Arrests for these status crimes have recently begun to climb in girls. Arrests for curfew and loitering violations by girls have shown a steady increase over a ten-year period. There are very marked age trends in commission of violent crimes by girls and women. Violent crime committed by females rises sharply in early adolescence, peaks in late adolescence, and then remains relatively steady in early adulthood. Violent crime drops off markedly by women in their mid-thirties, and then steadily declines thereafter.
School violence involving girls is also of concern.
High risk behaviors were reported more frequently outside of school than within school. Although these recent statistics are concerning, it is important to put girls' violence in perspective. The vast majority of violent juvenile crime is committed by boys. Base rates for very serious crimes, such as homicide, are very small. More study and careful monitoring of all types of aggressive and violent behaviors by girls is needed.