OJJDP Bulletin -- September 2004 -- Juvenile Arrests 2002

The number of juveniles murdered in 2002 was the lowest since 1985

Each Crime in the United States report presents estimates of the number of crimes reported to law enforcement agencies. A large portion of most types of crime 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.

An estimated 16,200 murders were reported to law enforcement agencies in 2002, or 5.6 murders for every 100,000 U.S. residents. This represents a 4% increase over the 15,520 murders in 1999—the year with the fewest murders in the last 30 years. The relatively low number of murders in 2002 is underscored by the fact that there were essentially the same number of murders in 2002 as in 1970, when the U.S. population was about 30% smaller.

Of all murder victims in 2002, 90% (or 14,600 victims) were 18 years of age or older. The other 1,600 murder victims were under age 18. Fewer juveniles were murdered in the U.S. in 2002 than in any year since 1985. The 2002 figure is 44% below the peak year of 1993, when an estimated 2,880 juveniles were murdered in the U.S.

Of all juveniles murdered in 2002, 38% were under age 5, 64% were male, and 51% were white. Compared with older juvenile murder victims, victims under age 13 in 2002 were more likely to be female (47% vs. 25%) and more likely to be white (56% vs. 46%)

In 2002, 67% of all murder victims were killed with a firearm. Adults were more likely to be killed with a firearm (69%) than were juveniles (48%). However, the involvement of a firearm depended greatly on the age of the juvenile victim. Whereas 19% of murdered juveniles under age 13 were killed with a firearm in 2002, 78% 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 50% of these murders, the offenders’ only weapons were their hands and/or feet.

The nearly 2.3 million arrests of juveniles in 2002 was 19%
fewer than the number of arrests in 1998
Most Serious Offense	2002 Estimated Number of Juvenile Arrests	Female	Under Age 15	1993–2002	1998–2002	2001–2002
		Percent of Total Juvenile Arrests		Percent Change
Total	2,261,000	29%	31%	–11%	–19%	–3%
Violent Crime Index	92,160	18	32	–29	–17	–3
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter	1,360	10	10	–64	–36	2
Forcible rape	4,720	3	37	–27	–14	–1
Robbery	24,470	9	24	–38	–21	–1
Aggravated assault	61,610	24	36	–23	–15	–4
Property Crime Index	481,600	32	37	–34	–23	–4
Burglary	86,500	11	36	–39	–26	–4
Larceny-theft	341,700	39	38	–30	–23	–3
Motor vehicle theft	45,200	17	25	–50	–15	–6
Arson	8,200	11	64	–23	–11	–10
Nonindex
Other assaults	236,300	32	42	14	–2	1
Forgery and counterfeiting	5,100	36	13	–43	–31	–17
Fraud	9,300	33	18	–18	–20	–7
Embezzlement	1,400	41	9	73	–18	–25
Stolen property (buying, receiving, possessing)	26,100	16	27	–45	–26	–5
Vandalism	105,900	14	43	–33	–22	–2
Weapons (carrying, possessing, etc.)	35,100	11	34	–47	–24	–5
Prostitution and commercialized vice	1,500	67	15	27	–6	4
Sex offense (except forcible rape and prostitution)	19,400	9	52	–9	9	1
Drug abuse violations	186,600	16	16	59	–11	–7
Gambling	1,600	3	15	–39	–8	16
Offenses against the family and children	9,400	39	37	48	–12	–6
Driving under the influence	21,800	19	2	46	–6	4
Liquor law violations	149,400	34	10	17	–22	–3
Drunkenness	18,700	22	12	–2	–26	–7
Disorderly conduct	192,900	30	40	9	–15	3
Vagrancy	2,100	24	26	–40	–37	–15
All other offenses (except traffic)	396,300	27	27	8	–20	–3
Suspicion (not included in totals)	1,400	29	25	–43	–9	49
Curfew and loitering	141,300	31	28	35	–33	–5
Runaways	125,700	60	37	–37	–27	–8
In 2002, there were an estimated 61,610 juvenile arrests for aggravated assault. Between 1993 and 2002, the annual number of such arrests fell 23%. Females accounted for 24% of juvenile arrests for aggravated assault and 32% of juvenile arrests for other assaults (i.e., simple assaults and intimidations) in 2002, far more than their involvement in other types of violent crimes. Three of every five juvenile arrests (60%) for running away from home involved a female, as did 3 of every 10 arrests (31%) for curfew and loitering law violations. Between 1993 and 2002, there were substantial declines in juvenile arrests for murder (64%), motor vehicle theft (50%), and weapons law violations (47%) and major increases in juvenile arrests for drug abuse violations (59%) and driving under the influence (46%). Note: Detail may not add to totals because of rounding. Data source: Crime in the United States 2002 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2003), 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 2002	OJJDP Bulletin • September 2004