DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFF ICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS

BJA NI J OJJDP BJS OVC

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Shay Bilchik, Administrator Shay Bilchik, Administrator December 1998

FPO

Juvenile Arrests 1997

From the Administrator

Public concern about juvenile violence

is bearing fruit. Juvenile arrests for violent crime are far below their peaks in

the early 1990’s. The number of juvenile

arrests for murder decreased 39% from

1993 to 1997. The number of juvenile

arrests for violent crimes and the percentage of violent crimes cleared by

juvenile arrests also have declined—

and these decreases are occurring despite continuing growth in the juvenile

population.

Such good news, however, should not

foster complacency nor lead us to

weaken our efforts to combat violent

juvenile crime, which despite decreases

is still too prevalent. Rather, we need to

build on these accomplishments with

the implementation of additional effective prevention programs and a stronger

juvenile justice system. It is this type of

response that will further reduce the

levels of juvenile violence that endanger

our communities and of other problem

behaviors that prevent youth from

achieving their potential.

Juvenile Arrests 1997 provides a summary and a preliminary analysis of national and State juvenile arrest data

reported in the FBI’s November 1998

report, Crime in the United States 1997.

Everyone who is concerned about juvenile crime should consider the information this Bulletin offers and incorporate it

into their understanding of juvenile delinquency. With sound information and

solid commitment, we can all make a

difference.

Shay Bilchik

Administrator * Throughout this Bulletin, persons under age 18 are

referred to as juveniles. See Notes on page 12.

In 1997, law enforcement agencies in

the United States made an estimated 2.8

million arrests of persons under age 18.*

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

19% of all arrests and 17% of all violent

crime arrests in 1997. The substantial

growth in juvenile violent crime arrests

that began in the late 1980’s peaked in

1994. In 1997, for the third year in a row,

the total number of juvenile arrests for

Violent Crime Index offenses—murder,

forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated

assault—declined. Even with these declines (3% in 1995, 6% in 1996, and 4% in

1997), the number of juvenile Violent

Crime Index arrests in 1997 was 49%

above the 1988 level. In comparison, the

number of adult arrests for a Violent

Crime Index offense in 1997 was 19%

greater than in 1988.

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 are:

◆ Of the 2,100 juveniles murdered in

1997, 56% were killed with a firearm.

◆ Juveniles were involved in 14% of all

murder and aggravated assault arrests, 37% of burglary arrests, 30% of

robbery arrests, and 24% of weapons

arrests in 1997.

◆ Juvenile murder arrests increased substantially between 1988 and 1993. In

the peak year of 1993, there were

about 3,800 juvenile arrests for murder. Between 1993 and 1997, juvenile

arrests for murder declined 39%, with

the number of arrests in 1997 (2,500)

11% above the 1988 level.

◆ Between 1993 and 1997, juvenile arrests for burglary declined 9% and juvenile arrests for motor vehicle theft

declined 30%.

◆ Juveniles were involved in 14% of all

drug abuse violation arrests in 1997.

Between 1993 and 1997, juvenile arrests for drug abuse violations increased 82%.

◆ Juvenile arrests for curfew and loitering violations increased 87% between

1993 and 1997. In 1997, 28% of curfew

arrests involved juveniles under age 15

and 31% involved females.

◆ In 1997, 58% of arrests for running

away from home involved females and

41% involved juveniles under age 15.

◆ Arrests of juveniles accounted for 12%

of all violent crimes cleared by arrest

in 1997—specifically, 8% of murders,

11% of forcible rapes, 17% of robberies, and 12% of aggravated assaults.

Howard N. Snyder
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, many arrests resulting 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 in

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

220,700 arrests of young people for

drug abuse violations in 1997, it means

that a drug abuse violation was the most

serious charge in these 220,700 arrests.

An unknown number of additional arrests in 1997 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 30%

of all robbery arrests but only 17% of all

robberies that were cleared in 1997. 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 17% of all robberies in 1997.

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. These data should provide a barometer of the changing contribution of persons under age 18 to the

Nation’s crime problems.

Data source: Crime in the United States 1997 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office, 1998), tables 28 and 38.

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

Arson

Motor Vehicle Theft

Larceny-Theft

Burglary

Aggravated Assault

Robbery

Forcible Rape

Murder

Property Crime Index

Violent Crime Index

Crime Index

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

20%

30%

12%

17%

23%

35%

8%

14%

11%

17%

17%

30%

12%

14%

20%

37%

24%

34%

21%

40%

46%

50%

Clearance Arrest

Percent involving juveniles
3

In 1997, the U.S.

murder rate was the

lowest in 30 years

The primary focus of each Crime in the

United States report is the estimated number of crimes reported to law enforcement agencies. While only a portion of all

crimes that occur are reported to law

enforcement, those that are provide an

assessment of the workloads of the criminal and juvenile justice systems.

The FBI estimates that in 1997,

7,726,000 larceny-thefts, 2,461,000 burglaries, 1,354,000 motor vehicle thefts,

1,022,000 aggravated assaults, 498,000

robberies, 96,000 forcible rapes, and

18,200 murders were reported to law enforcement agencies. One would have to

go back to 1971 to find a lower annual

number of murder victims in the United

States and to 1967 to find a lower murder

rate (i.e., murders per 100,000 persons in

the population).

With one exception, the traditional

UCR program collects no information on

the victims of these crimes. The exception is murder.

Eighty-eight percent of murder victims

(16,100) were 18 years of age or older.

Fewer adults were murdered in the

United States in 1997 than in any year

within the last 20 years.

In 1997, about 2,100 murder victims

were below the age of 18. This level was

27% below that of the peak year of 1993,

when 2,900 juveniles were murdered.

However, this decline only returned the

level to that of 1989. The number of juveniles murdered in the United States in

1997 was still over 300 more than in a

typical year in the 1980’s.

 In 1997, 900 persons under age 13

were murdered. This figure has held relatively constant for the last 20 years. The

last year in which fewer young juveniles

were murdered was 1987.

In 1997, 68% of all murder victims

were killed with a firearm. Adults were

more likely to be killed with a firearm

(70%) than were juveniles (56%). However, the involvement of a firearm depended greatly on the age of the juvenile

victim. While 18% of murdered juveniles

under age 13 were killed with a firearm in

1997, 84% of murdered juveniles age 13

or older were killed with a firearm. No

other age group in 1997 had a higher proportion of firearm homicides.

While the number of juvenile arrests in 1997—2.8 million—was only

slightly below the 1996 level, juvenile arrests for murder dropped 16%

1997 Percent of Total

Estimated Juvenile Arrests

Most Serious Number of Under Percent Change

Offense Juvenile Arrests Female Age 15 1988–97 1993–97 1996–97

Total 2,838,300 26% 32% 35% 14% –1%

Crime Index total 824,900 26 38 6 –4 –6

Violent Crime Index 123,400 16 30 49 –6 –4

Murder and nonneglient 2,500 6 11 11 –39 –16

 manslaughter

Forcible rape 5,500 2 38 6 –16 –2

Robbery 39,500 9 26 56 –2 –8

Aggravated assault 75,900 21 33 51 –5 –2

Property Crime Index 701,500 28 40 1 –3 –6

Burglary 131,000 10 38 –15 –9 –6

Larceny-theft 493,900 34 42 9 4 –4

Motor vehicle theft 66,600 16 26 –17 –30 –14

Arson 10,000 11 67 22 –2 –4

Nonindex

Other assaults 241,800 29 41 84 17 0

Forgery and counterfeiting 8,500 39 12 2 3 –2

Fraud 11,300 35 16 58 3 –6

Embezzlement 1,400 45 5 6 74 0

Stolen property (buying, 39,500 13 27 –8 –15 –10

receiving, possessing)

Vandalism 136,500 12 45 20 –12 –6

Weapons (carrying, 52,200 9 31 44 –23 –4

possessing, etc.)

Prostitution and 1,400 56 15 –28 11 –8

commercialized vice

Sex offense (except forcible 18,500 9 51 11 –13 4

rape and prostitution)

Drug abuse violations 220,700 13 16 125 82 2

Gambling 2,600 3 13 166 –7 –6

Offenses against the 10,200 37 35 150 73 8

family and children

Driving under the influence 19,600 17 2 –21 35 4

Liquor law violations 158,500 30 11 1 33 1

Drunkenness 24,100 17 13 –9 31 –5

Disorderly conduct 215,100 26 34 86 31 0

Vagrancy 3,100 15 24 –7 2 1

All other offenses 468,000 24 28 55 29 4

(except traffic)

Suspicion 1,600 23 22 –38 –9 –26

Curfew and loitering 182,700 31 28 190 87 3

Runaways 196,100 58 41 19 –2 –4

◆ Between 1993 and 1997, juvenile arrests for murder declined 39%; during the

same period, juvenile arrests for a weapons law violation dropped 23%.

◆ In about 15% of all juvenile arrests in 1997, the most serious charge was a drug

abuse violation, a liquor law violation, drunkenness, or driving under the influence.

◆ The proportion of juvenile arrests involving younger juveniles (under age 15) was

highest for the offense of arson (67%), followed by sex offenses (51%), vandalism

(45%), larceny-theft (42%), other (simple) assaults (41%), and runaways (41%).

◆ 12% of juveniles arrested for vandalism were female and 45% were age 14 or

younger.

Data source: Crime in the United States 1997 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office, 1998), tables 29, 32, 34, 36, and 38. Arrest estimates were developed by the National

Center for Juvenile Justice.
4

Juveniles were involved in about 1 in 5 arrests made by law

enforcement agencies in 1997, 1 in 6 arrests for a violent crime, and 1 in

3 arrests for a property offense

Note: Running away from home and curfew and loitering violations are not presented in this

figure because, by definition, only juveniles can be arrested for these offenses.

Data source: Crime in the United States 1997 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office, 1998), table 38.

The juvenile share of

the crime problem

decreased in 1997

The relative responsibility of juveniles

for the U.S. crime problem is hard to determine. Studying the proportion of

crimes that are cleared by the arrest of

juveniles gives one 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. Juvenile involvement in violent crime grew

from 9% or 10% in the early-to-mid-1980’s

to 14% in 1994. Since 1994, the proportion

of violent crimes cleared by juvenile arrest has declined, reaching 12% in 1997.

The proportion of murders cleared by

juvenile arrests in 1997 (8%) was at its

lowest level since 1991, but still above

the 5% level of the mid-1980’s. The juvenile proportion of cleared forcible rapes

peaked in 1995 (15%) and then fell, with

the 1997 rate (12%) the lowest in the decade. The juvenile proportion of robbery

clearances in 1997 (17%) was below its

peak in 1995 (20%), but still far above the

levels of the early 1980’s (12%). Similarly,

the juvenile proportion of aggravated assault clearances in 1997 (12%) was below

its peak in 1994 (13%), but still above the

levels of the early 1980’s (9%). The proportion of Property Crime Index offenses

cleared by juvenile arrest in 1997 (23%)

was equal to the average level between

1980 and 1996.

Driving under the influence

Prostitution

Drunkenness

Offenses against the family

Vagrancy

Murder

Drug abuse

Aggravated assault

Forcible rape

Other assaults

Sex offense

Weapons

Liquor laws

Stolen property

Disorderly conduct

Robbery

Larceny-theft

Burglary

Motor vehicle theft

Vandalism

Arson

Property Crime Index

Violent Crime Index

All arrests

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

19%

17%

35%

50%

43%

40%

37%

34%

30%

27%

25%

25%

24%

18%

17%

17%

14%

14%

14%

11%

7%

3%

1%

1%

Percent of arrests involving juveniles

1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Population (in millions) of juveniles ages 10–17

1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

Juvenile Violent Crime Index arrests

Over the last 25 years, changes in the number of juvenile arrests for violent crime have been unrelated to

changes in the size of the juvenile population

◆ From 1987 to 1994, while the juvenile population increased 7%, juvenile arrests for violent crime increased 79%. Since 1994,

juvenile arrests have dropped 18%, while the juvenile population has increased 4%.

Data source: Arrest estimates were developed by the National Center for Juvenile Justice based on arrest data from the FBI; population data is

from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note 1 on page 12 for detail.]
5

The Violent Crime

Index monitors

violence trends

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 are murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Other crimes may be considered

violent by their nature or effect (e.g., kidnaping, weapons possession, extortion,

drug selling), but the four crimes that together form the Violent Crime Index have

traditionally been used as the Nation’s

barometer of violent crime.

The juvenile violent

crime arrest rate

declined 23% from

1994 to 1997

The juvenile violent crime arrest rate

in 1988 was nearly identical to the rate in

1980; in fact, this rate had changed little

since the early 1970’s. However, between

1988 and 1994, the rate increased more

than 60%. This steady increase after

years of stability focused national attention on the juvenile violent crime problem.

After peaking in 1994, the juvenile violent crime arrest rate began to decline.

The declines in 1995, 1996, and again in

1997 resulted in a 1997 juvenile violent

crime arrest rate 23% below the peak

year of 1994, but still 25% above the 1988

level. Therefore, by 1997, the juvenile violent crime arrest rate decreased by half of

the increase it experienced between 1988

and 1994.

Few juveniles are

arrested for violent

crime

The juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest

rate tells us that in 1997, there were 407

arrests for these violent crimes for every

100,000 youth in the United States between 10 and 17 years of age. If each of

these arrests involved a different juvenile

(i.e., if each juvenile arrested in 1997 for a

Violent Crime Index offense were arrested

only once that year—which is unlikely),

then 1 in about every 250 persons ages 10

through 17 in the United States was arrested for a Violent Crime Index offense

in 1997.

After more than a decade of consistency, the juvenile Violent Crime

Index arrest rate increased from 1989 to 1994 and then fell, so that by

1997, it had nearly returned to the 1989 level

◆ Between 1994 and 1997, the juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate dropped

23%. Even with this decline, the 1997 rate was still about 30% greater than the

average rate of the years between 1980 and 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 1 on page 12 for detail.]

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Violent Crime Index

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

Between 1980 and 1997, Violent Crime Index arrest rates increased

substantially for all ages—more for adults than juveniles

◆ Over the last several years, public attention has focused on increases in juvenile violent crime arrests. However, with the recent declines in this rate, the increase in the arrest rate for juveniles between 1980 and 1997 (22%) is now less

than the increases found in most other age groups: 18- to 24-year-olds (23%),

25- to 29-year-olds (32%), 30- to 34-year-olds (60%), 35- to 39-year-olds

(66%), 40- to 44-year-olds (50%), and 45- to 49-year-olds (35%).

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

the Census. [See data source note 2 on page 12 for detail.]

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

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

Violent Crime Index arrests per 100,000 population

Age

1997

1980

Juveniles Adults
6

In stark contrast to violent crimes, the juvenile arrest rate for property

crimes remained relatively constant between 1980 and 1997

Juvenile arrests for

property crimes

remain stable

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 1997,

during which juvenile violent crime arrests rose precipitously, juvenile property

crime arrest rates (as measured by the

Property Crime Index) remained relatively constant. In fact, the 1997 rate of

approximately 2,300 arrests for every

100,000 youth in the United States between 10 and 17 years of age is the lowest

since 1984.

Most arrested

juveniles are referred

to court

In most States, some persons below

the age of 18 are, due to their age, or by

statutory exclusion of certain offenses

from juvenile court jurisdiction, under

the jurisdiction of the criminal justice

system. For those 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 1997, 25% of arrests involving youth

that were eligible in their State for processing in the juvenile justice system

were handled within the law enforcement

agency, and then the youth was released.

The FBI reports that 67% of juvenile arrests 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.

The proportion of arrests sent to juvenile

court has gradually increased from 1980

to 1997. In 1997, the proportion of juvenile arrests sent to juvenile courts was

similar in cities and suburban areas (66%)

and somewhat greater in rural counties

(70%). The proportion of juvenile arrests

sent directly to criminal court in 1997

(7%) was the highest in the last two

decades.

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for Property Crime Index offenses in 1997 was lower

than at any point in the previous 13 years.

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

the Census. [See data source note 1 on page 12 for detail.]

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Property Crime Index

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

In contrast to violent crimes, the property crime arrest rate for juveniles

and young adults in 1997 was actually at or below the corresponding

rate in 1980

◆ Between 1980 and 1997, while property crime arrest rates for juveniles and

persons in their early twenties declined about 10%, the rates increased substantially for persons ages 30–34 (44%), ages 35–39 (67%), ages 40–44

(52%), and ages 45–49 (21%).

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

the Census. [See data source note 2 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

Property Crime Index arrests per 100,000 population

Age

1997

1980

Juveniles Adults
7

◆ In addition to overall violent crimes, female arrest rates in 1997 were substantially above

their 1987 levels in many offense categories: robbery (52% increase), aggravated assault (101% increase), other assaults (142% increase), larceny-theft (22% increase),

motor vehicle theft (36% increase), vandalism (42% increase), weapons law violations

(100% increase), and drug abuse violations (131% increase).

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

the Census. [See data source note 1 on page 12 for detail.]

The growth in juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rates between 1987

and 1994 was far greater for females than for males, while the decline in

rates after 1994 was less for females than males

◆ Between 1981 and 1994, the female violent crime arrest rate increased twice

as much as the male rate (130% vs. 64%). Even with the recent declines, the

female violent crime arrest rate in 1997 was 103% above the 1981 rate, while

the male arrest rate was 27% above its 1981 level.

◆ Even with the large increase in female rates, the 1997 Violent Crime Index arrest rate for juvenile males was five times the female arrest rate.

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

the Census. [See data source note 1 on page 12 for detail.]

The juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate for females more than

doubled between 1987 and 1995, then fell in each of the next 2 years

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Female Violent Crime Index

Arrests per 100,000 females ages 10–17 

In 1997, 26% of

juvenile arrests were

arrests of females

Law enforcement agencies made

748,000 arrests of females below the age

of 18 in 1997. Between 1993 and 1997,

arrests of juvenile females increased

more (or decreased less) than male arrests in most offense categories.

Percent Change

in Juvenile Arrests

Most Serious 1993–1997

Offense Female Male

Violent Crime Index 12% –9%

Murder –36 –39

Robbery –3 7

Aggravated assault 15 –10

Property Crime Index 10 –8

Burglary –3 –10

Larceny-theft 14 –1

Motor vehicle theft –19 –31

Simple assault 30 12

Weapons –8 –24

Drug abuse violations 117 78

Liquor laws 41 30

Disorderly conduct 52 25

Curfew and loitering 102 81

Runaways 0 –4

Data source: Crime in the United States 1997,

table 35.

Juvenile arrests

disproportionately

involved minorities

The racial composition of the juvenile

population in 1997 was approximately

80% white, 15% black, and 5% other

races, with juveniles of Hispanic

ethnicity being classified as white. In

1997, in contrast to the proportions in

the general population, 53% of juvenile

arrests for violent crimes involved white

youth and 44% involved black youth.

Most Serious White Proportion of

Offense Juvenile Arrests in 1997

Murder 40%

Forcible rape 56

Robbery 42

Aggravated assault 60

Burglary 73

Larceny-theft 70

Motor vehicle theft 59

Weapons 64

Drug abuse violations 64

Curfew and loitering 75

Runaways 77

Data source: Crime in the United States 1997,

table 43.

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

Percent change from 1981

Females

Males

Violent Crime Index

Arrest Rate

1981 1997

Male 524 665

Female 64 130
8

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

the greatest decline in the period between 1988 and 1997

Aggravated Assault

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for aggravated assault increased

steadily between 1983 and 1994—up more than 120%.

Similar increases (135%) were found in juvenile arrests for

other (i.e., simple) assaults over the same period.

◆ The arrest rate for aggravated assault declined 16% from

1994 through 1997, returning the rate to the 1991 level. In

contrast, the juvenile arrest rate for other assaults continued to increase, up 9% between 1994 and 1997.

Murder

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for murder more than doubled between 1987 and 1993.

◆ The decline in the juvenile murder arrest rate between

1993 and 1997 has nearly erased all of the increase experienced in the previous 7 years. The drop of more than 40%

in the juvenile murder arrest rate between 1993 and 1997

has brought the 1997 rate to a point 20% above the 1987

rate.

Forcible Rape

◆ More than any other Violent Crime Index offense, the juvenile arrest rate for forcible rape has been confined to a relatively limited range from the early 1980’s through 1997.

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for forcible rape in 1997 was lower

than in any year since 1983 and 23% below the peak year

of 1991.

Robbery

◆ Juvenile arrests for robbery declined 30% between 1980

and 1988.

◆ Between 1988 and 1994, the rate at which juveniles were

arrested for robbery increased 70%, to a level 19% above

the 1980 rate.

◆ Between 1995 and 1997, the juvenile robbery arrest rate

fell substantially—down 33% in this short period. As a result, the 1997 rate was lower than at any point in the 1990’s

and just 13% above its lowest level of the last two decades.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note 1 on page 12 for

detail.]

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

5

10

15

20

25

Forcible Rape

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

50

100

150

200

250

Robbery

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17 

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

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

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Murder

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17
9

The juvenile arrest trends in the four components of the Property Crime Index showed substantial differences

over the last two decades

Burglary

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for burglary declined consistently

between 1980 and 1997, with the 1997 rate 47% below that

of 1980.

◆ In the period from 1980 to 1997, the greatest decline occurred between 1980 and 1988.

◆ The number of burglaries reported to law enforcement in

1997 was lower than in any year since 1972.

Larceny-Theft

◆ The juvenile arrest rate for larceny-theft remained essentially constant between 1980 and 1997, with the 1997 rate

7% above the 1980 rate.

◆ In 1997, larceny-theft arrests accounted for 70% of the

FBI’s Property Crime Index arrests. Consequently, larcenytheft arrest trends control trends in the Index.

Motor Vehicle Theft

◆ Juvenile arrests for motor vehicle theft soared between

1983 and 1989, with the rate up more than 130% over

this period.

◆ After holding constant in 1990 and 1991, the juvenile arrest

rate began to decline. The 37% drop between 1991 and

1997 resulted in the 1997 rate returning to the 1986 level.

◆ Consistent with the decline in the juvenile arrest rate for

motor vehicle theft, the number of motor vehicle thefts

reported to law enforcement in 1997 was the lowest in

10 years.

Arson

◆ Compared with other property crimes, the rate of juvenile

arrests for arson is very small.

◆ During the 1980’s, the rate of juvenile arrests for arson remained constant. The rate increased between 1990 and 1994

and then declined, with the 1997 rate near the 1991 rate.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note 1 on page 12 for

detail.]

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Burglary

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

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

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

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Arson

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17
10

Juvenile arrest rates for weapons law violations

followed a pattern similar to murder arrests,

doubling between 1987 and 1993

◆ Between 1993 and 1997, the increase in juvenile drug

abuse arrest rates was greater for females (117%) than

for males (78%).

◆ Of juveniles arrested for drug abuse violations, 64%

were white, 16% were age 14 or younger, and 13%

were female.

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

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note 1

on page 12 for detail.]

After more than a decade of stability, the juvenile

arrest rate for drug abuse violations increased

more than 70% between 1993 and 1997

◆ Arrest rate trends for murder and weapons law violations

differed, however, between 1993 and 1997. While both

declined, the drop was greater for murder arrest rates

(43%) than for weapons law violation arrest rates (24%).

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

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note 1

on page 12 for detail.]

◆ Like juvenile arrest rate trends for aggravated assault,

the simple assault rates increased consistently between 1980 and 1994.

◆ Unlike aggravated assault, however, the simple assault

arrest rate continued to increase between 1994 and

1997.

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

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note 1

on page 12 for detail.]

The juvenile arrest rate for simple assault

increased consistently between the early 1980’s

and 1997

◆ Between 1993 and 1997, the increase in the juvenile

arrest rate for curfew and loitering violations was

greater for females (103%) than for males (81%).

◆ Of juveniles arrested for curfew and loitering violations,

75% were white, 31% were female, and 28% were age

14 or younger.

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

data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note 1

on page 12 for detail.]

After years of stability, the juvenile arrest rate for

curfew and loitering violations nearly doubled

between 1993 and 1996, before falling in 1997

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

50

100

150

200

250

Weapons

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

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

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Curfew and Loitering

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Simple Assault

Arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17
11

Some States have relatively high juvenile drug abuse arrest rates and relatively low alcohol arrest rates, and for

others the reverse is true

1997 Arrest Rate* 1997 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 U.S. 68% 412 2,338 732 654 Missouri 60% 406 2,813 748 400

Alabama 94 218 1,385 329 310 Montana 39 105 1,608 466 1,844

Alaska 44 456 2,771 529 1,452 Nebraska 94 132 3,084 589 1,378

Arizona 85 438 3,274 1,099 1,221 Nevada 46 418 3,415 1,091 975

Arkansas 89 288 2,039 412 442 New Hampshire 0 NA NA NA NA

California 99 575 2,096 731 341 New Jersey 96 576 1,943 1,227 501

Colorado 70 258 2,838 728 1,056 New Mexico 68 301 2,970 856 1,332

Connecticut 85 505 2,492 1,139 267 New York 46 332 1,935 624 189

Delaware 41 953 4,730 871 972 North Carolina 99 430 1,875 578 306

Dist. of Columbia 0 NA NA NA NA North Dakota 90 64 2,803 256 2,227

Florida 0 NA NA NA NA Ohio 55 367 1,838 600 662

Georgia 33 517 2,390 942 354 Oklahoma 100 289 2,667 465 550

Hawaii 97 347 3,161 592 275 Oregon 87 269 3,491 637 1,563

Idaho 98 226 3,504 540 1,304 Pennsylvania 47 301 1,632 334 886

Illinois 23 1,015 2,964 3,259 318 Rhode Island 100 411 2,071 671 291

Indiana 57 491 2,283 491 833 South Carolina 99 432 2,094 747 377

Iowa 82 256 2,282 361 1,098 South Dakota 45 227 4,377 668 3,888

Kansas 0 NA NA NA NA Tennessee 42 378 2,589 729 461

Kentucky 19 752 3,139 991 518 Texas 97 296 2,211 670 559

Louisiana 79 525 2,649 706 188 Utah 75 292 3,879 714 1,367

Maine 94 133 3,241 497 618 Vermont 0 NA NA NA NA

Maryland 100 739 2,792 1,674 362 Virginia 98 233 1,896 501 564

Massachusetts 83 542 963 521 411 Washington 61 416 4,259 656 1,171

Michigan 81 309 1,586 391 616 West Virginia 96 79 1,138 233 390

Minnesota 100 207 2,501 625 1,781 Wisconsin 76 404 4,429 791 2,147

Mississippi 37 283 2,445 676 457 Wyoming 98 131 2,675 621 2,691

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

17-year-olds 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 rate. This inconsistency is slight because just 2% of all juvenile arrests involved youth under age 10. However,

this inconsistency is preferred 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 in a State’s birth to 9-year-old population.

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

NA = Crime in the United States 1997 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 a higher arrest rate than a jurisdiction whose

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 then 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 1997 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1998),

tables 5 and 69, and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census’ Population of the U.S. and States by Single Year of Age and Sex: 1997

[machine-readable data file released in August 1998].
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 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.

Notes

In this Bulletin “juvenile” refers to persons

below age 18. This definition is at odds

with the legal definition of juveniles in

1997 in 13 States—10 States where all

17-year-olds and 3 States where all 16- and

17-year-olds are defined as adults.

These FBI arrest data are counts of arrests

within 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 68% to 86% between 1980 and

1997.

Estimates of the number of persons in

each age group in the reporting agencies’

resident population assume that their

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 notes

1. Analysis of arrest data from unpublished FBI reports for 1972 through 1994

and from Crime in the United States reports for 1995, 1996, and 1997 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office,

1996, 1997, and 1998, respectively); population data from the Bureau of the Census

for 1972 through 1979 from Current Population Reports, P25–917 (Washington, DC:

U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 1982), for 1980

through 1989 from Current Population Reports, P25–1095 (Washington, DC: U.S.

Dept. of Commerce, 1993), and for 1990

through 1997 from Population of the U.S.

and States by Single Year of Age and Sex

[machine-readable data files released

August 1998].

2. Analysis of arrest data from an unpublished FBI report for 1980 and from Crime

in the United States 1997 (Washington, DC:

U.S. Government Printing Office, 1998);

population data from the U.S. Bureau of

the Census for 1980 from Current Population Reports, P25–1095, (Washington, DC:

U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 1993), and for

1997 from Population of the U.S. and States

by Single Year of Age and Sex: 1997

[machine-readable data file released

August 1998].

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.

Bulletin NCJ 173938

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. Barbara Allen-Hagen 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, Yoshio Akiyama, Ben

Brewer, Tom Edwards, Victoria Major, James Nolan, and Maryvictoria Pyne.