LEGISLATORS HAVE VIEWED JUVENILES SEPARATELY FROM ADULTS AND HAVE DEFINED MANY ACTS AS DELINQUENT ONLY IF JUVENILES COMMIT THEM. EXAMPLES INCLUDE SUCH BEHAVIOR AS DRINKING, RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME OR AN INSTITUTION, AND SMOKING. ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES IN THE CONTENT OF LAWS IN SPECIFIC LOCALES, MANY OUTDATED LAWS ON DELINQUENCY ARE USED AS A BASIS FOR THE DIFFERENTIAL PROCESSING OF JUVENILES. VARIOUS LEGAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND SOCIAL DEFINITIONS OF DELINQUENCY ARE DISCUSSED, BUT LITTLE CONSENSUS OF OPINION ON DELINQUENCY OR DELINQUENCY INVOLVEMENT EXISTS. INVESTIGATORS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO TO MEASURE JUVENILE DELINQUENCY USING OFFICIAL DEVICES SUCH AS THE UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS (UCR). UCRS' PROVIDE ANALYSES OF INDEX CRIME DATA AND PRESENT INFORMATION ON CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONS ARRESTED FOR ALL OFFENSES. AN ANALYSIS OF ARREST TRENDS FROM 1960 THROUGH 1974 SHOWS A GREATER INCREASE IN CRIMES COMMITTED BY PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 THAN BY ANY OTHER AGE GROUP, PARTICULARLY IN THE AREAS OF MURDER AND ROBBERY. THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION CAN BE HELPFUL IN UNDERSTANDING THE SCOPE OF JUVENILE CRIME. RESEARCHERS HAVE IDENTIFIED SOME VARIABLES THAT CAUSE JUVENILE CRIME, OBSERVED PATTERNS OF JUVENILE CRIME, AND STUDIED CULTURAL, ECONOMICAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR THAT CAN BE USED TO MEASURE AND UNDERSTAND DELINQUENCY. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)