MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Shelby County Crime Commission says delinquency charges against juveniles are down so far in 2024 compared to 2023, but the recidivism rate is up.
According to preliminary data from the Shelby County Juvenile Court, the crime commission said there were 1,362 charges against juveniles for the first quarter of 2024, compared to 1,553 for the same time period in 2023.
There can be more than one charge in each case, and the commission said the number of actual cases is also down for the first quarter: 735 in 2024 compared to 1,188 for the same period in 2023.
The commission said vehicle-related charges made up 16.4% of the total number of charges against juveniles so far in 2024.
According to the data, the overall recidivism rate stands at 38.9% for 2024, up 3.7% from the first quarter of 2023.
The crime commission said the data looked at the juveniles who are actually charged and does not reflect the actual number of incidents involving youth offenders.
“Below are charts for the first quarter of 2024 indicating (1) the ten types of charges with the highest frequency and (2) the top three types of serious (violent) charges with the highest frequency.”
This new data comes as Memphis Police announced charges against two 15-year-olds, along with a 22-year-old, in a string of carjackings across the city in May and June 2024, at least seven of which happened within hours of each other on one day.
