Children as Victims (From Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, 1999, by Howard N. Snyder and Melissa Sickmund)

• NCJ Number: 180753
• Author(s): Howard N. Snyder; Melissa Sickmund
• Date Published: May 2000
• Length: 24 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP National Report Series
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

This report presents findings on juvenile victims from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention publication titled "Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 Annual Report"; the report notes that juveniles are twice as likely as adults to be victims of serious violent crime and three times as likely to be victims of assault.

Abstract

In addition, juveniles ages 12-17 are as likely to be victims of serious violence as are young adults ages 18-24. Moreover, the victim was younger than age 12 in one-third of all sexual assaults reported to law enforcement. Furthermore, violent crime rate has decreased since 1994, but homicide remains a leading cause of death for juveniles. An average of six juveniles became homicide victims every day during 1997; firearms were the weapon used in three-fourths of the murders of juveniles between 1980 and 1997. In addition, child protective services received reports on more than 3 million maltreated children in 1996. The alleged perpetrator was the child’s parent in 80 percent of these reported cases. More than 1,000 children died as the result of child abuse or neglect in 1996. Three in four of these victims were children under age 4. Children with a history of maltreatment experience increased risk factors for juvenile delinquency. In addition, maltreatment and victimization can damage self-esteem, demolish families, and destroy futures. Tables, figures, and Web site and mail sources of the 1999 report