Because of changes made in the victimization survey, data prior to 1992 are adjusted to make them comparable with data collected under the redesigned methodology. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey . Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting Program , Supplementary Homicide Reports. The rate at which youth were victims of serious violent crimes fluctuated between 34 and 43 per 1,000 from 1980 to 1990, and peaked at 44 per 1,000 in 1993. Since 1993, the rate of serious violent crime against youth has decreased to 33 per 1,000 in 1996, a rate lower than the rate in 1980 of 38 per 1,000.
Boys are much more likely than girls to be victims of serious violent crimes.
In 1996, the male youth serious violent crime victimization rate was 45 per 1,000, compared to 19 per 1,000 for females. In 1996, the serious violent crime victimization rates were 29 per 1,000 for younger teens and 36 per 1,000 for older teens. The level of youth violence in society can be viewed as an indicator of the collective failure on the part of socializing agents such as families, peers, schools, and religious institutions to supervise or channel youth behavior to acceptable norms and of youth to control their behavior. One measure of the serious violent crime committed by juveniles is the incidence rate of serious violent juvenile crime. Because of changes made in the victimization survey, data prior to 1992 are adjusted to make them comparable with data collected under the redesigned methodology.