By Katrina Baum, Ph.D.

BJS Statistician

During the period 1993-2003, juveniles

ages 12-14 and juveniles ages 15-17

experienced average annual rates of

nonfatal violence that were about 21⁄2

times higher than the rate for adults 

(83 and 84 per 1,000 versus 32 per

1,000). Juveniles under 15 had

average annual victimization rates of

homicide that were less than a third of

those for adults.

Four in five victims of nonfatal violent

crime, ages 12-14, perceived the

offender to be a juvenile. By comparison, 1 in 10 adult victims of violent

crime perceived the offender to be a

juvenile. 

Juveniles experienced declines for all

nonfatal crimes measured — rape/

sexual assault, robbery, aggravated

assault, and simple assault — based

on a comparison of average annual

rates for 1993-95 to those for 2001-03.

Victimization rates for overall violence

declined more for younger teens than

for older teens.

These findings come from either the

National Crime Victimization Survey

(NCVS) or the Supplementary

Homicide Reports, a part of the FBI's

Uniform Crime Reporting Program. 

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Special Report

National Crime Victimization Survey

Juvenile Victimization and

Offending, 1993-2003

 August 2005, NCJ 209468

• On average, juveniles (ages 12-17)

were more than twice as likely as

adults (age 18 or older) to be the

victim of violent crime from 1993 

to 2003.

• Average annual rates of violent crime

from the beginning (1993-95) to the

end (2001-03) of the 11-year period

declined for all age groups across all

types of crime measured, but the

strongest declines were among

younger teens (12-14).

• Older teens (15-17) were about 3

times more likely than younger teens

(12-14) to be the victim of a violent

crime involving a firearm.

• Among victims of violent crimes,

younger teens (12-14) were less likely

than older teens (15-17) to have been

victimized by a stranger (32% versus

41%).

• Among juveniles age 17 or younger,

blacks were 5 times as likely as 

whites to be the victim of a homicide.

• Juveniles were involved as victims or

offenders in 38% of all violent crimes

in which the victim could estimate the

age of the offender(s), 1993-2003.

• 4 in 5 violent victimizations of

younger teens (12-14) involved

offender(s) perceived to be juvenile(s).

Highlights

The number of victimizations by violent crime per 1,000 teenagers dropped 

from about 130 victimizations in 1993 to about 60 in 2003

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Rate of violent victimization

Victims age 18 or older

Victims ages 15-17

Victims ages 12-14

per 1,000 in each age category
Definitions and data

The nonfatal violent crimes examined

in this report are rape/sexual assault,

robbery, aggravated assault, and

simple assault. Serious violent crime

includes all nonfatal violent crimes

except simple assault. Because the

NCVS does not measure crime against

children younger than 12, the term

juvenile refers to persons between

ages 12 and 17. (For homicides,

juveniles refer to persons age 17 or

younger.) Younger teens are between

ages 12 and 14 and older teens are

between ages 15 and 17. Unless otherwise noted, adults are persons age 18

or older.

This report analyzes nonfatal violent

crimes using data from the National

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

collected by the U.S. Census Bureau

for the Bureau of Justice Statistics

(BJS). Homicide data are from the

FBI's Supplementary Homicide

Reports (SHR) of the Uniform Crime

Reporting Program (UCR).

Nonfatal victimization (NCVS)

Overall violence

On average, juveniles are more than

twice as likely as adults to be a victim

of a violent crime (figure 1). During the

period from 1993 to

2003, juveniles ages

12-17 comprised 11%

of the population age 12

or older but were the

victims of 24% of all

violent crimes and 21%

of the serious violent

crimes.

Younger teens (ages 12

to 14) and older teens

(ages 15 to 17) had

similar average annual

rates of overall violence

during the 11-year

period; these rates were

about 21⁄2 times higher

than the average

annual rate for adults

(83 and 84 per 1,000

versus 32 per 1,000)

(table 1). Rates of

serious violence —

rape/sexual assault,

robbery, and aggravated assault — were

higher for older teens

than younger teens 

(30 per 1,000 versus 23

per 1,000). Rates for

younger teens were

about twice as high as

average annual rates of

serious violence for

adults (12 per 1,000).

Older teens had the

highest average annual

rates of rape/sexual

assault and aggravated

assault, while younger

teens had highest rates

of simple assault. The average annual

simple assault rate for younger teens

was 3 times that for adults (60 per

1,000 versus 20 per 1,000). The

average annual rate of robbery for

adults (4 per 1,000) was half the rate

for both younger (8) and older (8)

teens.

For both younger and older teens,

males had higher average annual rates

of violent crime victimization than

females. Male teens had rates that

were about 21⁄2 times the average

annual rates for adult males; female

teens had rates that were about twice

as high as adult females.

Among all racial and ethnic groups

examined, older teens experienced

violent crime at similar average annual

rates as younger teens and at higher

rates than adults (table 2). Younger

and older non-Hispanic white teens 

had somewhat higher average annual

rates of violence than Hispanics of

similar age. White and black younger

and older teens had similar average

annual rates of violence. 

2 Juvenile Victimization and Offending, 1993-2003

a

For this report, racial categories do not include Hispanics. 

b

“Other” includes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, 

American Indians, and Alaska Natives considered together.

Rural 65.9 68.4 63.4 24.0

Suburban 83.4 82.3 84.4 28.6

Urban 98.5 96.6 100.4 42.1

Urbanicity

Hispanic 76.9 76.5 77.3 31.8

Other 50.0 49.0 51.0 24.1 b

Black 87.0 87.0 87.0 38.2

White 86.7 86.1 87.4 31.0

Race/ethnicitya

Female 66.4 64.3 68.5 27.8

Male 100.4 101.7 99.2 35.8

Gender

of victims of violence 12-17 12-14 15-17 18 or older

Characteristic Juveniles 

Average annual rate per 1,000

Table 2. Average annual rates of violent victimization, 

by victims' characteristics and victims' age, 1993-2003

Child abuse

Child abuse is not a crime specifically measured in

this report. The NCVS interviews children age 12

years or older. As a result, nonfatal violent acts

against children under 12 are not included. Data on

child abuse are available from the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information at the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

<http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov>.

violence

violence

Population

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Percent of population and victims

Ages 12-14

Ages 15-17

serious

Age 18 or older

Victims of

Victims of

Compared to persons age 18 or older,

teens accounted for a greater 

percentage of violent victimization 

than of the population age 12 or older 

Figure 1

Simple assault 57.3 60.3 54.2 19.8

Aggravated assault 15.5 13.0 18.0 6.9

Robbery 7.8 7.5 8.2 3.7

Rape/sexual assault 3.2 2.5 3.9 1.3

Serious violence 26.5 23.1 30.1 11.9

All violence 83.8 83.4 84.2 31.7

Type of crime 12-17 12-14 15-17 18 or older

Juveniles

Average annual rate per 1,000

Table 1. Average annual rates of violent victimization,

by type of crime and age of victims, 1993-2003
Urban youth were about twice as likely

as urban adults to be victims of a

violent crime, while suburban youth

were more than 21⁄2 times as likely as

suburban and rural adults to be victimized. For younger and older teens,

urban youth had higher average annual

rates of violence than their suburban 

or rural peers.

Juvenile and adult victimization

trends by type of crime, 1993-2003

Although this section includes comparisons of rates across demographic

groups from individual years, analysis

of trends within a demographic group

compares annual averages for

1993-95 and 2001-03. (See the box on

this page.)

Overall violence

Younger teens accounted for the

largest decrease in overall violent

crime from the beginning to the end of

the period (table 3). In 1993-95

younger teens had rates of violent

crime that were similar to the rates of

older teens but almost 3 times the rate

for adults (124 per 1,000 versus 116

and 44 per 1,000, respectively). For

2001-03 older teens had higher violent

crime rates than younger teens, and

both had rates more than twice as high

as the adult rate. 

Robbery

Younger and older juveniles experienced robbery at higher rates than

adults from 1993 to 1998 and in 2003

(table 4 and figure 2). In 1999 and

2002 older teens and adults had similar

rates of robbery; in 2000-01, younger

teens and adults had similar rates.

Both younger (12-14) and older (15-17)

teens had declining average annual

rates of robbery from 1993-95 to

2001-03 (-66% and -53%).

Aggravated assault

Older teens had higher rates of aggravated assault than adults during the

1993-2003 period (table 5 and figure

3). Younger teens had significantly

higher rates than adults in every year

except 2001 and 2002. When the

3-year average annual rates are

compared for the period's beginning

and end, the younger teens were less

likely than older teens to be victims of

aggravated assault, but their declines

were not statistically different. The

drops in aggravated assault rates for

teens (-69% and -61%) were larger

than that for adults (-55%). 

Simple assault

Both younger and older teens experienced simple assault at higher rates

than adults for all years examined

(table 6 and figure 4). At the beginning

of the period (1993-95), younger teens

 Juvenile Victimization and Offending, 1993-2003 3

18 or older 5.4 2.2 -59.3

15-17 11.0 5.2 -52.7

12-14 12.1 4.2 -65.6%

Percent

change

2001-

03

1993-

Age 95

Average annual rate of robbery

per 1,000 persons

Table 4. Robbery, by age of victim,

1993-2003

18 or older 9.8 4.4 -55.2

15-17 28.4 11.2 -60.6

12-14 20.4 6.3 -69.0%

Percent

change

2001-

03

1993-

Age 95

Average annual rate of aggravated assault per 1,000 persons

Table 5. Aggravated assault, by age

of victim, 1993-2003

18 or older 27.1 13.4 -50.4

15-17 72.1 39.1 -45.7

12-14 88.3 38.3 -56.6%

Percent

change

2001-

03

1993-

Age 95

Average annual rate of simple

assault per 1,000 persons

Table 6. Simple assault, by age 

of victim, 1993-2003

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

0

12

24

36

Rate of aggravated assault victimization 

Ages 15-17

per 1,000 persons

Age 18 or older

Ages 12-14

Figure 3

18 or older 44.1 20.9 -52.5

15-17 116.4 58.4 -49.9

12-14 123.9 50.3 -59.4%

Percent

change

2001-

03

1993-

Age 95

Average annual rate of violent

crime per 1,000 persons

Table 3. Violent crime by age 

of victim, 1993-2003

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

0

4

8

12

16

Rate of robbery victimization per

Ages 15-17

1,000 persons

Age 18 or older

Ages 12-14

Estimating changes in crime 

victimization rates

Since 1995 the NCVS has undergone

sample reductions because of the

escalating costs of data collection. 

At the same time, the rate of violent

crime has declined. The combination

of the two – fewer survey respondents

and less crime – has resulted in a

diminished ability to detect statistically

significant year-to-year rate changes.

Comparing 3-year average rates

gives readers a picture of the changes

while smoothing year-to-year fluctuations. This approach enables a

clearer, more meaningful comparison

of the changes in crime rates across

the 11 years from 1993 to 2003.

Therefore, percent changes

discussed in this report refer to

changes from the average rates 

for 1993-95 to those for 2001-03. 

Figure 2
were more likely than older teens to be

victims of simple assault (88 per 1,000

versus 72 per 1,000). By the end of the

period (2001-03), younger and older

teens had similar rates of simple

assault. The decline in the rate of

simple assault for younger teens was

larger than that for older teens (-57%

versus -46%).

Trends in violent crime against

juveniles and adults, by victim

characteristics, 1993-2003

Gender

For males, the declines from 1993-95

to 2001-03 were similar for younger

and older teens (-57% and -54%,

respectively) (table 8 and figure 6). The

decline in the rates for younger female

teens was greater than that for older

female teens or female adults (-64%

versus -43% and -48%) (figure 7).

Race/ethnicity

Among whites, older and younger

teens had similar rates of violent crime

at the beginning of the period

4 Juvenile Victimization and Offending, 1993-2003

Rape/sexual assault

Because the rape/sexual assault rates for young teens are low, insufficient

sample cases were available to analyze annual rates for younger and older

teens separately. In addition, rapes/sexual assaults are crimes that disproportionately affect young adults. As a result, the age groups compared for these

crimes – juveniles (ages 12-17), young adults (ages 18-24), and adults (age 

25 or older) – differ from the groups compared elsewhere in this report. 

Average annual rates of rape/sexual assault for all three age groups were

lower for 2001-03 than they were for 1993-95 (table 7 and figure 5). The drop

for juveniles was somewhat smaller than it was for adults age 25 or older and

similar to the decline for young adults (-46% versus -56% and -42%). Rates 

of rape/sexual assault victimization were similar for juveniles ages 12-17 and

young adults for all years examined except 1999 and 2003, when the rates for

young adults were higher. Juveniles and young adults had higher rates than

the adults except in 2003 when the rates for juveniles and adults converged. 

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

0

2

4

6

8

Rate of rape/sexual assault 

Ages 18-24

victimization per 1,000 persons

Age 25 or older

25 or older 1.3 0.6 -55.5 Ages 12-17

18-24 5.7 3.3 -42.4

12-17 4.0 2.2 -46.3%

Percent

change

2001-

03

1993-

Age 95

Average annual rate of rape/sexual

assault per 1,000 persons

Table 7. Rape/sexual assault, 

by age of victim, 1993-2003

Figure 5

18 or older 37.6 19.4 -48.3

15-17 90.4 51.3 -43.3

12-14 101.0 36.4 -64.0%

Female

18 or older 51.2 22.6 -55.9

15-17 141.0 65.1 -53.8

12-14 145.8 63.5 -56.5%

Male

Percent

change

2001-

03

1993-

95

Gender

and age

Average annual rate of violent

crime per 1,000 persons

Table 8. Violent victimization, 

by victims' gender and age, 1993-2003

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

a

Excludes persons reporting a background 

of two or more races in 2002 and 2003. 

b

“Other” includes Asians, Native Hawaiians,

Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and

Alaska Natives considered together. 

18 or older 50.8 21.2 -58.2

15-17 111.6 50.3 -54.9

12-14 128.0 50.5 -60.6%

Hispanic

18 or older 39.3 15.6 -60.2

15-17 82.1 18.7* -77.3

12-14 73.3 24.1* -67.1%

Otherb

18 or older 53.3 24.9 -53.3

15-17 105.7 63.1 -40.3

12-14 139.5 46.5 -66.7%

Black

18 or older 42.3 20.4 -51.7

15-17 121.8 62.0 -49.1

12-14 122.4 51.9 -57.6%

White

Percent

change

2001-

03a

1993-

95

ethnicity

and age

Average annual rate of violent

Race/ crime per 1,000 persons

Table 9. Violent victimization, 

by victims' race and age, 1993-2003

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

0

40

80

120

160

Rate of violent victimization per

Ages 15-17

1,000 males

Age 18 or older

Ages 12-14

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

0

40

80

120

160

Rate of violent victimization per

Ages 15-17

1,000 females

Age 18 or older

Ages 12-14

Figure 6 Figure 7

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

0

20

40

60

80

100

Rate of simple assault victimization

Ages 15-17

per 1,000 persons

Age 18 or older

Ages 12-14

Figure 4
(1993-95) (table 9). By 2001-03 older

teens had a somewhat higher rate than

younger teens, but there was no significant difference between their declines.

Older and younger teens had higher

rates of violent crime than adults during

both periods. 

For blacks, younger teens had the

highest rates of violent crime in 1993-

95, but older teens had somewhat

higher rates than younger teens in

2001-03. Both groups of juveniles had

rates of violent crime that were about 2

times the rates for adults. Among

blacks, the decline in violent victimization rates for younger teens was

greater than the decline for older teens

and adults (-67% versus -40% and

-53%, respectively).

During 1993-95 for persons of other

races – American Indians, Alaska

Natives, Asians, and Pacific Islanders

considered together – older teens had

average annual rates of violent crime

that were similar to those for younger

teens and higher than the rate for

adults (82 per 1,000 versus 73 and 39,

respectively). By 2001-03, rates of

violent crime for all three age groups

fell at least 60%. For persons of other

races, the average annual rates of

violent crime for 2001-03 were similar

for older teens and adults.

Violent victimization rates for Hispanic

younger teens were similar to those for

older teens in 1993-95 (128 and 112

per 1,000) and 2001-03 (50 per 1,000).

During both 3-year periods, juveniles

had average annual rates of violent

crime that were at least twice as high

as adults. The declines for all age

groups from 1993-95 to 2001-03 were

similar and fell by at least 50%.

Urban, suburban, and rural crime

Younger urban teens had higher

average annual rates of violent crime

than their rural peers for 1993-95 and

2001-03 (table 10). Older urban teens

had higher rates than older rural teens

at the beginning of the period, but there

were no differences detected between

urban, suburban, or rural older teens at

the end of the period. All age groups in

urban and suburban areas experienced

declines of at least 50% from 1993-95

to 2001-03.

Characteristics of criminal events

against juveniles, 1993-2003

The NCVS collects information about

the criminal event such as whether the

offender was armed, whether the

victim was injured, and where and

when the crime occurred.

Weapons 

More than 2 in 3 violent crimes against

juveniles were committed without a

weapon (table 11). The proportion of

violent crimes in which a weapon was

involved was higher for older teens

than younger teens (25% versus 18%).

Older teens were about 3 times more

likely than younger teens to be the

victim of a violent crime involving a

firearm (7 versus 2 per 1,000) (table

12). Both age groups were equally

likely to be victims of a violent crime

involving a knife (5 per 1,000).

Injuries

About 3 in 10 violent victimizations

against youth ages 12 -17 resulted in

an injury (table 13). For both younger

and older teens, nearly a quarter of

victimizations resulted in a minor injury,

such as bruises and cuts. Older teens

were more likely than younger teens to

experience serious injuries, such as

gunshot or knife wounds, loss of

consciousness, or undetermined

injuries requiring 2 or more nights 

 Juvenile Victimization and Offending, 1993-2003 5

18 or older 31.7 16.5 -48.1

15-17 84.2 60.0 -28.8

12-14 94.5 36.4 -61.5%

Rural

18 or older 40.5 18.3 -54.8

15-17 119.2 54.0 -54.7

12-14 128.1 47.5 -62.9%

Suburban

18 or older 59.3 28.6 -51.7

15-17 141.4 65.8 -53.5

12-14 143.1 64.2 -55.1%

Urban

Percent

change

2001-

03

1993-

95

Urbanicity

and age

Average annual rate of violent

crime per 1,000 persons

Table 10. Violent victimization, 

by where victims lived, 1993-2003

4.8 7.5

Don’t known if 

 weapon present

Other/type unknown 8.8 9.7

Knife 6.2 6.4

Firearm 2.5 8.6

Weapon 17.5% 24.8%

No weapon 77.7% 67.7%

Victims

15-17

Victims

12-14

Weapon

type

Average annual

percent of violent

victimizations

Table 11. Violent crimes involving 

weapons, by age of victim, 1993-2003

Other location 7.5 17.8

Other home 7.2 11.5

Victim's home 14.5 16.8

Open area 17.4 21.8

School 53.4% 32.0%

Total 100% 100%

Victims

15-17

Victims

12-14

Location of

violent crime

Average annual

percent of violent

victimizations

Table 14. Location of violent crime, 

by age of victim, 1993-2003

Type unknown 0.9 0.9

Other 6.4 7.3

Knife 5.2 5.4

Firearm 2.1 7.3

Weapon

No weapon 64.8 57.0

Victims

15-17

Victims

12-14

Weapon

type

Average annual rate 

of violent crime 

per 1,000 victims 

Table 12. Rates of violent 

victimization involving weapons, 

by age of victim, 1993-2003

a

Minor injuries include bruises and cuts.

b

Serious injuries include gun shot wounds,

knife wounds, internal injuries, unconsciousness, and broken bones.

Rape injury 0.7 1.6

Serious injury 1.8 2.9 b

Minor injury 25.3 23.6 a

Injury 27.9% 28.1%

No injury 72.1% 71.9%

Total 100% 100%

Victims

15-17

Victims

12-14

Type of

injury

Average annual 

percent of violent

victimizations

Table 13. Injuries from violent crime, 

by age of victim, 1993-2003
in the hospital. Older teens were also

more likely than younger teens to have

had victimizations that resulted 

in rape injuries.

Location

School was the most common place

for violent victimizations against teens

to occur (table 14). A higher percentage of violent crimes against younger

teens than those against older teens

occurred at or in school (53% versus

32%). Older teens (17%) were

somewhat more likely than younger

teens (15%) to be victimized at home. 

Time of day 

Although teens in both age groups

experienced more overall violent

victimizations during the day (6:00 a.m.

to 6:00 p.m.) than at night (6:00 p.m. to

6:00 a.m.), a higher percentage of

violent crimes against younger teens

(81%) than against older teens (58%)

occurred during the day (table 15).

Four out of ten violent victimizations

against older teens occurred at night.

This was 21⁄2 times higher than the

nighttime victimizations against younger teens. Five percent of younger teens

and 3% of older teens did not report

the time of the violent victimization.

Reporting to police

About a quarter of overall violent

victimizations against younger teens

and about a third of the victimizations

against older teens were reported to

the police from 1993 to 2003 (table 16).

On average, victimizations against

older teens (35%) were reported more

frequently than victimizations against

younger teens (23%).

The most common reasons offered by

younger teens for not reporting violent

crimes to police were that it was

reported to another official and that it

was a minor crime (table 17). Younger

teens were more likely than older teens

to have reported the crime to an official

other than the police (31% versus

17%). About 1 in 6 younger teens and

1 in 5 older teens did not report victimizations because they were considered

to be a private or personal matter. Less

than 5% of juveniles did not report

6 Juvenile Victimization and Offending, 1993-2003

Unknown 1.4 1.8

Not reported 75.1 63.5

Reported 23.4% 34.7%

Total 100% 100%

Victims

15-17

Victims

12-14

 to police of

violent crime

Average annual 

percent of violent

Reporting victimizations

Table 16. Reporting violent crime 

to the police, by age of victim,

1993-2003

Peak hours for serious violent crime

against juveniles

In 1999 the NCVS added more detailed

categories to describe when victimizations occurred. The number of hours in

each time category can differ. Some

categories have 3 hours; some have 6;

and some, 9 hours. To measure the

relative risk for each time period, the

number of serious violent victimizations

(rapes/sexual assaults, robberies, and

aggravated assaults) in each category

was divided by the number of hours,

producing an hour-adjusted estimate. For

example, if 10 simple assaults occur in

each of the two periods 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.

and 6 p.m.– 9 p.m., then 3 p.m.– 9 p.m.

is the less vulnerable time of day when

normalized by the hours of exposure.

For victimizations with a reported time of

occurrence, analysis of serious violence

unadjusted by the number of hours

appears to show that younger teens 

were at higher risk during the school day

(6 a.m. – 3 p.m.). However, the estimate

adjusted for hours of exposure reveals

that the most vulnerable period was after

school (3 p.m. – 6 p.m.). Adjusted data

also show that a lower percentage of

younger teens were victimized at night

than during the day, and that older teens

had similar levels of serious violent

victimization in the afternoon and in early

and late evening.

Time of occurrence of serious

violent victimization (adjusted and

unadjusted for hours of exposure),

by victim age, 1999-2003 

12 a.m.-

9 p.m.-

6 p.m.-

3 p.m.-

6 a.m.-

0% 20% 40% 60%

Unadjusted

Adjusted

3 p.m.

6 p.m.

9 p.m.

12 a.m.

6 a.m.

Victims

15-17 (3 hrs.)

(9 hrs.)

(3 hrs.)

(3 hrs.)

(6 hrs.)

Adjusted

Unadjusted

Vic12-14

tims

Figure 8

Other 20.9 26.9

Child offender 7.8 3.7

Afraid/fear of reprisal 2.5 4.3

Protect offender 1.1 2.4

Not clear it was a crime 2.3 2.9

Reported to other official 30.5 16.7

Minor crime 19.2 21.3

Private/personal matter 15.7% 21.9%

Victims

15-17

Victims

12-14

violent crime

was not reported

Average annual 

percent of violent

Reason victimizations

Table 17. Reasons for not reporting

violent crime to the police, 

by age of victim, 1993-2003

Unknown 5.3 3.2

Night (6 p.m.-6 a.m.) 13.5 38.7

Day (6 a.m.-6 p.m.) 81.2% 58.1%

Total 100% 100%

Victims

15-17

Victims

12-14

Time of 

violent crime

Average annual 

percent of violent

victimizations

Table 15. Time of violent crime, 

by age of victim, 1993-2003
victimizations to the police because

they were afraid of reprisal, but

younger teens (2%) were less likely to

be afraid than older teens (4%).

When these victimizations were

reported to the police among younger

teens, a household member (42%) was

the most common person to report

(table 18). Among older teens, a third

of all victims reported their own victimization to the police. Household

members were less likely to be the

reporters for older teens than younger

teens (24% versus 42%).

Victim-offender relationship

Younger teen victims of nonfatal

violence were less likely than older

teen victims to have been victimized 

by a stranger (32% versus 41%) and

more likely to have been victimized by

a person whom they knew but who was

not a relative (58% versus 45%) (table

19). Older teens were as likely as

younger teens to be victimized 

by a parent or by a relative.

Among victims, younger teens were

more likely than older teens to have

been victimized by a schoolmate. 

Average annual percent of

violence with known offenders

Age of committed by schoolmates

victim of the victim 

12-14 57.0%

15-17 40.2

Dating violence is another realm of the

victim-offender relationship that is

important for describing violence

against juveniles. The NCVS does not

ask the victim directly if the victimization occurred while “on a date,” but it

can identify whether offenses were

committed by a “boyfriend, girlfriend,

ex-boyfriend, or ex-girlfriend.” 

Less than 1% of violent victimizations

against male juveniles involved an

offender who was an intimate partner

(table 20). Among older teens the

percentage of violent crimes involving

an intimate partner was 10 times as

high for females as males (9% versus

0.6%). For younger teens the percentage for females was not statistically

different from that for males.

Juvenile offenders 

in nonlethal violence, 1993-2003

Age

Juveniles were involved as victims or

offenders in 38% of all violent crimes 

in which the victim could estimate the

age of the offender(s), 1993-2003.

Offenders were identified as juveniles

in a fourth of all nonfatal violent victimizations (figure 9). A tenth of all victimizations involved both juvenile and adult

offenders. These proportions remained

relatively stable over the period.

 Percent of all violent crimes 

Age of Age of victims 

offender(s) 12-17 18 or older

Juvenile only 16.0% 6.6%

Adult only 4.9 62.3

Mixed 3.3 6.9

Juvenile offenders were more likely to

violently victimize other juveniles than

to victimize adults (table 21). Four in

five violent victimizations against young

teens involved an offender or group of

offenders who were all perceived to be

juveniles. Older teens were less likely

than younger teens to be involved in a

victimization in which any of the offenders were perceived to be a juvenile

(68% versus 91%). Juveniles committed 9% of crimes against adults.

Gender

Offenders were male in 3 out of 4 

violent crimes perceived to be committed by juveniles. This was 31⁄2 times

higher than the proportion of crimes

that victims attributed to females.

 Juvenile Victimization and Offending, 1993-2003 7

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

15-17 9.1 87.7 3.2

12-14 2.3% 93.6% 4.1%

Female

15-17 0.6* 94.4 5.1

12-14 0.4%* 94.8% 4.8%

Male

and gender Yes No Unknown

Average annual percent of

violent crime by an intimate 

Victim's age partner of the victim

Table 20. Intimate partner violence, 

by age of victim, 1993-2003

Other 19.8 27.4

Other official 18.1 16.4

Household member 42.2 24.3

Victim 19.8% 32.0%

Victims

15-17

Victims

12-14

Person reporting

violent crime

Average annual percent

of reported serious

violence

Table 18. Who reported serious

violent crime to police, by age 

of victim, 1993-2003

11.5 16.1 9.1

Mixed ages

 (juveniles

and adults)

Adult 8.8 31.8 82.2

Juvenile 79.7 52.1 8.7

Total 100% 100% 100%

offender(s) 12-14 15-17 18 or older

Average annual percent of

nonfatal violent crimes, 1993-

Age of 2003, by age of victim

Table 21. Age of violent offenders, 

by age of victim, 1993-2003

Don’t know 4.5 2.4

Intimate 1.1 4.0

Relative 2.2 3.0

Parent 1.9 2.4

Stranger 32.3 40.9

58.0% 45.4%

Acquaintances/ 

 well known

Relationship 12-14 15-17

Average annual 

percent of violent

victimizations

Table 19. Victim-offender relationship

for violent crimes against juveniles,

1993-2003

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Percent of nonfatal violent victimizations,

Adult offenders

Juvenile offenders

annual average, 1993-2003

Adult and juvenile offenders

Figure 9
Victims reported in less than 2% of the

victimizations that they did not know

the gender of the juvenile offender or

that it involved both male and female

offenders.

Average annual percent

Gender of of violent crimes comjuvenile offender(s) mitted by juvenile(s) 

Total 100.0%

Male 76.0

Female 21.9

Both 1.4

Don’t know 0.4

Race

Offenders were perceived to be white

in 59% of nonfatal violent crimes

committed by juveniles. This was more

than twice the proportion of violent

crimes committed by black juveniles

(25%). Offenders of other races and

multiple offenders from more than

racial group comprised about 1 in 7

juvenile offenders. Victims were unable

to report the race of the offender in 2% 

of all violent victimizations. 

Average annual 

percent of violent

Race of crimes committed

juvenile offender(s) by juvenile(s) 

Total 100.0%

White 59.1

Black 25.2

Other 11.4

More than 1 racial group 2.6

Unknown 1.7

Perceived gang involvement

Among younger teens, 11% of youth

on average perceived that the offenders were involved in a gang (figure 10).

This was lower than the average

annual percentage of older teen victims

of violent crime (14%) who believed

their offenders were in a gang.

Almost half of both younger and older

teens indicated that the offender was

not involved in a gang. About 4 in 10

victims could not determine whether

the offender was a gang member.

Drug and alcohol use

Juveniles using drugs or alcohol

committed 1 in 10 of the nonfatal

violent victimizations against older

teens. This was 21⁄2 times higher than

the percentage of victimizations

against younger teens perceived to be

committed by a juvenile who was using

drugs or alcohol.

Younger teens were more likely than

older teens to report that their juvenile

offender was not using drugs or

alcohol. In about 4 in 10 victimizations

against younger and older teens

committed by juveniles, the victim

could not ascertain whether or not the

offender was using drugs or alcohol.

Was the Average annual percent

offender of violent victimizations

using drugs by a juvenile 

or alcohol? 12-14 15-17 

Yes 4.8% 10.6%

No 56.7 46.0

Unknown 38.6 43.4

Homicide victims and offenders,

1993-2003, from the Supplementary

Homicide Reports 

The FBI defines murder in its annual

Crime in the United States as the willful

(nonnegligent) killing of one human

being by another, referred to as

homicide in this report. Not included

are deaths caused by negligence,

suicide, or accident; justifiable homicides; and attempts to murder or

assaults to murder, which are scored

as aggravated assaults. The FBI

gathers murder statistics from over

17,000 city, county, and State law

enforcement agencies.

Age

All age groups 12 or older had declines

in the average number and rates of

homicides from the beginning (1993-

95) to the end (2001-03) of the period

(table 22).* The greatest decline

occurred for younger teens whose rate

of homicides fell from 3 per 100,000 to

1 per 100,000 (a 65% decline). The

rate of homicide against older teens fell

59%. 

8 Juvenile Victimization and Offending, 1993-2003

Figure 10

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Average annual percent of perceived

gang involvement of offender

Victims' ages

12-14 15-17

Yes No Unsure

18 or older 20,448 10.6 14,669 6.8 -35.9 8.2

15-17 1,442 13.4 671 5.5 -59.1 8.6

12-14 310 2.8 123 1.0 -64.7 1.7

0-11 957 2.1 785 1.6 -21.6% 1.8

annual rate,

1993-2003

Percent 

change

Average annual

Number rate per 100,000

Average annual

Number rate per 100,000

Age of 

victim

1993-95 2001-03 Average 

Homicide victimizations

Table 22. Homicide victimization rates per 100,000, by age, 1993-2003

18 or older 21,819 11.3 16,715 7.8 -31.5 9.0

15-17 3,782 35.2 1,379 11.3 -68.0 20.4

12-14 493 4.4 161 1.3 -71.0 2.4

0-11 18 0 11 0 -42.3% 0

annual rate,

1993-2003

Percent 

change

Average annual

Number rate per 100,000

Average annual

Number rate per 100,000

Age of 

victim

1993-95 2001-03 Average 

Homicides committed

Table 23. Homicide offending rates per 100,000, by age, 1993-2003

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

0

4

8

12

16

Rate of homicide victimization

per 100,000 persons

Victims 15-17

Victims 12-14 Victims 0-11

18 or older

Victims

Figure 11

*3-year averages are compared, consistent with

the nonfatal trend analyses.
Children under 15 had average annual

victimization rates of homicide that

were less than a third of those of adults

for both 1993-95 and 2001-03. At the

beginning of the period, older teens

had higher rates of homicide than

adults (13 per 100,000 versus 11 per

100,000), but adults had somewhat

higher rates at the end of the period (7

versus 6 per 100,000).

Older teens had higher rates of

committing a homicide than all other

age groups for all years examined

(table 23). Although all age groups

experienced declines in homicide

offenders from 1993-95 to 2001-03, the

declines for teens were twice that for

adults (-71% and -68% versus -32%).

Gender

For both males and females the

average annual homicide victimization

rate for 2001-03 was a third of the rate

for 1993-95 (table 24). For the 11-year

period, 1993-2003, the average annual

rate of victimization for juvenile males

was 41⁄2 times higher than that for

juvenile females.

Among juvenile males, the rates for

committing homicide were higher than 

the victimization rate. Although the

offending rates for male and female

juveniles declined over the 11 years, 

for females the decline in offending was

smaller than the decline in victimization. 

The average annual rate of homicide

offending for males was 14 times 

higher than that for females (7 versus 

0.5 per 100,000).

Race

White and black juveniles had similar

declines in homicide victimization from

1993 to 2003. Overall blacks were 5

times as likely as whites to be a victim

of a homicide (5 per 100,000 versus 1

per 100,000) (table 25). The homicide

offending rate for black juveniles was 7

times that for white juveniles (14

versus 2 per 100,000).

Juveniles of other races had both victimization and offending rates that were

higher for 2001-03 than for 1993-95. 

The greatest declines in homicide rates

were experienced by blacks for whom

both victimization and offending rates

fell 71%.

Relationship

For children under age 12, a relative 

was responsible for more than half of

all homicides (58%) (table 26). This

was about 3 times the level of

homicides by relatives or intimates 

of younger teens and about 9 times

higher than the percentage of

homicides against older teens 

by a relative or intimate. 

Less than 5% of homicide victims

under 12 were killed by a stranger.

Younger and older teen victims of

homicide were equally likely to be killed

by a stranger, but 3 times more likely

than the youngest juveniles (14% and

16% versus 5%). Older teen homicide

victims were more likely than murdered

younger teens or children under 12 to

be killed by someone whose identity

was not known by the police.

 Juvenile Victimization and Offending, 1993-2003 9

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

0

10

20

30

40

Rate of homicide offending

per 100,000 persons

Offenders 15-17

Offenders 12-14

18 or older

Offenders

Note: The omitted rates for offenders

ages 1-11 ranged from 0 to 1 per 100,000.

Female 0.6 0.4 -36.8 0.5

Male 11.8 3.8 -67.7 6.9

Offenders

Female 0.9 0.3 -60.7 0.6

Male 4.4 1.4 -67.9% 2.6

Victims

Average

annual rate,

1993-2003

Percent

change

2001

-03

1993

Gender -95

Homicide rate per 100,000 juveniles 

Table 24. Homicide rates per 100,000 for juveniles 

under 18, victims and offenders by gender, 1993-2003

Other 1.0 1.4 46.4 0.8

Black 25.5 7.4 -70.9 14.1

White 2.8 1.2 -57.3% 1.9

Offenders

Other 0.4 0.6 55.2 0.3

Black 9.0 2.6 -71.2 5.0

White 1.5 0.6 -61.1% 1.0

Victims

Average

annual rate,

1993-2003

Percent

change

Average

2001

-03

Average

1993

-95

Race of victims

under age 18

Homicide rate per 100,000 juveniles 

Table 25. Homicide rates per 100,000 for juveniles 

Figure 12 under 18, victims and offenders by race, 1993-2003

Unknown 13.4 28.9 40.8

Stranger 4.5 14.4 16.0

Other known 24.1 38.6 36.6

58.0% 18.0% 6.6% Relative or

intimate

Relationship 0-11 12-14 15-17

Average annual percent of

homicides, 1993-2003, by 

age of victim

Table 26. Relationship of homicide

victim to offender, by age of victim,

1993-2003
Weapons

Firearms were used in about 8 of 10

homicides against older teens and 7 of

10 homicides against younger teens

(table 27). A teenager was about 4

times more likely than a child under

age 12 to be killed by a firearm. By

comparison, younger juveniles were

more than twice as likely as younger or

older teens to be killed by a blunt

object. Fifty-seven percent of homicide

victims under 12 were killed by a

means or weapon other than a firearm,

knife, blunt object, or strangulation;

such means include being beaten with

fists, kicked, poisoned, or drowned.

Survey methodology

This report presents data on rape,

sexual assault, robbery, aggravated

assault, and simple assault against

juveniles (ages 12-17) as measured by

the National Crime Victimization

Survey (NCVS). The NCVS gathers

data on crimes against persons age 12

or older, reported and not reported to

the police, from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. The

NCVS provides information about

victims (age, gender, race, ethnicity,

marital status, income, and educational

level), offenders (gender, race,

approximate age, and victim-offender

relations) and the nature of the crime

(time and place of occurrence, use of

weapons, nature of injury, and

economic consequences). Homicide

data are from the Supplementary

Homicide Reports (SHR) to the

Uniform Crime Reporting Program

collected by the Federal Bureau of

Investigation.

Between 1993 and 2003, 1,761,125

individuals age 12 or older were interviewed. For the overall population, for

the years measured, response rates

varied between 86% and 94% of eligible individuals.

Standard error computations

Comparisons of percentages and rates

made in this report were tested to

determine if observed differences were

statistically significant. Differences

described as higher, lower, or different

passed a hypothesis test at the .05

level of statistical significance (95%

confidence level). The tested difference was greater than twice the

standard error of that difference. For

comparisons that were statistically

significant at the 0.10 level (90% confidence level), “somewhat,” “slightly,” or

“marginally” is used to note the nature

of the difference.

Significance testing calculations were

conducted at the Bureau of Justice

Statistics using statistical programs

developed specifically for the NCVS by

the U.S. Census Bureau. These

programs take into consideration many

aspects of the complex NCVS sample

design when calculating generalized

variance estimates.

Estimates based on 10 or fewer

sample cases have high relative

standard errors so that care should be

taken when comparing such estimates

to other estimates when both are

based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

Asterisks mark estimates based on 10

or fewer sample cases in this report.

Definitions

Homicide includes murder and

nonnegligent manslaughter and is

defined as the willful killing of one

human being by another.

Rape is forced sexual intercourse,

including both psychological coercion

and physical force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or oral

penetration by the offender(s). This

category includes incidents in which

the penetration is by a foreign object,

attempted rapes, male and female

victims, and heterosexual and

homosexual rape.

Sexual assault covers a wide range of

victimizations distinct from rape or

attempted rape. These crimes include

completed or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact

between the victim and offender.

Sexual assaults may or may not

involve force and include such things

as grabbing or fondling. Sexual assault

also includes verbal threats. 

Robbery is a completed or attempted

theft directly from a person, of property

or cash by force or threat of force, with

or without a weapon, and with or

without an injury.

Aggravated assault is defined as a

completed or attempted attack with a

weapon, regardless of whether an

injury occurred, and an attack without a

weapon in which the victim is seriously

injured.

Simple assault is an attack without a

weapon resulting either in no injury,

minor injury (such as bruises, black

eyes, cuts, scratches, or swelling) or

an undetermined injury requiring less

than 2 days of hospitalization. Simple

assaults also include attempted

assaults without a weapon.

10 Juvenile Victimization and Offending, 1993-2003

Unknown 14.7 6.0 3.3

Other 57.0 8.2 2.9

Strangulation 1.5 2.4 1.0

Blunt object 6.3 2.8 1.9

Knife 4.7 10.2 8.1

Firearm 15.9% 70.3% 82.8%

Weapon 0-11 12-14 15-17

Average annual percent of

homicides, 1993-2003, by 

age of victim

Table 27. Weapon use in homicides,

by age of victim, 1993-2003

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is

the statistical agency of the U.S.

Department of Justice. Lawrence A.

Greenfeld is director. 

Katrina Baum, BJS Statistician,

wrote this report under the direction

of Michael Rand. Patsy Klaus

verified the report, and Thomas H.

Cohen provided comments. Karen

Paul provided statistical assistance.

Tom Hester produced and edited 

the report.

August 2005, NCJ 209468

Office of Justice Programs

Partnerships for Safer Communities

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov