Juvenile arrests disproportionately involved minorities

The racial composition of the juvenile population in 2001 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. In contrast to their representation in the population, black youth were overrepresented in juvenile arrests for violent crimes, and, to a lesser extent, property crimes. Of all juvenile arrests for violent crimes, 55% involved white youth, 43% involved black youth, 1% involved Asian youth, and 1% involved American Indian youth. For property crime arrests, the proportions were 68% white youth, 28% black youth, 2% Asian youth, and 1% American Indian youth.

Most Serious Offense Black Proportion of Juvenile Arrests in 2001 Murder    48% Forcible rape 37 Robbery 58 Aggravated assault 36 Burglary 25 Larceny-theft 28 Motor vehicle theft 41 Weapons 32 Drug abuse violations 27 Curfew and loitering 27 Runaways 19 Data source: Crime in the United States 2001, table 43.

The Violent Crime Index arrest rate (i.e., arrests/100,000 juveniles in the racial group) in 2001 for black juveniles (766) was more than 3 times the rate for American Indian juveniles (239) and white juveniles (213) and nearly 7 times the rate for Asian juveniles (111). For Property Crime Index arrests, the rate for black juveniles (2,595) was 40% greater than the rate for American Indian juveniles (1,829), about double the rate for white juveniles (1,343), and more than 3 times the rate for Asian juveniles (729).

Over the period from 1980 through 2001, 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 2001, the rate disparity had declined to 3.6. This reduction in arrest rate disparities between 1980 and 2001 was primarily the result of the decline in black-to-white arrest disparities for robbery (from 11.5 in 1980 to 6.8 in 2001), which was greater than the decline for aggravated assault (3.2 to 2.8).

The general decline in juvenile arrest rates from the mid-1990s through 2001 was greater for black youth than white youth Murder Robbery Aggravated assault Property Crime Index Murder arrest rates in 2001 were near their lowest levels since at least 1980 for both white youth and black youth. Between 1993 and 2001, murder arrest rates for white juveniles declined 62%, while the rate for black juveniles declined 79%. In 2001, the robbery arrest rates for both white youth and black youth were at a 20-year low. Unlike the white rate, the black rate in 2001 was substantially below its levels of the 1980s. The 2001 aggravated assault arrest rate for black juveniles was much closer to its 1980 level than was the rate for white juveniles. Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note for detail.]

Trends in juvenile arrest rates for weapons law violations and for murder were similar between 1980 and 2001 The juvenile arrest rates for weapons law violations and for murder more than doubled between 1987 and the peak year of 1993. After 1993, both rates fell substantially. The juvenile arrest rate for weapons law violations was cut in half, falling 49% and returning to the 1987 level. Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note for detail.]

The juvenile arrest rate for drug abuse violations soared in the mid-1990s Between 1980 and 1993, the juvenile arrest rate for drug abuse violations remained within a limited range. Between 1993 and 1997, however, the rate grew 77%. By 2001, the rate had fallen 16% from its 1997 high. During the period from 1992 to 2001, juvenile arrests for drug abuse violations increased 121%, while adult arrests grew 33%. Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note for detail.]

Unlike juvenile arrest rates for other violent crimes, the rate for simple assault did not decline substantially in the latter part of the 1990s The juvenile arrest rate for simple assault increased substantially between the early 1980s and the late 1990s—more than 150% between 1983 and 1997. The rate fell slightly (7%) between 1997 and 2001, remaining in 2001 near its historically high levels. Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note for detail.]

The juvenile arrest rate for vandalism in 2001 was at its lowest level in two decades The juvenile arrest rate for vandalism rose 44% between 1982 and 1994, its peak year in the 1980–2001 period. Between 1994 and 2001, the rate declined 37%, erasing all of the earlier growth and falling to its lowest level since at least 1980. Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note for detail.]

State variations in juvenile arrest rates may reflect differences in juvenile law-violating behavior, police behavior, and/or community standards 2001 Juvenile Arrest Rate* State Reporting Coverage Violent Crime Index Property Crime Index Drug Abuse Weapons United States    73% 320 1,572 636 115   Alabama 75 127   888 265 34 Alaska 90 268 2,121 487 97 Arizona 95 274 2,036 936 78 Arkansas 71 114 1,269 381 73 California 100   416 1,326 583 162   Colorado 78 247 2,358 811 156   Connecticut 90 326 1,389 701 93 Delaware 90 392 2,215 465 277   District of Columbia   0 NA   NA NA NA   Florida 100   607 2,336 857 113   Georgia 48 286 1,423 468 119   Hawaii 88 212 1,691 467 28 Idaho 92 152 2,322 535 114   Illinois 23 931 2,598 2,827   446   Indiana 69 371 1,481 445 41 Iowa 70 186 1,662 361 36 Kansas   0 NA   NA NA NA   Kentucky 22 242 1,675 700 65 Louisiana 72 403 2,161 602 91 Maine 97 107 1,964 581 51 Maryland 71 531 1,903 1,538   218   Massachusetts 81 418   706 434 41 Michigan 83 149 1,160 374 59 Minnesota 73 152 1,824 578 79 Mississippi 41 110 1,747 586 90 Missouri 82 284 1,754 621 115   Montana 57 176 2,209 194 25 Nebraska 78 114 2,297 804 102   Nevada 98 266 2,227 653 157   New Hampshire 53 117 1,127 830 37 New Jersey 96 366 1,095 828 187   New Mexico 46 302 1,368 716 188   New York 32 290 1,380 704 96 North Carolina 91 317 1,684 474 164   North Dakota 86  53 2,074 389 56 Ohio 53 213 1,331 419 85 Oklahoma 94 248 1,540 444 67 Oregon 92 178 2,110 575 84 Pennsylvania 79 411 1,386 589 99 Rhode Island 91 250 1,363 597 123   South Carolina 30 410 1,411 643 142   South Dakota 48 160 2,688 861 77 Tennessee 80 188   988 448 99 Texas 97 199 1,424 592 63 Utah 76 117 2,461 558 112   Vermont 84  66   771 312 21 Virginia 77 131   880 378 86 Washington 79 272 2,260 548 118   West Virginia 49  37   462 108 10 Wisconsin 17 741 3,184 977 499   Wyoming 98 165 1,930 951 116   * Throughout this Bulletin, juvenile arrest rates are calculated by dividing the number of arrests of persons ages 10–17 by the number of persons ages 10–17 in the population. In this table only, arrest rate is defined as the number of arrests of persons under age 18 for every 100,000 persons ages 10–17. Juvenile arrests (arrests of youth under age 18) reported at the state level in Crime in the United States cannot be disaggregated into more detailed age categories so that the arrest of persons under age 10 can be excluded in the rate calculation. Therefore, there is a slight inconsistency in this table between the age range for the arrests (birth through age 17) and the age range for the population (ages 10–17) that are the basis of a state’s juvenile arrest rates. This inconsistency is slight because just 2% of all juvenile arrests involved youth under age 10. This inconsistency is preferable to the distortion of arrest rates that would be introduced were the population base for the arrest rate to incorporate the large volume of children under age 10 in a state’s population. The reporting coverage for the total United States in this table (73%) includes all states reporting arrests of persons under age 18. This is greater than the coverage in the rest of the Bulletin (68%) for various reasons. For example, Florida was able to provide arrest counts of persons under age 18 but was not able to provide the age detail required to support other presentations in Crime in the United States 2001. NA = Crime in the United States 2001 reported no arrest counts for this state. Interpretation cautions: Arrest rates are calculated by dividing the number of youth arrests made in the year by the number of youth living in reporting jurisdictions. While juvenile arrest rates in part reflect juvenile behavior, many other factors can affect the size of these rates. For example, jurisdictions that arrest a relatively large number of nonresident juveniles would have higher arrest rates than jurisdictions where resident youth behave in an identical manner. Therefore, jurisdictions that are vacation destinations or regional centers for economic activity may have arrest rates that reflect more than the behavior of their resident youth. Other factors that influence the magnitude of arrest rates in a given area include the attitudes of its citizens toward crime, the policies of the jurisdiction’s law enforcement agencies, and the policies of other components of the justice system. Consequently, comparisons of juvenile arrest rates across states, while informative, should be made with caution. In most states, not all law enforcement agencies report their arrest data to the FBI. Rates for these states are necessarily based on partial information. If the reporting law enforcement agencies in these states are not representative of the entire state, then the rates will be biased. Therefore, reported arrest rates for states with less than complete reporting coverage may not be accurate. Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI’s Crime in the United States 2001 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2002), tables 5 and 69, and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census’ Census 2000 Summary File 1, table P14, Sex by Age for the Population Under 20 Years [Web site data files].

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Juvenile Arrests 2001	OJJDP Bulletin • December 2003