A Message From OJJDP

Juvenile Arrests 2004 summarizes and analyzes national and state juvenile arrest data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation�s report Crime in the United States 2004. The Bulletin provides baseline information for monitoring the nation�s progress in addressing juvenile crime.

In 2004, the juvenile arrest rate for Violent Crime Index offenses decreased for the tenth consecutive year, falling to half its 1994 peak and reaching its lowest level since at least 1980. The rate for each of the Violent Crime Index offenses�murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault�has declined steadily since the mid-1990s. Between 1995 and 2004, the reduction in the number of violent crime arrests was greater for juveniles (31%) than adults (14%). Juvenile arrest rates for Property Crime Index offenses also declined in 2004, reaching their lowest level in at least three decades.

The large declines in the Violent Crime and Property Crime Indexes from the mid-1990s through 2004 indicate a broad-based and general reduction in the delinquent behavior of America�s youth. While such statistical trends in juvenile crime are encouraging, problems remain. For example, between 1980 and 2004, juvenile arrest rates for drug abuse and weapons law violations increased substantially. During the same period, juvenile arrest rates for simple assault increased more than twice as much for females as for males.