Estimated number of juvenile arrests, 2009

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Working for Youth Justice and Safety

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Juvenile Arrests

Q:	How many arrests are made of persons under age 18?
A:	The 1.8 million arrests of juveniles in 2009 was 16% fewer than the number of such arrests in 2000.

Most serious offense		Number of juvenile arrests	Percent of total juvenile arrests
			Female		Under age 15		Percent change
			Female		Under age 15		2000-09		2005-09		2008-09

Total		1,812,900	29	%	27	%	-16	%	-11	%	-9	%
Violent Crime Index		85,900	18		26		-13		-10		-10
	Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter	1,200	7		9		0		-7		-7
	Forcible rape	3,100	2		32		-30		-22		-6
	Robbery	31,700	10		18		15		9		-10
	Aggravated assault	49,900	25		30		-24		-19		-11
Property Crime Index		417,700	38		28		-19		0		-4
	Burglary	74,800	11		27		-21		-4		-10
	Larceny-theft	317,700	45		28		-12		8		-1
	Motor vehicle theft	19,900	17		20		-61		-47		-20
	Arson	5,300	13		59		-37		-33		-17
Nonindex
	Other assaults	219,700	34		37		-6		-12		-5
	Forgery and counterfeiting	2,100	30		13		-66		-49		-17
	Fraud	6,200	35		17		-62		-21		-15
	Embezzlement	600	42		7		-68		-47		-52
	Stolen property (buying, receiving, possessing)	18,700	19		22		-28		-16		-10
	Vandalism	90,500	14		39		-20		-13		-15
	Weapons (carrying, possessing, etc.)	33,900	10		31		-7		-25		-15
	Prostitution and commercialized vice	1,400	78		12		-4		-16		-8
	Sex offenses (except forcible rape and prostitution)	13,400	11		48		-23		-21		-7
	Drug abuse violations	170,300	16		16		-14		-12		-5
	Gambling	1,800	3		11		67		-13		9
	Offenses against the family and children	4,500	36		28		-49		-21		-22
	Driving under the influence	13,500	25		2		-37		-25		-15
	Liquor law violations	110,300	39		9		-15		-11		-15
	Drunkenness	13,800	25		12		-37		-13		-11
	Disorderly conduct	170,100	33		36		6		-17		-10
	Vagrancy	2,700	28		24		-24		-29		-32
	All other offenses (except traffic)	323,300	26		23		-17		-12		-10
	Curfew and loitering	112,600	31		25		-27		-20		-15
	Runaways*	93,400	55		31		-34		-14		-14

*As of 2010, the FBI no longer reports arrests for running away. As a result of this change, all versions of this table prior to 2010 have been revised to remove the estimated number of runaway arrests from the estimated number of all juvenile arrests.

[ Excel file ]

In 2009, there were an estimated 49,900 juvenile arrests for aggravated assault. Between 2000 and 2009, the number of such arrests fell by nearly one-fourth (24%).
All four offenses that make up the Violent Crime Index decreased in the last year: murder (down 7%), rape (6%), robbery (10%), and aggravated assault (11%).
In 2009, females accounted for 18% of juvenile Violent Crime Index arrests, 38% of juvenile Property Crime Index arrests, and 33% of juvenile disorderly conduct arrests.
Youth younger than age 15 accounted for more than one-fourth of all juvenile arrests for both Violent Crime Index offenses (26%) and Property Crime Index offenses (28%) in 2009.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/qa05101.asp?qaDate=2009. Revised on December 17, 2012.

Adapted from Puzzanchera, C. and Adams, B. (2011). Juvenile Arrests 2009. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Data Source: Arrest estimates developed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and disseminated through “Arrest Data Analysis Tool.” Online. Available from the BJS website.