| Juvenile Arrest Rate Trends |
The white juvenile murder rate in 2010 was at its lowest level since at least 1980, having fallen 72% since its 1994 peak, and the black rate in 2010 was well below (80%) its 1993 peak.
Juvenile Arrest Rates for Murder by Race, 1980-2010
|
Year
|
Whites
|
Blacks
|
American
Indians
|
Asians
|
| 1980 |
4.0
|
17.2
|
4.5
|
2.2
|
| 1981 |
3.9
|
22.7
|
2.5
|
3.7
|
| 1982 |
3.6
|
20.2
|
8.2
|
3.5
|
| 1983 |
3.2
|
16.2
|
4.7
|
2.0
|
| 1984 |
3.0
|
14.3
|
3.1
|
1.1
|
| 1985 |
3.2
|
17.9
|
1.9
|
1.8
|
| 1986 |
3.6
|
19.4
|
5.9
|
3.3
|
| 1987 |
3.5
|
23.1
|
6.9
|
3.2
|
| 1988 |
4.5
|
31.4
|
4.2
|
3.8
|
| 1989 |
4.7
|
38.7
|
4.7
|
3.4
|
| 1990 |
5.7
|
43.9
|
4.1
|
3.5
|
| 1991 |
6.0
|
44.7
|
6.1
|
4.1
|
| 1992 |
5.8
|
42.5
|
3.7
|
3.2
|
| 1993 |
5.8
|
51.5
|
5.7
|
4.1
|
| 1994 |
6.1
|
46.4
|
5.6
|
5.1
|
| 1995 |
5.4
|
39.8
|
8.2
|
4.5
|
| 1996 |
4.6
|
32.4
|
4.8
|
6.3
|
| 1997 |
4.0
|
27.0
|
2.8
|
4.4
|
| 1998 |
3.9
|
19.8
|
13.2
|
3.8
|
| 1999 |
2.5
|
14.3
|
5.3
|
2.5
|
| 2000 |
2.1
|
11.5
|
2.3
|
2.2
|
| 2001 |
2.1
|
11.6
|
6.9
|
4.0
|
| 2002 |
2.3
|
12.3
|
4.9
|
1.5
|
| 2003 |
2.2
|
11.4
|
2.5
|
2.0
|
| 2004 |
1.9
|
10.0
|
1.8
|
1.0
|
| 2005 |
2.0
|
11.9
|
4.5
|
0.8
|
| 2006 |
1.9
|
13.0
|
1.4
|
1.0
|
| 2007 |
2.1
|
13.2
|
3.6
|
0.9
|
| 2008 |
1.9
|
12.9
|
1.1
|
0.9
|
| 2009 |
1.8
|
12.0
|
1.7
|
0.6
|
| 2010 |
1.7
|
10.1
|
0.8
|
0.5
|
| Note: Rates are arrests of persons ages 10-17 per 100,000 persons ages 10-17 in the resident population. Persons of Hispanic ethnicity may be of any race, i.e., white, black, American Indian, or Asian. Arrests of Hispanics are not reported separately. |
[ Graph version ] [Excel file]
- After a period of stability in the early 1980s, the murder arrest rate for white juveniles increased 72% between 1987 and 1991. The rate held at this level for 4 years before declining 72% between 1994 and 2010.
- The murder arrest rate for black juveniles followed a similar pattern, but the swings were more dramatic. Between 1984 and 1993, the murder arrest rate for black juveniles more than tripled (up 260%). After the peak in 1993, the rate fell sharply, dropping 80% by 2010 and nullifying the earlier increase.
- The black-to-white ratio in murder arrest rates for juveniles varied substantially during the 31-year period. In 1993, the black rate was nearly nine times the white rate. This ratio declined during the late 1990s and early 2000s, falling to about 5-to-1. By 2010, the disparity increased to 6-to-1.
- The murder arrest trends for Asian juveniles appear to roughly track those for white juveniles. The annual murder arrest rates for American Indian juveniles are based on very small numbers and, therefore, vary greatly from year to year.
Internet Citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/JAR_Display.asp?ID=qa05262.
December 17, 2012. Adapted from Puzzanchera, C. and Adams, B. (2012). Juvenile Arrests 2009. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
USA.gov | Privacy | Policies & Disclaimers | FOIA | Site Map | Ask a Question | OJJDP Home
A component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
|
Printer-friendly