The NCS collects information on personal and household crimes, including those not reported to the police, from persons aged 12 and over in a nationally representative household sample. Nearly all the information on 12 and 13 year olds was provided by adult household members. Juveniles had higher annual violent crime and theft victimization rates than did adults for 1983-1984. Trends in juvenile victimizations for 1973-1984 are similar to those for the general population, with theft victimizations tending to decline and violent victimizations remaining stable. Information on crime characteristics covers place and time of occurrence, weapons used, self-protective measures used, victim injuries and medical care, and number of victims and offenders. Offender characteristics encompass sex, race, age, and relationship to the victim. Violent and theft crimes against juveniles were less likely to be reported to police than those committed against adults. 18 data tables.