The vast majority of criminal offenders in California are teenagers and young men in their twenties.
Criminal activity declines significantly as individuals mature into their thirties.
Felony arrest rates peak at age 18 for violent offenses and age 16 for property offenses. About half of all persons arrested in California in 1993 were between the ages of 11 and 24. This group, however, makes up only slightly more than 20 percent of the state s total population. This is probably due in part to demographics as the juvenile population became a smaller portion of the overall state population. Nevertheless, since 1987, the rate of juvenile arrests for violent offenses increased by about 60 percent while the rate for adults increased about 20 percent.