Juvenile arrests disproportionately involved minorities

The racial composition of the juvenile population in 2003 was 78% white, 16% black, 4% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1% American Indian. Most Hispanics (an ethnic designation, not a race) were classified as white. In contrast to their representation in the population, black youth were overrepresented in juvenile arrests for violent crimes, and, to a lesser extent, property crimes. Of all juvenile arrests for violent crimes in 2003, 53% involved white youth, 45% involved black youth, 1% involved Asian youth, and 1% involved American Indian youth. For property crime arrests, the proportions were 69% white youth, 28% black youth, 2% Asian youth, and 1% American Indian youth.

Most Serious Offense	Black Proportion of Juvenile Arrests in 2003
Murder		48%
Forcible rape		33
Robbery		63
Aggravated assault		38
Burglary		26
Larceny-theft		27
Motor vehicle theft		40
Weapons		32
Drug abuse violations		26
Runaways		20
Vandalism		18
Liquor laws		4
Data source: Crime in the United States 2003, table 43.

The Violent Crime Index arrest rate (i.e., arrests per 100,000 juveniles in the racial group) in 2003 for black juveniles (752) was more than 4 times the rates for American Indian juveniles (172) and white juveniles (186) and more than 8 times the rate for Asian juveniles (88). For Property Crime Index arrests, the rate for black juveniles (2,352) was about double the rates for American Indian juveniles (1,366) and white juveniles (1,237) and nearly 4 times the rate for Asian juveniles (614).

Over the period from 1980 through 2003, the black-to-white disparity in juvenile arrest rates for violent crimes declined. In 1980, the black juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate was 6.3 times the white rate; in 2003, the rate disparity had declined to 4.0. This reduction in arrest rate disparities between 1980 and 2003 was primarily the result of the decline in black- to-white arrest rate disparities for robbery (from 11.5 in 1980 to 8.4 in 2003), because the disparity in the arrest rates for aggravated assault changed little (3.2 vs. 3.1).

Declines in juvenile arrest rates from the mid-1990s through 2003 were substantial for both white youth and black youth Murder arrest rates in 2003 were lower than in any year since at least 1980 for both white and black juveniles. The murder arrest rate for white juveniles in 2003 was only one-third of what it had been in 1993, while the 2003 rate for black juveniles was only one-fifth of its 1993 value. The decline in robbery arrest rates between 1980 and 2003 was greater for black juveniles than white juveniles (62% vs. 48%). The Property Crime Index arrest rates for both white juveniles and black juveniles in 2003 were about half of what they were in 1980. 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.]

The trend in the juvenile arrest rate for weapons law violations from 1980 to 2003 closely parallels the trend in the juvenile murder arrest rate The juvenile arrest rate for weapons law violations increased more than 140% between 1980 and 1993. The rate fell substantially after 1993. In 2003, it was just 25% above its 1980 level. While the differences in the male, white, and black rates between 1980 and 2003 were similar (18%, 26%, and 27%, respectively), the female rate in 2003 was 147% above its 1980 level. 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.]

While the juvenile arrest rate for drug abuse violations was relatively constant in the 1980s, it soared in the 1990s Between 1990 and 1997, the juvenile arrest rate for drug abuse violations increased 145%. The arrest rate declined somewhat between 1997 and 2003 (down 22%), but the 2003 rate was still almost double the 1990 rate. There were clear gender differences in the rate increase between 1990 and 2003, with the male arrest rate increasing 81% and the female rate increasing 184%. 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 on for detail.]

Unlike the arrest rate trend for aggravated assault, the juvenile arrest rate for simple assault did not decline substantially after the mid-1990s The juvenile arrest rate for simple assault increased 138% between 1980 and 2003. In 1980, 68% of all assault arrests (i.e., aggravated assault arrests plus simple assault arrests) were simple assaults; by 2003, this proportion had increased to 80%. Most of this increase occurred in the latter half of the 1990s, and may indicate a greater involvement of law enforcement in less serious offenses. 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 on for detail.]

The juvenile arrest rate for driving under the influence was cut more than half between 1980 and 1993, falling 60% The juvenile arrest rate for driving under the influence in 2003 was 44% below its 1980 level, but 40% above its lowest level in 1993. Between 1994 and 2003, the number of juvenile arrests for driving under the influence increased 33%, while adult arrests decreased 6%. The increase in the number of arrests was far greater for female juveniles (83%) than male juveniles (25%). 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 on for detail.]

State variations in juvenile arrest rates may reflect differences in juvenile law-violating behavior, police behavior, and/or community standards State Reporting Coverage 2003 Juvenile Arrest Rate* Violent Crime Index Property Crime Index Drug Abuse Weapons United States 76%           291   1,442   594   116   Alabama 91   126   764   236   31   Alaska 97   243   2,202   487   85   Arizona 96   223   1,774   820   72   Arkansas 66   130   1,282   328   64   California 99   364   1,180   523   181   Colorado 71   231   2,051   777   168   Connecticut 65   290   1,347   479   90   Delaware 99   595   1,583   769   147   District of Columbia 0   NA   NA   NA   NA   Florida 100   524   2,128   765   109   Georgia 54   266   1,411   536   153   Hawaii 100   197   1,387   424   36   Idaho 94   160   2,158   482   122   Illinois 23   944   2,074   2,457   383   Indiana 74   317   1,219   438   28   Iowa 90   251   2,099   408   45   Kansas 48   131   1,055   455   25   Kentucky 26   229   1,435   588   56   Louisiana 73   355   1,842   570   61   Maine 100   78   1,866   562   26   Maryland 100   505   1,950   1,235   224   Massachusetts 70   269   512   337   28   Michigan 96   166   947   325   53   Minnesota 83   176   1,860   579   102   Mississippi 48   136   1,497   526   70   Missouri 97   295   1,728   680   87   Montana 60   202   2,175   295   32   Nebraska 86   96   1,820   581   83   Nevada 0   NA   NA   NA   NA   New Hampshire 69   71   674   452   9   New Jersey 93   386   934   688   214   New Mexico 55   220   1,367   749   174   New York 45   264   1,218   569   70   North Carolina 79   310   1,582   522   179   North Dakota 85   45   1,866   322   33   Ohio 49   150   1,222   443   70   Oklahoma 100   217   1,591   469   81   Oregon 91   149   1,721   520   53   Pennsylvania 84   402   1,222   559   123   Rhode Island 100   288   1,372   579   160   South Carolina 13   47   214   183   73   South Dakota 86   108   1,743   773   82   Tennessee 84   223   1,064   472   100   Texas 94   185   1,282   590   64   Utah 72   216   2,511   568   183   Vermont 77   81   559   322   11   Virginia 75   106   844   377   88   Washington 74   246   2,088   530   113   West Virginia 45   40   382   157   7   Wisconsin 76   184   2,813   842   176   Wyoming 95   88   1,885   769   80   * Throughout this Bulletin, juvenile arrest rates are calculated by dividing the number of arrests of persons ages 10–17 by the number of persons ages 10–17 in the population. In this table only, arrest rate is defined as the number of arrests of persons under age 18 for every 100,000 persons ages 10–17. Juvenile arrests (arrests of youth under age 18) reported at the state level in Crime in the United States cannot be disaggregated into more detailed age categories so that the arrest of persons under age 10 can be excluded in the rate calculation. Therefore, there is a slight inconsistency in this table between the age range for the arrests (birth through age 17) and the age range for the population (ages 10–17) that are the basis of a state's juvenile arrest rates. This inconsistency is slight because just 1% of all juvenile arrests involved youth under age 10. This inconsistency is preferable to the distortion of arrest rates that would be introduced were the population base for the arrest rate to incorporate the large volume of children under age 10 in a state's population. The reporting coverage for the total United States in this table (76%) includes all states reporting arrests of persons under age 18. This is greater than the coverage in the rest of the Bulletin (70%) for various reasons. For example, Florida was able to provide arrest counts of persons under age 18 but was not able to provide the age detail required to support other presentations in Crime in the United States 2003. NA = Crime in the United States 2003 reported no arrest counts for the District of Columbia or Nevada. Interpretation cautions: Arrest rates are calculated by dividing the number of youth arrests made in the year by the number of youth living in reporting jurisdictions. While juvenile arrest rates in part reflect juvenile behavior, many other factors can affect the size of these rates. For example, jurisdictions that arrest a relatively large number of nonresident juveniles would have higher arrest rates than jurisdictions where resident youth behave in an identical manner. Therefore, jurisdictions that are vacation destinations or regional centers for economic activity may have arrest rates that reflect more than the behavior of their resident youth. Other factors that influence the magnitude of arrest rates in a given area include the attitudes of its citizens toward crime, the policies of the jurisdiction's law enforcement agencies, and the policies of other components of the justice system. Consequently, comparisons of juvenile arrest rates across states, while informative, should be made with caution. In most states, not all law enforcement agencies report their arrest data to the FBI. Rates for these states are necessarily based on partial information. If the reporting law enforcement agencies in these states are not representative of the entire state, then the rates will be biased. Therefore, reported arrest rates for states with less than complete reporting coverage may not be accurate. Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI's Crime in the United States 2003 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2004), tables 5 and 69, and population data from the National Center for Health Statistics' Estimates of the July 1, 2000–July 1, 2003, United States Resident Population From the Vintage 2003 Postcensal Series by Year, County, Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin [machine-readable data files available online at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/dvs/popbridge/popbridge.htm, released 9/14/2004].

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Juvenile Arrests 2003	OJJDP Bulletin • August 2005