U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

John J. Wilson, Acting Administrator December 2000

Juvenile Arrests 1999

Howard N. Snyder

From the Administrator

After peaking in 1994, juvenile

violent crime arrests, which had

increased substantially since the late

1980’s, declined dramatically. The

juvenile arrest rate for violent crime

in 1999 was 36% below its peak in

1994, and from 1993 to 1999, the

juvenile arrest rate for murder

decreased a remarkable 68%—to its

lowest level since the 1960’s. The

number of juvenile arrests have

declined in every violent crime

category despite an 8% growth in the

juvenile population from 1993 to 1999.

Such encouraging news, however,

should not result in complacency or

lead us to reduce our efforts to

combat violent juvenile crime.

Rather, to further reduce the levels

of juvenile violence and other

juvenile offending, we should

continue and expand our work in

States and communities across this

country to prevent and control

delinquency and strengthen the

juvenile justice system.

Juvenile Arrests 1999 provides a

summary and analysis of national

and State juvenile arrest data

presented in the FBI report Crime in

the United States 1999. It offers a

road map of where we have been,

while identifying trends that can help

us to tailor responses and target

resources more effectively in order

to support the development of

healthy, law-abiding youth.

John J. Wilson

Acting Administrator

In 1999, law enforcement agencies in the

United States made an estimated 2.5 million arrests of persons under age 18.*

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

17% of all arrests and 16% of all violent

crime arrests in 1999. The substantial

growth in juvenile violent crime arrests

that began in the late 1980’s peaked in

1994. In 1999, for the fifth consecutive

year, the rate of juvenile arrests for Violent Crime Index offenses—murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated

assault—declined. Specifically, between

1994 and 1999, the juvenile arrest rate

for Violent Crime Index offenses fell 36%.

As a result, the juvenile violent crime

arrest rate in 1999 was the lowest in the

decade. The juvenile murder arrest rate

fell 68% from its peak in 1993 to 1999, when

it reached its lowest level since the 1960’s.

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 nearly 1,800 juveniles murdered in 1999, 33% were under 5 years

of age, 66% were male, 51% were

white, and 52% were killed with a firearm.

◆ Juveniles were involved in 9% of murder arrests, 14% of aggravated assault

arrests, 33% of burglary arrests, 25%

of robbery arrests, and 24% of weapons arrests in 1999.

◆ Juvenile murder arrests increased

substantially between 1987 and 1993.

In the peak year of 1993, there were

about 3,800 juvenile arrests for murder. Between 1993 and 1999, juvenile

arrests for murder declined, with the

number of arrests in 1999 (1,400)

about one-third that in 1993.

◆ Juvenile arrest rates for burglary have

declined substantially since 1980.

◆ Juveniles were involved in 13% of all

drug abuse violation arrests in 1999.

Between 1990 and 1999, juvenile arrests for drug abuse violations increased 132%.

◆ Juvenile arrests for curfew and loitering violations increased 113% between

1990 and 1999. In 1999, 28% of curfew

arrests involved juveniles under age

15 and 30% involved females.

◆ In 1999, 59% of arrests for running

away from home involved females and

39% involved juveniles under age 15.

◆ Arrests of juveniles accounted for 12%

of all violent crimes cleared by arrest

in 1999—specifically, 6% of murders,

12% of forcible rapes, 15% of robberies, and 12% of aggravated assaults.

* 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 lawviolating 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 198,400 arrests of young

people for drug abuse violations in

1999, it means that a drug abuse violation was the most serious charge in

these 198,400 arrests. An unknown

number of additional arrests in 1999

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, one

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 were cleared by the arrest of

persons 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 25%

of all robbery arrests but only 15% of all

robberies that were cleared in 1999. 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 15% of all robberies in 1999. 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 proportion of

robberies cleared by the arrest of persons under age 18 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

arrested for a 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 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 1999 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office, 2000), tables 28 and 38.

Arson

Motor vehicle theft

Larceny-theft

Burglary

Aggravated assault

Robbery

Forcible rape

Murder

Property Crime Index

Violent Crime Index

Crime Index

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

20%

28%

12%

16%

22%

32%

6%

9%

12%

17%

15%

25%

12%

14%

19%

33%

23%

31%

19%

35%

49%

54%

Clearance Arrest

Percent involving juveniles
3

The 1999 murder rate

was the lowest since

1966

The primary focus of each Crime in the

United States report is the estimated

number of crimes reported to law

enforcement agencies. A large portion of

most crimes are never reported to law

enforcement. Murder, however, is one

crime that is nearly always reported

and, therefore, is the crime for which the

FBI data are most complete.

There were 15,533 murders reported to

law enforcement agencies in 1999, or 5.7

murders for every 100,000 U.S. inhabitants. One would have to go back to 1969

to find a lower annual number of murder

victims and to 1966 to find a lower annual murder rate. In the 40-year period

from 1960 to 1999, the number of murders in the United States peaked in 1993

(24,530 murders, yielding a murder rate

of 9.5), and the murder rate was at its

highest level in 1980 (23,040 murders,

yielding a murder rate of 10.2).

Eighty-eight percent of murder victims in

1999 (or about 13,700 victims) were 18

years of age or older. The other nearly

1,800 murder victims were under the age

of 18. This figure is substantially below

that of the peak year of 1993, when almost 2,900 juveniles were murdered. The

last year in which fewer than 1,800 juveniles were murdered was 1987.

Of all juveniles murdered in 1999, about

600 (or 33%) were under age 5. Half of

these murdered children were female

and 56% were white. Almost 1,000 murdered juveniles (or 55%) were ages 13 to

17. Forty-six percent of these murdered

teenagers were white and 20% were

female.

In 1999, 65% of all murder victims were

killed with a firearm. Adults were more

likely to be killed with a firearm (68%)

than were juveniles (52%). However, the

involvement of a firearm depended

greatly on the age of the juvenile victim.

Whereas 17% of murdered juveniles under age 13 were killed with a firearm in

1999, 81% of murdered juveniles age 13

or older were killed with a firearm. The

most common method of murdering children under the age of 5 was by physical

assault; in 47% of such murders, the offenders’ only weapons were their hands

and/or feet.

The number of juvenile arrests in 1999—2.5 million—was 9% below the

1995 level, and juvenile arrests for violent crime dropped 23%

1999 Percent of Total

Estimated Juvenile Arrests

Most Serious Number of Under Percent Change

Offense Juvenile Arrests Female Age 15 1990–99 1995–99 1998–99

Total 2,468,800 27% 32% 11% –9% –8%

Crime Index total 645,400 27 38 –20 –24 –10

Violent Crime Index 103,900 17 33 –5 –23 –8

Murder and nonnegligent

 manslaughter 1,400 8 12 –55 –56 –31

Forcible rape 5,000 2 38 –13 –11 –9

Robbery 28,000 9 26 –16 –39 –14

Aggravated assault 69,600 22 36 4 –13 –5

Property Crime Index 541,500 29 39 –23 –24 –11

Burglary 101,000 11 38 –32 –23 –15

Larceny-theft 380,500 36 40 –15 –23 –10

Motor vehicle theft 50,800 16 26 –49 –35 –5

Arson 9,200 11 67 9 –19 1

Nonindex

Other assaults 237,300 30 43 48 2 –3

Forgery and counterfeiting 7,000 37 13 –7 –16 –5

Fraud 13,100 29 22 10 16 11

Embezzlement 1,700 48 6 63 47 10

Stolen property (buying,

receiving, possessing) 29,100 13 27 –37 –38 –17

Vandalism 119,500 12 44 –9 –20 –9

Weapons (carrying,

possessing, etc.) 42,500 9 32 –4 –27 –7

Prostitution and

commercialized vice 1,300 54 14 –25 –10 –16

Sex offenses (except forcible

rape and prostitution) 16,600 8 51 0 9 1

Drug abuse violations 198,400 14 16 132 1 –4

Gambling 1,200 4 11 3 –49 –22

Offenses against the

family and children 10,100 38 35 143 16 –13

Driving under the influence 23,000 17 3 0 36 –1

Liquor law violations 165,700 31 10 9 31 –3

Drunkenness 21,700 20 13 –20 –5 –9

Disorderly conduct 176,200 28 37 46 –3 –9

Vagrancy 2,400 19 20 –44 –35 –22

All other offenses

(except traffic) 434,100 25 28 42 3 –8

Suspicion 1,900 22 29 –62 –18 17

Curfew and loitering 170,000 30 28 113 9 –14

Runaways 150,700 59 39 –14 –28 –12

◆ In 1999, there were an estimated 1,400 juvenile arrests for murder. Between 1995

and 1999, juvenile arrests for murder declined 56%.

◆ Females accounted for 22% of juvenile arrests for aggravated assault and 30% of

arrests for simple (i.e., other) assaults. Females represented more than half

(59%) of all juveniles arrested for running away from home.

◆ In the 10-year period between 1990 and 1999, there were substantial declines

in the number of juvenile arrests for murder (55%), burglary (32%), and motor

vehicle theft (49%) and major increases in arrests for simple (other) assaults

(48%), drug abuse violations (132%), and curfew violations (113%).

Data source: Crime in the United States 1999 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office,

2000), tables 29 (revised), 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40. Arrest estimates were developed by the

National Center for Juvenile Justice.
4

The juvenile share of

the crime problem

decreased in 1999

The relative responsibility of juveniles for

crime is hard to determine. Research has

shown that juvenile crimes are at times

more likely to be cleared by law enforcement than are crimes by adults. Therefore, the proportion of crimes that are

cleared by the arrest of juveniles is likely

to be an upper estimate of the 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 has declined in recent years. The

proportion of violent crimes cleared by

juvenile arrests grew from 9% in the late

1980’s to 14.2% in 1994 and then declined

to 12.4% in 1999.

The proportion of murders cleared by

juvenile arrests peaked in 1994 at 10.5%

then dropped to 6.3% in 1999—the lowest level since 1987 but still above the

4.6% level of the mid-1980’s. The juvenile

proportion of cleared forcible rapes

peaked in 1995 (15.1%) and then fell,

with the 1999 proportion (11.8%) near

the lowest level in the decade but still

above the levels of the late 1980’s (9%).

Similarly, the juvenile proportion of robbery clearances in 1999 (15.3%) was below its peak in 1995 (20.2%) but above

the levels of the late 1980’s (10%), and

the juvenile proportion of aggravated

assault clearances in 1999 (12.0%) was

below its peak in 1994 (13.1%) but still

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

The proportion of Property Crime Index

offenses cleared by juvenile arrests in

1999 (21.8%) was near the lowest level in

the decade.

In 1999, 27% of

juvenile arrests were

arrests of females

Law enforcement agencies made 670,800

arrests of females under age 18 in 1999.

Between 1990 and 1999, arrests of juvenile females generally increased more

(or decreased less) than male arrests in

most offense categories.

Percent Change

in Juvenile Arrests

Most Serious 1990–99

Offense Female Male

Robbery –11% –17%

Aggravated assault 57 –5

Burglary –8 –34

Larceny-theft 6 –24

Motor vehicle theft –24 –52

Simple assault 93 35

Vandalism 28 –13

Weapons 44 –7

Drug abuse violations 190 124

Liquor law violations 24 4

Curfew and loitering 139 103

Runaways –12 –18

Data source: Crime in the United States 1999,

table 33.

Juvenile arrests

disproportionately

involved minorities

The racial composition of the juvenile

population in 1999 was 79% white, 15%

black, and 5% other races, with most

Hispanics classified as white. In contrast, 57% of juvenile arrests for violent

crimes involved white youth and 41%

involved black youth. To a lesser extent,

black youth were also overrepresented

in juvenile property crime arrests, with

27% of these arrests involving black

youth and 69% involving white youth.

Most Serious Black Proportion of

Offense Juvenile Arrests in 1999

Murder 49%

Forcible rape 35

Robbery 54

Aggravated assault 35

Burglary 24

Larceny-theft 26

Motor vehicle theft 39

Weapons 30

Drug abuse violations 29

Curfew and loitering 25

Runaways 18

Data source: Crime in the United States 1999,

table 43.

In 1999, juveniles were involved in fewer than 1 in 6 arrests for a violent

crime, 1 in 3 arrests for a property offense, and 1 in 4 arrests for a

weapons law violation

Data source: Crime in the United States 1999 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office,

2000), table 38.

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

17%

16%

32%

54%

42%

35%

33%

31%

27%

25%

24%

24%

23%

18%

18%

17%

14%

13%

9%

7%

4%

3%

1%

1%

Percent of arrests involving juveniles

All arrests

Violent Crime Index

Property Crime Index

Arson

Vandalism

Motor vehicle theft

Burglary

Larceny-theft

Disorderly conduct

Robbery

Liquor laws

Stolen property

Weapons

Other assault

Sex offense

Forcible rape

Aggravated assault

Drug abuse

Murder

Offenses against the family

Fraud

Drunkenness

Driving under the influence

Prostitution
5

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Age

White

Murder victims per 100,000 juveniles in age group

Black

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Age

White

Black

Murder victims per 100,000 juveniles in age group

The chance of being

murdered varies with

age, gender, and race

In Crime in the United States 1999, the FBI

documented the probability of being a

murder victim in 1997, showing how

these probabilities varied by age, gender,

and race. For example, the study found

that 7.12 of every 100,000 children who

had not reached their first birthday were

murdered in the United States in 1997.

Within this age group, the probability of

being murdered was higher for males

(8.36) than females (5.82) and far greater

for blacks (16.72) than for whites (5.19)

or other races (5.26).

Overall, juveniles with the lowest risk of

becoming murder victims were those

ages 4 through 12, with probabilities

ranging from 0.42 to 0.94. The oldest juveniles were at most risk. For every

100,000 persons age 17 in the U.S. population in 1997, 12.87 were murdered. In

1997, persons age 20 had the highest risk

of being murdered (20.24). In 1978, the

risk was highest for persons age 28. This

change from 1978 to 1997 reflects a general shift during this period toward

younger age groups as peak ages for

murder victimization.

For both genders, the murder risk was

relatively high during the first year of

life, generally declined during the grade

school years, and increased during the

teenage years. However, whereas the

murder risk for males was more than

twice as great at age 17 as during the

first year of life (21.88 versus 8.36), the

increasing risk for females during the

teenage years never rose to the risk levels of the first year of life. In 1997, a 17-

year-old female’s risk of being a murder

victim was about half that of a baby girl

(3.20 versus 5.82). In fact, the FBI analyses show that the age at which a female

in 1997 was at highest risk of being murdered was her first year of life. The second most risky year was age 24 (5.57).

Overall, the murder risk for black juveniles in 1997 was about triple that of

white juveniles. This disparity in murder

risk was lowest for youth ages 10 and 11,

where the risks for whites and blacks

were essentially equal. However, the rate

for black infants was more than triple

that for white infants (16.72 versus 5.19).

Most disparate among juveniles was the

murder risk for 17-year-old blacks, which

was seven times the rate for whites

(45.96 versus 6.43).

Data source: Crime in the United States 1999, appendix A (revised).

Males

Females

In 1997, the risk of being murdered was similar for boys and girls in

their preteen years for both whites and blacks, but the risk was much

higher for boys in their teenage years—especially for blacks

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

Age

Males

Females

Murder victims per 100,000 juveniles in age group
6

Juvenile arrests for

violence in 1999 were

the lowest in a decade

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 1999. The number of juvenile

arrests in 1999 was the lowest since 1988

for all Violent Crime Index offenses combined and the lowest since 1984 for murder, 1983 for forcible rape, and 1991 for

aggravated assault. The number of juvenile arrests for robbery in 1999 was

lower than in any year since at least the

early 1970’s.

Between 1995 and 1999, the decline in

the number of violent crime arrests was

greater for juveniles than adults for most

violent crime offenses:

Percent Change

in Arrests

Most Serious 1995–99

Offense Juvenile Adult

Violent Crime Index –23% –12%

Murder –56 –25

Forcible rape –11 –14

Robbery –39 –19

Aggravated assault –13 –10

Few juveniles were

arrested for violent

crime

There were 339 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 290 persons ages 10

through 17 was arrested for a Violent

Crime Index offense in 1999. This means

that about one-third of 1% of juveniles

ages 10–17 were arrested for a violent

crime in 1999.

The juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate in 1999 was at its lowest

level since 1988—36% below the peak year of 1994

◆ The growth in the juvenile violent crime arrest rate from 1988 to 1994 was virtually erased by 1999, with the 1999 rate just 4% above the 1988 level.

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

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

Violent Crime Index arrest rates were higher in 1999 than in 1980 for all

adult age groups—for juveniles, 1999 rates were nearly at or below the

1980 rates

◆ Between 1980 and 1999, the Violent Crime Index arrest rates for persons ages

15–17 decreased about 2%. In comparison, the rates increased for persons age

18 and older, with the largest increases being for persons between ages 30 and

45. More specifically, the rate increased 11% for persons ages 18–24, 20% for

persons ages 25–29, 42% for persons ages 30–34, 53% for persons ages

35–39, and 43% for persons ages 40–44. Even the arrest rate for persons ages

60–64 increased by 14%.

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

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

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Violent Crime Index

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65

Age

1999

1980

Violent Crime Index arrests per 100,000 population

Juveniles Adults
7

Juvenile arrests for

property crimes

declined substantially

in recent years

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, larcenytheft, 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 1999, the juvenile Property Crime

Index arrest rate dropped nearly 30%, to

its lowest level since at least the 1960’s.

Juvenile burglary arrests have been

declining for a generation. The number

of juvenile arrests for burglary in 1999

(101,000) was just one-third the number

of such arrests in 1975 (291,300).

Most arrested juveniles

were referred to court

In most States, some persons under age

18 are, due to 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 1999, 23% of arrests involving youth

eligible in their State for processing in

the juvenile justice system were handled

within law enforcement agencies. Of all

juvenile arrests, 69% were referred to

juvenile court and 6% were referred directly to criminal court. The others were

referred to a welfare agency or to another police agency. The proportion of

arrests sent to juvenile court has increased gradually from 1990 to 1999

(64% to 69%). In 1999, the proportion of

juvenile arrests sent to juvenile court

was similar in cities (69%), suburban areas (68%), and rural counties (69%).

The juvenile arrest rate for Property Crime Index offenses in 1999 was

at its lowest level since at least 1980

◆ In stark contrast to the substantial fluctuations in juvenile violent crime arrest

rates between 1980 and 1999, the juvenile arrest rate for Property Crime Index

offenses changed relatively little between 1980 and 1997. Between 1997 and

1999, however, the rate has dropped 23%.

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

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

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Property Crime Index

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

The Property Crime Index arrest rate in 1999 was below the rate in 1980

for all persons age 25 or younger

◆ The only age groups with higher Property Crime Index arrest rates in 1999 than

in 1990 were persons between the ages of 30 and 45.

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

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

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65

Age

1999

1980

Property Crime Index arrests per 100,000 population

Juveniles Adults
8

Of all Violent Crime Index offenses, the juvenile arrest rate for murder showed both the greatest increase and

the greatest decline between 1980 and 1999

Aggravated Assault

◆ Outpacing the large increases in robbery arrests, the juvenile

arrest rate for aggravated assault more than doubled between 1983 and 1994.

◆ Unlike the juvenile arrest rate for robbery, which fell to its lowest level in a generation in 1999, the decline in the juvenile

arrest rate for aggravated assault was more moderate—only

24% below the 1994 peak.

◆ In 1999, the juvenile arrest rate for aggravated assault was

69% above its 1983 low point.

Murder

◆ In 1988, the juvenile arrest rate for murder rose above the

rates experienced in previous years.

◆ From the base year of 1987 to its peak in 1993, the juvenile

arrest rate for murder more than doubled.

◆ The consistently sharp declines in the juvenile murder arrest

rate from 1993 through 1999 have reduced the rate to 68%

below the 1993 level and to its lowest level in a generation,

negating all of the increases that stimulated so many

changes in juvenile justice policy in the 1990’s.

Forcible Rape

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for forcible rape generally increased

from 1980 through 1991—44% over this period.

◆ The decline in the juvenile arrest rate for forcible rape between 1991 and 1999 returned the 1999 rate to that of

1980.

Robbery

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for robbery declined by 30% between

1980 and 1988.

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for robbery increased 70% between

the low year of 1988 and 1994, reaching a level nearly 20%

above the 1980 rate.

◆ Following sharp declines since 1995, the juvenile arrest rate

for robbery in 1999 was at its lowest level since at least

1980—53% below the peak year of 1994 and 20% below the

low year of 1988.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note on page 12 for detail.]

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Murder

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

50

100

150

200

250

Robbery

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Aggravated assault

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

5

10

15

20

25

Forcible rape

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17
9

Offenses within the Property Crime Index span a wide range of severity and have had very different juvenile

arrest trends

Burglary

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for burglary declined consistently and

substantially (60%) between 1980 and 1999.

◆ The juvenile arrest rate in 1999 (319) was less than half of

that in 1980 (794).

◆ The number of burglary arrests declined for both juveniles

and adults between 1990 and 1999, with adult arrests down

34% and juvenile arrests down 32%.

Larceny-Theft

◆ In comparison with the juvenile arrest rate for other Property

Crime Index offenses, the rate for larceny-theft remained

relatively constant between 1980 and 1997.

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for larceny-theft in 1999 was the

lowest since at least 1980.

◆ Over the 10 years between 1990 and 1999, while juvenile

arrests for larceny-theft declined 15%, adult arrests dropped

25%.

Motor Vehicle Theft

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for motor vehicle theft soared between 1983 and 1990, up nearly 140%.

◆ Between 1990 and 1999, the juvenile arrest rate for motor

vehicle theft was cut in half, so that the rate in 1999 was at

its lowest level since 1984.

◆ Between 1990 and 1999, the number of arrests for motor

vehicle theft fell more for juveniles (49%) than for adults

(29%).

Arson

◆ Compared with juvenile arrest rates for the other three Property Crime Index offenses, the rate for arson is relatively low.

The following comparison places the magnitude of juvenile

arson arrests in perspective: for every 1 juvenile arrested for

murder in 1999, 5 were arrested for arson, 36 were arrested

for motor vehicle theft, and 266 were arrested for larcenytheft.

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for arson in 1990 was greater than in

any year in the 1980’s. The rate grew until it reached a peak

in 1994. Between 1994 and 1999, the juvenile arrest rate for

arson declined 25%, returning to the 1990 level.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note on page 12 for detail.]

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

250

500

750

1,000

1,250

1,500

1,750

2,000

Larceny-theft

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Motor vehicle theft

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Arson

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Burglary

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17
10

Trends in juvenile arrest rates for weapons law

violations and for murder were similar between

1980 and 1999

◆ After staying relatively constant, the juvenile arrest rate for

drug abuse violations broke out of the range in 1994,

peaked in 1997, then dropped 13% by 1999.

◆ The increase in the number of drug abuse violation

arrests between 1990 and 1999 was far greater for juveniles (132%) than for adults (29%) and greater for

female juveniles (190%) than for male juveniles (124%).

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

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note on

page 12 for detail.]

The juvenile arrest rate for drug abuse violations

in 1999 was twice the average rate of the 1980’s

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for weapons law violations more

than doubled between 1987 and 1993, as did the juvenile arrest rate for murder.

◆ Between 1993 and 1999, the juvenile arrest rates for

both murder and weapons law violations declined substantially, with the juvenile murder arrest rate falling

68% and the weapons arrest rate dropping 39%.

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

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note on

page 12 for detail.]

◆ Like juvenile arrest rate trends for aggravated assault,

the simple assault rate increased consistently between

the early 1980’s and the mid-1990’s.

◆ Unlike aggravated assault, however, the simple assault

arrest rate has remained essentially constant since

1996.

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

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note on

page 12 for detail.]

In 1999, the juvenile arrest rate for simple assault

dropped slightly for the first time since 1981

◆ Between 1997 and 1999, the juvenile arrest rate for curfew and loitering violations dropped 17%.

◆ Of all juveniles arrested for curfew and loitering violations

in 1999, 72% were white, 30% were female, and 28%

were under age 15.

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

from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note on

page 12 for detail.]

After years of stability, the juvenile arrest rate

for curfew and loitering violations more than

doubled between 1993 and 1997

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

50

100

150

200

250

Weapons

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Drug abuse

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Simple assault

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Curfew and loitering
11

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

behavior, and/or community standards

1999 Juvenile Arrest Rate* 1999 Juvenile Arrest Rate*

Violent Property Violent Property

Reporting Crime Crime Drug Alcohol Reporting Crime Crime Drug Alcohol

State Coverage Index Index Abuse Violation† State Coverage Index Index Abuse Violation†

Total United States 69%‡ 366 1,844 668 626 Missouri 58% 312 2,273 703 432

Alabama 93 148 932 270 238 Montana 49 315 3,496 126 1,616

Alaska 90 279 2,302 493 615 Nebraska 92 119 2,716 688 1,640

Arizona 92 316 2,334 943 1,240 Nevada 97 288 2,526 839 938

Arkansas 95 228 1,573 400 460 New Hampshire 39 124 1,262 664 1,509

California 100 498 1,643 633 379 New Jersey 96 409 1,417 942 458

Colorado 62 300 2,874 839 1,602 New Mexico 57 357 1,973 812 896

Connecticut 95 339 1,445 738 204 New York 32 336 1,745 719 264

Delaware 100 766 2,002 654 535 North Carolina 88 334 1,717 534 323

District of Columbia 0 NA NA NA NA North Dakota 74 92 2,154 333 2,890

Florida 100 672 2,713 946 175 Ohio 53 248 1,509 414 684

Georgia 31 188 1,603 514 460 Oklahoma 0 NA NA NA NA

Hawaii 88 220 2,076 513 289 Oregon 94 203 2,531 490 1,502

Idaho 86 196 2,546 516 1,650 Pennsylvania 77 422 1,425 532 811

Illinois 23 1,058 2,637 2,841 34 Rhode Island 100 246 1,570 667 219

Indiana 58 393 1,705 514 888 South Carolina 23 400 2,113 1,060 764

Iowa 81 267 1,998 450 1,337 South Dakota 71 167 2,375 772 2,796

Kansas 0 NA NA NA NA Tennessee 51 250 1,804 591 388

Kentucky 11 516 2,291 1,251 528 Texas 90 235 1,682 628 544

Louisiana 75 461 2,381 710 298 Utah 68 253 2,675 579 1,424

Maine 0 NA NA NA NA Vermont 81 60 796 345 1,569

Maryland 60 304 1,982 947 519 Virginia 68 191 1,469 453 489

Massachusetts 78 454 734 433 363 Washington 74 335 3,073 544 1,159

Michigan 82 195 1,108 326 693 West Virginia 52 95 999 220 472

Minnesota 85 275 2,381 763 1,832 Wisconsin 0 NA NA NA NA

Mississippi 40 189 2,095 770 566 Wyoming 98 146 2,455 879 3,644

* 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 2% 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.

† Alcohol violations include liquor law violations, drunkenness, and driving under the influence.

‡ The reporting coverage for the total United States in this table (69%) includes all States reporting arrests of persons under age 18. This is greater

than the coverage in the rest of the Bulletin (63%) because Florida was able to provide arrest counts of persons under age 18 but was not able to

provide the age detail required to support most other presentations in Crime in the United States 1999.

NA = Crime in the United States 1999 reported no arrest counts for this State.

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 1999 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2000), tables 5

and 69, and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census’ Estimates of the Population of States by Age, Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin: 1990 to

1999 [machine-readable data file available online, released August 30, 2000].
PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/OJJDP

PERMIT NO. G–91

Bulletin NCJ 185236

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

This Bulletin was prepared under cooperative

agreement number 95–JN–FX–K008 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.

Notes

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

odds with the legal definition of juveniles

in 1999 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. The proportion of the U.S. population covered by

these reporting agencies ranged from

63% to 94% between 1980 and 1999, with

the 1999 coverage being 63%.

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.

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 and 1999 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1999 and 2000,

respectively); population data 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 April

11, 2000].

Acknowledgments

This Bulletin was written by Howard

N. Snyder, Director of Systems

Research at the National Center for

Juvenile Justice, with funds provided

by OJJDP to support the Juvenile

Justice Statistics and Systems

Development Program. Janet

Chiancone is the OJJDP Program

Manager for this work. The author

gratefully acknowledges the assistance provided by the FBI’s Criminal

Justice Information Services Division, specifically, Ken Candell and

Maryvictoria Pyne.