Juvenile arrests disproportionately involved minorities

The racial composition of the juvenile population in 2004 was 78% white, 17% black, 4% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1% American Indian. Most Hispanics (an ethnic designation, not a race) were classified as white. Of all juvenile arrests for violent crimes in 2004, 52% involved white youth, 46% involved black youth, 1% involved Asian youth, and 1% involved American Indian youth. For property crime arrests, the proportions were 69% white youth, 28% black youth, 2% Asian youth, and 1% American Indian youth. Black youth were overrepresented in juvenile arrests.

The Violent Crime Index arrest rate (i.e., arrests per 100,000 juveniles in the racial group) in 2004 for black juveniles (746) was more than 4 times the rates for American Indian juveniles (173) and white juveniles (182) and almost 10 times the rate for Asian juveniles (78). For Property Crime Index arrests, the rate for black juveniles (2,288) was about double the rates for American Indian juveniles (1,300) and white juveniles (1,198) and 4 times the rate for Asian juveniles (557).

Over the period from 1980 through 2004, the black-to-white disparity in juvenile arrest rates for violent crimes declined. In 1980, the black juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate was 6.3 times the white rate; in 2004, the rate disparity had declined to 4.1. This reduction in arrest rate disparities between 1980 and 2004 was primarily the result of the decline in the disparity for robbery (from 11.5 in 1980 to 8.4 in 2004), because the disparity for aggravated assault changed little (3.2 vs. 3.1).

The trends in annual arrest rates for white juveniles and black juveniles were similar over the 1980–2004 period Juvenile murder arrest rates in 2004 remained near their lowest level since at least 1980 for white youth and black youth. In 2004, the white rate was just 31% of its 1993 peak and the black rate was just 17% of the 1993 level. Between 1980 and 2004, robbery arrest rates declined 48% for white juveniles and 62% for black juveniles, and Property Crime Index arrest rates dropped 47% for white youth and 53% for black youth. Between 1980 and 2004, the aggravated assault arrest rates for white juveniles and black juveniles increased similarly (22% and 19%, respectively). Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics. [See data source note for detail.]