J. Robert Flores, Administrator August 2005

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

Access OJJDP publications online at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp

Office of Justice Programs • Partnerships for Safer Communities • www.ojp.usdoj.gov

Juvenile Arrests 2003

Howard N. Snyder

A Message From OJJDP

Juvenile Arrests 2003 summarizes and

analyzes national and state juvenile

arrest data presented in the Federal

Bureau of Investigation's report Crime

in the United States 2003. The Bulletin

provides baseline information for those

who monitor the nation’s progress in

addressing juvenile crime.

The juvenile arrest rate for Violent

Crime Index offenses declined in 2003

for the ninth consecutive year, falling

48% from its 1994 peak and reaching

its lowest level since at least 1980.

The rate for each of the Violent Crime

Index offenses—murder, forcible rape,

robbery, and aggravated assault—has

declined steadily since the mid-1990s.

Between 1994 and 2003, the decline

in the number of violent crime arrests

was greater for juveniles (32%) than

adults (12%).

Juvenile arrest rates for Property

Crime Index offenses also declined in

2003, reaching their lowest level in at

least three decades. Between 1980

and 2003, the juvenile arrest rate for

Property Crime Index offenses (burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft,

and arson) dropped 46%.

Although these and other statistical

trends in juvenile crime are encouraging, problems remain. For example,

between 1980 and 2003, juvenile arrest rates for simple assault increased

269% for females and 102% for males.

During the same period, juvenile arrest

rates for drug abuse violations increased 51% for females and 52%

for males.

In 2003, law enforcement agencies in the

United States made an estimated 2.2 million arrests of persons under age 18.*

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), juveniles accounted for 16%

of all arrests and 15% of all violent crime

arrests in 2003. The substantial growth in

juvenile violent crime arrests that began

in the late 1980s peaked in 1994. In 2003,

for the ninth consecutive year, the rate of

juvenile arrests for Violent Crime Index 

offenses—murder, forcible rape, robbery,

and aggravated assault—declined. Specifically, between 1994 and 2003, the juvenile

arrest rate for Violent Crime Index offenses fell 48%. As a result, the juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate in 2003 was at

its lowest level since at least 1980. From

its peak in 1993 to 2003, the juvenile arrest

rate for murder fell 77%.

These findings are derived from data

reported annually by local law enforcement agencies across the country to the

FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Based on these data, the FBI prepares its annual Crime in the United States

report, which summarizes crimes known

to the police and arrests made during the

reporting calendar year. This information

is used to characterize the extent and

nature of juvenile crime that comes to the

attention of the justice system. Other

recent findings from the UCR Program

include the following:

◆ Of the estimated 1,550 juveniles murdered in 2003, 40% were under 5 years

of age, 68% were male, 50% were white,

and 45% were killed with a firearm.

◆ Juveniles were involved in 12% of all

violent crimes cleared in 2003—

specifically, 5% of murders, 12% of

forcible rapes, 14% of robberies, and

12% of aggravated assaults.

◆ In the peak year of 1993, there were

about 3,790 juvenile arrests for murder.

Between 1993 and 2003, juvenile arrests

for murder declined, with the number

of arrests in 2003 (1,130) only about

30% of that in 1993.

◆ Females accounted for 24% of juvenile

arrests for aggravated assault and 32%

of those for other assaults in 2003, far

more than their involvement in other

types of violent crimes.

◆ Between 1980 and 2003, the juvenile

arrest rate for simple assault increased

102% for males and 269% for females.

◆ The disparity in violent crime arrest

rates for black juveniles and white juveniles declined from 6-to-1 in 1980 to 4-

to-1 in 2003.

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for motor vehicle theft declined consistently and substantially between 1990 and 2003,

falling 62%.

◆ Between 1994 and 2003, juvenile arrests

for drug abuse violations increased

19%, with the increase far greater for

females (56%) than males (13%). * Throughout this Bulletin, persons under age 18 are

referred to as juveniles. See Notes on page 12.
2

What do arrest statistics

count?

To interpret the material in this Bulletin

properly, the reader must have a clear

understanding of what these statistics

count. The arrest statistics report the

number of arrests made by law enforcement agencies in a particular year—not

the number of individuals arrested, nor

the number of crimes committed. The

number of arrests is not equivalent to 

the number of people arrested, because

an unknown number of individuals are

arrested more than once in the year. Nor

do arrest statistics represent counts of

crimes committed by arrested individuals,

because a series of crimes committed by

one individual may culminate in a single

arrest, or a single crime may result in the

arrest of more than one person. This latter situation, where many arrests result

from one crime, is relatively common in

juvenile law-violating behavior because

juveniles are more likely than adults to

commit crimes in groups. This is the primary reason why arrest statistics should

not be used to indicate the relative proportion of crime committed by juveniles

and adults. Arrest statistics are most appropriately a measure of flow into the

criminal and juvenile justice systems.

Arrest statistics also have limitations for

measuring the volume of arrests for a

particular offense. Under the UCR Program, the FBI requires law enforcement

agencies to classify an arrest by the

most serious offense charged in that

arrest. For example, the arrest of a youth

charged with aggravated assault and

possession of a controlled substance

would be reported to the FBI as an arrest

for aggravated assault. Therefore, when

arrest statistics show that law enforcement agencies made an estimated

197,100 arrests of young people for drug

abuse violations in 2003, it means that a

drug abuse violation was the most serious charge in these 197,100 arrests. An

unknown number of additional arrests in

2003 included a drug charge as a lesser

offense.

What do clearance 

statistics count?

Clearance statistics measure the proportion of reported crimes that were resolved by an arrest or other, exceptional

means (e.g., death of the offender, unwillingness of the victim to cooperate).

A single arrest may result in many clearances. For example, 1 arrest could clear

40 burglaries if the person was charged

with committing all 40 of these crimes.

Or multiple arrests may result in a single

clearance if the crime was committed by

a group of offenders. For those interested

in juvenile justice issues, the FBI also

reports information on the proportion 

of clearances that involved offenders

under age 18. This statistic is a better indicator of the proportion of crime committed by this age group than is the

arrest proportion, although there are

some concerns that even the clearance

statistic overestimates the juvenile proportion of crimes.

For example, the FBI reports that persons under age 18 accounted for 24% 

of all robbery arrests but only 14% of all

robberies that were cleared in 2003. If it

can be assumed that offender characteristics of cleared robberies are similar to

those of robberies that were not cleared,

then it would be appropriate to conclude

that persons under age 18 were responsible for 14% of all robberies in 2003.

However, the offender characteristics of

cleared and noncleared robberies may

differ for a number of reasons. If, for example, juvenile robbers were more easily

apprehended than adult robbers, the

juvenile proportion of cleared robberies

would overestimate the juvenile responsibility for all robberies. To add to the difficulty in interpreting clearance statistics,

the FBI’s reporting guidelines require the

clearance to be tied to the oldest offender in the group if more than one person

is involved in the crime.

In summary, while the interpretation of

reported clearance proportions is not

straightforward, these data are the closest measure generally available of the

proportion of crime known to law enforcement that is attributed to persons

under age 18.

The juvenile proportion of arrests exceeded the juvenile proportion of

crimes cleared by arrest or exceptional means in each offense category,

reflecting the fact that juveniles are more likely to commit crimes in

groups and are more likely to be arrested than are adults

Data source: Crime in the United States 2003 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office, 2004), tables 28 and 38.

Arson

Motor vehicle theft

Larceny-theft

Burglary

Aggravated assault

Robbery

Forcible rape

Murder

Property Crime Index

Violent Crime Index

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Percent involving juveniles

12%

15%

19%

29%

5%

9%

12%

16%

14%

24%

12%

14%

17%

29%

20%

28%

17%

29%

41%

51%

Clearances Arrests
3

The number of juveniles

murdered in 2003 was

the lowest since 1984

Each Crime in the United States report

presents estimates of the number of

crimes reported to law enforcement agencies. A large number of most crimes are

never reported to law enforcement. Murder, however, is one crime that is nearly

always reported. Therefore, murder is the

crime for which the FBI data are most

complete and most valid.

An estimated 16,500 murders were reported to law enforcement agencies in 2003,

or 5.7 murders for every 100,000 U.S. residents. The murder rate in the U.S. was

essentially constant between 1999 (the

year with the fewest murders in the last

30 years) and 2003. Prior to 1999, the last

year in which the U.S. murder rate was

under 6.0 was in 1966.

Of all murder victims in 2003, 91% (or

14,950 victims) were 18 years of age or

older. The other 1,550 murder victims

were under age 18. Fewer juveniles were

murdered in the U.S. in 2003 than in any

year since 1984. The 2003 figure is 46%

below the peak year of 1993, when an estimated 2,880 juveniles were murdered in

the U.S.

Of all juveniles murdered in 2003, 40%

were under age 5, 68% were male, and

50% were white. Compared with older

juvenile murder victims, victims under

age 13 in 2003 were more likely to be

female (45% vs. 18%) and less likely to be

black (40% vs. 54%).

In 2003, 67% of all murder victims were

killed with a firearm. Adults were more

likely to be killed with a firearm (69%)

than were juveniles (45%). However, the

involvement of a firearm depended greatly

on the age of the juvenile victim. Whereas

14% of murdered juveniles under age 13

were killed with a firearm in 2003, 77% of

murdered juveniles age 13 or older were

killed with a firearm. The most common

method of murdering children under age 5

was by physical assault; in 51% of these

murders, the offenders’ only weapons

were their hands and/or feet.

The 2.2 million arrests of juveniles in 2003 was 11% fewer than the 

number of arrests in 1999

2003 Percent of Total

Estimated Juvenile Arrests Percent Change

Most Serious Number of Under 1994– 1999– 2002–

Offense Juvenile Arrests Female Age 15 2003 2003 2003

Total 2,220,300 29% 32% –18% –11% 0%

Violent Crime Index 92,300 18 33 –32 –9 0

Murder and nonnegligent 

manslaughter 1,130 9 11 –68 –18 –10

Forcible rape 4,240 2 37 –25 –11 –9

Robbery 25,440 9 25 –43 –8 3

Aggravated assault 61,490 24 36 –26 –9 0

Property Crime Index 463,300 32 37 –38 –15 –3

Burglary 85,100 12 35 –40 –15 –1

Larceny-theft 325,600 39 38 –35 –15 –3

Motor vehicle theft 44,500 17 25 –52 –15 –4

Arson 8,200 12 61 –36 –12 –3

Nonindex

Other assaults 241,900 32 43 10 5 5

Forgery and counterfeiting 4,700 35 13 –47 –36 –8

Fraud 8,100 33 18 –29 –37 –9

Embezzlement 1,200 40 6 15 –30 –17

Stolen property (buying, 

receiving, possessing) 24,300 15 27 –46 –19 –5

Vandalism 107,700 14 44 –33 –11 2

Weapons (carrying, 

possessing, etc.) 39,200 11 36 –41 –6 11

Prostitution and 

commercialized vice 1,400 69 14 31 23 11

Sex offense (except forcible 

rape and prostitution) 18,300 9 51 2 3 –3

Drug abuse violations 197,100 16 17 19 –3 4

Gambling 1,700 2 15 –59 46 1

Offenses against the 

family and children 7,000 39 35 19 –24 –19

Driving under the influence 21,000 20 2 33 –9 –4

Liquor law violations 136,900 35 10 4 –22 –6

Drunkenness 17,600 23 13 –11 –19 –6

Disorderly conduct 193,000 31 41 13 –0 6

Vagrancy 2,300 25 25 –50 –20 9

All other offenses 

(except traffic) 379,800 27 28 –2 –12 –1

Suspicion (not included 

in totals) 1,500 24 26 –77 –74 –53

Curfew and loitering 136,500 30 29 –1 –18 –8

Runaways 123,600 59 36 –42 –18 –2

◆ In 2003, there were an estimated 61,490 juvenile arrests for aggravated assault.

Between 1994 and 2003, the annual number of such arrests fell 26%.

◆ Females accounted for 24% of juvenile arrests for aggravated assault and 32% of

juvenile arrests for other assaults (i.e., simple assaults and intimidations) in 2003,

far more than their involvement in other types of violent crimes. Three of every five

juvenile arrests (59%) for running away from home involved a female, as did 3 of

every 10 arrests (30%) for curfew and loitering law violations.

◆ Between 1994 and 2003, there were substantial declines in juvenile arrests for

murder (68%), motor vehicle theft (52%), and weapons law violations (41%) and

increases in juvenile arrests for drug abuse violations (19%) and driving under the

influence (33%).

Note: Detail may not add to totals because of rounding.

Data source: Crime in the United States 2003 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office, 2004), tables 29, 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40. Arrest estimates were developed by the

National Center for Juvenile Justice.
4

Juvenile arrests for

violence in 2003 were

the lowest since 1987

The FBI assesses trends in the volume of

violent crimes by monitoring four offenses

that are consistently reported by law

enforcement agencies nationwide and are

pervasive in all geographical areas of the

country. These four crimes—murder and

nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape,

robbery, and aggravated assault—together

form the Violent Crime Index. 

After years of relative stability in the number of juvenile Violent Crime Index arrests,

the increase in these arrests between 1988

and 1994 focused national attention on the

problem of juvenile violence. After peaking

in 1994, these arrests dropped each year

from 1995 through 2002, then held constant for 2003. For all Violent Crime Index

offenses combined, the number of juvenile

arrests in 2003 was the lowest since 1987.

The number of juvenile aggravated assault

arrests in 2003 was lower than in any year

since 1989. The number of juvenile arrests

in 2003 for murder and for forcible rape

were both lower than in any year since at

least 1980. Finally, even with the marginal

3% increase in the number of juvenile

arrests for robbery between 2002 and

2003, the counts for these years were still

lower than in any year since at least 1980.

In the 10 years between 1994 and 2003, the

decline in the number of violent crime

arrests was greater for juveniles than

adults:

Percent Change

in Arrests 

Most Serious 1994–2003

Offense Juvenile Adult

Violent Crime Index –32% –12%

Murder –68 –30

Forcible rape –25 –22

Robbery –43 –17

Aggravated assault –26 –10

Data source: Crime in the United States 2003,

table 32.

Few juveniles were

arrested for violent

crime

In 2003, there were 273 arrests for Violent

Crime Index offenses for every 100,000

youth between 10 and 17 years of age. If

each of these arrests involved a different

juvenile (which is unlikely), then no more

than 1 in every 360 persons ages 10–17

was arrested for a Violent Crime Index

offense in 2003, or about one-third of 1%

of all juveniles ages 10–17 living in the U.S.

In 2003, juveniles were involved in 1 in 12 arrests for murder, 1 in 9

arrests for a drug abuse violation, and 1 in 4 arrests for a weapons

violation and for robbery

Data source: Crime in the United States 2003 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office, 2004), table 38.

Driving under the influence

Prostitution

Fraud

Drunkenness

Offenses against the family

Murder

Drug abuse

Aggravated assault

Forcible rape

Stolen property

Other assault

Sex offense

Liquor laws

Weapons

Robbery

Larceny-theft

Motor vehicle theft

Burglary

Disorderly conduct

Vandalism

Arson

Property Crime Index

Violent Crime Index

All arrests

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Percent of arrests involving juveniles

16%

15%

29%

51%

39%

30%

29%

29%

28%

24%

23%

22%

20%

19%

19%

16%

14%

12%

9%

5%

3%

3%

2%

1%

The juvenile share of

crime has declined

The relative responsibility of juveniles

and adults for crime is difficult to determine. Research has shown that crimes

committed by juveniles are more likely to

be cleared by law enforcement than are

crimes committed by adults. Therefore,

drawing a picture of crime from law

enforcement records is likely to give a

high estimate of juvenile responsibility

for crime. 

The clearance data in the Crime in the

United States series show that the proportion of violent crimes attributed to juveniles by law enforcement has declined in

recent years. The juvenile proportion of

violent crimes cleared by arrest or exceptional means grew from about 9% in the

late 1980s to 14% in 1994, then fell somewhat, remaining near 12% between 1997

and 2003.

Since 1980, the juvenile proportion of

murders cleared peaked in 1994 at 10%.

Between 2000 and 2003, the proportion

was 5%—the lowest proportion since

1987 but slightly above the levels of the

mid-1980s. The juvenile proportion of

cleared forcible rapes peaked in 1995

(15%) and then fell; however, the 2003

proportion (12%) was still above the levels of the late 1980s (9%). The juvenile

proportion of robbery clearances also

peaked in 1995 (20%); it fell substantially

by 2003 (14%), but was still above the levels of the late 1980s (10%). The juvenile

proportion of aggravated assault clearances in 2003 (12%) was slightly below its

peak in 1994 (13%) and substantially

above the levels of the late 1980s (8%).

The juvenile proportion of Property

Crime Index offenses cleared by arrest or

exceptional means in 2003 (19%) was at

its lowest level since at least 1980.
5

Juvenile arrests for

property crimes in 2003

were the lowest in at

least three decades

As with violent crime, the FBI assesses

trends in the volume of property crimes

by monitoring four offenses that are consistently reported by law enforcement

agencies nationwide and are pervasive in

all geographical areas of the country.

These four crimes, which form the Property Crime Index, are burglary, larceny-theft,

motor vehicle theft, and arson.

For the period from 1988 through 1994,

during which juvenile violent crime

arrests increased substantially, juvenile

property crime arrest rates remained relatively constant. After this long period of

relative stability, juvenile property crime

arrests began to fall. Between 1994 and

2003, the juvenile Property Crime Index

arrest rate dropped 46%, to its lowest

level since at least the 1970s. More specifically, juvenile burglary arrest rates have

been declining since at least the 1970s.

Also, in 2003, the juvenile larceny-theft

arrest rate and the juvenile motor vehicle

theft arrest rate were at their lowest levels

since at least the 1970s.

Most arrested juveniles

were referred to court

In most states, some persons under age 18

are, because of their age or by statutory

exclusion, under the jurisdiction of the

criminal justice system. For arrested persons under age 18 and under the original

jurisdiction of their state’s juvenile justice

system, the FBI’s UCR Program monitors

what happens as a result of the arrest.

This is the only instance in the UCR Program in which the statistics on arrests

coincide with state variations in the legal

definition of a juvenile.

In 2003, 20% of arrests involving youth eligible in their state for processing in the

juvenile justice system were handled within law enforcement agencies, 71% were

referred to juvenile court, and 7% were

referred directly to criminal court. The

others were referred to a welfare agency

or to another police agency. In general,

the proportion of juvenile arrests sent to

juvenile court increased from 1980 to 2003

(from 58% to 71%). In 2003, the proportion

of juvenile arrests sent to juvenile court

was similar in cities (70%) and nonmetropolitan (i.e., rural) counties (71%) and

somewhat higher in metropolitan (i.e.,

suburban) counties (75%). 

The juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate in 2003 was lower than in

any year since at least 1980 and 48% below the peak year of 1994

◆ In comparison with the juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate, the rate for young

adults (persons ages 18–24), which peaked in 1992, had fallen 34% by 2003 and

was also below the rates of the early 1980s.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of

the Census and the National Center for Health Statistics. [See data source note on page 12 for

detail.] 

After years of relative stability, the juvenile Property Crime Index arrest

rate began a decline in the mid-1990s that continued through 2003

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for Property Crime Index offenses in 2003 was 46% below

its level in 1980.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of

the Census and the National Center for Health Statistics. [See data source note on page 12 for

detail.] 

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Violent Crime Index

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Property Crime Index
6

In 2003, juvenile arrest rates for murder, forcible rape, and robbery were at or near their lowest levels since at

least 1980; the same was not true for the juvenile arrest rate for aggravated assault 

Aggravated Assault

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for aggravated assault doubled between 1980 and 1994, generally paralleling the arrest rate

trends for murder and robbery.

◆ Unlike the juvenile arrest rate trends for murder and robbery,

the decline (38%) in the juvenile arrest rate for aggravated assault between 1994 and 2003 did not erase the increase that

began in the mid-1980s. The juvenile arrest rate for aggravated

assault in 2003 was still 26% above the 1980 level.

Murder

◆ In the period between 1980 and 2003, the juvenile arrest rate

for murder peaked in 1993. In that year, there were about

3,800 arrests of juveniles for murder.

◆ Between the mid-1980s and 1993, the juvenile arrest rate for

murder more than doubled.

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for murder fell each year from 1993

through 2000. After holding constant in 2001 and 2002, the juvenile arrest rate for murder fell in 2003 to a level 77% below

the peak year of 1993 and to half of what it was in 1980.

Forcible Rape

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for forcible rape did not vary as much

as the rates for other violent crimes over the period 1980–2003,

although it did follow the same general pattern of growth and

decline.

◆ In 1991, the juvenile arrest rate for forcible rape peaked for the

1980–2003 period at 44% above its level in 1980.

◆ After 1993, the rate fell each year through 2000, then held constant through 2002. In 2003, the juvenile arrest rate for forcible

rape then fell again, to its lowest level of the 1980–2003 period.

Robbery

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for robbery declined during much of

the 1980s, falling 30% between 1980 and 1988.

◆ In 1989, this trend changed and the rate grew to its highest

level of the 1980–2003 period in 1995, 69% above the 1988

level and 19% above its 1980 level.

◆ Between 1995 and 2003, the juvenile arrest rate for robbery

fell 62%—to a point that was 55% below its 1980 level and

36% below its previous low point in 1988.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the National Center for Health Statistics.

[See data source note on page 12 for detail.] 

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Murder

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

200

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Robbery

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Aggravated assault

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

5

10

15

20

25

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Forcible rape
7

Juvenile arrest rate trends for the four offenses that make up the Property Crime Index show very different 

patterns over the 1980–2003 period

Burglary

◆ Unlike the arrest rate trend for any other Property Crime Index

offense, the juvenile arrest rate for burglary declined consistently and substantially between 1980 and 2003.

◆ In 2003, the juvenile arrest rate for burglary was less than onethird of what it had been in 1980.

◆ Between 1994 and 2003, the number of arrests for burglary

declined for both juveniles and adults (40% and 14%, respectively). Similarly, in the 10-year period 1985–1994, the decline

was greater for juveniles (19%) than for adults (11%).

Larceny-Theft

◆ In 2003, 70% of all juvenile Property Crime Index arrests were

for larceny-theft. Therefore, the Property Crime Index arrest

rate trend primarily reflects the trend in larceny-theft (including

shoplifting—the most common larceny-theft violation) and is influenced to a much lesser degree by the generally more serious property crimes of burglary, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for larceny-theft remained relatively

constant between 1980 and 1997, then fell 39% in the brief

period between 1997 and 2003.

Motor Vehicle Theft

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for motor vehicle theft soared between

1983 and 1990, increasing 137%.

◆ After the peak years of 1990 and 1991, the juvenile arrest rate

for motor vehicle theft declined substantially and consistently

through 2003—falling 62%. So, that by 2003, the rate was at 

its lowest level since at least 1980.

◆ Between 1994 and 2003, the number of arrests for motor vehicle theft declined 52% for juveniles and just 6% for adults.

Arson

◆ After being relatively stable for most of the 1980s, the juvenile

arrest rate for arson grew 55% between 1987 and 1994.

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for arson declined substantially between 1994 and 2003, falling in 2003 to a level 33% below the

peak year of 1994 and, with the exception of 2002, to its lowest level since 1987.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the National Center for Health Statistics.

[See data source note on page 12 for detail.] 

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

250

500

750

1,000

1,250

1,500

1,750

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Larceny-theft

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Motor vehicle theft

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Arson

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Burglary
8

In 2003, 29% of 

juvenile arrests

involved females

Law enforcement agencies made 643,000

arrests of females under age 18 in 2003.

Between 1994 and 2003, arrests of juvenile females generally increased more (or

decreased less) than male arrests in most

offense categories.

Percent Change in

Juvenile Arrests 

Most Serious 1994–2003

Offense Female Male

Aggravated assault –2% –31%

Simple assault 36 1

Burglary –27 –41

Larceny-theft –19 –43

Motor vehicle theft –44 –54

Vandalism –11 –36

Weapons –22 –42

Drug abuse violations 56 13

Liquor law violations 26 –5

DUI 83 25

Disorderly conduct 46 2

Data source: Crime in the United States 2003,

table 33.

Similar gender differences also occurred

in arrest trends for adults. Between 1994

and 2003, adult male arrests for aggravated assault fell 15% while female arrests

rose 17%. Also, while adult male arrests

for simple assault fell 5% between 1994

and 2003, adult female arrests rose 31%.

Therefore, the disproportionate growth in

female assault arrests was related to factors that affect both juveniles and adults. 

In 2003, with the exception of larcenytheft, the percentage of juvenile arrests

that involved a female was similar in central cities, in suburbs, and in other communities, outside cities and suburbs.

Female Percent of

Juvenile Arrests, 2003

Most Serious Central Suburban

Offense Cities Areas Other

All offenses 30% 28% 28%

Aggravated assault 24 22 20

Simple assault 33 32 31

Burglary 13 10 11

Larceny-theft 40 36 27

Drug abuse 18 17 21

Weapons 10 11 11

Vandalism 14 13 14

Runaways 59 58 57

Data source: Crime in the United States 2003,

tables 45, 51, 57, and 63.

In 2003, the male juvenile arrest rate for aggravated assault was near its

1980 level; in contrast, the female rate was well above its 1980 level

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

100

200

300

400

500

Year

Male

Female

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Female

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

100

200

300

400

500

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Male

Female

◆ Between 1980 and 2003, the increase in the female juvenile arrest rate was

greater than the increase in the male rate for aggravated assault (96% vs. 13%),

simple assault (269% vs. 102%), and weapons law violations (147% vs. 18%).

◆ In contrast, the increase in the female juvenile arrest rate between 1980 and 2003

was comparable to the increase in the male rate for drug abuse violations (51% vs.

52%).

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of

the Census and the National Center for Health Statistics. [See data source note on page 12

for detail.] 

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

100

200

300

400

500

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Female

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

10

20

30

40

50

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Female

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Male

Female

Other (simple) assault

Weapons

Aggravated assault

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Male

Female

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

50

100

150

200

250

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Female

Drug abuse violations
9

Juvenile arrests 

disproportionately 

involved minorities

The racial composition of the juvenile

population in 2003 was 78% white, 16%

black, 4% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1%

American Indian. Most Hispanics (an ethnic designation, not a race) were classified

as white. In contrast to their representation in the population, black youth were

overrepresented in juvenile arrests for violent crimes, and, to a lesser extent, property crimes. Of all juvenile arrests for violent crimes in 2003, 53% involved white

youth, 45% involved black youth, 1%

involved Asian youth, and 1% involved

American Indian youth. For property

crime arrests, the proportions were 69%

white youth, 28% black youth, 2% Asian

youth, and 1% American Indian youth.

Most Serious Black Proportion of

Offense Juvenile Arrests in 2003

Murder 48%

Forcible rape 33

Robbery 63

Aggravated assault 38

Burglary 26

Larceny-theft 27

Motor vehicle theft 40

Weapons 32

Drug abuse violations 26

Runaways 20

Vandalism 18

Liquor laws 4

Data source: Crime in the United States 2003,

table 43.

The Violent Crime Index arrest rate (i.e.,

arrests per 100,000 juveniles in the racial

group) in 2003 for black juveniles (752)

was more than 4 times the rates for American Indian juveniles (172) and white juveniles (186) and more than 8 times the rate

for Asian juveniles (88). For Property

Crime Index arrests, the rate for black

juveniles (2,352) was about double the

rates for American Indian juveniles (1,366)

and white juveniles (1,237) and nearly 4

times the rate for Asian juveniles (614).

Over the period from 1980 through 2003,

the black-to-white disparity in juvenile

arrest rates for violent crimes declined. In

1980, the black juvenile Violent Crime

Index arrest rate was 6.3 times the white

rate; in 2003, the rate disparity had

declined to 4.0. This reduction in arrest

rate disparities between 1980 and 2003 was

primarily the result of the decline in blackto-white arrest rate disparities for robbery

(from 11.5 in 1980 to 8.4 in 2003), because

the disparity in the arrest rates for aggravated assault changed little (3.2 vs. 3.1).

Declines in juvenile arrest rates from the mid-1990s through 2003 were

substantial for both white youth and black youth

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Black

White

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

White

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

200

400

600

800

1,000

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Black

White

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Black

White

◆ Murder arrest rates in 2003 were lower than in any year since at least 1980 for both

white and black juveniles. The murder arrest rate for white juveniles in 2003 was

only one-third of what it had been in 1993, while the 2003 rate for black juveniles

was only one-fifth of its 1993 value.

◆ The decline in robbery arrest rates between 1980 and 2003 was greater for black 

juveniles than white juveniles (62% vs. 48%).

◆ The Property Crime Index arrest rates for both white juveniles and black juveniles 

in 2003 were about half of what they were in 1980.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of

the Census and the National Center for Health Statistics. [See data source note on page 12 for

detail.] 

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

20

40

60

80

100

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

White

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

50

100

150

200

250

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

White

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

White

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 0

200

400

600

800

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Black

White

Robbery

Aggravated assault

Property Crime Index

Murder
10

The trend in the juvenile arrest rate for weapons

law violations from 1980 to 2003 closely parallels

the trend in the juvenile murder arrest rate

◆ Between 1990 and 1997, the juvenile arrest rate for drug

abuse violations increased 145%. The arrest rate declined

somewhat between 1997 and 2003 (down 22%), but the

2003 rate was still almost double the 1990 rate.

◆ There were clear gender differences in the rate increase

between 1990 and 2003, with the male arrest rate increasing 81% and the female rate increasing 184%.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the National Center

for Health Statistics. [See data source note on page 12 for detail.] 

While the juvenile arrest rate for drug abuse violations was relatively constant in the 1980s, it

soared in the 1990s

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for weapons law violations increased more than 140% between 1980 and 1993.

◆ The rate fell substantially after 1993. In 2003, it was just

25% above its 1980 level. While the differences in the

male, white, and black rates between 1980 and 2003

were similar (18%, 26%, and 27%, respectively), the female rate in 2003 was 147% above its 1980 level.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the National Center

for Health Statistics. [See data source note on page 12 for detail.] 

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for simple assault increased 138%

between 1980 and 2003.

◆ In 1980, 68% of all assault arrests (i.e., aggravated assault arrests plus simple assault arrests) were simple assaults; by 2003, this proportion had increased to 80%.

Most of this increase occurred in the latter half of the

1990s, and may indicate a greater involvement of law enforcement in less serious offenses.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the National Center

for Health Statistics. [See data source note on page 12 for detail.] 

Unlike the arrest rate trend for aggravated assault,

the juvenile arrest rate for simple assault did not

decline substantially after the mid-1990s 

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for driving under the influence in

2003 was 44% below its 1980 level, but 40% above its

lowest level in 1993.

◆ Between 1994 and 2003, the number of juvenile arrests

for driving under the influence increased 33%, while adult

arrests decreased 6%. The increase in the number of arrests was far greater for female juveniles (83%) than male

juveniles (25%).

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the National Center

for Health Statistics. [See data source note on page 12 for detail.] 

The juvenile arrest rate for driving under the influence was cut more than half between 1980 and

1993, falling 60%

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

50

100

150

200

250

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Weapons

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Drug abuse

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Simple assault

81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Year

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Driving under the influence
11

State variations in juvenile arrest rates may reflect differences in juvenile law-violating behavior, police 

behavior, and/or community standards

2003 Juvenile Arrest Rate* 2003 Juvenile Arrest Rate*

Violent Property Violent Property

Reporting Crime Crime Drug Reporting Crime Crime Drug

State Coverage Index Index Abuse Weapons State Coverage Index Index Abuse Weapons

United States 76%† 291 1,442 594 116 Missouri 97% 295 1,728 680 87

Alabama 91 126 764 236 31 Montana 60 202 2,175 295 32

Alaska 97 243 2,202 487 85 Nebraska 86 96 1,820 581 83

Arizona 96 223 1,774 820 72 Nevada 0 NA NA NA NA

Arkansas 66 130 1,282 328 64 New Hampshire 69 71 674 452 9

California 99 364 1,180 523 181 New Jersey 93 386 934 688 214

Colorado 71 231 2,051 777 168 New Mexico 55 220 1,367 749 174

Connecticut 65 290 1,347 479 90 New York 45 264 1,218 569 70

Delaware 99 595 1,583 769 147 North Carolina 79 310 1,582 522 179

District of Columbia 0 NA NA NA NA North Dakota 85 45 1,866 322 33

Florida 100 524 2,128 765 109 Ohio 49 150 1,222 443 70

Georgia 54 266 1,411 536 153 Oklahoma 100 217 1,591 469 81

Hawaii 100 197 1,387 424 36 Oregon 91 149 1,721 520 53

Idaho 94 160 2,158 482 122 Pennsylvania 84 402 1,222 559 123

Illinois 23 944 2,074 2,457 383 Rhode Island 100 288 1,372 579 160

Indiana 74 317 1,219 438 28 South Carolina 13 47 214 183 73

Iowa 90 251 2,099 408 45 South Dakota 86 108 1,743 773 82

Kansas 48 131 1,055 455 25 Tennessee 84 223 1,064 472 100

Kentucky 26 229 1,435 588 56 Texas 94 185 1,282 590 64

Louisiana 73 355 1,842 570 61 Utah 72 216 2,511 568 183

Maine 100 78 1,866 562 26 Vermont 77 81 559 322 11

Maryland 100 505 1,950 1,235 224 Virginia 75 106 844 377 88

Massachusetts 70 269 512 337 28 Washington 74 246 2,088 530 113

Michigan 96 166 947 325 53 West Virginia 45 40 382 157 7

Minnesota 83 176 1,860 579 102 Wisconsin 76 184 2,813 842 176

Mississippi 48 136 1,497 526 70 Wyoming 95 88 1,885 769 80

* Throughout this Bulletin, juvenile arrest rates are calculated by dividing the number of arrests of persons ages 10–17 by the number of persons

ages 10–17 in the population. In this table only, arrest rate is defined as the number of arrests of persons under age 18 for every 100,000 persons

ages 10–17. Juvenile arrests (arrests of youth under age 18) reported at the state level in Crime in the United States cannot be disaggregated into

more detailed age categories so that the arrest of persons under age 10 can be excluded in the rate calculation. Therefore, there is a slight inconsistency in this table between the age range for the arrests (birth through age 17) and the age range for the population (ages 10–17) that are the

basis of a state’s juvenile arrest rates. This inconsistency is slight because just 1% of all juvenile arrests involved youth under age 10. This inconsistency is preferable to the distortion of arrest rates that would be introduced were the population base for the arrest rate to incorporate the large volume of children under age 10 in a state’s population.

† The reporting coverage for the total United States in this table (76%) includes all states reporting arrests of persons under age 18. This is greater

than the coverage in the rest of the Bulletin (70%) for various reasons. For example, Florida was able to provide arrest counts of persons under age

18 but was not able to provide the age detail required to support other presentations in Crime in the United States 2003.

NA = Crime in the United States 2003 reported no arrest counts for the District of Columbia or Nevada.

Interpretation cautions: Arrest rates are calculated by dividing the number of youth arrests made in the year by the number of youth living in reporting jurisdictions. While juvenile arrest rates in part reflect juvenile behavior, many other factors can affect the size of these

rates. For example, jurisdictions that arrest a relatively large number of nonresident juveniles would have higher arrest rates than jurisdictions where resident youth behave in an identical manner. Therefore, jurisdictions that are vacation destinations or regional centers

for economic activity may have arrest rates that reflect more than the behavior of their resident youth. Other factors that influence the

magnitude of arrest rates in a given area include the attitudes of its citizens toward crime, the policies of the jurisdiction’s law enforcement agencies, and the policies of other components of the justice system. Consequently, comparisons of juvenile arrest rates

across states, while informative, should be made with caution. In most states, not all law enforcement agencies report their arrest

data to the FBI. Rates for these states are necessarily based on partial information. If the reporting law enforcement agencies in these

states are not representative of the entire state, then the rates will be biased. Therefore, reported arrest rates for states with less

than complete reporting coverage may not be accurate.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI’s Crime in the United States 2003 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2004),

tables 5 and 69, and population data from the National Center for Health Statistics’ Estimates of the July 1, 2000–July 1, 2003, United States 

Resident Population From the Vintage 2003 Postcensal Series by Year, County, Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin [machine-readable data files

available online at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/dvs/popbridge/popbridge.htm, released 9/14/2004].
Bulletin NCJ 209735

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/OJJDP

PERMIT NO. G–91

This Bulletin was prepared under cooperative

agreement number 1999–JN–FX–K002 from the

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.

Points of view or opinions expressed in this

document are those of the author and do not

necessarily represent the official position or

policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of 

Justice.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention is a component of the Office of

Justice Programs, which also includes the 

Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of

Justice Statistics, the National Institute of 

Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

Data source note

Analysis of arrest data from unpublished

FBI reports for 1980 through 1997 and

from Crime in the United States reports for

1998 through 2003 (Washington, DC: U.S.

Government Printing Office, 1999, 2000,

2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, respectively);

population data for 1980–1989 from the

U.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Population

Estimates by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic

Origin: 1980 to 1999 [machine-readable

data files available online, released

4/11/2000]; population data for 1990–1999

from the National Center for Health Statistics (prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau

with support from the National Cancer

Institute), Bridged-race Intercensal Estimates of the July 1, 1990–July 1, 1999 United States Resident Population by County, 

Single-year of Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic

Origin [machine-readable data files available online at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

about/major/dvs/popbridge/popbridge.htm,

released 7/26/2004]; and population data

for 2000–2003 from the National Center for

Health Statistics (prepared under a collaborative arrangement with the U.S. Census

Bureau), Estimates of the July 1, 2000–July

1, 2003, United States Resident Population

From the Vintage 2003 Postcensal Series by

Year, County, Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic

Origin [machine-readable data files available

Acknowledgments

This Bulletin was written by Howard

N. Snyder, Ph.D., Director of Systems

Research at the National Center for

Juvenile Justice, with funds provided

by OJJDP to support the National

Juvenile Justice Data Analysis Project. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance provided by the

FBI’s Criminal Justice Information

Services Division.

online at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/

major/dvs/popbridge/popbridge.htm, 

released 9/14/2004]. 

Notes

In this Bulletin, “juvenile” refers to persons under age 18. This definition is at

odds with the legal definition of juveniles

in 2003 in 13 states—10 states where all

17-year-olds are defined as adults and 3

states where all 16- and 17-year-olds are

defined as adults.

FBI arrest data in this Bulletin are counts

of arrests detailed by age of arrestee and

offense categories from all law enforcement agencies that reported complete

data for the calendar year. (See Crime in

the United States for offense definitions.)

The proportion of the U.S. population covered by these reporting agencies ranged

from 63% to 94% between 1980 and 2003,

with the 2003 coverage being 70%.

Estimates of the number of persons in

each age group in the reporting agencies’

resident populations assume that the resident population age profiles are like the

nation’s. Reporting agencies’ total populations were multiplied by the U.S. Bureau

of the Census’ most current estimate of

the proportion of the U.S. population for

each age group. 

*NCJ~209735*