Between 1987 and 1996, total referrals to juvenile courts for homicide, rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault increased by 106 percent; referrals for drug law and weapons law violations increased by 144 percent and 109 percent, respectively; and overall referrals for all offense categories increased by 49 percent, reaching a total of 1,757,000 cases in 1996 (Stahl et al., 1999). Cases involving serious and violent offenses, because of their complexity, the threat posed to public safety, and the individual freedoms at stake, require a substantial share of the juvenile court's resources. Because such cases have been the driving force behind the overall increase in court caseloads, the demand for personnel resources in the courts has reached unprecedented levels.

To ensure the smooth and expeditious administration of the juvenile justice system, the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants (JAIBG) legislation explicitly authorized making Federal funds available for the purpose of hiring additional judges, probation officers, and court-appointed defenders and funding pretrial services for juveniles (U.S. Congress, 1998). This funding provision is part of a larger effort to increase juvenile accountability by increasing the system resources available to respond to juvenile delinquency.

If State and local jurisdictions are to assess their hiring priorities thoughtfully and make the most efficient use of available JAIBG funds, they need to know something about the best methods of measuring and analyzing current workload burdens of various juvenile justice system participants and forecasting future personnel needs for the system. Accordingly, this Bulletin provides perspective on workload measurement for judges, court-appointed defenders, probation officers, and pretrial services employees and, to the extent possible, identifies "Best Practices."