Truancy Research

The criminal trends and statistics associated with truancy are alarming.  This should be of particular concern in Maricopa County, where more than 3,000 students ditch class every day.

Maricopa County compared to other jurisdictions:

In 2007, there were an estimated 513,585 juveniles between the ages of 8 and 17 years old living in Maricopa County. In any given year, about 5% of the juvenile population between the ages of 8 and 17 in Maricopa County are referred at least once to Juvenile Court. Since 1999, truancy complaints received by the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department have increased 34%. (Source: Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department)

 

Maricopa County Truancy Complaints Received
Most Severe Offense Per Complaint
YEAR
NUMBER OF
COMPLAINTS
% INCREASE
(YEAR TO YEAR
1999
2,748
2000
4,708
71.32
2001
5,117
8.69
2002
4,413
-13.76
2003
3,939
-10.74
2004
4,071
3.35
2005
3,284
-19.33
2006
3,917
19.28
2007
3,689
-5.82

It is difficult to compare Arizona truancy rates to those around the country. As these sample statistics illustrate, different states and jurisdictions track and report attendance and truancy very differently. Most state laws do not specify the number of times a student must be absent without an excuse before he or she is considered truant.  In Arizona, for instance, an unexcused absences for one class period during a school day is considered truancy; but to be truant in California a student has to miss more than 30 minutes of instruction without a valid excuse three times in a single school year. 

  • California: in the Los Angeles school system, on average 62,000—or 10% of all students—are out of school each day and only about one half of these students have written excuses. (OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin, October 1996)
  • Colorado: High school students in Denver miss an average of 25 days per school year. One third of these meet the definition of “chronically truant.” (Rocky Mountain News, April 29, 2006)
  • Washington: A study completed in Seattle in 1999 reported a truancy rate of 10% for 5th graders and a 30%-40% rate for 6th graders. (1999, 21st Century Solutions, Inc.)
  • Wisconsin: During the 1998-99 school year, 15,600 or 1.6% of enrolled students were truant each day. One third of all absences were due to truancy.  Truancy rates in Wisconsin’s 10 largest urban schools were twice as high as the state average. (Legislative Audit Committee of the State of Wisconsin, 2000)

Truancy’s relationship to other crimes or antisocial behavior committed by juveniles:

“Truancy is a stepping stone to delinquent and criminal activity.” (OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin, October 1996).  Experts agree that truancy is the leading indicator of future delinquent behavior.  The National Center For School Engagement (NCSE) has published several studies connecting truancy to delinquency and an increasing number of jurisdictions are making the connection between truancy and daytime crimes. Peggy Eggemeyer, Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC), reports that of the approximately 900 to 1,000 juveniles committed to ADJC secure facilities each year, 91% have either dropped out of school, have serious school truancy history or were expelled from traditional schools.  Multiple studies and reports support these findings:

  • “Truancy is generally considered a major risk factor for dropping out of school and for delinquent behavior, including substance abuse, gang involvement and criminal activity that often leads to more serious problems in adult life.” (Education Resources Information Center Clearinghouse on Urban Education Digest, Number 186, September 2003)
  • Truancy has been linked to serious delinquent activity in youth and to significant negative behavior and characteristics in adults … including an increased likelihood of incarceration and an increased propensity for violent behavior. (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Juvenile Justice Bulletin, September 2001)
  • A study of prison inmates in St. Louis, Missouri over a 30-year period found that 89% of the inmates had a history of school truancy.
  • In Colorado, a 2002 study indicated that over 90% of youth in detention for delinquent acts had a history of truancy. (Colorado Foundation for Families and Children)
  • In 1991 and again in 1993, after analyzing data from more than 5,000 of the county’s most serious juvenile offenders, three grand juries in Dade County, Florida found that excessive truancy was one of the three traits a majority of the juveniles had in common. (Dade County’s Juvenile Offenders; A Study of the Need for Early Intervention)
  • In 2004, the State of Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury completed a study that examined the consequences of truancy in schools. “Truancy negatively affects both students and communities. Students who exhibit truant behavior tend to have lower achievement levels, lower earning potential and higher dropout rates.” Studies have determined that truant children are more likely to participate in deviant activities and can significantly increase the daytime crime rates in communities.
  • A 1994 study, considered by many to be the defining study of truancy, states that “truancy may be the first sign in a series of antisocial behaviors that lead to negative personal and developmental outcomes. Truancy is associated with sexual promiscuity, alcohol and drug use, delinquency, and dropping out of school.” (Truancy Intervention, Journal of Research and Development in Education; Bell, Rosen and Dynlacht)

Truancy’s societal cost:

A study published in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology suggests that allowing a youth to drop out of school and become involved in crime and drug abuse can cost a community $2.2 million over his/her lifetime. 

Truancy’s demographics:

As school children age, absenteeism and truancy increase. Girls demonstrate higher rates of absenteeism in high school than boys; however boys demonstrate increased rates of chronic truancy as they advance in grade level. Across the United States, ten years ago, the number of juvenile court cases for truancy was divided evenly between boys and girls. (National Center for Juvenile Justice, 1996)

Truancy prevention:

Truancy prevention programs can be effective in reducing daytime crime rates and decreasing the likelihood that children will become lifetime offenders.

  • In Seattle, Washington, neighborhoods targeting truant youth were able to reduce daytime crime by over 60%.  (Colorado Foundation for Families and Children)
  • In North Miami Beach, Florida, after law enforcement opened a truancy center and began picking up truant youth, crime decreased substantially in targeted areas. Vehicle burglaries decreased by 22% and residential burglaries and criminal mischief complaints both decreased by 19%. (Police Eliminate Truancy: A PET Project, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, February 2000)
  • Truancy programs in Van Nuys, California; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Roswell, New Mexico resulted in reported significant reductions in daytime minor thefts and burglaries. (OJJDP Bulletin, October 1996)