Finkelhor and Ormrod's analysis of the National Crime Victimization Survey for 1995 and 1996 studied the variations in the proportion of crime victims reporting to police or other authorities (e.g., guards, school principals). The study revealed that adults were more likely than juveniles to report both completed and attempted violent crime to some authority regardless of the:

• Location of the incident.

• Presence of a weapon.

• Degree of injury.

• Age of the perpetrator.

• Relationship between the victim and perpetrator.

Their analysis also revealed that adults and juveniles generally report completed theft offenses to some authority in equal proportions. Juveniles, however, were more likely than adults to report thefts that took place in school and thefts of less valuable items (i.e., items worth less than $250).

Juveniles are more likely to report some crimes than others

Certain factors increase the likelihood that juveniles will report a crime to some official:

• Violent crimes were more likely to be reported when the incident took place at school rather than away from school (49% vs. 41%), resulted in injury rather than did not result in injury (57% vs. 40%), or involved an adult rather than a juvenile perpetrator (51% vs. 42%).

• The relationship between the victim and perpetrator or the presence of a weapon did not influence the probability of a violent incident being reported.

• Theft offenses were more likely to be reported by juveniles when the incident took place at school than away from school (51% vs. 22%) or involved a stranger rather than someone known to the victim (42% vs. 20%). In addition, thefts of items worth more than $250 were more likely to be reported than thefts of items worth less than $250 (49% vs. 38%).

• The proportion of theft offenses reported did not vary by the victim's sex or by whether the perpetrator was an adult or juvenile.

The proportion of violent crimes reported by juveniles to the police increased with victim age

Overall, the proportion of violent crimes reported to any authority ranged between 42% and 48% for each age group between 12 and 17, but the authority to whom the incident was reported varied with the victim's age.

The youngest victims of violence (youth ages 12 and 13) were more likely to report to authorities other than the police. By age 14, a greater proportion of violent crimes were reported to the police (26%) than to other officials (17%). The increasing use of police and the corresponding reduction in use of other authorities continued through age 17.

Regardless of age, juveniles are more likely to report thefts to authorities other than police

Reporting of theft offenses peaked at 44% for 14-year-old victims and declined to 31% for 17-year-old victims. While thefts are more likely to be reported to officials other than police, the proportion reported to the police increased with age, from 7% for 12-year-olds to 14% for youth age 17.

1999 National Report Series, Juvenile Justice Bulletin: Children as Victims	May 2000