In 2001, 28% of juvenile arrests were arrests of females

Law enforcement agencies made 645,000 arrests of females under age 18 in 2001. Between 1992 and 2001, arrests of juvenile females generally increased more (or decreased less) than male arrests in most offense categories.

Most Serious
Offense 		Percent Change in
Juvenile Arrests
              1992–2001              
Female Male
Robbery    –29%   –32%
Aggravated assault 24 –21
Burglary –22   –42
Larceny-theft –3 –37
Motor vehicle theft –34   –54
Simple assault 66   18
Vandalism   7 –32
Weapons –8 –37
Drug abuse violations 201   110
Liquor law violations 38   14
Curfew and loitering 57    26
Runaways –21    –29

Data source: Crime in the United States 2001, table 33.

The larger increases in female arrests for assault are also seen in adult arrest trends. Between 1992 and 2001, while adult male arrests for aggravated assault declined 9%, adult female arrests increased 33%; similarly, adult female arrests for simple assault increased far more than adult male arrests (58% versus 8%). Therefore, the growth in female violent crime arrests appears related to factors that affect both juveniles and adults.

Between 1980 and 2001, juvenile arrest rates increased proportionately more for females than for males, especially for violent crimes

Aggravated assault
Six charts comparing male and female juvenile arrest rates for aggravated assault, simple asault, and weapons law violations, 1981-2001

Other (simple) assault
Six charts comparing male and female juvenile arrest rates for aggravated assault, simple asault, and weapons law violations, 1981-2001
Weapons
Six charts comparing male and female juvenile arrest rates for aggravated assault, simple asault, and weapons law violations, 1981-2001

  • The change in the female juvenile arrest rate between 1980 and 2001 was greater than the change in the male rate for aggravated assault (113% vs. 22%), simple assault (257% vs. 109%), and weapons law violations (140% vs. 16%).

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note for detail.]



The aggravated assault arrest rates for preteens and older juveniles both increased substantially between 1980 and 1994, but the subsequent decline was much greater for older juveniles

Two charts comparing arrest rates of 17-year-olds and preteens (younger than 13) for aggravated assault, 1981-2001

  • Between 1980 and 1994, the aggravated assault arrest rate for preteens and youth age 17 increased 126% and 99%, respectively. From 1994 through 2001, the rate for older youth dropped 38%, while the rate for preteens fell just 9%. As a result, in 2001, the arrest rate for older youth was 23% above its 1980 level and the rate for preteens was still double (106%) its 1980 rate.
Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note for detail.]


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Juvenile Arrests 2001 OJJDP Bulletin • December 2003