Preliminary data from 2024 shows a dip in juvenile crime in Philadelphia, though it still hasn’t returned to rates from three years earlier.
Larry Krasner and other members of the District Attorney’s Office highlighted the numbers Tuesday at a news conference on youth justice enforcement and prevention. The total number of juvenile crime incidents in 2024, tallied through Nov. 30, was 1,879. That’s on track to be fewer than 2023, when 2,224 cases were recorded for the entire year.
The proportion of gun-involved juvenile crimes, however, increased slightly between these two years. There were 479 incidents in 2024 compared with 455 in 2023.
Krasner emphasized an office-wide initiative to “treat kids like kids wherever possible, while keeping public safety in the forefront of our decision-making.” He and his colleagues touted a massive expansion of diversion programming since 2009, when the only alternative was a Youth Aid Panel for children between the ages of 12 and 14. The options have since increased to 28, and include behavioral health resources, sports, arts and job training for youth ages 15 to 17…