of juveniles engage in different levels of criminal
behavior. Specifically, the arrest rate for female juve-
niles has increased over this 10-year period, while the
juvenile male arrest rate has declined. Furthermore,
while the violent crime arrest rate for Black youth has
declined, it still is greater than the rate for any other
racial group. Several environmental factors, social
factors, and personal traits contribute to the persis-
tence or desistance of juvenile delinquency. While dif-
ferent developmental trajectories for the progression
of delinquency and different risk factors for male and
female juveniles exist, juvenile offenders generally
are at greater risk for mental health problems, less
education, substance abuse problems, and low socioe-
conomic status.Juvenile Population
and Crime Statistics
In 2002, the juvenile population in the United States
was nearing 73 million. Just over 2 million juveniles
(i.e., under age 18) were arrested in 2003, but fortu-
nately, over the 10-year period from 1994 to 2003,
juvenile arrests declined by 18%. Property crimes (e.g.,
burglary and larceny), which accounted for 463,300
juvenile arrests in 2003, constituted the largest crime
category, and violent crimes, such as murder, accounted
for 92,300 juvenile arrests. The overall trend for very
young offenders, but not for juvenile female offenders,
mirrored that for juvenile offenders in general. In fact,
the rate of offending for girls increased. Additionally,
arrest rates differed by racial group but were similar to
the overall pattern for juveniles.VVeerryy YYoouunngg JJuuvveenniillee OOffffeennddeerrss
Marked differences in the rate of offending across
age exist, and there are also general trends in the extent
to which very young people engage in antisocial con-
duct. Very young offenders are of particular concern
because it is not expected that young children would be
breaking laws. This phenomenon might also signal sub-
stantive problems with our parenting practices and
broader problems with communities in that both may
be less than effective in developing prosocial behavior
in youth. Recent trends show that among very young
juvenile offenders (10–12 years of age), the arrest rates
for violent (+27%) and drug-related (+105%) crimes
increased, while their overall arrest rate declined, from
1980 to 2003. Furthermore, for most offense types,more females were arrested than males in the 10- to
12-year age range. For example, the violent crime
index for young juvenile female offenders increased by
135% between 1980 and 2003, while it increased only
by 14% in the same time period for young juvenile
male offenders. Very young juvenile offenders form a
unique subgroup in that they are particularly at risk for
substance use and gang affiliation.GGeennddeerr TTrreennddss
Taking into account the total number of arrests in
2003, the arrest rate for juvenile females was higher
than that for juvenile males (20% vs. 15%). Additionally,
from 1994 to 2003, the arrest rate for juvenile males
declined by 22%, which is greater than the decrease in
the juvenile female arrest rate (−3%) over this period.
Additionally, the juvenile female arrest rate either
increased more or decreased less than the juvenile
male arrest rate for most offense types. For example,
simple assault arrests increased by 1% for juvenile
males and by 36% for juvenile females from 1994 to- Juvenile females accounted for 29% of all juve-
nile arrests and were disproportionately arrested for
prostitution (69%) and running away from home
(59%). These findings indicate the importance of
examining gender differences in juvenile offenders
and that trends found with boys do not necessarily
reflect what will occur with girls who are offending in
the community and vice versa.
RRaaccee TTrreennddss
White juveniles accounted for 71% of all juvenile
arrests in 2003, while Black youths were responsible
for 27% of juvenile arrests. Sixteen percent of Black
and of White arrests in 2003 were attributed to juve-
niles. However, Black juveniles, who represented only
16% of the juvenile population (ages 10–17), accounted
for 63% of the arrests for robbery, 48% of murder
arrests, and 40% of the arrests for motor vehicle theft.
The proportion of juvenile arrests varied across
offense type. For example, 9% of all arrests for mur-
der involved juveniles, while 51% of all arrests for
arson involved juveniles. The proportion of White and
Black juvenile arrests also differed across offense
types. Juveniles were responsible for a larger propor-
tion of Black arrests than of White arrests for robbery
(27%) and motor vehicle theft (33%), while the pro-
portion of White arrests attributed to juveniles was432 ———Juvenile OffendersJ-Cutler (Encyc)-45463.qxd 11/18/2007 12:43 PM Page 432