Nearly all victims of juveniles knew their offender

The relationships of victims to offenders can be divided into three broad categories: acquaintance, family, and stranger. In those incidents where the relationship was known, the majority (65%) of the victims of juvenile violence were acquaintances of the offender, 23% were family members, and 12% were strangers. Victims who did not know the juvenile offender were about evenly divided between adults (7%) and juveniles (5%). Thus, about 1 in 15 victims of juvenile violence was an adult who was a stranger to the offender.

• About 1 in 8 violent crime victims of juvenile offenders (5% + 7%) and adult offenders (1% + 11%) was a stranger.
  
  
• Adult victims of juvenile sex offenders were much less likely to be strangers than were adult victims of adult sex offenders (1% versus 6%).
  
  
• More than 1 in 4 victims of a juvenile or adult sex offender was a family member (27% + 1% for juvenile offenders, 25% + 5% for adults).
  
  
• Two-thirds (68%) of the victims of adult robbers were adult strangers, compared with less than half (43%) of the adult victims of juvenile robbers.

Note: Detail may not total 100% because of rounding.

Data source: Analysis of the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System data for 1997 and 1998. [See data source note for details.]

Victim relationship to offender varies by victim age

Younger victims of violent crimes committed by juvenile offenders tended to be acquaintances of the offender, whereas older victims of these crimes tended to be family members. The juvenile offender was an acquaintance for 78% of juvenile victims and 63% of victims ages 18–30 but a family member for more than half (55%) of victims older than 30.

Of all victims of juvenile violence who were acquainted with the offender, 74% were younger than 18. Of all victims of juvenile violence who were strangers to the offender, more than half (56%) were age 18 or older. Family victims were the oldest group: although 36% of family victims of juvenile offenders were younger than 18, more than half (51%) were ages 30–60.

Victim relationship to offender varies by offense

In crimes committed by juveniles, acquaintances were the majority of victims of sexual assault (69%), aggravated assault (65%), and simple assault (67%). Family members were 28% of the victims of sexual assault, 19% of the victims of aggravated assault, and 24% of the victims of simple assault. Strangers made up a small proportion of the victims of these crimes (sexual assault, 4%; aggravated assault, 16%; and simple assault, 9%).

In sharp contrast, strangers constituted about two-thirds (65%) and acquaintances about one-third (34%) of the victims of juvenile robbers. Robbery victims were very unlikely (1%) to be members of the juvenile offender's family.

The victim's relationship to the offender varied with the type of crime and the offender's age

• Victims of aggravated and simple assault by juvenile offenders were more likely to be acquaintances than were the victims of older offenders.
  
  
• Victims of robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault by offenders ages 18–24 were more likely to be strangers than were the victims of younger or older offenders.
  
  
• Victims of sexual assault by offenders age 25 and older were more likely to be family members than were the victims of younger offenders.

Data source: Analysis of the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System data for 1997 and 1998. [See data source note for details.]

Victims of Violent Juvenile Crime	OJJDP Bulletin • July 2004