Delinquency cases involving males in 1997 were five times more likely to be judicially waived to criminal court than were cases involving females. Overall, 1.0% of formally processed cases involving males were waived to criminal court, compared with 0.2% of cases involving females (table 36). The proportion of cases waived to criminal court was smaller for both males and females in 1997 than in 1988. For males, judicial waivers for formally processed cases involving drug offenses showed a substantial increase between 1988 and 1991 (from 1.6% to 4.3%) and then declined considerably through 1997 (1.3%). Drug cases involving females followed the same pattern, increasing from 1.1% in 1988 to 2.1% in 1991 and then declining to 0.2% in 1997.

Once petitioned, cases involving male juveniles were more likely to be adjudicated than were those involving females (59% compared with 53% in 1997) (table 37). This pattern was found in all four offense categories. For males, the probability of adjudication was greatest in cases involving property and public order offenses (60%); for females, the probability was greatest in cases involving public order offenses (57%). The probability of adjudication decreased between 1988 and 1997 for formally handled cases involving males (from 61% to 59%) and females (from 56% to 53%).

Adjudicated cases involving male delinquents were more likely than those involving females to result in residential placement. In 1997, residential placement was the most restrictive disposition in 30% of adjudicated cases involving males and 22% of those involving females (table 38). For both sexes, higher proportions of person and public order cases resulted in residential placement than did property or drug cases. Overall, the use of out-of-home placement declined between 1988 and 1997 for both sexes.

Formal probation was ordered in 54% of adjudicated delinquency cases involving males and 60% of those involving females in 1997 (table 39). The likelihood of probation decreased slightly between 1988 and 1997 for cases involving males (from 55% to 54%) and increased slightly for females (from 58% to 60%).