The aim of this project is to interactively collect, centralize and publish existing data on children in contact with the law worldwide, in order to share a more comprehensive overview of global juvenile justice statistics. This not only contributes to the development of criminal justice policy, but is also of considerable value to academics, researchers and practitioners. In addition, this type of data can be used for the evaluation of programs, policies and interventions, as well as for monitoring compliance with international standards, promoting knowledge and the exchange of good practice between countries, and for the purposes of international comparisons. Finally, they can also contribute to the development of a more rigorous view of juvenile justice and delinquency among the media and the general public.

Statistical information has been gathered from existing official data sources or published research. Data sources are always specified. The following variables are presented in the interactive dashboard: Percentage of children in the country’s population; Age of criminal responsibility; Number of children in detention; Percentage of boys and girls in detention; Rate of children in detention (per 100,000 children in the population); Children living in detention with their mothers. Data can be downloaded. Countries on the United Nations list are all included, as well as certain territories (Palestine, Macao, Hong Kong).

Metadata are essential for data interpretation, comparability and reliability. We therefore urge data users not to use the data included in this project without taking into account the notes and comments relating to each variable. For methodological reasons, some indicators do not allow direct cross-national comparisons. Data users are responsible for the use and interpretation of the data.