(a) The department shall conduct continuing inquiry into the effectiveness of the treatment methods the department employs in the reformation of children. To this end, the department shall maintain a record of arrests and commitments of its wards subsequent to their discharge from the jurisdiction of the department and shall tabulate, analyze, and publish biennially the data for use in evaluating the relative merits of treatment methods.
(b) The department shall cooperate with courts and private and public agencies in the collection of statistics and information regarding juvenile delinquency, arrests made, complaints, informations, and petitions filed, and the dispositions made of them, and other information useful in determining the amount and causes of juvenile delinquency in this state.