While headlines may scream about a youth crime wave, the surprising reality is that juvenile arrests have plummeted by nearly 60% since 2005, painting a complex picture far removed from simplistic fears.
Key Takeaways
- In 2019, law enforcement made an estimated 696,620 arrests of juveniles under age 18 in the United States
- The juvenile arrest rate in 2019 was 2,281 per 100,000 juveniles ages 10-17
- Juvenile arrests declined 59% from 2005 to 2019
- Aggravated assault juvenile arrests: 50,000 in 2019
- Robbery arrests among juveniles: 18,000 in 2019
- Burglary juvenile arrests: 30,000 in 2019
- Males comprise 75% of juvenile arrests
- Females accounted for 25% of juvenile arrests in 2019
- Black youth arrest rate: 8,100 per 100,000 in 2019
- Juvenile arrest rates fell 75% for whites 1996-2019
- Black juvenile arrest rates declined 70% 1996-2019
- Juvenile violent crime index peaked 1994, down 70% by 2019
- 75% of delinquency cases adjudicated 2020
- Probation granted in 55% of adjudicated cases 2020
- Detention ordered in 20% of cases pre-adjudication 2020
While juvenile arrests remain high, overall rates have declined sharply in recent decades.
Demographics
- Males comprise 75% of juvenile arrests
- Females accounted for 25% of juvenile arrests in 2019
- Black youth arrest rate: 8,100 per 100,000 in 2019
- White youth arrest rate: 1,900 per 100,000 in 2019
- Ages 15-17: 70% of juvenile arrests in 2019
- Hispanic youth: 20% of juvenile arrests despite 18% population
- Native American juvenile arrest rate: 4,500 per 100,000
- Asian youth lowest arrest rate: 500 per 100,000 in 2019
- 40% of detained youth have mental health disorders
- Foster care youth: 20% of juvenile justice population
- LGBTQ youth: 20% of juvenile justice involved
- In urban areas, 80% male juvenile offenders
- Rural female arrest rate higher relative to males
- Peak offending age for boys: 17, girls: 15
- Black males: 30% of juvenile population but 50% violent arrests
- 15% of youth in poverty commit 50% of crimes
- Homeless youth: 35% arrest rate annually
- Immigrant youth lower offending rates than natives
- In 2020, 12% of delinquency cases female
- White youth: 55% of juvenile court cases
- Black youth: 33% of juvenile court referrals
- Hispanic: 25% of petitioned cases 2020
- Ages 16-17: 40% of delinquency caseloads
- 60% of chronic juvenile offenders male
- Girls 30% more likely to be status offenders
- Boys 85% of violent juvenile crime
Demographics Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim and lopsided portrait of youth justice, where the deck is stacked from the start, showing that if you want to predict a young person's path, look not to their character but to their zip code, skin color, gender, and whether the system has already failed them in foster care or mental health.
Justice System Outcomes
- 75% of delinquency cases adjudicated 2020
- Probation granted in 55% of adjudicated cases 2020
- Detention ordered in 20% of cases pre-adjudication 2020
- Out-of-home placement: 25% of adjudicated delinquents 2020
- Dismissals: 20% of petitioned delinquency cases 2020
- Recidivism rate within 12 months: 30% nationally
- Transfer to adult court: under 1% of cases annually
- Average length of probation: 18 months
- 90% of cases diverted or informal sanctions
- Mental health screening in 70% of facilities
- Re-arrest rate for probationers: 25% within year
- Successful probation completion: 60%
- Commitment rates down to 15% of cases 2020
- Average confinement stay: 4 months
- Waiver to adult court: 2,500 cases yearly
- Restitution ordered in 30% of cases
- Community service in 40% dispositions
- Drug court participation: 10% of drug cases
- Rearrest after release: 50% within 2 years
- Girls recidivism lower: 25% vs 35% boys
- Racial disparities in placement: Blacks 2x whites
- Pretrial detention impacts conviction odds 20%
- Evidence-based programs reduce recidivism 15%
- Sealed records access reduced reoffending 10%
Justice System Outcomes Interpretation
This sobering snapshot of juvenile justice reveals a system heavily reliant on probation as its primary tool, yet still sees a revolving door for a significant portion of youth, all while grappling with persistent racial disparities and evidence that alternatives like mental health support and sealed records could help turn the tide.
Prevalence and Rates
- In 2019, law enforcement made an estimated 696,620 arrests of juveniles under age 18 in the United States
- The juvenile arrest rate in 2019 was 2,281 per 100,000 juveniles ages 10-17
- Juvenile arrests declined 59% from 2005 to 2019
- In 2020, juvenile court delinquency caseloads involved 526,000 youth
- The referral rate to juvenile court for delinquency in 2020 was 3,345 per 100,000 youth ages 10-17
- In 2018, 25% of all youth arrests were for juveniles ages 15-17
- Juvenile violent crime arrests peaked in 1994 at 18% of total violent arrests
- In 2021, juvenile arrests totaled approximately 500,000 nationwide
- The property crime arrest rate for juveniles dropped 70% from 1996 to 2019
- In 2017, 8% of juveniles ages 10-17 were arrested at least once
- Juvenile court petitioned cases reached 1.7 million in 1997 peak
- In 2022, school-related arrests of juveniles numbered 43,000
- Lifetime arrest risk for boys born in 2005 is estimated at 30%
- In California 2020, juvenile arrests were 47,000
- Florida reported 20,000 juvenile arrests in 2021
- Texas juvenile referrals to DA in 2020: 94,000 cases
- New York juvenile delinquency filings: 4,500 in 2022
- UK youth crime rate: 45 per 1,000 under 18 in 2021
- Canada youth charged rate: 3,800 per 100,000 in 2019
- Australia juvenile offenders: 28,000 in 2020-21
- In 2019, 47% of juvenile arrests were for property crimes
- Drug abuse violations accounted for 12% of juvenile arrests in 2019
- Simple assaults made up 15% of juvenile arrests in 2019
- Status offenses referrals to court: 93,000 in 2020
- In 2018, urban areas had 75% of juvenile arrests
- Suburban juvenile arrest rate: 1,800 per 100,000 in 2019
- Rural juvenile arrest rate: 1,200 per 100,000 in 2019
- In 2020, COVID reduced juvenile arrests by 70% in some cities
- National juvenile victimization rate: 12.1 per 1,000 in 2019
- Self-reported juvenile offending rate: 45% lifetime in NLSY
- Violent crime index arrests for juveniles: 4% of total in 2019
- In 1990s, juvenile court cases doubled to 1.8 million
Prevalence and Rates Interpretation
While the statistics paint a hopeful picture of a 59% decline in juvenile arrests since 2005, suggesting we're getting something right, they also soberly remind us that the system still processed over half a million young people in 2020 alone, meaning our work is far from finished.
Trends
- Juvenile arrest rates fell 75% for whites 1996-2019
- Black juvenile arrest rates declined 70% 1996-2019
- Juvenile violent crime index peaked 1994, down 70% by 2019
- Delinquency court cases down 60% from 1997 peak to 2020
- Female delinquency cases increased 30% 1985-2010 then fell
- Property crime arrests down 80% 1991-2020
- Violent juvenile arrests halved 2000-2020
- Drug arrests for juveniles peaked 1997, down 75% by 2019
- Detention admissions declined 50% 2000-2020
- Post-2010, juvenile recidivism rates dropped 10%
- COVID-19 saw 60-80% drop in juvenile arrests 2020
- 1990s superpredator myth debunked as rates fell sharply
- Self-reported delinquency stable 1990s-2010s despite arrest drops
- Homicide rates for juveniles down 40% 2000-2020
- School arrests down 50% since 2010 reforms
- Raise the Age laws reduced transfers to adult court 30%
- Gang membership among youth down 20% 2012-2020
- Victimization surveys show stable juvenile offending 2000s
- Firearm juvenile homicides up 30% 2019-2021
- Overall crime rates for under-18 down 50% since 1990s
- Petition rates fell from 3,800 to 2,100 per 100k 1997-2020
- Status offense cases down 55% 2005-2020
- Diversion use up 20% since 2010, reducing court entries
- Recidivism down from 55% to 40% 2000-2018
- Placement rates out of home down 70% since 2000
Trends Interpretation
While the '90s superpredator myth evaporated under the sheer, sustained weight of plummeting juvenile crime rates—from arrests to detention admissions—a stubborn, troubling exception flares in the recent rise of firearm homicides, reminding us that progress can be both dramatic and delicate.
Types of Crimes
- Aggravated assault juvenile arrests: 50,000 in 2019
- Robbery arrests among juveniles: 18,000 in 2019
- Burglary juvenile arrests: 30,000 in 2019
- Larceny-theft juvenile arrests: 130,000 in 2019
- Motor vehicle theft by juveniles: 12,000 arrests in 2019
- Arson arrests for juveniles: 2,500 in 2019
- Vandalism juvenile arrests: 35,000 in 2019
- Drug abuse violations: 75,000 juvenile arrests in 2019
- Weapons arrests among juveniles: 20,000 in 2019
- Sex offense arrests for juveniles: 4,000 in 2019
- Simple assaults: 110,000 juvenile arrests in 2019
- Disorderly conduct: 80,000 juvenile arrests in 2019
- Liquor law violations: 25,000 juvenile arrests in 2019
- Curfew/loitering: 15,000 juvenile arrests in 2019
- Runaways: 50,000 juvenile arrests in 2019
- In 2020, person offenses were 25% of delinquency referrals
- Property cases: 20% of juvenile court referrals in 2020
- Drug offenses: 6% of juvenile court cases in 2020
- Public order offenses: 15% of delinquency petitions 2020
- Homicide by juvenile offenders: 700 incidents in 2019
- Rape arrests juveniles: 3,500 in 2019
- School fights leading to injury: 150,000 incidents annually
- Cyberbullying related assaults: 10% of juvenile violent acts
- Gang-related juvenile homicides: 15% of total youth homicides
- Theft under $200: 40% of juvenile property crimes
- Fraud arrests juveniles: 1,500 in 2019
- Prostitution arrests: under 500 for juveniles yearly
- Stolen property arrests: 10,000 juveniles in 2019
- Embezzlement juvenile arrests: rare, under 200 yearly
- Forcible fondling arrests: 2,000 juveniles in 2019
Types of Crimes Interpretation
While the data paints a sobering picture of 150,000 schoolyard brawls and 130,000 larceny arrests, it’s clear our youth are far more adept at petty theft and disorderly conduct than they are at sophisticated crimes like embezzlement, proving that juvenile delinquency, much like their fashion choices, tends to favor chaos over class.
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