Each year, more than 1.5 million youth are arrested in the
United States. Their crimes range from loitering and petty theft to rape
and murder. The Statistical Briefing Book from
the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention also states
that 43 percent of youth drink alcohol and 10 percent have driven a
vehicle while under the influence. Almost 20 percent admit to carrying a
weapon. More than 700,000 are involved in gang activity.
Juvenile arrest rates vary widely by sex and race. There were 5,804 arrests for every youth aged 10 to 17 in 2009. Almost 70 percent of these arrests are male offenders. The rate of arrest of black youth is more than double that of white youth. Asian youth were arrested at a rate that is 39 percent of the white rate of arrest.
The overall youth arrest rate is declining, although the female arrest rate has risen over the past 30 years. In 2009, the female arrest rate was 25 percent higher than in 1980.
The rate of male arrest had fallen to 27 percent below the 1980 rate by 2009. These statistics may be misleading, however. More than 80 percent of all youth illegal actions are undiscovered or unreported. The Department of Health and Human Services offers more information about this in its Juvenile Delinquency Fact Sheet.
There is also a Violent Crime Index tracked for juvenile offenders. The 2009 rate of violent youth offenders was 11 percent below its level in 1980 and 47 percent below the 30-year high of violent offenses by youth in 1994. Less than ⅓ of 1 percent of all youth ages 10-17 were arrested for a violent crime in 2009. There were youth offenders involved in 9 percent of all homicides in 2009, though.
Youth crime is most often committed in the after-school hours. Violent crimes, in particular, are more likely to occur between the hours of 3 and 7 p.m. when committed by youth than by adults. Most adult violent crime occurs between 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. This could mean that adult intervention and after-school activities could prevent many youth offenses and keep these juveniles out of police custody.
In its beginning, he model of youth justice was based on principles of rehabilitation. In the 1960s this began to change, however, according to Adolescent Development and the Regulation of Youth Crime, as presented in the journal Juvenile Justice. During this time, changes in theories, laws and funding moved the system toward detention and punishment instead of rehabilitation for youth offenders.
In 2010, 225 of every 100,000 youth under age 18 were held in a juvenile detention facility. These statistics vary widely by state, but range from 53 per 100,000 in Vermont to 575 per 100,000 in South Dakota. Youth facility conditions are sometimes called into question, usually by advocacy groups who promote rehabilitation in these youth. For a look inside America’s juvenile prisons, Wired hosts a photo essay about the state of juvenile detention facilities in America.
Additional Resources
-The National Council on Crime and Delinquency is interested in juvenile delinquency prevention and rehabilitation.
-The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice tracks statistical data and is active in the juvenile legal system.
-Crime in America is a blog about juvenile justice.
-CrimeSolutions.gov offers statistics and information on juvenile offenders in the United States.
-Preventing Juvenile Delinquency: Early Intervention and Comprehensiveness as Critical Factors is an article published by the online student journal StudentPulse.
-Juvenile Delinquency: Current Issues, Best Practices, and Promising Approaches is an article presented by the American Bar Association
-Uniform Crime Reports are available from the FBI and offer youth crime statistics.
-Teens and Drugs: What a Parent Can Do to Help is an article from PsychCentral.
-How to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do If You Can’t is a book by Neil Bernstein.
-The Bureau of Prisons hosts information about juvenile detention centers in the U.S.
-Juvenile In Justice is an organization that seeks to document both the good and the bad within youth facilities in the United States.
Juvenile arrest rates vary widely by sex and race. There were 5,804 arrests for every youth aged 10 to 17 in 2009. Almost 70 percent of these arrests are male offenders. The rate of arrest of black youth is more than double that of white youth. Asian youth were arrested at a rate that is 39 percent of the white rate of arrest.
The overall youth arrest rate is declining, although the female arrest rate has risen over the past 30 years. In 2009, the female arrest rate was 25 percent higher than in 1980.
The rate of male arrest had fallen to 27 percent below the 1980 rate by 2009. These statistics may be misleading, however. More than 80 percent of all youth illegal actions are undiscovered or unreported. The Department of Health and Human Services offers more information about this in its Juvenile Delinquency Fact Sheet.
There is also a Violent Crime Index tracked for juvenile offenders. The 2009 rate of violent youth offenders was 11 percent below its level in 1980 and 47 percent below the 30-year high of violent offenses by youth in 1994. Less than ⅓ of 1 percent of all youth ages 10-17 were arrested for a violent crime in 2009. There were youth offenders involved in 9 percent of all homicides in 2009, though.
Youth crime is most often committed in the after-school hours. Violent crimes, in particular, are more likely to occur between the hours of 3 and 7 p.m. when committed by youth than by adults. Most adult violent crime occurs between 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. This could mean that adult intervention and after-school activities could prevent many youth offenses and keep these juveniles out of police custody.
In its beginning, he model of youth justice was based on principles of rehabilitation. In the 1960s this began to change, however, according to Adolescent Development and the Regulation of Youth Crime, as presented in the journal Juvenile Justice. During this time, changes in theories, laws and funding moved the system toward detention and punishment instead of rehabilitation for youth offenders.
In 2010, 225 of every 100,000 youth under age 18 were held in a juvenile detention facility. These statistics vary widely by state, but range from 53 per 100,000 in Vermont to 575 per 100,000 in South Dakota. Youth facility conditions are sometimes called into question, usually by advocacy groups who promote rehabilitation in these youth. For a look inside America’s juvenile prisons, Wired hosts a photo essay about the state of juvenile detention facilities in America.
Additional Resources
-The National Council on Crime and Delinquency is interested in juvenile delinquency prevention and rehabilitation.
-The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice tracks statistical data and is active in the juvenile legal system.
-Crime in America is a blog about juvenile justice.
-CrimeSolutions.gov offers statistics and information on juvenile offenders in the United States.
-Preventing Juvenile Delinquency: Early Intervention and Comprehensiveness as Critical Factors is an article published by the online student journal StudentPulse.
-Juvenile Delinquency: Current Issues, Best Practices, and Promising Approaches is an article presented by the American Bar Association
-Uniform Crime Reports are available from the FBI and offer youth crime statistics.
-Teens and Drugs: What a Parent Can Do to Help is an article from PsychCentral.
-How to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do If You Can’t is a book by Neil Bernstein.
-The Bureau of Prisons hosts information about juvenile detention centers in the U.S.
-Juvenile In Justice is an organization that seeks to document both the good and the bad within youth facilities in the United States.
