The juvenile share of crime has declined
The relative responsibility of juveniles and adults for crime is difficult to determine. Research has shown that crimes committed by juveniles are more likely to be cleared by law enforcement than are crimes committed by adults. Therefore, drawing a picture of crime from law enforcement records is likely to give a high estimate of juvenile responsibility for crime.
The clearance data in the Crime in the United States series show that the proportion of violent crimes attributed to juveniles by law enforcement has declined in recent years. The juvenile proportion of violent crimes cleared by arrest or exceptional means grew from about 9% in the late 1980s to 14% in 1994, then fell somewhat, remaining near 12% between 1997 and 2003.
Since 1980, the juvenile proportion of murders cleared peaked in 1994 at 10%. Between 2000 and 2003, the proportion was 5%—the lowest proportion since 1987 but slightly above the levels of the mid-1980s. The juvenile proportion of cleared forcible rapes peaked in 1995 (15%) and then fell; however, the 2003 proportion (12%) was still above the levels of the late 1980s (9%). The juvenile proportion of robbery clearances also peaked in 1995 (20%); it fell substantially by 2003 (14%), but was still above the levels of the late 1980s (10%). The juvenile proportion of aggravated assault clearances in 2003 (12%) was slightly below its peak in 1994 (13%) and substantially above the levels of the late 1980s (8%). The juvenile proportion of Property Crime Index offenses cleared by arrest or exceptional means in 2003 (19%) was at its lowest level since at least 1980.
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In 2003, juveniles were involved in 1 in 12 arrests for murder, 1 in 9
arrests for a drug abuse violation, and 1 in 4 arrests for a weapons
violation and for robbery
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