Juvenile nonviolent crime accounted for almost half of all nonviolent crimes in 1996. But I'm not blaming the mall at all. It's doing well. Because shoplifting numbers have increased by 50 percent between 1993 and 1997, Barnshaw said the mall may be getting better with its security measures and catching more of the culprits, which could attribute to the rising number of shoplifting arrests. Leaving children to amuse themselves for hours at a time in a mall might just be too enticing for children and teen-agers, he said.
Juveniles traditionally commit few violent crimes, however.
In 1996, three of the 14 people arrested on violent crime charges were under the age of 18. Violent crimes tracked by the FBI are murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The 30 violent crimes committed last year account for 3.5 percent of all crimes. Between 1982 and 1997, violent crimes hit a high in 1991 with 55, or 3.97 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, and a low of 17 in 1983 and 1989, or 1.36 and 1.24 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, respectively. Site design by IN Jersey .