Research Bulletin

              State juvenile justice trends can
obscure rural county statistics
By Erica Hughes, ICJIA research analyst
Vol. 5, No. 1 August 2006
Research Bulletin
Statewide juvenile crime trend studies tend to re-flect
conditions in highly populated urban areas
but not in rural counties, according to a report
published in March 2006 by Authority staff in coopera-tion
with the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission and
the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Researchers found that highly populated urban county
crime statistics often masked low density rural county
crime trends. These findings were detailed in the Juve-nile
Justice System and Risk Factor Data for Illinois:
2003 Annual Report, compiled to assist juvenile justice
policy makers and practitioners in determining overall
Illinois crime trends.
This Research Bulletin highlights rural county crime
trends and risk factors that differ from others recorded
across the state between 1993 and 2003.
Risk factors
Juvenile justice system professionals measure condi-tions
and behaviors that increase tendencies of young
people toward delinquency. Risk factors are correlates,
not causes, of delinquency, and may be present in a
youth’s environment or observed in a youth’s behavior.
By understanding the degree of risk in the environment
and behavior of juveniles, policymakers and practitio-ners
can more effectively address juvenile delinquency
potential.
Research focused on four types of risk factors: individ-ual,
social, school, and environmental. Individual risk
factors are traits that can lead to inappropriate behav-ior
such as aggression, anti-social attitudes, hyperactiv-ity,
impulsiveness, attention deficits, and risk behavior.
Medical or physical conditions that impact develop-ment
and negative internalizing behaviors have also
been identified as risk factors for future delinquency.
Social risk factors include poor parent-child relation-ships
and relationships with anti-social or delinquent
peers. School risk factors include truant behavior,
dropping out, or poor academic performance. Environ-mental
or community risk factors include living in ar-eas
of high poverty, in neighborhoods that are socially
disorganized, or in places where high levels of drug or
adult criminal activity are present.
Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor
Sheldon Sorosky, Chairman
Lori G. Levin, Executive Director
Research Bulletins are published periodically by the Il-linois
Criminal Justice Information Authority. They focus on
research conducted by or for the Authority on a topic of
interest to Illinois criminal justice professionals and policy-makers.
This project was supported by Grant #03-JF-FX-0005
awarded to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Preven-tion
through the Illinois Department of Human Services and
the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission. Points of view in
this document do not necessarily represent the official posi-tion
or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
For more information about this or other publications from
the Authority, please contact the Authority’s Criminal
Justice Information Clearinghouse at 312-793-8550, or visit
our website at www.icjia.state.il.us