
  • Mike Lacy
  • Brenda Thompson
  • Ron Moats
  • Rev. Larry Patterson
  • Del. Virginia Mahan
  • Wanda Cox
  • Laurah Currey
  • Shawn Bartram
  • Fran Thalheimer