Murders of juveniles in 2001 fell 40% from 1993 peak

Each Crime in the United States report presents estimates of the number of crimes reported to law enforcement agencies. A large portion of most crimes are never reported to law enforcement. Murder, however, is one crime that is nearly always reported. Therefore, murder is the crime for which the FBI data are most complete and most valid.

There were an estimated 15,980 murders reported to law enforcement agencies in 2001, or 5.6 murders for every 100,000 U.S. residents in 2001. This represents a 3% increase over the 15,522 murders in 1999—the year with the fewest murders in the last 30 years. The relatively low number of murders in 2001 is underscored by the fact that there were essentially the same number of murders in 2001 as in 1970, when the population was about 30% smaller.

Of all murder victims in 2001, 90% (or 14,350 victims) were 18 years of age or older. The other 1,630 murder victims were under age 18. This figure is slightly above the 2000 estimate but about 40% below that of the peak year of 1993, when about 2,840 juveniles were murdered. The last year in which fewer than 1,600 juveniles were murdered was 1984.

Of all juveniles murdered in 2001, 39% were under age 5, 67% were male, and 52% were white. Compared with all murdered juveniles, murdered children under age 5 had a smaller percentage of male victims (55%) and a slightly larger percentage of white victims (55%). Almost half (48%) of murdered juveniles were ages 13 to 17. Of these murdered teenagers, 45% were white and 21% were female.

In 2001, 63% of all murder victims were killed with a firearm. Adults were more likely to be killed with a firearm (66%) than were juveniles (44%). However, the involvement of a firearm depended greatly on the age of the juvenile victim. Whereas 17% of murdered juveniles under age 13 were killed with a firearm in 2001, 72% of murdered juveniles age 13 or older were killed with a firearm. The most common method of murdering children under age 5 was by physical assault; in 51% of these murders, the offenders’ only weapons were their hands and/or feet.

The number of juvenile arrests in 2001—2.3 million—was 4% below the 2000 level and 20% below the 1997 level

Most Serious
Offense 		2001
Estimated
Number of
Juvenile
Arrests 		Percent of Total
Juvenile Arrests
Percent Change
Female Under
Age 15 		1992– 2001 1997– 2001 2000– 2001
Total 2,273,500         28%     32%    –3%    –20%    –4%
Crime Index total 587,900     29 37 –31 –28 –5
Violent Crime Index 96,500     18 33 –21 –21 –2
   Murder and nonnegligent
      manslaughter 		1,400     10 12 –62 –47 –2
   Forcible rape 4,600      1 38 –24 –14 –1
   Robbery 25,600      9 24 –32 –35 –4
   Aggravated assault 64,900     23 37 –14 –13 –1
Property Crime Index 491,400     31 38 –32 –29 –6
   Burglary 90,300     12 38 –40 –30 –6
   Larceny-theft 343,600     39 39 –27 –30 –6
   Motor vehicle theft 48,200     17 25 –51 –26 –2
   Arson 9,300     12 64   –7  –9   8
Nonindex
   Other assaults 239,000     32 43  30 –2   2
   Forgery and counterfeiting 5,800     36 11 –27 –26 –8
   Fraud 8,900     33 16  –5 –18 –9
   Embezzlement 1,800     44  7 152  24 –10
   Stolen property (buying,
       receiving, possessing) 		26,800     17 27 –45 –37 –6
   Vandalism 105,300     13 44 –29 –22 –7
   Weapons (carrying,
       possessing, etc.) 		37,500     11 34 –35 –26   0
   Prostitution and
       commercialized vice 		1,400     69 15  –8 –5 15
   Sex offense (except forcible
       rape and prostitution) 		18,000     8 54 –10   6   1
   Drug abuse violations 202,500     15 17  121 –7   0
   Gambling 1,400      3 13 –53 –47 –17
   Offenses against the
       family and children 		9,600     37 37  109 –11   6
   Driving under the influence 20,300     18  5   35   5 –3
   Liquor law violations 138,100     32 10   21 –9 –11
   Drunkenness 20,400     21 13   4 –21 –10
   Disorderly conduct 171,700     30 40 34 –21    1
   Vagrancy 2,300     19 25 –37 –24 –10
   All other offenses
      (except traffic) 		397,200     26 28  27 –13 –3
   Suspicion 1,300     36 33 –53 –42    9
   Curfew and loitering 142,900     31 28  34 –29 –13
   Runaways 133,300     59 38 –25 –30   –6

  • In 2001, there were an estimated 1,400 juvenile arrests for murder. Between 1997 and 2001, juvenile arrests for murder fell 47%.

  • Females accounted for 23% of juvenile arrests for aggravated assault and 32% of juvenile arrests for other assaults (i.e., simple assaults and intimidations) in 2001. Females were involved in 59% of all arrests for running away from home and 31% of arrests for curfew and loitering law violations.

  • Between 1992 and 2001, there were substantial declines in juvenile arrests for murder (62%), motor vehicle theft (51%), and burglary (40%) and major increases in juvenile arrests for drug abuse violations (121%).

Note: Detail may not add to totals because of rounding.

Data source: Crime in the United States 2001 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2002), tables 29, 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40. Arrest estimates were developed by the National Center for Juvenile Justice.



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Juvenile Arrests 2001 OJJDP Bulletin • December 2003