Juvenile arrests for violence in 2002 were the lowest since 1987

The FBI assesses trends in the volume of violent crimes by monitoring four offenses that are consistently reported by law enforcement agencies nationwide and are pervasive in all geographical areas of the country. These four crimes—murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault—together form the Violent Crime Index.

After years of relative stability in the number of juvenile Violent Crime Index arrests, the increase in these arrests between 1988 and 1994 focused national attention on the problem of juvenile violence. After peaking in 1994, these arrests dropped each year from 1995 through 2002. For all Violent Crime Index offenses combined, the number of juvenile arrests in 2002 was the lowest since 1987. The number of juvenile aggravated assault arrests in 2002 was lower than in any year since 1989. With the exception of 2000, the number of juvenile arrests in 2002 for murder was lower than in any year since 1984. The number of juvenile arrests in 2002 for forcible rape was at the low levels of the early 1980s. Finally, the number of juvenile arrests for robbery was lower in 2002 than in any year since at least the early 1970s.

In the 10 years between 1993 and 2002, the decline in the number of violent crime arrests was greater for juveniles than adults:

Juvenile Arrests 2002	OJJDP Bulletin • September 2004