Each year law enforcement agencies produce data that is later compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into a Uniform Crime Report (UCR). This report tackles statics on a national level, breaking down the types of crimes committed, the demographics of the offender, and geographic data in which the crime took place. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) also compile similar statisics to the UCR every four years to assess the rates, trends, and statistics of juvenile offenders.
To fully understand the juvenile crime statistics represented by the OJJDP, one must understand that not all arrest statistics count towards the actual amount of arrests made in one particular crime. "The arrest statistics report the number of arrests made by law enforcement agencies in a particular year-not the number of individuals arrested, no the number of crimes committed" (Snyder, 2003, p. 2). Many crimes committed by juveniles tend to be done in groups, which can result in the arrest of multiple offenders for committing a single crime.
"Of all Violent Crime Index offenses, the juvenile arrest rate for murder showed both the greatest increase and the greatest decline between 1980 and 2007" (U.S. Department of Justice, 2007).
According to figure one, from 1980 through 1992 there was a steady rise in murders, resulting in an estimate of 150% increase in crime within a decade. Topping the chart, approximately 1.4 million juveniles, ranging among the ages of 10 through 17 were arrested between 1992 and 1994 for murder. However, the figure also shows a stead decline in arrest for murder and plateaus from 1999 to 2007 with approximately four hundred thousand arrest per year.After crimes were steadily assessed through a Violent Crime Index, a compellation of information gathered by the FBI reporting on aggravated assaults, robberies, forcible rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, antional attention brought focus to juvenile violence. Law enforcement efforts were proven to be proactive in these areas because arrest rates began to decline each year after the peak in 1988. The year 2001 was proven to hold the lowest crime rates prior to the last three decades.
Despite the decline in violent offenses, drug offenses and simple assaults continue to increase. Between 1993 and 1997, juvenile arrests for drug abuse climbed at an alarming rate of 77%, then fell again from 1997 to 2001 by 16%. There are several reasons juveniles participate in the distribution and use of druges, some reasons may include media portayals, self-medication, boredom, rebellion, peer pression, lack of confidence, etc. As long as these reasons motivate juveniles, controlling drug usage will continue to be an issue for law enforcement.
In the past, crimes committed by females have not been publicized as predominately as males. Sutides show that females tend to be quieter, but involved in a "greater degree in less serious types of [offenses]" (Champion, 2007, p. 84). Although, the male juvenile violent crime arrest rate grew by 124% from 1967 to 1996, the female juvenile arrest rate practically tripled the figure with 345%. As women become more pronounced in the work field and more predominate in America, female crime rates will only continue to increase.
According to the evidence of increased violent juvenile crimes, state and federal legislators have promoted heavier penalties, including transferring younger children and adolescents in the the adult justice system. "Data about juvenile crime, in particular violent crime, and statistics about the size of characteristics of the juvenile population have played an important part in the policy debates" (Zimring, 1998). Without measuring crime statistics or tracking trends in juvenile crimes, government and law enforcement officials would be more reactive than proactive; these efforts will not only lower crime rates, but also assist in targeting areas at risk.
Champion, D.J. (2007). The juvenile justice system: delinquency, processing, and the law (5th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall
Snyder, H.N. (2003, December). Juvenile arrests 2001. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Retrived from www.ojp.usdoj.gov/oojjdp
Zimring, F.E. (1998). American youth violence. doi: http://www.questia.com/read/56273892#
