Property Crime Index offenses

The juvenile arrest trends in the four components of the Property Crime Index showed substantial differences over the last two decades

	Burglary The juvenile arrest rate for burglary declined consistently between 1980 and 1997, with the 1997 rate 47% below that of 1980. In the period from 1980 to 1997, the greatest decline occurred between 1980 and 1988. The number of burglaries reported to law enforcement in 1997 was lower than in any year since 1972.
	Larceny-Theft The juvenile arrest rate for larceny-theft remained essentially constant between 1980 and 1997, with the 1997 rate 7% above the 1980 rate. In 1997, larceny-theft arrests accounted for 70% of the FBI's Property Crime Index arrests. Consequently, larceny-theft arrest trends control trends in the Index.
	Motor Vehicle Theft Juvenile arrests for motor vehicle theft soared between 1983 and 1989, with the rate up more than 130% over this period. After holding constant in 1990 and 1991, the juvenile arrest rate began to decline. The 37% drop between 1991 and 1997 resulted in the 1997 rate returning to the 1986 level. Consistent with the decline in the juvenile arrest rate for motor vehicle theft, the number of motor vehicle thefts reported to law enforcement in 1997 was the lowest in 10 years.
	Arson Compared with other property crimes, the rate of juvenile arrests for arson is very small. During the 1980's, the rate of juvenile arrests for arson remained constant. The rate increased between 1990 and 1994 and then declined, with the 1997 rate near the 1991 rate.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See data source note 1 for detail.]

Juvenile Arrests 1997	Juvenile Justice Bulletin   ·  December 1998