The Public Defender's Office in the Northern Marianas says reported crime is three times higher than it was 14 years ago.
The Public Defenders Office says criminal cases are growing by an average of 19 percent a year while juvenile cases grew at an average of 22 percent.
The Public Defender, Masood Karimipour, attributes the trend to the population explosion in the CNMI, which has nearly doubled since 1984.
Mr Karimapoor says the gap between the number of criminal cases filed and criminal cases disposed of has widened.
