In 2003, 29% of juvenile arrests involved females

Law enforcement agencies made 643,000 arrests of females under age 18 in 2003. Between 1994 and 2003, arrests of juvenile females generally increased more (or decreased less) than male arrests in most offense categories.

Most Serious Offense Percent Change in
Juvenile Arrests
1994–2003
Female Male
Aggravated assault –2%   –31%  
Simple assault 36      1     
Burglary –27      –41     
Larceny-theft –19      –43     
Motor vehicle theft –44      –54     
Vandalism –11      –36     
Weapons –22      –42     
Drug abuse violations 56      13     
Liquor law violations 26      –5     
DUI 83      25     
Disorderly conduct 46      2     

Data source: Crime in the United States 2003, table 33.

Similar gender differences also occurred in arrest trends for adults. Between 1994 and 2003, adult male arrests for aggravated assault fell 15% while female arrests rose 17%. Also, while adult male arrests for simple assault fell 5% between 1994 and 2003, adult female arrests rose 31%. Therefore, the disproportionate growth in female assault arrests was related to factors that affect both juveniles and adults.

In 2003, with the exception of larceny-theft, the percentage of juvenile arrests that involved a female was similar in central cities, in suburbs, and in other communities, outside cities and suburbs.

Most Serious Offense Female Percent of
Juvenile Arrests, 2003
Central Cities Suburban Areas Other
All offenses 30%   28%   28%  
Aggravated assault 24      22      20     
Simple assault 33      32      31     
Burglary 13      10      11     
Larceny-theft 40      36      27     
Drug abuse 18      17      21     
Weapons 10      11      11     
Vandalism 14      13      14     
Runaways 59      58      57     

Data source: Crime in the United States 2003, tables 45, 51, 57, and 63.

In 2003, the male juvenile arrest rate for aggravated assault was near its 1980 level; in contrast, the female rate was well above its 1980 level
Eight charts showing arrests of male and female juveniles per 100,000 juveniles ages 10-17, for aggravated assault, simple assault, weapons offenses, and drug abuse violations, 1980-2003.

  • Between 1980 and 2003, the increase in the female juvenile arrest rate was greater than the increase in the male rate for aggravated assault (96% vs. 13%), simple assault (269% vs. 102%), and weapons law violations (147% vs. 18%).

  • In contrast, the increase in the female juvenile arrest rate between 1980 and 2003 was comparable to the increase in the male rate for drug abuse violations (51% vs. 52%).
Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the National Center for Health Statistics. [See data source note for detail.]



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Juvenile Arrests 2003 OJJDP Bulletin • August 2005