Crime Locale

Fifty-four percent of juvenile property crimes occur at school, by far the most common location for these crimes (table 6). Another 21 percent occur at or near the victim’s home or residence. By contrast, most adult property victimization occurs at or near home, while adult workplace victimization is quite minor (offices, stores, and factories are coded in the category “commercial place”). The high percentage of juvenile property crimes that occur at school also contrasts to some degree with the distribution of juvenile violent victimizations, only 40 percent of which occur at school. This suggests that schools are better at controlling or limiting opportunities for violent victimization than property victimization on their premises, perhaps because they make greater efforts in combating violence (e.g., Arnett and Walsleben, 1998; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and U.S. Department of Education, 1996). Beginning at age 16 and most markedly at age 17, the predominance of school victimizations declines, and property victimization in streets and open areas, parking lots and garages, and commercial places expands, very likely reflecting the acquisition of drivers’ licenses and employment by these older juveniles (figure 3).

Juvenile Victims of Property Crimes	Juvenile Justice Bulletin • December 2000