Most arrested juveniles were referred to court

In most states, some persons under age 18 are, due to their age or by statutory exclusion, under the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system. For arrested persons under age 18 and under the original jurisdiction of their state’s juvenile justice system, the FBI’s UCR Program monitors what happens as a result of the arrest. This is the only instance in the UCR Program in which the statistics on arrests coincide with state variations in the legal definition of a juvenile.

In 2001, 19% of arrests involving youth eligible in their state for processing in the juvenile justice system were handled within law enforcement agencies, 72% were referred to juvenile court, and 7% were referred directly to criminal court. The others were referred to a welfare agency or to another police agency. The proportion of arrests sent to juvenile court has increased gradually from 1990 to 2001 (from 64% to 72%). In 2001, the proportion of juvenile arrests sent to juvenile court was similar in cities (72%), suburban counties (74%), and rural counties (71%).

Among the four Violent Crime Index offenses, only aggravated assault had a juvenile arrest rate in 2001 that was not at or near its lowest level in two decades        Murder The juvenile arrest rate for murder peaked in 1993. In that year, there were about 3,800 arrests of persons under age 18 for murder. Between the mid-1980s and 1993, the juvenile arrest rate for murder more than doubled. Between 1993 and 2001, the juvenile arrest rate for murder fell 70%, resting at a level lower than any experienced in the 1980s and 1990s.        Forcible Rape The juvenile arrest rate for forcible rape did not vary as much as the rates for the other violent crimes over the period of 1980 to 2001, although it did follow the general pattern of growth and decline over the period. The juvenile arrest rate for forcible rape increased 44% between 1980 and 1991 and then fell; by 2001, it was 13% below the 1980 rate, at its lowest level in at least two decades.        Robbery The juvenile arrest rate for robbery declined during much of the 1980s, falling 30% between 1980 and 1988. The juvenile arrest rate for robbery increased 70% between the low year of 1988 and the peak years of 1994 and 1995, to a level 19% above the 1980 rate. Between the peak years and 2001, the juvenile arrest rate for robbery declined substantially (59%), falling to its lowest level in two decades.        Aggravated Assault The juvenile arrest rate for aggravated assault doubled between 1980 and 1994. Its increase between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s generally paralleled the increases for murder and robbery. Unlike the juvenile arrest rate trends for murder and robbery, however, the decline in the juvenile arrest rate for aggravated assault between 1994 and 2001 did not erase the increase that began in the mid-1980s. Although the juvenile arrest rate for aggravated assault fell 33% between 1994 and 2001, the 2001 rate was still 37% above the 1980 level. Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note for detail.]

Juvenile arrest rate trends for the four Property Crime Index offenses show very different patterns over the 1980�2001 period        Burglary Unlike the juvenile arrest rates for any of the other Index offenses, the rate for burglary declined consistently and substantially between 1980 and 2001. Over this period, the burglary arrest rate was cut by two-thirds (66%). In 1980, there were an estimated 230,500 juvenile arrests for burglary; by 2001, this figure had fallen to 90,300. Between 1992 and 2001, the number of arrests for burglary declined substantially for both juveniles and adults (40% and 29%, respectively).        Larceny-Theft The relatively large volume of larceny-theft arrests ensures that the Property Crime Index arrest trends will reflect the larceny-theft trends. Therefore, it should be recognized that the juvenile Property Crime Index arrest trends may not (and in the 1980–2001 period did not) reflect the juvenile arrest trends for the other crimes in the Index. The juvenile arrest rate for larceny-theft remained relatively constant between 1980 and 1997, then fell by one-third (34%) in the brief period between 1997 and 2001.        Motor Vehicle Theft After falling between 1980 and 1983, the juvenile arrest rate for motor vehicle theft soared, increasing 138% between 1983 and 1990. After the 1990 peak, the juvenile arrest rate for motor vehicle theft declined both consistently and substantially, so that by 2001 the rate was just 3% above its lowest level of 1983 and 57% below its 1990 peak. Between 1992 and 2001, the number of arrests for motor vehicle theft declined 51% for juveniles and 13% for adults.        Arson After being relatively stable for most of the 1980s, the juvenile arson arrest rate grew 55% between 1987 and 1994. The rate then declined each year between 1994 and 2000, falling 30% from the 1994 peak. Between 2000 and 2001, the rate increased slightly. With the exception of running away from home and curfew and loitering law violations (crimes for which only juveniles can be arrested), arson is the offense with the greatest proportion of juvenile arrests. In the 1980s, an annual average of 40% of all arson arrests involved juveniles; between 1990 and 2001, the annual average was 50%. Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note for detail.]

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Juvenile Arrests 2001	OJJDP Bulletin • December 2003