CYA Commitment Trends (Figures 7 - 9)

CYA Commitment Trends (Figures 7 - 9)

• Figures 7 & 8 show the mix of offenders entering the CYA each year since 1959. Figure 7 shows the percentage of first admissions with various types of commitment offenses. Since 1985, violent offenders, as a percentage, have increased, resulting in a concomitant decrease in the percentage of property offenders. This trend has reversed in the last four years, with violent offenders making up a decreasing percentage of new commitments.
  
  
• In terms of sheer numbers (Figure 8), the reduction in the number of wards committed to the CYA for violent offenses during the last four years has been very dramatic. During calendar year 2000, half the number of violent offenders were committed to the CYA as were committed in 1996.
  
  
• The number of wards committed for property offenses has been declining since 1986.
  
  
• After the influx of drug offenders to the CYA in the late 1980s, the number of wards committed for drug or other offenses has remained small and stable through the 90s.
  
  
• The decline in commitments for property offenses seems to coincide with the reduction in property arrest rates for juveniles over the last 15 years (Figure 9). The recent dramatic reduction in CYA commitments for violent offenses, however, does not seem to reflect a similar reduction in violent juvenile arrest rates in California.
  

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