Juvenile Crime Statistics After a decade of growth, the incidence of violent crime in America suddenly began to drop in the mid-1990s. Criminologists propose various reasons for the sudden turnaround in violent crime. Explanations include a strong economy, changing demographics, changes in the market for illegal drugs and the use of firearms, expanded imprisonment, policing innovations, and a growing cultural intolerance for violent behavior. Regardless of which explanation one favors, it is clear that previous increases as well as recent decreases in violent crime were disproportionately generated by the nation’s youth. Criminal behavior has always been more prevalent among young people.
The juvenile arrest rate for each of these offenses has been declining steadily since the mid-1990s; for murder, the rate fell 70% and manslaughter arrest rate fell 40% from its 1993 peak through 2001. (Snyder, 2003) More specifically, “juveniles were involved in 10% of murder arrests, 14% of aggravated assault arrests, 31% of burglary arrests, 24% of robbery arrests, and 23% of weapons arrest in 2001” (Snyder, 2003). In addition, there were significant decreases in juvenile arrests for property crimes in 2001, which reached its lowest level since the 1960s and juvenile arrest rates for burglary declined 66% between 1980 and 2001. Female Juveniles and Crime The National Center for Juvenile Justice
Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, or youth crime, is participation in illegal behaviour by minors (juveniles) who fall under a statutory age limit. [1] Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centres, and courts. A juvenile delinquent is a person who is typically under the age of 18 and commits an act that otherwise would have been charged as a crime if they were an adult. Although persons under 18 can also be charged and tried as adults, depending on the type of offense committed. In recent years, the average age for first arrest has dropped significantly, and younger boys and girls are committing these crimes.
The Overall Decrease in Juvenile Arrests Overall Review Data from 2008 shows that juvenile arrests for violent crime declined between 2006 and 2008. According to Puzzanchera (2009) “In 2008 there were 2.11 million juvenile arrests, which is 16% lower than the arrests in 1999” (p.3). In 2008 juvenile arrests for forcible rape was at an all time low since 1980, aggravated assault arrests were also at its lowest since 1988. However, juvenile arrests for murder were at its low in 2004, but increased from 2005 to 2007. Further, the Property Crime Index decreased by 20%, larceny-theft by 17%, murder by 5%, motor vehicle theft by 50%, and burglary by 14% (Puzzanchera, 2008).
Juvenile Crime Statistics Juvenile Crime Statistics Identifying an adolescent as a juvenile delinquent refers to him or her being involved in activity considered a violation of any Federal, state, or municipal law. Any persons under 18 who commit an illegal act would be classified as a juvenile offender. Over the past 50 years statistics show that cases involving juvenile offenders have increased. In an attempt to provide a closer look on juvenile delinquency, statistical information has been complied to display the specific areas in which such offenses have either increased or decreased. This paper will focus on the juvenile statistics gathered in 2008; the decrease in arrests, increase in narcotic offenses, simple assaults as well as the implications for juvenile females and minorities will be discussed and examined.
Also, without the inclusion of rehabilitation programs offered in 2008 with their successes and failures, the reader sees only part of the “big picture”. It would be interesting to know the percentage of recidivism for delinquents attending these programs, such as anger management and violence prevention classes while incarcerated or not. By including data concerning available rehab programs, the reader, whether law enforcement or the private citizen, can gain knowledge about the rehabilitation this country offers and the degree of success. The article indicates that juvenile arrests, as a whole, were fewer in 2008 than in 2007. Burglary arrests were slightly higher 2007 and 2008, but remained markedly less than in the 90’s.
There are nearly twice as many boys in the juvenile prisons than there are girls (J.Nurse, Superintendent, Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds, personal interview, December 2007); the frequency of drug related offences for female juvenile offenders in Barbados is low therefore the focus will be particularly on male juvenile offenders. The question as to why illegal substances are so popular with today’s youth must be answered in order to fully explain why criminal behaviour is exhibited especially in boys aged 13-17. The most popular and easily accessed drug used by adolescents in Barbados is Marijuana, other illegal substances, such as cocaine and heroin are present but their popularity is not as widespread as the cost is significantly greater, crack, a combination of cocaine and baking soda, is relatively cheap but is not as widely used as marijuana (Barbados Focus Study, 2002). It should be noted that the majority of charged drug offences are marijuana related with male juvenile offenders in Barbados. Most heterosexual families when expecting a baby value having a boy over a girl as it is a sign of manliness and fertility to produce a male child, however in the early stages of development boys are not challenged as much as
According to the Merriam Webster online, a juvenile relates to young people who have committed crimes (“juvenile” 2015). A murderer is the one who commits the crime (“murderer” 2015)…So therefore combining those two terms, we can come up with a term for juvenile murderer as being a young teenager/adolescent who murders and is the one who commits the crime. A juvenile is someone who is younger than 18 years of age. A juvenile who has been accused of murder and other serious crimes will be transferred from a juvenile court to an adult court; many states have these systems in place. The most important demographic characteristics of a juvenile murderer is age and gender (violence committed, 2015).
A significant number of cases heard in juvenile court are status offenses (A Separate System for Juveniles).” Around seventy percent of juveniles that get arrested are referred to juvenile court. The type of discretion that an officer uses is determined by the severity of the crime in question. “The police role with juveniles is expanded because they handle many noncriminal matters referred to as status offenses, including running away, curfew violations, and truancy as well as non-delinquent juvenile matters such as neglect, abuse, and missing persons reports (Police and Juvenile Offenders).” Some urban police departments have special units to the regard specifically to juveniles. Juveniles tend to have less respect for authority; the immaturity of juveniles makes them more prone to the peer pressure of others. Many juveniles see officers on patrol as a challenge of avoiding capture, instead
The legal term juvenile delinquent was generated so that young offenders could steer clear of the humiliation of being labeled in officially authorized court documents as criminals. In the United States, all states have separate systems for dealing with juvenile and adult criminals. A juvenile delinquent is a minor that is usually under the age of 18, who have committed an offense in states which have confirmed by law that a minor does not encompass responsibility and therefore may not be punished as an adult. Though, the legislatures of a number of states have decreased the age of unlawful accountability for severe crimes or for persistent habitual offenders to as low