Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS) - Cases Opened

Related Indicators:

• PINS Cases Opened [view data]

Life Area:

Civic Engagement

Definition:

Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS) are juveniles less than 18 years of age for whom complaints were filed with local probation departments because of non-criminal misconduct, such as truancy from school, incorrigibility, ungovernability, or habitual disobedience. Complainants in these cases are generally parents or school officials who are seeking the intervention of the probation department to control a juvenile's misconduct. PINS cases are recorded in the county in which a PINS complaint is filed. Only the aggregate number of cases is reported by local probation departments to the State, making it impossible to present frequencies and rates by age categories. The rate of PINS cases opened is calculated by dividing the number of PINS cases opened among youth 7 to 17 years of age by an estimate of youth 7 through 17 years of age, then multiplying by 1,000.

Significance:

The number of PINS cases opened by local Probation Departments is the best official indicator of the level of non-criminal misconduct among youth that is perceived as sufficiently serious by parents, school officials, or other authorities to warrant the probation department's intervention.

As the result of the 2005 PINS and Detention Reform Law, each county, including the five boroughs of New York City, must designate either the local Social Services Department (DSS) or probation department as "lead agency" for the provision of PINS diversion services. [FCA 735(a)].

Note:

• N/A: Data not available.
• As of 2003, PINS data included youth 7-17 years. Prior to 2003, PINS data included youth 10-15 years.
• Rates are not stable when the number is less than 20.

Findings:

• Of the 41 counties using probation departments for PINS intake, there were 6,444 PINS cases opened during 2011, which is a rate of 5.0 per 1,000 youth (for those 41 counties only).
• Comparisons across years cannot be made due to changes in reporting.