The juvenile share of crime in 2004 was less than in the mid-1990s

Clearance data 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 between 9% and 10% in the 1980s to 14% in 1994; after 1994, the proportion fell somewhat, remaining near 12% between 1997 and 2004.

Since 1980, the juvenile proportion of murders cleared peaked in 1994 at 10%. Between 2000 and 2004, the proportion was 5%—the lowest proportion since 1987 and slightly above the levels of the mid-1980s. The juvenile proportion of cleared forcible rapes peaked in 1995 (15%) and then fell; however, the 2004 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 2004 (14%), but was still above the levels of the late 1980s (10%). The juvenile proportion of aggravated assault clearances in 2004 (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 2004 (19%) was at its lowest level since at least 1980.

In 2004, 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, robbery, motor vehicle theft, larceny-theft, and burglary Data source: Crime in the United States 2004 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005), table 38 (update 2/17/2006).