MENU TITLE: Juvenile Arrests 1995. Series: OJJDP Published: February 1997 11 pages 22,745 bytes U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Shay Bilchik, Administrator February 1997 ------------------------------ From the Administrator In a period when the Nation is concerned about juvenile crime, it is important that we have an accurate, current, empirically based picture of this problem. In October 1996, the FBI released Crime in the United States 1995, the most recent report in a series dating back to the 1930's. Policymakers, researchers, and the media rely on these annual reports to quantify criminal justice activities and trends. This OJJDP Bulletin summarizes the statistics on the arrests of youth under age 18 found in Crime in the United States 1995 and other data flowing from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program. As readers will see, the newest FBI arrest statistics give us hope for the future. Juvenile arrests for violent crime declined in 1995 for the first time in nearly a decade. Most encouraging is that this decline was greatest among younger juveniles. This promising turnabout should temper recent forecasts of an epidemic of violent juvenile crime. It is hoped that this Bulletin will stimulate the search for solutions to the problems that cause, and result from, juvenile crime. Shay Bilchik Administrator ------------------------------ Juvenile Arrests 1995 Howard N. Snyder Law enforcement agencies in the United States made an estimated 2.7 million arrests in 1995 of persons under age 18. (Throughout this Bulletin, persons under age 18 are referred to as juveniles. See Notes below.) According to the FBI, juveniles accounted for 18% of all arrests. In 1995, for the first year in nearly a decade, juvenile arrests for Violent Crime Index Offenses -- murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault -- declined 3%. Even with this decline, the number of juvenile violent crime arrests in 1995 was 12% greater than the level in 1991 and 67% above the 1986 level. Similarly, all adult age groups also experienced increases in Violent Crime Index arrest rates between the mid-1980's and the mid-1990's. These findings are derived from data reported annually by local law enforcement agencies across the country to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Based on these data, the FBI prepares its annual Crime in the United States report, which summarizes crimes known to the police and arrests made during the reporting calendar year. This information is used to characterize the extent and nature of juvenile crime that comes to the attention of the justice system. Other recent findings from the UCR Program are: o Juveniles were involved in 32% of all robbery arrests, 23% of weapon arrests, and 15% of murder and aggravated assault arrests in 1995. o Juveniles under age 15 were responsible for 30% of juvenile violent crime arrests in 1995, but they accounted for more than half (55%) of the decline in these arrests between 1994 and 1995. o Less than one-half of 1% of all persons ages 10 through 17 in the United States were arrested for a Violent Crime Index offense in 1995. o Juvenile murder arrests declined 14% between 1994 and 1995. The number of juvenile arrests for murder in 1995 was 9% below the level in 1991, but still 90% above the number of murder arrests in 1986. o In contrast to violent crime, juvenile Property Crime Index arrests showed no change between 1991 and 1995. The declines in juvenile burglary arrests (11%) and motor vehicle theft arrests (17%) were offset by the 6% increase in juvenile arrests for larceny-theft -- the highest volume offense category for juveniles. o Juveniles were involved in 13% of all drug arrests in 1995. Between 1991 and 1995, juvenile arrests for drug abuse violations increased 138%. o In 1995, 57% of arrests for running away from home involved females and 44% involved juveniles under age 15. o Arrests of juveniles accounted for 14% of all violent crimes cleared by arrest in 1995; more specifically, juveniles accounted for 9% of murders, 15% of forcible rapes, 20% of robberies, and 13% of aggravated assaults cleared by arrest. Decline in violent crime arrests was greater for younger juveniles The decline in arrests for violent and property crime between 1994 and 1995 was greater for younger than for older juveniles. Juveniles under age 15 were responsible for 30% of juvenile violent crime arrests in 1995, but they accounted for over half (55%) of the decline in these arrests between 1994 and 1995. Younger juveniles accounted for 70% of the decline in juvenile robbery arrests, 62% of the decline in aggravated assault arrests, and 67% of the decline in burglary arrests. All of the decline in juvenile property crime arrests between 1994 and 1995 can be attributed to younger juveniles. Violent crime arrests peaked with 18-year-olds In 1995, 1.2% of juvenile violent crime arrests involved persons under age 10. Violent crime arrests increased with each age group between 10 and 17. In 1995, the number of violent crime arrests peaked with 18-year-olds and declined thereafter. In 1995, 2.2% of juvenile property crime arrests involved persons under age 10. In contrast to violent crime, property crime arrests peaked in the 16-year-old age group and then declined abruptly, with the number of property crime arrests of persons age 20 less than half the number for persons age 16. One in four juvenile arrests in 1995 were arrests of females Law enforcement agencies made 702,000 arrests of females below the age of 18 in 1995. The female proportion of juvenile arrests has grown in recent years. In fact, increases in arrests between 1991 and 1995 were greater for juvenile females than juvenile males in most offense categories. Juvenile arrests disproportionately involved minorities The racial composition of the juvenile population in 1995 was 80% white, 15% black, and 5% other races, with juveniles of Hispanic ethnicity being classified as white. In contrast to their proportion in the general population, roughly equal numbers of violent crime arrests involved white and black youth in 1995. The Violent Crime Index monitors violence trends The FBI assesses trends in the volume of violent crimes by monitoring four offenses that are consistently reported by law enforcement agencies nationwide and are pervasive in all geographical areas of the country. These four crimes are murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Other crimes may be considered violent by their nature or effect (e.g., kidnapping, extortion, drug selling), but the four crimes that together form the Violent Crime Index have traditionally been used as the Nation's barometer of violent crime. Juvenile violent crime arrest rates declined for the first time since 1987 The juvenile violent crime arrest rate in 1988 was nearly identical to the rate in 1980; in fact, this rate had changed little since the early 1970's. However, between 1987 and 1994, the rate increased 71%. This steady increase after years of stability focused national attention on the juvenile violent crime problem. The most recent arrest and population data show that in 1995 the juvenile violent crime arrest rate declined 4% from the 1994 level and returned to the 1993 level. While the 1995 rate was still 64% above the 1987 level, this drop in the juvenile violent crime arrest rate represents the first variation in a pattern of consistent increases dating back to the late 1980's. Few juveniles are arrested for a violent crime The juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate tells us that in 1995 there were about 500 arrests for these violent crimes for every 100,000 youth in the United States between 10 and 17 years of age. If each of these arrests involved a different juvenile (i.e., if each juvenile arrested in 1995 for a Violent Crime Index offense were arrested only once that year -- which is very unlikely), then less than one-half of 1% of all persons ages 10 through 17 in the United States were arrested for a Violent Crime Index offense in 1995. Juvenile arrests for property crimes remain stable As with violent crime, the FBI assesses trends in the volume of property crimes by monitoring four offenses that are consistently reported by law enforcement agencies nationwide and are pervasive in all geographical areas of the country. These four crimes, which form the Property Crime Index, are burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Since 1980, during a period when violent crime arrests were rising dramatically, juvenile property crime arrest rates (as measured by the Property Crime Index) remained constant. Therefore, juvenile arrests from 1980 through 1995 can be conceptualized as a large, stable base of property arrests supporting a relatively small, but growing layer of violent crime arrests. Most arrested juveniles are referred to court In most States, some persons below the age of 18 are, due to their age, or by statutory exclusion of certain offenses from juvenile court jurisdiction, under the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system. For those persons under age 18 and under the original jurisdiction of the State's juvenile justice system, the UCR monitors what happens as a result of the arrest. This is the only instance in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program where the statistics on arrests coincide with State variations in the legal definition of a juvenile. In 1995, 28% of arrests involving youth who were eligible in their State for processing in the juvenile justice system were handled within the law enforcement agency and then released. About two in three were referred to juvenile court, and 3% were referred directly to criminal court. Since 1980, the proportion of arrests sent to juvenile court has gradually increased, from 58% in 1980 to 66% in 1995. Suburban areas and rural counties in 1995 were less likely than large cities to refer juvenile arrests to juvenile court. For most crimes reported to law enforcement in 1995, no one was arrested When law enforcement agencies clear a crime, they identify the individual(s) they believe committed the act. Many crimes are never reported to law enforcement, and most crimes that are reported are never cleared. Violent crimes are cleared more often than property crimes. In 1995, law enforcement agencies cleared 45% of all reported violent crimes, compared with 18% of reported property crimes. Murders were cleared more often than any of the other Violent Index crimes. In 1995, 65% of murders were cleared by arrest, compared with 56% of aggravated assaults, 51% of forcible rapes, and 25% of robberies. In comparison, all Property Index offenses had low clearance rates: larceny-theft (20%), arson (16%), motor vehicle theft (14%), and burglary (13%). The juvenile share of the violent crime problem increased in recent years The relative responsibility of juveniles for the U.S. crime problem is hard to determine. Studying the proportion of crimes that are cleared by the arrest of juveniles gives one estimate of the juvenile responsibility for crime. The clearance data in the Crime in the United States series imply that the proportion of violent crimes committed by juveniles is lower than many believe but has increased in recent years. While the juvenile proportion of the U.S. population remained relatively constant, the juvenile responsibility for violent crime grew from 10% in 1980 to 14% in 1995 and increased for each of the four components of the Violent Crime Index: murder (5% to 9%), forcible rape (10% to 15%), robbery (12% to 20%), and aggravated assault (9% to 13%). Similarly, the juvenile responsibility for property crime increased from 23% in 1985 to 25% in 1995. Juvenile responsibility for three of the four offenses within the Property Crime Index increased: larceny-theft (24% to 26%), motor vehicle theft (19% to 24%), and arson (36% to 47%). The only Index crime for which juveniles appeared to be less responsible in 1995 than in 1985 was burglary (22% to 21%). Technical Note 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 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 a higher arrest rate than a jurisdiction whose resident youth behave in an identical manner. Therefore, jurisdictions, especially small jurisdictions, that are vacation destinations or that are centers for economic activity in a region 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, the comparison of juvenile arrest rates across States, while informative, should be done with caution. In most States, not all law enforcement agencies report their arrest data to the FBI. Rates for these States are then 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 may not be accurate. What do arrest statistics count? To interpret the material in this Bulletin properly, the reader must have a clear understanding of what these statistics count. The arrest statistics report the number of arrests made by law enforcement agencies in a particular year -- not the number of individuals arrested or the number of crimes committed. The number of arrests is not equivalent to the number of people arrested because an unknown number of individuals are arrested more than once in the year. Nor do arrest statistics represent a count of crimes committed by the arrested individuals because a series of crimes committed by one individual may culminate in a single arrest or a single crime may result in the arrests of more than one person. This latter situation, many arrests resulting from one crime, is relatively common in juvenile law-violating behavior because juveniles are more likely than adults to commit crimes in groups. This is the primary reason why arrest statistics should not be used to indicate the relative proportion of crime committed by juveniles and adults. Arrest statistics are most appropriately a measure of flow into the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Arrest statistics also have limitations in measuring the volume of arrests for a particular offense. Under the UCR Program, the FBI requires law enforcement agencies to classify an arrest by the most serious offense charged in that arrest. For example, the arrest of a youth charged with aggravated assault and possession of a controlled substance would be reported to the FBI as an arrest for aggravated assault. Therefore, when arrest statistics show that law enforcement agencies made an estimated 189,800 arrests of young people for drug abuse violations in 1995, it means that a drug abuse violation was the most serious charge in these 189,800 arrests. An unknown number of additional arrests in 1995 included a drug charge as a lesser offense. What do clearance statistics count? Clearance statistics measure the proportion of reported crimes that were resolved by an arrest or other, exceptional means (e.g., death of the offender, unwillingness of the victim to cooperate). In 1995, the FBI reported that 13% of all burglaries reported to law enforcement agencies were cleared by arrest or other, exceptional means. This does not mean that a person was convicted in 13% of all burglary cases or even that a person was referred to court in 13% of all burglary cases. An unknown portion of the arrests that clear a reported crime were handled within the police department and released. Another aspect of clearance statistics is that a single arrest may result in many clearances. For example, 1 arrest could clear 40 burglaries if the person was charged with committing all 40 of these crimes. Or multiple arrests may result in a single clearance if the crime was committed by a group of offenders. For those interested in juvenile justice issues, the FBI also reports information on the proportion of clearances that were cleared by the arrest of persons under age 18. This statistic is often used as an indicator of the proportion of crime committed by this age group, although there are some concerns about this interpretation. For example, the FBI reports that persons under age 18 accounted for 22% of all burglaries that were cleared in 1995. If it can be assumed that cleared burglaries have similar offender characteristics to those that were not cleared, then it would be appropriate to conclude that persons under age 18 were responsible for 22% of all burglaries in 1995. However, the offender characteristics of cleared and noncleared burglaries may differ for a number of reasons. If, for example, juvenile burglars were more easily apprehended than adult burglars, the proportion of burglaries cleared by the arrest of persons under age 18 would overestimate the juvenile responsibility for all burglaries. To add to the difficulty in interpreting clearance statistics, the FBI's reporting guidelines require the clearance to be tied to the oldest offender in the group if more than one person is arrested for a crime. Given these and other factors, reported clearance proportions may have some interpretation concerns, but they are the closest measure available of the proportion of crime committed by persons under age 18 and should provide a barometer of the changing contribution of persons under age 18 to the Nation's crime problems. Notes Throughout this Bulletin, the term juvenile refers to persons below the age of 18. This definition of the term is at odds with the legal definition of juveniles in 1995 in 11 States, including 8 States where all 17-year-olds are subject only to criminal court jurisdiction (Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas) and 3 States where all 16- and 17-year-olds are subject only to criminal court jurisdiction (Connecticut, New York, and North Carolina). Therefore, this analysis of UCR data overreports the true level of arrests of persons subject to juvenile court jurisdiction because the FBI statistics do not take into consideration the legal definition of a juvenile. Arrest rates developed for this Bulletin are based on unpublished data provided to the author by the FBI and on published population estimates from the U.S. Bureau of the Census' Current Population Reports. The FBI data are counts of arrests within age of arrestee and offense categories from all law enforcement agencies that reported complete data for the calendar year. The proportion of the U.S. population covered by these 12-month reporting agencies ranged from 75% to 86% between 1980 and 1995. Assuming that the reporting agencies had a population profile similar to the Nation's, estimates were made of the number of persons in each age group in the resident population of the reporting agencies. The resident population for a particular age group in the reporting agencies was developed by multiplying the reporting agencies' total populations by the U.S. Bureau of the Census' most current estimate of the proportion of the U.S. population in that age group for that particular calendar year. With these age-specific population estimates, age-specific arrest rates were calculated by dividing the number of arrests in the offense category by the estimated number of persons in that age group residing in the jurisdictions served by the agencies. Related materials Interested readers may obtain a copy of Crime in the United States 1995 by contacting the U.S. Government Printing Office or their local Federal bookstore. With funds from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) has prepared a user-friendly software package that presents annual juvenile and adult arrest statistics for every county and State in the United States for the last 5 years. Easy Access to FBI Arrest Statistics: 1990-1994 (and two other data sets in the series) can be downloaded from OJJDP's home page: http://www.ncjrs.org/ojjhome.htm. Copies can also be obtained by calling NCJJ at 412-227-6950 or by writing to the National Center for Juvenile Justice, 710 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219-3000. ------------------------------ Acknowledgments This Bulletin was written by Howard N. Snyder, Project Director of the Juvenile Justice Statistics and Systems Development (SSD) Program. The SSD Program is supported by funds provided to the National Center for Juvenile Justice by OJJDP. Barbara Allen-Hagen is the OJJDP Program Manager for this work. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance provided by the FBI's Research and Analysis Division, specifically, Yoshio Akiyama, Gilford Gee, Victoria Major, and Sharon Propheter. ------------------------------ This Bulletin was prepared under grant number 95- JN-FX-K008 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice. ------------------------------ The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime. NCJ 163813